The Shop Salon

We have recently left DC and I dreaded leaving because I knew I was going to miss this salon & Bruna! Not only is she an outstanding stylist who made me feel beautiful, she also a magnificent person. She is a wizard with blonde hair and her blow outs will leave you in awe. After going there for years it felt like family every time we came in (my husband saw Randy every 3 – 4 weeks and is a wizard with men’s, we highly recommend him as well!!). I also AC once while Bruna was out and he is outstanding as well. Parking is a snap and free on weekends in the county garage across the street. Overall a great salon!

Stephanie is so great! She just gets hair. She is an artist. So glad I came to The Shop Salon. My friend also had a cut and dye job with Pim and hers looks fabulous too! Bravo to both ladies! Highly recommend.

Charlay is an amazing hair stylist that I have been going to for a year now. She specializes in natural and relaxed hair. Her goal is to get your hair healthy with hair treatments and products. She cares about her clients and is very personable. I am a loyal customer and would recommend her to anyone looking to take a healthy hair journey.

I don’t know why I tried anywhere else. You are clearly the best salon in the region. Great product and great service. I’m happy to give you my business. Thank you for doing salon service right! I will be back — my salon quest is over. A+

Good Golly Ms. Molly! I am in love with the haircuts I receive at the expert hands of Molly.
She knows just how to work with my fine hair, and truly gives me the best haircuts I have ever had. I love the layers she gave me, and it looks great whether I blow it dry or let it air dry.
The thing that is most unique about her is how carefully she listens to what I am wanting. She cuts my bangs to perfection, exactly the length I want, every time. This is a rare gift in my experience!
Molly has been cutting my hair for years and I will forever be loyal to her. I highly recommend Molly as a stylist, she is the best.

At the risk of having everyone flock to her and book up all the appointments on me, I’m giving Bruna a long overdue shoutout because she is the single best hairdresser I’ve ever found. Ever.
I’ve been going to Bruna for almost 2yrs now, and in that time she’s helped me rock long, layered copper tresses; a short & choppy dark brown rocker-​chic look; and my current fave– a blond banged/​highlighted «lob» (long bob).
I usually walk in with some vague idea of what I want, and a few instagram pins; and she does the hard work of figuring out how to make it happen with the hair I actually have :)
I like to make a «big change» with my hair a couple times a year, and she always helps me get a «wow, your hair!» reaction, but steers me clear of the «woah…your hair…» danger zone (you know what I’m talking about).
A+! Now just don’t go booking up all the weekday evening appts on me!

The Shop is such a cool salon, with an awesome atmosphere and super talented stylists. My stylist Stephanie is a whiz with color and gave me great advice on how to manage my damaged hair. Her versatility allows for producing amazing classic looks as well as the latest trendy styles, and she works with you to find the best look that fits and does everything in her power to make sure you walk out happy. The Shop also sells great Bumble & Bumble products, and the staff is helpful and knowledgeable about choosing the right products for every individual’s hair. Definitely recommend!

I’m revising my review because one of the new stylists did a lousy job on a standard service. The Stylist seemed distracted and she did not do what I asked. Not even close. I may return to the shop salon but I will be avoiding the lady stylist with the short, auburn hair!

Yesterday was my first time coloring my hair and I wanted to go from dark brown to a light gray/​silver. Even though the process took much longer than I anticipated because my hair wasn’t cooperating, Steph was a genius getting me on the right track. Not only did she take the time to make sure the bleaching process wasn’t destroying my hair, she worked tirelessly to mix the color that I wanted. I’m still not at the exact shade desired, but I have complete confidence that Steph will get me there.
In fact, the entire salon was so chill and friendly, kept offering me coffee and water, making sure I was okay and comfortable. Steph even ran across to the deli to get me a salad!!! This will definitely be my go-​to salon from now on.

I’ve been getting blonde highlights for 20 years. In that time, I’ve never had any issues or complaints with highlights, colorists or stylists. In fact, the only reason I’ve ever stopped seeing a colorist is if I have moved or they have changed salons. My previous colorist at PR partners was so good that it became almost impossible to get an appointment, especially when my job schedule fluctuates, making booking more than two weeks out difficult. I’ve seen Steph L twice at the Shop Salon since she moved there in April. The first time, my highlights had an unwanted orangey color which was noticed by my family, friends and colleagues. In fact, one co worker said, «oh, you’ve changed up your hair color to strawberry blonde tones». «Uh, no». Prior to my next highlights appointment, 5 weeks later, I informed Steph that my highlights were too brassy and asked her, days in advance to rethink her color mix. When I returned for my second visit to The Shop Salon, Steph said she knew how to correct the unwanted brassy/​orange tone. Being the start of summer, I had booked for Full highlights not just partial, as I like to be extra sunny blonde for summer. Partial highlights are when you only highlight the crown (outer layer of your hair), Full highlights is when your whole head is highlighted. Well, 3 hours later, I was light brown all over. It was a color I had not seen since I was 15. I could not see ANY highlights at all. Stephanie said I was wrong and that there were heavy blonde highlights but «you can’t see them in the shop salon lighting». What?
I paid, tipped 20%, left and went home where my two kids and husband said «you have brown hair!» That same night, I ran into my neighbor of 14 years, who said «wow, I almost didn’t recognize you with the dark hair». I called Steph and she said she’d put me in for the next day to put highlights back in my hair. I agreed as I hated the monotone shade of my new light brown hair. & I had my daughters graduation and a wedding to attend that weekend and did not want to have this ugly, dark hair documented in family photos forever.
Within minutes of hanging up, I received a nutty text from Stephanie blaming me for the lack of highlights because «you moved too much in the chair and the highlights were erased» –she went on to say that she «shouldn’t have to take the fall for my hair turning out dark because the color mishap was your (my)fault». I still have the full text. After laughing, I texted back that she had initially been dishonest telling me that my hair had heavy blonde highlights but that they were not noticeable in the shop salon’s lighting. Now, she was admitting that I indeed did not have proper highlights because I moved too much? My moving «erased» the highlights?!? I don’t even know what that means. Was I not allowed to use the ladies room for the three hours I sat in her chair? Should I have not sipped the coffee she poured me? Do I suddenly, unknowingly suffer from Parkinson’s disease? I’m still not clear on what she meant as I’ve been getting highlights in salons for nearly 20 years and have never, ever had a problem not sitting still. I realized that this person is confused about how to do blonde highlights and confused in general, so, I texted Stephanie back and told her that I would not be coming in the next day for correction or returning ever again. No thanks.
Two visits to Stephanie L at the Shop Salon = 2 visits too much. A serious waste of time and money. I was really nice about her first screw up and tolerated the brassy/​orange tones for 4+ weeks and I was nice about her second screw up but I will not tolerate being blamed for her lousy job and lack of color knowledge.
I wanted my highlights back, so I went to a new salon, the next day, and Voilà, the same blonde highlights I’ve had for 20 years reappeared. It’s just not that difficult to get blonde highlights on my naturally dishwater blonde hair. I guess I sat still for the new colorist b/​c my highlights are perfect. Other than my poor experiences with Stephanie, her bad attitude and inability to handle polite critiques of her work, the Shop Salon itself is fine. It is clean, organized and they give reminder calls. The location is good and there is a parking garage next door. Tips can not be added to credit cards, so bring cash if you do go.

I have been going The Shop Salon since the day it opened and the owner AC is a long time friend. It has been has a pleasure to watch his business flourish.
They have great staff, they are attentive and the Shop Salon have also provided great business opportunities for other stylists.
My wife also gets her hair cut there with Kevin, who is also amazing and my boys got their first haircut there as well.
To sum — up every time I walk into the Shop Salon I feel welcomed and I get a great hair cut. I also have to thank AC personally for always and I mean always fitting me in, which is not easy with my hectic schedule.
Thanks guys and keep up the good work!

I have been a client at this salon for over a year. Have gone here for highlights, color and haircuts.
Started off with Kim as stylist and really like her, but she ended up going to another salon. I was very impressed that the salon let clients know she was leaving, and also gave the information on where she was going. A lot of places are secretive about that, but I thought it shows good faith that they offered it up front.
Because I had a gift card to use at this salon, I decided to try another stylist and I am glad I did, I ended up getting Molly. She was very knowledgable and I was impressed that I could show her a photo and she could analyze my hair and find the perfect color or style for me. I was very happy with her color and cutting abilities. She also is pleasant to talk to.
The salon itself has a nice vibe too. I like the décor and atmosphere. It is nice that they offer you a drink and serve it to you with a try and in a real mug and saucer. Just a nice touch.
My only gripe about this salon is parking. I know it is Bethesda, but I just don’t like parking in Bethesda (personal preference, sorry). There is a garage across the street, but it only takes quarters and the only parking that is over two hours is at the top. The salon is good, so it worth parking in this garage.

Amazing salon. I’ve been seeing AC for almost five years now, I think. I’ve kept going here, even though I’m a poor college student, because I don’t trust another salon. The renovations look great!

I’ve been going to AC for… oh my gosh… 15 years now? Wow. Since before The Shop and back when he was a stylist at Hugo. This review is way overdue.
Anyway. Obviously I love The Shop and AC and haven’t trusted my hair to anyone else in well over a decade. AC is absolutely amazing and can do almost anything I ask. I bring him a picture or an idea and he can either replicate it exactly or tell me the honest truth that it won’t work with my hair type and make alternate suggestions. I’ve even come in and basically said «meh, I don’t know what I want today — surprise me» and still wound up with something awesome. He spends a lot of time listening to what I want and discussing things with me before doing anything.
I like to change my hair A LOT so I’ve really put him through his paces over the years with every style you can imagine. Long, short, layers, no layers, crazy shredded razor cuts, bangs, pixies, bobs, asymmetrical creations we just made up, you name it. He’s done chunky, platinum blond highlights in various configurations, more natural highlights, all over colors including dark chocolate brown and dark red with black lowlights. His skill with color is just off the hook. Every last thing has been exactly what I wanted. On the extremely rare occasion that something wasn’t right when I got home, he’s told me to come back whenever I can and fixed the issue on the spot. He’s extremely up-​to-​date on all the latest cutting and coloring techniques and executes them all flawlessly. I get compliments on my hair almost daily.
Besides his proficiency as a stylist, AC is also just an all-​around cool dude. I look forward to chatting with him while he cuts my hair. We always cover a variety of interesting topics. The rest of the staff and stylists are also extremely friendly and welcoming. I love all the tattoos and creative looks everyone has going on and have always felt completely at home here. There are no snobby, stuck up people working here. They’re all very sweet. They always take your coat, offer water, coffee, tea, and sometimes even beer and wine. They bring you magazines while you’re waiting for your color to process and offer to go feed your meter if you need them to.
I will certainly continue coming back again and again. I have no idea what I’m going to do if I ever move out of this area!

If you’re looking to get your hair relaxed, look no further than Pim! She has a great space at the Shop Salon, and does an amazing job. She is thoughtful, methodical, and very experienced.
I have very curly hair naturally and it can be a pain to manage. I’ve been going to Pim for the last two years, and after she relaxes my hair it looks great, is healthy, so easy to manage, and lasts for nearly a year. I will definitely be coming back for years to come!

My stylist Molly moved to this salon a few months ago so I followed. I cannot recommend her enough! She is the only stylist I’ve gone to in the last 10 years who does my hair the way I want it! I’ve thought about going blonde for years now, but the closest I got was highlights that looked like yellow straw. Molly is the only stylist who gave me the blonde I imagined.
As for the salon, I’ve only been once. it’s a nice place! Everyone is friendly and it’s very easy to get to. I do like the online booking option. There is a parking garage right across the street, but be sure to bring quarters or have the mobile parking meter app!
Tip in cash!

I just went here for the first time for partial highlights and am very pleased. The salon is very nice and comfortable. First, I had a really good experience booking my appointment. Because it was my first time, I was not able to book online, so I called to book. A day after booking, I decided to change my appointment time and day, so I sent them an email and was able to change the appointment without an issue. When I arrived, my stylist (Bruna) was ready to see me without delay. The staff there is friendly and welcoming. Bruna was also great, warm, attentive, and talkative, though not at the expense of her work. She listened carefully to what I wanted and minded the few caveats about my hair. She worked efficiently, too. The Shop charges a base of $ 125 for partial highlights – standard for DMV area. I was charged $ 145 because of the amount of hair I have (that’s also a standard experience for me). I was pleased with my highlights and service. Tips: they are closed on Mondays, and you have to bring cash with you to tip your stylist. I will be returning here!

I have been paying an arm and a leg for a haircut for too long. Wish I would have known about this place before. Not only was the haircut cheaper, but the cut itself was better! Bruna took her time and I did not feel rushed throughout my visit.
I recently took my mother there for highlights and she has never been happier. (She is one picky woman too lol). Bruna took her time with her mom, got all the grays, and did not miss any spots. Out of all the salons I’ve treated my mom too, she said this one was the best one :)
Found my new hair place!

So, for the past month or so The Shop has been going through a renovation. I knew that it was gonna go through a renovation, AC told me when I was getting my haircut a while ago.
In any event, I’ve been passing it and looking in to see if they were almost finished… waiting anxiously to get my haircut.
Well, a day ago, my hair reached critical mass. Like, no joke. There was nothing I could aside from burning it off or wearing a hat… and trust me… I don’t look good in a hat.
I also was going to an event later that night for Taste PG and I NEEDED my hair did.
So I went to their website to see if I could get someones email.
On the front page it was like (paraphrased) «Yo, we’re going through a renovation and biz. We’ll open soon as this B is done, but here are some emails JIC #JustInCase».
I was like. Thank G-​d!
So I put out an email pleading for a last minute haircut before I went to this important event.
AC got back to me and was so accommodating. He was like… just so you know — we’re usually not open Monday… but I’m here supervising the reno so — please come in.
Thank G-​d! THANK THE LORD! THANK AC!
So, I come in, we go downstairs– throw on some music and AC essentially uses someone eles’s station to cut my hair, grabbing tools piece-​meal from other stations as well.
So– aside from taking me on while his entire salon is completely in disarray, on a day where his salon isn’t even suppose to be open, and using a bunch of tools he’s not super familiar with… I asked for a new stye of haircut, showed him a picture, and he gave me the exact «picture-​perfect» haircut.
There has to be something I can give him higher than 5 stars… oh yeah– a baller tip.
Which is exactly what I did.
Thanks AC!

I went in for a cut this weekend with Kim. I have very fine straight hair, but for some reason, a lot of stylists try to do too much with it to give me texture and volume and I just end up having split ends and frizz. I explained this to Kim and showed her photos of my hair the last time I had a great cut – 2 years ago! She talked a lot with me about how much length I wanted off, what she recommended for the layers and did a lot of explaining throughout the process. I really like how my hair turned out and notice a big difference with how healthy and smooth my hair looks even when I didn’t blow it out. $ 70 (not including tip) is definitely on the pricey end in my opinion for a simple cut, but if I’m still happy with it over time, I’ll probably go back.
Overall the salon is very open, everyone was friendly and the place looked clean and tidy. I was able to get in on a Saturday morning by only calling a couple days in advance, which was nice. They were also able to fit in my bf for a cut when I called an hour prior to my own appointment – very appreciative of that.