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Zip Zap Hair
Rating Details »
Categories: Hair Salons, Barbers [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Lower Haight, Hayes Valley245 Fillmore St
(between Haight St & Laussat St)
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 621-1671
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- By Appointment Only:
- Yes
197 reviews for Zip Zap Hair
This business is a Yelp Sponsor
11/30/2009
11/16/2009
10/21/2009
Updated - 11/28/2009
11/16/2009
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4/25/2008
One of the Business' Favorite Reviews What's This?
This review is for CLAR
(SPECIFICALLY because the receptionist...........)
Clar is a fantastic stylist. I got some fantastic side swept bangs and long layers (my hair is lonnng). She actually TRIMMED it, not chopped some off. Oh and I believe it was $65 in case you were wondering. She was also quick, yet precise.
Loveeeeee
I live in San Francisco but am often not home, due to being a college student who spends half her time in Southern California. I refuse to get my hair cut anywhere but here or with anyone but Monica! Three years ago, I was a mess. My hair was down to my waist and it had been one length (not always the same length, but no shape) my whole life. I also wore way too much eyeliner and all black, but that's a different story. My family finally got sick of me having no style and my sister made me an appointment with Monica.
Now, regardless of lacking style, I've got compliments on my hair since forever - the natural wave, shine, and color are all somehow hereditarily perfect. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) I carefully explained to Monic that I am not into products or spending much time at all on my hair. I wash it every other day and blow dry the roots for two minutes when it's cold out, otherwise I just let it do its thing. I told her I wanted something fun and different, but nothing that would require anything more than a brush-and-go. She cut it to my shoulders and gave me bangs and layers. I was in love.
I go every 6 months and tell her "I'm bored with it again. You know my situation. Change it!" And I love it every time. My only complaint is that she doesn't always work weekends so I have to really plan ahead to get an appointment, but that's fine by me. She tells great stories and listens to mine and always remembers me even after half a year. The best part is when I leave Zip Zap and walk down Fillmore feeling like a movie star - and my hair always still looks good after I wash it the next day. All in all, love this place.
I've been going to Pearlyn for, geez, something like 6 or 7 years now! Wow, that's along time, but hair always needs cutting and when you find someone who can do it right you stick with 'em! Pearlyn is super sweet and knows her stuff! You know someone is good when you can go in and say "just make me look good" and walk out of there with a great cut every time!
I'd follow Pearlyn anywhere... which is why when she decided to move salons about 9 months ago I jumped on the Zip Zap band wagon without ever looking back.
GO SEE PEARLYN! You won't be sorry!
Jeni still cuts my hair, and I don't know what I'd do if she left. Cry, maybe? And Ivy's been coloring my hair for awhile, and she's totally knowledgeable on trends and with haircolor looking natural and being long lasting. Plus, she's a vegan. What's not to like? Just note that Ivy only takes cash or check.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/14/2008
love jeni (she's a wizard with the scissors) and david (the white brotha with the cuhlah). 'nuf… Read more »
James and Jeni are both where the talent comes from. He cuts my hair and she cuts my gf's. I'll never change hair guys. And Jeni does amazing with curls/wavey hair.
Just had a great haircut experience at Zip Zap with Pearlyn.
Solid consult, great haircut! I will be a repeat customer. If you're a guy looking for hairstylist, I recommend her. Cool, mellow salon as well without the attitude.
i love paul sand's haircuts. i love the price. i love the ease with which i get appointments in the middle of the day.
Monica, Monica, Monica - I'm so happy I found you! I'm so grateful not to have searched long for my stylist in San Francisco. She's very attentive, a wonderful listener, and explains her cuts thoroughly. I'll never leave, she'll have to leave me!
I am back in SF and the Lower Haight after 3 yrs and walked into this place for rates and info. The orange lipsticked girl immediately jumped on me and asked if I had an appt. I took a sec and asked how difficult it was to get a future appt and she ignored my question and went into her pitch. I have been in sales for 15 yrs at the Director level and she had no ice breaker even after Itild her I was new to the hood. No rapport building skills. I will not be booking an appt at Zip Zap. The shop looked lovely however.
Here is the deal.
At every major milestone in my SF tenure, I have seen Eddy to give me a haircut to face it in style. He was there to give me my new do before I walked down the aisle and there to give me a quick trim before my Chicago send off.
The place:
It's urban and hip. All the stylists are trained and know what the hell they are doing.
The price:
Ouch. A guy a ain't used to paying these prices. But as I mentioned, I come here for special occasions. It's worth the $50.
Parking:
You can find parking within a few blocks of Zip Zap. Check out the cross streets along Filmore.
If you go, give Eddy my best..
You've just been yelped in.
I live in a neighbohrhood surrounded by hair salons and I used to go downtown to the the big name salons. Louie, Cowboys and Angels, then Di Pietro Todd stopped allowing my dog inside. Parking is pricey downtown, and I do not want to sacrifice the extra time the public transportation requires.
I tried the underground this year. I never felt so overwhelmed in my life by crowds. They have transit police that stop you and say, "Where are your papers, you must have your papers." super scary for people like me who tend to loose paper very fast and saw too many Nazi movies as a child. Seems a stupid and expensive system that puts into place "guilty until proven innocent" mindset cops love and the innocent loathe.
Isn't this illegal everywhere in the US except new orleans?
I may try a barber shop next. Zip Zap was cool freindly and low pressure.
Nice folks. No hardsell on products..
I was so disappointed after going there :( I had really high expectation b/c of the good reviews on yelp and a recommendation from a relative, but 2 weeks after getting a haircut, I decided not to go back there again.
I had my haircut w/ Karafina. She was really easy to talk to and looked like she listens to what I had to say about my hair and what style I wanted. B/c my hair was not long enough to be too creative, she gave me the most basic funky hair styles to choose, and I chose to get asymmetric, which is one side longer than the other, but the transition is smooth and gradual. The haircut, including shampoo & blow dry, only took 30-40 minutes, and I couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not at the time. I was happy with how I looked after I was done, but I knew in my heart that I had to wait until the next day at least to find out if I really liked her work.
For the whole week, I wasn't so happy with the longer side. Something about it was just not right, and I couldn't point out what was, but I couldn't get the longer hair to look right. My hair was always messy looking, and friends couldn't even tell that I had asymmetrical haircut. They just thought I kept one strand longer. Some of them couldn't even stand that longer strand and told me that they just wanted to cut it for me.
I decided to give Zip Zap another try and tried to make a color appointment. It was very difficult to get the appointment I wanted b/c they have limited color stylists, and when I canceled my appointment due to difficulty finding a babysitter, the receptionist messed it up and didn't cancel it.
It wasn't until I went to another place to get my hair colored, and the stylist pointed out how she could make my hair style better and she did, I realized how bad the haircut I had w/ Karafina was.
I never had any kind of haircut or hair trim for only 30 minutes. Minimum would be 1 hour. It just made me think either that Karafina didn't have much skill or didn't want to spend time on my hair. It was too expensive to get a haircut that wasn't good enough.
Btw, my original appointment w/ Karafina was almost canceled the day before. My babysitter is not free all the time, nor does she wait for my call all day, so I was not happy when they wanted to re-schedule me. They decided to postponed my appt. to an hour later, but when I got there on time, or maybe even earlier, Karafina was just sitting there reading magazines. They really could've called me and let me come early so I didn't have to ask my babysitter to watch my baby for an extra hour.
I've had really bad luck in the past - REALLY bad luck - so am thrilled to have found someone I can trust to consistently give me good cuts. That's the key too - consistency. Karafina does my hair & she rocks!! I find that I can actually style it similarly to how she does - which is huge. I hate when you get a cut - it looks good in the salon & then there is no earthly way for you to duplicate at home. Who needs that?! I do not miss that feeling of dread I used to get when I needed a haircut.
First time at zip zap. I went to see Pearlyn who is a new stylist there. Simply, she rocks! I wish I could afford to have her style my hair every day. All of the other stylists seemed to be highly competent. Nobody looked bad in the place actually. A really good looking bunch! The gold wall and junk yard art flair is also appealing.
Bottom line-It's hard to find a stylist you like and are confident telling them to do "whatever" with your hair (I know stylists typically think I am a pain when requesting non specific things like that, but I do it to test them). I am lucky to have found someone who can deal!
One last thing. I know, $60.00 is not a lot for a haircut. After all, some people pay $100s for haircuts. But I was a little unsure why I was charged $60 when the scale is $45-60, and I have short hair. Could have said something. But I'm kind of shy about being cheap.
I have been kind of a hair-slut at Zip Zap... I have been with 3 of their stylists. (Like, for a haircut.)
I oh, how I loved them all in their own sweet ways; darling Monica, who gave me the only blow-out I've ever liked; adorable David who gave me great bangs....
But it is Clar who has stolen my heart! A willowy, blonde Irish lass with cute little tattoos and a grip on her shears. I have been with Clar for a long time now, and I don't think there is any going back:
I showed up with a request to take my long, straight, semi-layered cut with bangs to a more... creative place. Clar was awesome about looking at some photos I brought, and was very honest when she told me that she couldn't get a feel for the cut-- how it was styled in the photos was deciveing and she didn't want me to be disappointed. After much discussion, she helped me realized what i liked about the cut, and gave me the most bad-ass sculptured haircut of my life. I love it. My friends love it. People have stopped me on the street to tell me that they love it.
I haven't felt this hot in a long time. :)
I got a terrible haircut here last week with lets call him "P". I told him I hadn't cut my hair in a long time and was nervous. He was apathetic when I asked him if I could show him a picture and never looked at the picture I brought. I asked for a layered bob with bangs. I ended up with a regular bob with only ONE level of layers. Therefore, My hair is flat on the top and poofy on the bottom. Just really unstylish. The blowout disguised the true ugliness of this cut. I walked out of there not totally happy, but ok with it.
BUT after I washed it the next day I realized that the left side is longer than the right side. I allowed myself to cry for vanity for an hour. Although displeased I decided against going back to him to have him fix it. I'll just wait for it to grow out and have someone somewhere else remedy this messed up hack job.
Listen up--this is important. My favorite hairstylist of my 40 years on this planet has just moved to Zip Zap: Pearlyn!!! She used to cut and color at Oxenrose, but Zip Zap is closer to my house, so even better.
Hair is a Very Important Thing in my life; I'm mixed race--black and white. I have one of the biggest, thickest, most unruly crazy kinky afros you've ever seen. And you'd never, ever guess that when Pearlyn is done with me.
I'm writing this review because I got my hair cut and colored over a month ago, and today, I just took it from crazy spazzy kinky natural 'fro to sleek layered bangs-cut (with the help of a ceramic flat iron) and the haircut is still great. If you have thick, coarse ethnic hair like I do, you know that you must bow down and worship a stylist who can give you a cut that looks great naturally curly/afro *and* blown out straight. It's like the Holy Grail of Hair, and Pearlyn has it down flat.
I also like that she's very fashion forward--I'll admit that I have a rather trendy hairstyle that's nonetheless easy to manage. This review probably sounds a little over the top, but I'm telling you, as someone who's always had Serious Hair Issues, I can essentially pretend that I have normal, easy to deal with hair. Go see her now!!
i looooooove my haircut. i have curly hair so normally a cool haircut is far n few. Monica hooked it up though. she listened and made it work. im hella happy with my cut. Thank YOU!
Love my cut. My stylist was very professional and the sweetest girl. I told Rain that I was tired of my long hair and wanted something short and different. She gave me what I wanted, a cute and stylish hair cut. I love her! She's been my stylist for about a year now. I live in LA and I only go to SF to get my yearly cut, and I only allow her to cut my hair. I trust no one! Rain is so amazing and talented, you must see her!!!!
I rarely, rarely cut my hair. I'm terrible about it. Not only does Monica never give me a hard time about this, but she always remembers me (even if it's been six months) and cuts and colors my hair so that it will grow out in such a way that it will look ok until I come back.
She is lovely and nice and pays attention to what you like and who you are - you can actually say "Do whatever you want" and end up being glad you did.
Monica is a serious talent. I'd even go as far to call her a hair genius. She gives me a different look during a 10-minute bang trim. She allows me to simultaneously grow out my hair AND get a new style every three months or so. I usually give her some idea and tell her to GO, and I am always happy with the result.
Regarding the administrative experience, my expectation is that I need to call two weeks in advance for a cut. They are always super-gracious on the phone.
it's true! David does rock! And so does everybody here. Go to Zip Zap.
xox
This is the best salon in the city, IMO.
Monica is the best colorist (especially at blond) I've had--my hair is NEVER brassy, which always seemed to happen everywhere else. She's also fantastic at doing long, layered cuts.
James gives the best bobs--he's a bob master, seriously. If you've got straight, fine hair, then you know how difficult your hair is to cut. James is the best--there's never a stray, missed hair and your haircut looks great whether you blow it out or just let it wash and wear.
And Paul makes my hubby look cool. If I didn't send my hubby to Paul to get a hip cut, he'd have bangs straight across his forehead or feathered seventies hair (this I can totally vouch for, having seen him get some pretty bad cuts in the past).
-Cheapest place to get Fiber Grease in SF
-Karafina is good at cutting hair
-James is too
Super friendly and competent receptionists!
Also a cool gold wall...
Four stars because I LOVE my hair stylist!!!!!
(I dare not give you his name. I would become insanely jealous if he was fully booked and he could not cut my hair.)
Down one star because they never answer the phone! But it's usually forgivable once I get in there.
I think I finally found the great salon in the city. Affordable, no frills, no archaic policies and a great stylist. Paul Sand was super, friendly and fast. And word on the street is they've been attracting many great stylists from some of the neighborhoods more snooty salons.
It's simple: great hair cut and styling and color. Both David and Linda give me a really good cut. I have fine wavy/curly hair and they shape and texture it well. David does my color and gets it. I always leave Zip Zap happy.
Karafina is really good. I was happy with my cut, and really liked her as a person.. and the price was right.
Only thing: the front counter staff is less than favorable. I would stretch to say rude and maybe even a little untrustworthy... give your tip directly to your stylist.
My coworker always has the cutest haircuts so I finally asked her for her hairdressers info and she sent me to Jeni at Zip Zap. Jeni is AMAZING. She not only gave me the bangs that I wanted (which no other hairdresser has managed to do) but she cut my hair to emphasize its natural wave - again, something no other hairdresser has done before. Generally, my hairdressers focus on the straightness of my hair and cut accordingly. The haircut Jeni gave me is completely different than anything I've had before and I absolutely love it. I've gotten more complements on this haircut than I ever have before. She ROCKS!
I had been having someone else at Zip Zap do my hair but I wasn't really happy, she didn't listen to me and just did her own thing. But one day I was feeling desperate to cut off my locks for a short do and thought I would give Zip Zap one more try.
So I walked in and asked if someone was available for a cut. It was then that Ivy walked into my life, and my hair will never be the same. After 5 minutes with Ivy, I knew I was in good hands. She gave me an amazing new short style, and turned me into a Zip Zap believer again.
For almost a year now, she has been coloring and styling my hair, and I wouldn't go to anyone else. Every cut she has given me gets raves from friends and strangers alike, people even stop me on the street to ask who cuts my hair. Did I mention I have curly hair? You all know how hard it is to find someone who knows what to do with those curls.
Ivy is both a fantastic stylist and a truly lovely human being. You won't be disappointed.
Lately I've been going through an ugly phase that is not ending, which makes me think it might not be a phase so much as "getting old," so then of course what do you do?...you get on the phone to the hair place to find someone to FIX IT. To make you, if not immortal, then at least not a big, lumbering fugly-saurus sad sackaroni.
Well, yesterday I had Ivy do my hair for the first time, and even though I want her all to myself, it's important that I publicly proclaim her mad skills.
She took her time and helped me through my considerable indecision, and even had me on a 2-step plan to finally get the cut and color I want, but in baby steps so I wouldn't freak. I am freaking, but in a good way. I am over the moon. I am moonwalking over the moon. Frontwards. She gave me the browns and golds back, which gave me the rosy/alive complexion and my brown eyes back. She cut off the dead weight and helped me parse the uncharted expanse that is my forehead (where many Norwegians have gone, and none have returned).
She made everything OK again. I am ecstatic. This is the best cut and color ever. Seriously. And while Ivy cannot stop time, she can make me look a little more fly as fuck while I wait to die.
Thank you, Eddy (I think that's how you spell your name)!!! You are great!
Well, I have long hair. Before I went in, I had hair nearly down to my booty. But I also had split ends everywhere, frizz, and flyaways that I could never control without a straightening iron (that caused my split ends -- bleh!)...
I was looking everywhere for a place to fix my hair. It took me weeks to narrow it down to a few choices (and oddly enough Zip Zap wasn't on my list since I didn't have a budget for my salon visit). But I told my boyfriend what I was looking for and he simply suggested Zip Zap. That was strange, since he hasn't had a "real" haircut in ages! He said they were good, not too expensive, and easy to get to...
So, I followed his advice and made an appointment with whoever was available at 3:30PM on that Thursday... Well, it happened to be Eddy. Eddy who loves long hair... Eddy who isn't scissor-happy. Eddy who is my hair-hero!
Well, when I got there, he greeted me quite sweetly, listened to what I wanted, and gave suggestions on what would work best. Then he got to work. He rinsed my hair and added some conditioner, then proceeded to chop off about 6 inches of my hair (which wasn't much since my hair is long)... Then he started working in some better layers. He made my hair so much lighter, and he even told me how my hair had natural waves. Being of Asian descent and having relatives that all have stick-straight hair, I figured my hair was just super frizzy or something. But no! It's just because I brush it after I wash it... Eddy taught me how to make my hair fun and wavy. =)
Yeah... I've spent $120 on a cut/style before, and never did they tell me I had wavy hair, but a $50 haircut at Zip Zap, Eddy tells me and teaches me how to make the most out of the natural state of my hair.
Plus, I'm pretty sure I've found my favorite salon... Hoorah!
Being a dude, I've never been one to go to a fancy place to get my haircut (and it showed). I finally got talked into going to a "salon" rather than a "barber" and Zip Zap has not done me wrong.
I was very apprehensive with my first foray into hairstyling professionals but now I'm totally comfortable with getting my hair shampooed AND CONDITIONED by someone else. It's breath taking.
Paul kicks ass at cutting and styling what's left of the hair on my head.
Everyone here is really nice and it's in a great location to come down to during the day, get lunch somewhere, walk in, get your style on and make good on the rest of the afternoon.
I have had my haircut mostly by Tara, and once by another guy (forgot his name), who I saw when Tara was not available. Tara is awesome, she cut a pretty kickass angled bob.
Oh wow Karafina knows her stuff!
Im crazily finicky about my hair (who isnt?)so before going there i read loadsa reviews and decided she was gonna be the coveted one :) So i went in there and told her what i wanted ..and she patiently listens.. she s really sweet and friendly so its great fun talking to her..then she goes snip snip and gave me a lovely cut that framed my face so prettily...she also gave me softish waves like Farrah Fawcettish ...and above all she gave me so much VOLUME!!! I came out of the salon feelin and looking like a million bucks :)
My husbands gettin his hair done by paul this eve...i guess its gonna be great too..
Thanks Karafina...I'm so comin back
Coming from a small town I'm used to paying $20-30 for a haircut so I was really apprehensive about getting a haircut in the city. My haircuts at Zip Zap usually swing around $60 including tip. The receptionist suggested Karafina for my first hair cut. I have never been so pleased with a hairdresser. Kara listened to everything I had to say including my hair habits and the type of hair I had. She also paid attention to my personality and I left with a haircut that totally represented me. She also has a really great personality and I had a great time chatting with her. Plus, they have the best smelling shampoo and conditioner! The shop is funky, hip and totally welcoming. Absolutely worth the money.
I've been had.
Somewhere in this Awesomemetropolis is the curly hair stylist of my dreams ... somewhere ... but not at Zip Zap.
I made an appointment with a specific stylist after consulting with Yelp. I show up only to find out they switched my stylist. Okay ... Okay.
I get a super quick wash and the hastiest haircut you ever did see! And of course, there was the razor, wait, WHAT? I completely understand that every stylist has their own personal style, of course. But Curly Haircuts 101: Never Use a RAZOR! When my stylist was confronted, she became defensive. Don't get me wrong, she seemed like a super sweet person. But I have to seriously question her technique.
Overall, I was disappointed with the service and the frizzy aftermath.
AND!
Then I went to pay ... I was told my cut was going to cost $65. Something didn't sound right but I gave her my credit card and told her to add a tip ... and then I realized the problem. The haircut was only supposed to be $50. When I asked the receptionist, she responded that the stylists have different prices. That's fine, but my original appointment was quoted at $50. Unbeknownst to me, when they switched my appointment to the new stylist, my fee increased. When I voiced my concern, she said "Well, what would you like me to do about it?" I told her it was unfair to not only have switched stylists but to raise the price without informing me beforehand.
Yeah, yeah, she said she couldn't do anything and I left feeling like a sucker. My first and last Zip Zap.
I LOVE David!
He is such a cutie, and does a fantasic job on my hair.
He always listens to what I want, and I am always satisfied.
And my boyfriend loves his work too.
I've gone to Zip Zap a couple of times. Used to have long hair and Linda did a fine job cutting it. Just went ultra-short and she did a great job with that as well.
Nice staff, great cuts, decent prices.....
Short hair is a bitch. Mine flies all over the place on blustery days, it gets in my mouth and eyes, and a few months without a cut leaves me looking scraggly. But, God, I love it. Few hairdressers have been able to give me the arty edge I want without making me look like a butch 80's punk leftover.
DAVID knows the way. Actually, I found him in Seattle and we coincidentally were both moving down to SF within the same year. Lucky me. He's young enough to know what's chic and experienced enough to execute the look. Girls, let him shave your necks - have no fear: you'll come out looking feminine and sweet and different. He introduced me to asymmetrical, short bangs.
I'm a believer.
