City Hair

I can't believe the last review about Emily. I have been going to see her exclusively for the past several years and I can't say enough good things about her. I'm the type of person who would pick a BAD hairstyle if left to my own devices. I go to Emily and say "Make me look cute!" and I have never been disappointed. She's fantastic in staying up-to-date with "before they're cool" hairstyles and coloring techniques.

She's stylish, entertaining, and a world-class stylist. And, I'm not afraid to leave my name, Anonymous! :-P

I came in for a hair cut only, and without having asked for any opinion, I was confronted in a hostile, antagonistic tone by Emily about my hair color, and told that I "can't torture myself by leaving it like this". The shampooing was harsh, brief, and included no head massage (as I am told it usually does). When I pointed out that I had alot of shampoo left in one ear when she was finished, she abruptly gave my ear one dab with the towel. While Emily was cutting my hair, she talked about various clients and how she'd really rather not ever see them outside of the salon. She told me that she charges some people more than others based on how well she likes them. When my 30 minute hair cut was finished, I went to the cash register to pay, and remembered that I needed to get parking validation, so I asked her for that. Emily said, "Hmm. Where did you hear that we validate parking? The smaller businesses don't validate but QFC will." She then offered to "sell me some validation stickers", which I declined saying I would do a little shopping at QFC and get stamped there.

When I got home (a 30 minute drive) I looked at the haircut in the mirror and noticed that it was quite uneven, and was much longer in the front and not blended (I had asked her to cut the back slightly shorter ). So, I called the salon and asked to make an appointment to come back (I was very polite throughout this whole experience). She came to the phone and argued with me that there was nothing wrong with the haircut and that she had given me a curly haircut and that is what it should look like, and I just kept saying that I only needed 5 minutes to correct the problem. First she told me she was completely booked for the next 3 days, but after we worked for a few minutes to see when I might be able to get time off work to come back for her to fit me in, she just said, "come at 3:00", which I did. I was sitting near the cash register as the only other client in the salon was leaving, and I heard them interacting very pleasantly. When the woman had her bag over her shoulder to leave, Emily said "did you bring your parking ticket?" to which the woman replied that she had left it in the garage, so Emily said, "Oh, here, I'll just give you a few stickers. That should get you out of there!"

As she was sweeping up that woman's hair, she and the owner were talking loudly enough that noone would have to strain to hear, about "what a loser that woman was and how it was no wonder she couldn't make a business work".

My haircut repair session was very tense and very uncomfortable. Emily said several times that she couldn't see anything wrong with it (as she went through the whole haircut, cleaning it up very effectively). She also said several times in a very rude and antagonistic tone that "If I want it perfect, perfect, perfect, she could always iron the whole thing out and start over!"

I left with a very good haircut. She is a very good stylist when she likes the person whose hair she is cutting. I paid 45 dollars for the haircut and paid her a tip. I would strongly caution anyone other than young, fashionable, eager-to-experiment people against going to this salon. When I first called to make an appointment, I didn't know Emily's name, but asked to make an appointment with the woman (i described her). The man who answered the phone said he wasn't sure who I meant, but maybe it was Emily, and that maybe I should cal back when I got the name. When I finally went in, I learned that Emily was the only woman stylist employed there. Emily told me that the men there are terrible and that "they can be just as catty as women". Beware.

I've been having my hair cut by Dan for more than 20 years and have been so pleased with his skill and creativity with my fine, not-so-easy-to-style hair that, even though I have moved to another state, I am about to make an appointment for him to cut my hair when I come up to Seattle in the near future.

All I can say is AMAZING!!!!!!! I go to Emily, and I found her a few months ago hidden away in the Broadway Market. I feel like a fashion god! No matter what you wear or how hard you try to look good if you don't have the hair its nothing! DO IT

PROS: She doesnt make you buy anything, but recommends & informs.
CONS:

I first dropped in to City Hair on a whim -- I was tired of going to the cheap chain hair salons in the area, and I needed a drastic change in my look. City Hair is located in a very convenient spot on Broadway Ave in Capitol Hill, just down the street from my house. I thought I would give it a shot.

I sat down with Emily, who took the first few minutes to talk about my hair and what I wanted to do with it. As someone who has had terrible hair experiences, she made me feel very at ease.

The service was friendly, fast and moderately price -- $30 for my wash, cut and style.

I've since gone back and had the exact same experience. I recommend it!