Hair Play and Joe Hamer Academy

I should preface this review by saying that it had been about ten years since I stepped foot inside a salon! That said, I was extremely nervous about my upcoming appointment with Fritz at Hair Play. However, as soon as I walked into the salon, I was put at ease. Theo was really sweet - he came immediately to offer me tea and get me ready for the appointment. Before he washed my hair, he and Fritz came over to talk to me about what I wanted to do with my hair. Now I should say - I have big - very big, very thick hair! I wasn't sure that Fritz would be able to do anything with it if he didn't straighten it, but I couldn't have been more wrong! After getting a superb wash from Theo, Fritz began working the SET through my hair. SET is AMAZING!!! It's technically a setting lotion but it should really just be called "miracle in a bottle for ANY hair type". My hair is so thick and big that most other things I've tried just sort of sit on top of my big hair, but SET worked magic! When Fritz was done, I could see that SET was holding my curl pattern really nicely and left my hair super soft and light. It wasn't sticky or crispy or greasy - just soft and smooth...All that said, I definitely recommend making a trip to go and see Fritz. If you have really thick hair and you thought nothing would work for you, try SET before you give up for good. It's a great detangler, great conditioner and just leaves your hair looking and smelling gorgeous! Thank you Theo, Thank you Fritz and Thank you SET:)

Pros: The stylists, the service, the products!

Cons: none.

Posted 03/01/09

i dONt kNOW WhAt thE lAdy bElOW is tAlkiNG AbOUt BUt i hAVE GONE tO bOth hAiRPlAy lOCAtiONS & i ESPECiAlly likE thE jOE hAMER ACAdEMy ONE. i hAVE bEEN GOiNG fOR 8 yEARS NOW ANd thEy AlWAyS dO AN AMAZiNG jOb With My hAiR. i lOVE ANNMARiE ShE AlWAyS kNOWS EXACtly WhAt tO dO ANd WhAt lOOkS GOOd ON ME. MARty iS AlSO REAlly GOOd, bUt thEN AGAiN All thE StyliStS thERE ARE SO PROfESSiONAl ANd tAlENtEd ;D. i hAVE NEVER hAd A bAd EXPERiENCE thERE OR hAd SOMEONE bE RUdE tO ME...thE StAff, StyliStS, ANd ENViRONMENt ARE All SO fRiENdly ANd i hiGhly RECOMMENd it

Pros: thEy ARE GOOd At EVERy thiNG thERE

Cons: PARkiNG iS AlWAyS A littlE hARd tO fiNd

Posted 01/07/09

Oh my god! When I called up and tried to make an appointment for hair cut, the girl who answered the phone was sooooo rude- NO customer service whatsoever. She hung up on me! Guess what, I cannot even get an appointment without any rudeness, so what should I expect for my hair cut?!!! BAAAD :(

Posted 06/04/08

Annaleice thermal straightened my hair a year and a half ago and I cannot imagine going back to curly hair. Annaleice is fabulous to interact with and extremely conscientious. I did consultations with four professionals at different salons and Annaleice was the only one to do a test strand and to express caution regarding a particular aspect of my hair. In the end, I went with her and love the result. My hair is so much easier, does not change with the weather, and looks and feels better and healthier than it did when it was curly. No damage at all.

Annaleice rocks! She's moving to a new salon called Groove Salon downtown, so you will have to look for her there.

Posted 02/21/08

I WENT TO HAIRPLAY LOOKING FOR A STYLIST THAT CAN WORK WITH NATURAL HAIR. I WAS RECOMMENDED TO SEE APRIL, I WAS VERY PLEASED. APRIL IS A VERY SWEET PERSON,SHE TOOK THE TIME TO DEEP CONDITION MY HAIR, SHE GAVE ME A BLOWDRY THAT WAS STRAIGHTER THAN I EVER HAD IT BEFORE,THEN PROCEEDS TO GIVE ME AN EVEN MORE STRAIGHT LOOK WITH THE FLATIRON.IF YOU HAVE NATURAL OR CURLY HAIR, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND APRIL, SHE'S GREAT

Pros: GREAT COSTUMER SERVICE- GREAT PRODUCTS-SKILL

Cons: I CANT AFFORD TO GO EVERYDAY

Posted 12/01/07

I love Japanese hair straightening!! I have always struggled with my curly, frizzy hair and felt like there was no way to tame it. Thanks to this treatment my hair is silky, shiny and straight right out of the shower. It used to take me an hour to detangle, blowdry, flat iron, and apply products to feel confident about my hair. I'm still in shock that I don't have to struggle anymore. Analeice took such good care of me and I would recommend her to anyone. Thank you Analeice, you are my hero!!!

Pros: professional, friendly, trustworthy

Cons: nothing!

Posted 10/28/07

Annaliece is amazing! I've been going to her for about 3 years and my hair is so easy to manage. I went from a curly fro to smooth, shiny, healthy straight hair! She is knowledgable, friendly and completely professional. I've tried other straightening treatments in the past, and this is the only thing that is LOW maintenance.

I wouldn't trust anyone but Annaliece to touch my hair. The treatment is worth every penny, as is the service!

Pros: efficient, friendly, knowledgable

Cons: none

Posted 10/26/07

great haircut w/o the attitude or scene...If what your looking for is a haircut for a reasonable price and a warm and friendly staff this is the place for you. Best cut and color in a long long time. Mary Anne rules the school

Pros: price, staff

Cons: parking

Posted 10/24/07

Update: I am sure that Damian is very good at extensions. However, if he offers you to have a hair integration system, run in the other direction. The integration system turned into a nightmare. It became a matted mess and caused small red welts on my scalp. I am in the process of trying to receive some reimbursement from the salon. I would never recommend this method. It cost a small forturne and for nothing!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted 08/05/07

Thank you Citysearch for bringing me to Annaleice! She did an absolutely amazing job at straightening my hair. I've had it done a few times prior to finding her, and I can certainly tell the difference in the condition of my hair. She not only straightened it in record time, it looked the best it ever has since discovering this wonderful and amazing hair treatment! I am her client from this point forward! To top it off she's a real sweetheart!

Pros: Best Hair Straightening!!

Cons: Nothing!

Posted 07/11/07

I read the reviews about Annaleice being the best at hair straightening and she is! My hair looks and feels amazing thanks to her expertise!

Pros: professional, friendy,punctual

Posted 05/01/07

I heard about Analiece through her Citysearch reviews and decided to give her a try. I am so glad I did! I've been getting my Japanese Straightening in L.A. and now that I live in San Francisco I was nervous about finding someone local. I went to a few consultations and was not impressed with the salons I interviewed. When I came upon Annaleice I was sold! She did an amazing job and was very professional. I'll definitely be going to her for my straightening touch-ups from now on!

Pros: Friendly and Professional

Cons: No Parking

Posted 01/23/07

I recently got the most fabulous hair cut and side swept bangs. I got exactly what I wanted with honey highlights.

Posted 11/08/06

After a bad decision to cut my hair short a few years ago, I have been forced to undergo this painful grow-out process... that is until I met Damian Sargent at Hair Play. I did extensive research on SF stylists offering hair extension services, but none came close to impressing me with the knowledge, professionalism and not-to-mention, the quality of hair that Damian was able to impress me with. Within the first 5 minutes of my consultation, I knew I was in the hands of a true extension specialist and I couldn't wait to make my appointment. After a few hours- my new lengthy locks of goddess hair gave me the spirit of a supermodel as well as extra time in the mornings to do things other than fuss with my "hard-to-style 'cause it won't grow fast enough" hair. The compliments I receive daily keep me smiling and certainly keep me thinking about my future appointments with Damian. I am forever grateful.

Pros: Honest consultation, very skilled & experienced

Cons: Parking

Posted 09/11/06

I had some hair extensions put in about a week ago and I just can't get over how much I love them! I get compliments all day long. The quality of the hair is phenomenal...so silky smooth and natural looking. Damian matched my hair color perfectly. The process took about 3 hours but time just flew by since Damian is so fun to talk to. He really took the time to explain how to take care of my new extentions and how to make them last. Damian did an awesome job and I would recommend extensions from him to anybody.

Pros: Skill, Service

Cons: Parking

Posted 08/20/06

It's hard to find salons that share your same aesthetic and vision. You want them to GET what you're saying. Hair Play GETS it. It's a chill atmosphere with highly skilled stylists. Especially if you have curly hair. I saw Marty for the first time and I'm really impressed with his knowledge and the cut I received. I won't go anywhere else now. Would recommend this spot to anyone.

Pros: cool atmosphere, exactly right cuts

Cons: price, but you get what you pay for (worth it!)

Posted 06/07/06

After being recommended I was given service which was not what I had very specifically asked for and now I have unnatural streaky highlights that start far off my scalp and a less than flattering haircut. Disappointed does not even begin to cover how I feel about this experience. For that price, a customer should get precisely what they ask for, and if that is for some reason not possible, this should be conveyed before anything is done to their hair.

Pros: great shampoo

Cons: not on time, bad highlights

Posted 05/19/06

Overall, this salon has a nice ambiance and friendly staff. However my haircut there a couple of months ago was one of the worst in memory. I specifically asked the stylist not to give me the "mushroomy" look and to not create too many layers. Upon blowdrying my hair and giving the final touches, the stylist could see that I wasn't happy and asked what was wrong. When I told her I didn't like the "mushroom effect" she went to town and started razoring off all different parts of my hair. What I was left with were way too short layers all around the crown of my head and a crushed self-esteem.

Posted 05/18/06

We all know our limitations as women but I was determined to get the Jessica "I am so hot" Alba look with the help of Fritz's vision and Damian's styling techniques. Although, Jessica may still look hotter than me, I felt like I was walking the Red Carpet when I left the salon. My look was exactly what I communicated to Fritz and Damian and matched the images of the pictures I brought in but was even better than I could have imagined! They are a creative duo and Fritz leaves no room for imperfections. I left as a very happy client with the "secret sauce" in hands, so to speak, their product, SET which will give me that "oh so glam look" when I am styling my hair at home.

Pros: they do not rush you

Posted 05/11/06

hairplay has a great staff. matthew mommer is so humorously self-indulgent he keeps "forgetting he's going bald". he is light and breezy and keeps me mildly entertaining with shallow stories that one can't help but chuckle. go with a hangover (his own advise) and he will lift your spirits with his outragous and tragic stories. part comedian, all hairstylist, he rocks.

Pros: cheap, location, atmosphere

Cons: low level skill, noisy, parking

Posted 04/25/06

Thanks to Monica I like my hair! Not only do I think she did a great job on my hair, but I appluad her for being honest and not just doing what I wanted. She took her time showing me pics, and even told me she had other ideas for my hair. To be honest, I was a little hesitant at first but turnes out she was right! I've never had more compliment in my life. A few of my coworker have even commented on how much better I look! I have to say, I'm glad I trusted her.... this time it paid off.

Posted 04/21/06

I went to one a hairstylist highly recommended on here. I've never felt the urgency to write one of these, but my experience was horrible. The guy did okay with my cut but the color was horrendous. I left w/orange hair. Throughout my time there, he attended to at least 2 other people and at the end, knew he had fuddled the color but got on his cell phone to tell his friend he'd be right out. To fix, he added a toner, only darkening the orange and did'nt care to ask if it was okay even though he knew it was still bad. Not only was he inattentive, but unprofessional in not wanting to fix the mess he made and it was overpriced. My new stylist @ Accabella's urged I write since he had to do MAJOR corrective color to fix. Beware of Hairplay and all the good reviews!

Pros: Atmosphere, location

Cons: Skill, unprofessionalism

Posted 04/11/06

I have been going to Laurel for years. She always gives me the best looks, from cuts to highlights to all over color! I walk out looking like a star and the best part is that I can continue to keep styling my own hair when I get home because she gives tips along the way. If you haven't been to Laurel, you haven't been styled by the best!

Posted 03/29/06

Matthew is amazing!! I had been going to the same hairstylist for 8 years in L.A. and just moved to the city, but he did wonders for my curly hair. Make sure to ask for the "Victoria's Secret Blowout"- I couldn't stop looking at mirrors all day. Great atmosphere, and decent prices. Highly recommended!

Pros: Skilled Stylists, Price, Atmosphere

Cons: Parking, Late start

Posted 02/20/06

My life has changed since I got my hair straightened by Annaleice. I get compliments on my hair everyday and it's given me a confidence I have never had before. When I had frizzy curly hair I would constantly fry my hair and spend so much money on hair straightening products. Now I just let my hair air dry and it looks amazing! I would highly recommend her to anyone!

Pros: friendly, professional, comfortable

Cons: bad parking

Posted 01/23/06

Matt took my curly frizzy head and transformed it. He is a modern day miracle. My hair is now manageable and looks stylish day in and day out. So many friends have complimented me on my hairstyle.

Matt is really talented and is genuinely interested in his clients. He is now stuck with me for life! Additionally, he is also a wonderful colorist.

Posted 01/22/06

I love this hair salon!!!!!!!!! I really love the fact that the stylist have a great sense of creativity. Not only do they reccomend great new styles, but they find ones to match your look. Everyone in the salon is really hospitable and makes you feel very welcome. I feel as if this is my monthly therapy!!!!!! In my mind, a great saturday is going over to Tan Bella to get a great tan and ending up at Hair Play to make me look extra hot..... I am definently telling friends....

Pros: Punctual, Innovative, Good People

Cons: Parking

Posted 01/06/06

I was recommended to see Analese for Thermal Hair Straightening and I am so glad to have found her! She is professional and very pleasant to spend the grueling 4 hours with. If you are searching for the right stylist who has lots of experience and never leaves your side to work on other clients, she's the one. I also found Amity to do my color and the two worked carefully together to make sure my hair was flawless!

Pros: friendly staff, cozy salon, very knowledgable

Cons: parking

Posted 11/29/05

I agree that Marty is good with cuts and color. However, he is CHRONICALLY late. My last appointment was at 10 on a Saturday morning. I was there on time, but he didn't come rolling in until 10:45. Then, he was so behind that he left me sitting under the dryer for an hour after the dryer had shut off. This is not how I like to spend a Saturday. Therefore, I will be saying goodbye to Hairplay and going off in search of a stylist who is talented AND professional.

Cons: Expensive, Late, Loud

Posted 11/06/05

I was referred to Anicka (sp?) by a co-worker, and the girl is a true pro! Even a skeptic like me, is totally a convert after my amazing experience. She's got a great eye, great style, but best of all none of the attitude..she takes the time and you can tell she actually cares! She fixed my roomates botch job, my roomate and co-workers all are all singing her praises, need I say more? The price is a little more than I was used to, but I feel that it's worth it and will definately be back. Great salon too, I had a wonderful experience here!

Pros: attention to detail, consultation

Posted 11/06/05

I read a review on here where a girl called Marty a 'Hair God', I'm a recent convert. Marty did color & cut on my curly(!) hair. Unlike most stylists he didn't go straight for his sheres. He asked me what I was looking for & explained exactly how he was going to achieve it. I was there for several hours & I never left rushed. He was extremely patient & meticulous. I've shelled out an embarrassing amount of money going to high-end salons in the city looking for a good cut. Believe me when I say very few stylists really know how to care for curly hair. I even went back a few days later to tweak my highlights a lil' & he was so cool about it. I walked out of there grinning from ear to ear. Simply put Marty is the best at what he does!

Pros: Great Staff, Quality Products, Good Atmosphere

Cons: Expensive

Posted 10/20/05

I have incredibly difficult hair, and it's been butchered by even very competent stylists. But then I met Marty at Hair Play.

I am a very poor grad student, but save my pennies to spend a few hours in Marty's chair. My hair looks rockstar fabulous for weeks and months on end, and evokes tons of compliments. And even though my hair takes a long time to color and cut to get right, he is so dedicated to his art that rather than rush me through, he'll stay even well after closing time to do it right.

And ladies with frustrating curly hair - he specializes in it! All the stylists there rock, but I will only ever go to Marty.

Downside? Hair Play is a bit pricey, but not moreso than other good salons in the city, and it's so totally worth it. You won't be disappointed!

Pros: Fabulous results, Great service, Get what you pay for

Cons: Difficult to park, Expensive

Posted 08/18/05

I have been circulating around San Francisco trying to find someone who can actually cut my hair and not butcher it. My hair is very tricky, and Matthew M. at Hairplay is abosolutely fantastic. Not only does he sing all types of tunes ranging from Gabrielle to Nelly, but he really knows hair. A great stylist. Really good shampoos too...and that's important.

Pros: reasonable price, friendly staff

Posted 03/31/05

I have had my daughter get her hair done by Fritz and he has always kept her looking fabulous. He always knows how to bringing out the best features in his clients male or female. I woiuld highly recomend that you book in great advance because of his client list. That should ring bells in your dome if you you know what I mean. Al B

Posted 03/09/05

I've been going to Anne Marie for cut and color about 4 years now - since before she was at the Noe Valley location. I just sit in her chair and let her go. She's the best, I tell ya!

Pros: professional, mad skills, consistency

Cons: none

Posted 03/07/05

Marty is the BEST!!! He's not scared & will give you exactly what you need. Kicks ass @ the color:) Always a pleasurable experiance!!

Posted 03/02/05