American Mortals

I have been a customer of this American Mortals location for the last two years. My hair stylist is Brooke. I have extremely long, thick and wavy hair that requires excessive layering during my hair cut. Brooke does an amazing job cutting and styling my hair and never disappoints.
While I do not personally receive any color services during my visits, I have yet to see a disappointed customer /​bad hair cut/​color/​style walk out of this salon. The hair stylists at this location are definitely experienced professionals that are capable of successful execution. Something that shouldn’t have to be stated, but due to past experiences with various Philadelphia salons, shouldn’t be taken lightly! This salon definitely caters to more innovative and edgy hair styles but don’t let that deter you from going here for just a regular hair cut! The hair stylists at this salon have the capability to turn your hair into art. I love this salon and highly recommend it to everyone!

Want a new hair color? Ask for Brent.
He is a hair alchemist, and the end result is worth every penny.
I STRONGLY encourage anyone thinking about getting a color process to check out AmMo’s Instagram account. it will give you an idea of what they are good at and what they do. (Just google ‘American Mortals Instagram’)
All of my friends, literally all of them, go to Brent when they want a new hair color or style.
My mom, a redhead, broke off a 3+ year relationship with her old salon and now drives 1.5 hours exclusively so that Brent can dye her hair, because he does such a phenomenal job.
He’s great because he listens to what you want and will be straightforward with you – what will work or won’t work/​maintenance/​time required/​etc. He also keeps in mind what your hair will look like 3 – 4 weeks after your appointment, so you don’t look like a crazy person when your hair starts to grow out!
Just be warned: once you start going to Brent, you won’t want to go anywhere else!

I was so happy with this place I literally made a Unilocal account just to write a review about it. I’ve been wanting to cut my hair short for awhile now, but my friend has been doing my hair for years, so I was apprehensive to go to someone new. That, combined with wanting such a drastic change, and the prices Center City salons charge made me even more nervous.
However, I was getting extremely bored with my hair, so I cracked and I decided to go here on a whim after hearing a recommendation from someone the week before. I walked in without an appointment, so I wasn’t necessarily expecting it to actually get it done, but figured I’d be able to feel the place out and make one if I liked it. I asked how much it was for a cut and was told it would be around $ 60-​$ 65 and that Brooke could take me right away. Done.
Because I wasn’t expecting to chop off my entire head of hair for the first time in my life that day (my mother and I decided at lunch it was a «good day for a haircut»), I had little to no idea what I wanted. I told Brooke that I wanted it really short, but that I was pretty unattached to my hair and that trusted her to do what she thought would look good, but to keep in mind my hair bounces up A LOT when it’s short. After an incredibly attentive shampoo from Jess, I was ready to go.
One thing I really liked about Brooke was she actually warned me she was going to cut before she did it. Even though I’m someone who doesn’t wince when I get my hair cut, I appreciated that she understood it was a drastic change and wanted to give me a moment to breathe and say goodbye to my hair (however, once she started hacking away, she realized how unattached to my hair I truly was).
The amount of time she spent with me and the meticulousness of her checking how my hair bounced when it was shorter while she was cutting it was amazing. I also felt I vibed well with her, which I personally think is super important when looking for a stylist. She absolutely knew what she was doing, and I ended up walking out with the best cut of my entire life. And for $ 60 bucks in Center City, it was a steal.
PS. They also offer free neck trims in between cuts. Also the fact that I now need «neck trims» is really weird to me.

Joe cut and colored my hair, and I absolutely love it. He knew what he was doing, and knew what would look best with my features. As long as I’m in the area, I’ll never go to anyone else! They accept credit/​debit cards, but you can’t tip on your card so make sure you bring some cash!

I had one of the worst experiences here and will never be back.
I finally thought I had found ‘my place’, and after two great visits with Joe and Mae I scheduled my 3^rd haircut appointment with Mae. My hair was incredibly long and I told her I wanted 4 inches taken off and face framing layers. She had me clarify exactly how long 4 inches «meant to me» and we agreed that where I pointed was exactly what I asked for. She gets to cutting my hair immediately — a dry haircut, which never work well with my hair and which she started without even asking if that was okay. Not only that, my hair had been in an asymmetrical braid all day, so one side was much more wavy than the other, and she didn’t straighten it first or even brush it. Cue the most painful 30 minutes of my life as she cut my hair with a fine tooth comb and literally ripped any tangles out of my head, regardless of my wincing and exclamations of «ouch!!» But I had a great experience with her before, and I trusted that it would turn out okay.
At the end of the haircut she pulls all of my hair back to the front and I was in SHOCK. My hair was cut AT LEAST 7 – 8 inches total, double what I had asked for. I didn’t know what to say and Mae just laughed at my surprised reaction. When I told her that honestly, it was much shorter than I had wanted to go, her attitude completely changed. She became extremely rude and defensive, insisting that she didn’t cut more than 4 inches. I told her my hair had been down to my navel and now it was clearly much shorter, and she said «No it wasn’t!!! NO, it definitely wasn’t!» I’m pretty sure I know how long my hair was… I lived with it that way for months, have picture evidence, and she saw it for all of 3 minutes before she chopped it off. Incredulous, I picked up a chunk of hair off the floor that was at least 8 inches long and told her that it was not 4 inches! Response? «Well, that’s why I asked you how much you wanted off in the beginning. Next time, if you don’t want to be so shocked, you should just get your hair cut 1 inch at a time». I stood there trying not to burst into tears and waiting for her to say something, maybe apologize, and after a long silence I only got «…that will be 50 bucks». She gave 0 shits about me as long as she got paid and had no compassion at all.
I called back the next day and asked to get my hair fixed by someone new, because after I washed it I realized it was literally cut straight across at the bottom and was uneven because my hair had been wavy during the cut. In addition, the ‘face framing layers’ were like an awkward ¹⁄₁₀^th of a bang that hung in the middle of my forehead. It was simply awful. I spoke to the manager who asked me why I needed it fixed and he, too, did not seem to care or seem affected at all when I told him that my experience was night and day from what I had asked for. He barked what time I should come in and that was that. I did end up getting a correction from Brooke, who was nice and listened to what I wanted, and Mae was also at the salon during my new appointment. She made eye contact with me but again, didn’t come up to me and say she felt bad that I was unhappy, apologize, or seem sympathetic. I felt completed brushed off and like no one, including the manager, truly cared about the quality of their service — its really sad. If they can’t bother to be nice I won’t bother to go back… Never again!

I’m not a big Unilocal reviewer, ACTUALLY, this is my first! Can’t think of a more deserving subject :) But! It’s been a week or so since popping in to AMMO after overwhelming recommendations from friends, and seeing whoever was available that Saturday morning.
It was Leslie, and she is amazing. It’s been well over a week, and this is one of my favorite cuts I can remember. It’s a great, easy, adorable cut obviously, but I think the most remarkable part of it is how utterly effortless and enjoyable the whole process was! I gave Leslie a brief, inarticulate description of what I had in mind and she used her psychic superhero powers to translate that into the best possible cut. True ;) but– in reality, she’s a super experienced, skilled, talented, insightful, fun person to hang out with while your hairs getting just what the doctor ordered.
Now I just wish I lived in Philly so I could go back more often!
Thanks Leslie!

Not much can be done with my hair, but Brooke did it. Great shop with a cool vibe; I’m definitely going back.

I might be a little on the cheap side, but when I pay $ 60 for a haircut, I’m expecting to get a stylist that’s very experienced and/​or very talented.
I think my stylist was fresh out of school. I walked out with a mushroom shaped haircut… not at all what I wanted. On top of that, it’s uneven. Luckily it’s still long enough to put up in a ponytail. I seriously laughed when I got home and looked in the mirror. It looks like I tried to cut it myself.
Anyway, everyone there was so nice and pleasant… I feel bad leaving a bad review but I feel that people should know that they might end up getting a stylist that is probably more qualified to work at hair cuttery.

I will never go to any other hair salon in Philadelphia. It’s really hard for me to find a really great hair salon that I am always 100% happy after the service is over. This is that place. I usually go to Marti, but she is always so booked up that I haven’t seen her in a while. Let me tell you about Marti.
She is the absolute nicest person in the world and really cares about you and your hair. I remember the first time I went to her and she offered me drinks through the service and she brought over all these magazines for me to read while she putting the dye on my hair. I am Korean and have very thick black hair, but I am currently a Blonde. It’s really hard for hair salons to be able to get my hair that light and she nailed it. There was also one time when I wanted my hair to be rose gold, which the color came out beautifully, but after one wash it was almost all out. marti quickly squeezed me into her busy schedule and even did a different service (I got purple ombré instead) and didn’t charge me for it. She always remembers me and what we talked about previously. And come on, that’s always a plus with your hair stylists!
I also recently saw Leslie a couple weeks ago. She did everything that I wanted with my hair and was able to find the right colors to match my hair. She is fairly new but is also wonderful!
Thank you always AMMO!

MAE is awesome.
* BEST girl’s short haircut ever.
* I just moved here from NY and have gone to her twice.
* Can’t believe how lucky I got by going to AMMO and Mae.
* You can’t go wrong.

I will recommend this to others looking for stylist in Philly. (As it was recommended to me by two others) Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Thank you for the great cut Leslie! I’m always nervous getting a new style. I walked out confident and happy.

I’ve now gone here for 4 or 5 haircuts and seen a few of the stylists. Really, they’re all great and you can’t go wrong. I think I’ll stick to Jen from now on– she gave me an awesome cut and I like her style.
The owner is sweet– the art is great– it’s a pleasure to go to AM.

I gave American Mortals too many chances. I know these stylists work hard to make a living and many people are happy with the services they receive, so I’m not going to name names.
But WTF. I saw one particular stylist three times, and each time, he got more and more liberal with the razor, and the layers, leaving me with extremely uneven length on one side. I vowed not to go back after that, but in a moment of desperation, thought that booking another stylist might work out well.
Nope. I asked for a very subtle trim to make the ends of my hair a little more choppy (and specified that I didn’t want ANY short layers) and ended up with totally uneven layers on one side of my head.
I know that there are plenty of people who have no issue with getting a crazy cut that isn’t perfect. I have lots of tattoos and am nowhere near «conservative,» so i certainly don’t expect a sleek, safe, typical salon cut going to this place. But again, WTF, guys. You can at least try to make both sides of my head look somewhat similar. I will never go here again.

I usually go to the 21^st & Christian location, but I completely forgot to make an appointment before a wedding and they were booked so I called this location. They got me in last minute. Caitlin was great. She redid my color perfectly and trimmed up my bangs. She was so sweet & nice. Everyone at the salon was very relaxed and helpful. I love it here.

Had my first visit to American Mortals recently for a ladies hair cut. I will definitely be returning! Immediately upon coming in the front door I was greeted by a gentleman at the «front desk,» he checked me in and pointed me to where I could sit and wait for Kait, who I had my appointment with. Kait was super friendly and east to talk to. She did a really good job on cutting my curly hair that had been neglected for over a year.
I really, really hate salons and the stuffy atmospheres that they tend to have. I can say without a doubt that you will not experience that type of attitude here. Everyone that works here seems super friendly and accommodating and I never once felt uncomfortable. I also really like the décor and the vibes of this place. Great job!

I finally found a place I can go back to! The hair dresser (Kait) was awesome. She asked me plenty of questions to make sure I got the final product that I wanted. If you’re nervous about cutting your hair short I recommend going to her. My hair color hair came out perfectly, which I usually dye myself. I felt welcomed as soon as I walked into the door. They let me know where to put my jacket and immediately offered me water or hot tea. All and all the place is well organized. The only flaw was that you cannot tip on your credit card so don’t forget cash! I had to embarrassingly write my hair dresser a check because I only had five dollars in cash.

It’s true. Mae is a hair wizard.
I love my prior stylists at American Mortals the same, but Mae really hit the money on what I wanted for my thin, but curly hair. I thought I was satisfied before, but she took it to a new level. I didn’t know my hair could look like this, but I dig it.
She’s also quite chill and comfortable to be around, as is everyone at the salon.
I’ll never go anywhere else – the talent this place has is outstanding and the salon itself is just bomb.

Jen at American Mortals is fantastic! She gave me a haircut I loved — no small feat for my thick/​curly locks that everyone seems to struggle with — and even gave me the choice between diffusing my curls or drying them straight! Lovely.
Also, she did a complementary color adjustment a week after I decided my ombré didn’t look good. She was attentive and patient through this whole process. I’ll be back to see her in a few months.
There is a jar of oreos there, and they’ll offer you a beer. You’ve been warned.

I can’t possibly say enough good things about this place! I walked in with a shaggy growing-​out pixie mop and walked out feeling like a rock star with the most perfect undercut & side shave… Thanks, Joe for being the «mop fixer» lol, no one else is touching my hair for a long, long time :-)

I can’t sing Joe’s praises enough here. Picture a super cool, rockabilly guy with tattoos who can cut and color like nobodies business. Sorry ladies, he’s married.
The salon is funky, conveintly located and they will give you beer. I can book online and easily get an appointment that week. They do art shows and remember your name and it’s basically the Cheers of salons. Haha. They have made a forever customer out of me.