Empire Salon

The director/​manager had an opening and he took me right away. I had hair to my bum but it was thrashed, dry, and lifeless. I told him I wanted A LOT cut off but that I still needed to be able to pull it back. He did an INCREDIBLE job. I walked out with shiny, healthy, luscious layers! He cut off about 5 to 6 inches in total, and it is perfect. Cut was $ 90, I also bought some product at $ 15, plus tip. I will absolutely be a returning client.

Came here for the first time yesterday on a last-​minute appointment. The receptionist greeted me warmly as soon as I walked in and my stylist Natalie came promptly. She listened to exactly what I wanted done with my hair — which was cut off the dead ends and add some layers to give it some shape and body. I loved the layers she put in and she even cut more off on the sides to frame my face while still maintaining the length. Natalie was very nice and professional and I loved my haircut, I will definitely come back and would recommend her to anyone who is thinking of coming here on a whim!

Rachel at Empire is great! Both me and my college aged daughter have recently found her. She’s knowledgeable, gives great suggestions and I could not be happier with the end result.

The manager worked on my hair. He did exactly as I said and gave me little tips on keeping my hair healthy :) it cost $ 85 with tax (only if the owner works on you) but it usually costs $ 55 with tax if you get your hair done by another hairstylist. Great location and décor! Thanks for the service

Came in with choppy highlights around my hairline (from a different salon), wanting my root to be more shadowy with the brown to blonde transition blended. Marissa J fixed me and my roots are now blended just how I wanted.:)

Natalie was the perfect stylist! So easy to chat with and really listened to what I wanted and delivered the perfect haircut. Can’t wait to come back in a few weeks for some color!

Got my hair done with Olivia today and I am beyond happy! The salon is clean, staff is friendly, and most importantly, my hair looks great! After not having my hair professionally colored in almost 5 years and being a little wishy-​washy about what I wanted done, it’s like she just knew! She covered the dreaded grey, gave me a beautiful cut and brightened me up with highlights for spring! I will definitely be back!!! The best part though, that scalp massage! I would come in just for that!!!

Went in there the first time and the experience was great! They were able to put me on a same day schedule with Kyle. I have tried out a few salons but this seems to be the best! Definitely going back there. From now on no one cuts my hair beside Kyle lol.

I came to this salon a little over a month ago. I recently needed a new hair stylist and I thought the one I chose here was perfect but I was completely wrong. Having my hair length past my chest, I wanted a change and to cut it to the length of about my collar bone level. I was so excited for this new change. Instead I was left with a hair cut that was as short as my ears, not even touching my shoulders. I’m pretty sure the stylist messed up, as she confirmed with me several times for the length being okay. I even provided a photo of what I wanted and kept showing her for reference in hopes of avoiding what actually happened to me. My self confidence has never been so low and I have never felt so ugly in my life. I cried every day for probably 2 weeks. I already have low self confidence and when you go get your hair done you should feel leaving the best you have ever felt… I still can’t even look in the mirror without feeling sad. To think I paid GOOD MONEY for a haircut I never anticipated of getting and a period of depression is honestly terrible and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. Worst experience in my life.
Update: it has been a week since I sent this exact message to the owner of the salon and still have not heard anything. This salon proves to not care about their customers.

Had my first time here with Rachel! This was a few weeks ago, sorry for the late review but here I am!
I made an appointment for a Friday afternoon on ⁴⁄₈ through Unilocal,which was super fast and convenient. I asked for a slightly asymmetrical bob with a few inches off the full length. My hair was a big floof at this point, it recently turned curly (permanently) from straight and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I looked like a wise old female hermit with much wisdom to share about life.
Anyway, Rachel is really chill and friendly, and was very attentive and detail-​oriented when I talked about what kind of cut I wanted. I showed her a picture and she was totally okay with that. The little head massage she gave while washing my hair almost made me fall asleep, I kinda just sat there when she told me we were going back to the chair because I was so relaxed. As for the haircut itself, she was very precise about the way she cut my hair and made sure it looked good from all angles.
I’m very socially awkward and I don’t really know how to converse with stylists very well, so sorry if I seemed quiet. I don’t want to come off as mean, I’m just being kind of awkward and I don’t really know what to say sometimes. I also got a 40% discount for my first time here so that was awesome. I’ll definitely be back, I think this place is really great and it’s in a great location as well. The salon itself is clean and organized, and they have comfy chairs in the waiting area up in the front. The receptionist was also very kind and asked if I needed anything (such as water) while I was waiting.

This review is for Rachel. I usually never write reviews, but this place is awesome! I walked in yesterday afternoon to chop off all of my long hair and get one of those lobs I’ve been hearing all about, and everything about my experience was amazing. The receptionist at the front desk was super sweet and adorable! Rachel was super amazing too; I really enjoyed talking to her! She was very understanding and asked me questions about how I wanted my hair to look throughout the session. She was so patient, and my hair looks absolutely amazing! I’ve never loved a haircut before until now! Will definitely be coming back here! :))

Kate has done it again…
I walked in today with boring, grown-​out box-​dyed brown hair and left with a gorgeous honey balayage. My hair inspo was the model Rocky Barnes. I showed Kate her picture and I must say I left the salon thinking to myself, could it be possible that my hair looks even better than Rocky’s? Yes, apparently it can. My belief was confirmed by the several compliments I received after leaving the salon.
I also got a haircut from Kate today. I love long hair, but mine had grown out into a shapeless mess and had zero movement. I told Kate I wanted some more movement in my hair and she knew exactly what to do.
Overall I am beyond thrilled with my hair color and cut. Empire salon is the best salon I’ve perhaps ever been too and Kate has outdone herself, yet again.
I am extremely picky and Kate was very patient with me and took the time to listen and understand what I wanted and what style I was looking for. I wanted something low maintenance, but still beautiful. A cut without losing length but increasing movement. Kate surpassed my expectations. I have been to many stylists before, but Kate is an incredibly talented and one-​of-​a-​kind stylist. She also very versatile and knowledgable in trendy cuts, hair color, and styles.
My hair has no damage and looks so beautiful. I definitely will be back.

I had the best experience at Empire tonight! I went in wanting a transformation and Jeannette delivered! She was amazing and I absolutely love my new cut! Highly recommend the salon and Jeannette!

First time visit: 5 stars! I called in on a Thursday morning and they were able to squeeze me in at 12:15. I was about 15 minutes late trying to find parking (just park in the structure, don’t waste your time circling), but they were wonderful and still took me for my appointment. Janette was amazing. Quickly assessed my hair, gave me an awesome scalp massage while shampooing/​conditioning, and did a great job with my trim. Will I come back? Definitely. Will I ask for Janette? Of course!
I was also surprised to find out I got a discount for being a first time client! Nice little incentive to try them out.

This review is for Rachel. She was very nice and took her time doing a great job. It was a lot better than the usual cheap haircut places I go to. She washed my hair thoroughly and used scissors throughout (cheap places never do). She did a thorough job and it was a very relaxing treat away from my usual busy day. Excellent! Five stars. I’ll be back again.

Natalie did an amazing job coloring my hair!

This review is for Kate:
After the bad experience I had at Toni & Guy, Kate is exactly the kind of hairstylist/​experience I needed. Not only is she a sweet girl but she listens to exactly what you want & doesn’t detour from the plan. My cut is amazing and so is she!
Will definitely be going back :)

Rachel gets 5 stars! Loved My hair. Got the color i wanted and the cut was perfect!
The place was clean and for the most part friendly.
Reception can use some help given they provide the first impression. Maybe smile or even have eye contact.

My procrastination and absolute disdain for driving any amount of distance after work and on my days off left me two days before a huge event with unruly bangs and roots galore. Irvine Unilocal reviews are very hit or miss and with a sigh and a ho hum, I decided to give Empire Salon a blind first date as it was close to work.
I arrived late (traffic after work is crazy!) but Kate was sweet as pie with the best attitude. I was completely burnt out and had no idea what I wanted. She sat down with me and made sure I was absolutely sure I was going to get what I wanted and was extremely friendly the entire time. I showed her random pictures and she explained how she would achieve those looks and was honest that she would not be able to do it one sitting. I appreciated her honesty and the time she took to go through the process with me.
My hair was fabulous! Easy to manage and a great color. Ask for Kate! Won’t be disappointed!

Long story short/​shorter… I was sad and I ran scissors through my hair and cut off 6 – 7 inches of my beautiful healthy long lush hair to provide myself with enough negative reinforcement that I would never make the same mistake again… Ahh yes, I am trying to condition my own behavior… pretty psychotic, right? (Just to clear up the confusion — I wasn’t trying to give myself a haircut. I felt to IDGAF I intentionally self sabotaged my hair).
**Okay I measured it… it was NINE INCHES!!! on a brighter note, I found a foundation that accepts 8inches or more to make wigs for cancer patients! woo hoo!!**
Anywayssss… Empire Salon is the nearest salon from my office building. It is actually walking distance if I wanted to walk over. I called in early Friday morning when the opened and made an appointment for 4:30 pm.
Here at Empire Salon, there are 4 different tiers of hair stylists: Stylist ($ 50), Artist ($ 60), Master ($ 67) and Director ($ 85) — prices are for women’s hair.
I arrived a bit early. It was nice in the sense that they offered me a beverage but I was much taken back by the hostess when she was unable to answer a few questions I had about other services that were offered at the salon. I am also disappointed by the cramped and chaotic layout of the salon. This is the reason I had to take a star away from this review!
I was blessed to be with Janette Dang, an Artist level stylist. She was very attentive to what I wanted and she made a few suggestions to help me make the best of the situation. I absolutely LOVE Janette!!! She was able to even me out without making my hair any shorter than it needs to be. I especially loved the way she trimmed up my bangs. It has a nice flow. It is rare that I can find someone to give me perfect bangs, but Janette definitely did not disappoint me. I look forward to coming back for some chit chatter and routine bang trims ($ 10) since Empire Salon is so conveniently close to my office.
I really couldn’t say my WHOLE experience was worth a 5 star, but Janette definitely deserves a 5 star! I would recommend her to anyone! She is off Wednesday and they are closed Sundays so make those appointments with her on MTuThFS. She is a lifesaver!