The California Cuts

On Saturday morning, I got there about 15 minutes after they opened and they were already packed. I had to wait 30 minutes for the next available stylist, which turned out to be Stella.

Overall, I thought she did a good job for the price ($18). I do think she was a bit rushed though, because she was trying to squeeze in another walk in and be ready for an appointment.

Nails by Julie Q is the best in town. I live 15 miles away in Solana Beach but I make the time to book my gel mani/pedi appointments with her.

I have tried nail salons closer to me and the gel mani/pedi are more expensive by at least $10 and start peeling In half the time.

My gel manicures last 3 weeks before the polish start to lift. My pedicures usually last 4 weeks. She always has the latest seasonal colors to choose from and she is a perfectionist. After an appointment with Julie Q your hands and feet look and feel GORGEOUS.

You will not find a better gel mani/pedi in town. I have looked. Book

I've been coming here for almost a year for mani/pedi's by Julie who is a one-woman show in the back of the salon. The mani/pedis are old school, clean, and low tech. The testament to how delightful and skilled Julie is the fact that she's been at this location almost 20 years, and many of her clients are faithful returning customers, some of whom have been with Julie 10, 15, or more years. I make my appointments with Julie several weeks in advance to get the desired times and if I want her to, Julie will text me appointment reminders. Julie doesn't up-sell and if I don't feel like chatting, we are comfortably quiet. If we do chat, Julie is a pleasant conversationalist with a great memory. I would like to discontinue the gel mani's but Julie does such a nice job, I'm having trouble giving them up.

Hair: While coming to see Julie, I've had the opportunity to observe many haircuts and styles and I know I'll soon be making appointments for those services for my family. Like Julie, several of the stylists have been at this location for a long time and like Julie, it's evident they have faithful clientele. I've read the negative reviews here and although I don't doubt the authors' experiences, I haven't seen evidence of dissatisfied customers.

First time here and my haircut was fresh 2 def! :). Keiko was my stylist and she took time and precision for me to come back on the reg.

UPDATE - 3 stars: I contacted the manager of all of the California Cuts salons in San Diego. She was very apologetic and refunded my money as well as had an excellent stylist at their Carmel Valley location fix my hair. STELLA also called to apologize. I have returned one star to them and I appreciate the business ethics of The California Cuts, I see my situation as an isolated incident.

Original Review - 2 stars
I think that for regular haircuts this place might be alright, but I had an awful experience.

I went in to have my hair colored red with STELLA and I wound up with almost entirely brown hair with a hint of red and bright red only at the top. My hair look ridiculous, I tried to book an appointment to have it fixed and they were very hesitant about it. I called back another time and they finally gave me an appointment for the following week at 9am. I showed up 5 minutes to nine and the stylist was 5 minutes late and then took another woman without an appointment before me saying it would only take 10 minutes when instead it took 25.

Finally I was taken and this time I brought a picture to make sure I got what I wanted. STELLA told me I would need highlights instead of color to get what I wanted. I was not expecting to pay to have the botched dye job fixed but highlights were a bit more expensive so I asked about the price and she said she would just charge me for materials. Okay, a bottle of dye? Couldn't be more than $20. I could tell STELLA wanted to finish with me quickly, she gave me the foils and asked me to fold them over plastic and hand them to her. I have never been asked to do work for my own hair in a salon before. Then I went under the dryer and had my hair washed.

I saw myself in the mirror and I knew something was wrong immediately. Blond streaks? This was not what I asked for! She promised it would look better once it dried but instead of blow drying it she put me under the dryer where only the top of my hair dried. I tried to dry the rest by piling it atop my head. When it was 75% dry I dared to take another look, my dark brown hair was covered in blond and light orange streaks. I was so upset, I just wanted to get out of there. I went to pay. $45?! Just for materials?! I paid and then left cried the whole way home.

Needless to say I will never be back.

I am very hesitant about getting my hair cut anywhere in general, and especially in salons where the price of the cut is less than $20. HOWEVER, I could not get an appointment one day and could not afford a pricey salon cut and really needed to get my hair done.

BETTY at California gave me the best cut i have had in years! She worked with my, cut my hair the way I wanted it done and made my hair look great! I was so impressed with the quality and value of this place I will definitely be coming back!

California Cuts was first recommended to me by my friend, Michelle. She and her sister had been seeing HOLLY for years. And since then, I too have been getting my cuts from Holly.

Even when I moved to Los Angeles, I'd make an appointment with Holly whenever I am visiting San Diego. She's wonderful! Great people you can trust (especially with hair) are hard to fine. She's honest and will tell you what looks good and what doesn't base on the shape of your face.

She does colors too - back in the day when I used to highlight my hair. That phase is gone and done.

A year or two ago, California Cuts has updated their salon from the early 90s to a more moderate and chic look. Every stylist has their own specialty and I highly recommend every one of them. They recommend great products to protect, soften, or sculpt your hair into your signature look. California Cuts is open to men, women, and children with a very friendly customer service.

My sister and I come here to get our hair done. My sister is always looking great when she sports her blonde highlights. My hair always looks edgy. The stylists try to make everyone look different, meaning that each client won't look like every other client they have. So if you go out, you won't find someone with a similar look.

In addition, you can get your eyebrows threaded or waxed.

I also recommend making an appointment, especially if it on the weekend. If you do call, please let them know how long your hair is so they have enough time to work with your hair.

Passing by the area and stopped in for a haircut. There were a lot of kids there since it was back school season. They lady who cut my hair was nice. She did a good job however left the back a bit uneven. Several people noticed it and brought to it to my attention. That is the only reason I'm not giving it 4 star. Overall it was a good haircut, just make sure you closely double check the work. Would go again if I was in town.

Our family has been getting our haircut and styled here for over 15 years. Linda is amazing, she gets five stars all but herself. Over the years we've also received excellent service from Rose and Stella. The rest of the staff is nice, place is clean, and still provides the small town / establishment feel. Definitely not a larger / corporate establishment; we never feel like just a number. The team is always accommodating, willing to fit you in when they are booked, and willing to move a bit faster when we are in a rush. Ask for Linda.