Speak

I have gotten my hair cut twice and highlights once. All three were done by Julie. I was very pleased with Julie’s work, both the cut and color. She is personable and really takes her time. Plus she understands that some people can’t get their hair done every month, so she gave me some really great information and tips on how I can take care of my hair in-​between my appointments with her. Thanks Julie! You’re the best!!!

Not your basic cookie cutter salon, Speak is a creative haven for hair! It’s absolutely adorable inside and full of beautiful products. I was able to book online and my cut with Julie was exactly what I was looking for. Love the maintenance trims they offer too!

Best Men’s Haircut in KC yet! Recommended this salon by a friend & Julie’s a true artist. I love that it keeps looking great as it grows out. Speak also has some of the best product lines & a really unique apothecary/​beauty bar area full of quality, unique goods. I’ll probably be back just to shop! Hot tip: great local coffee!

Curly girls come here!!! Finally a salon that understands curly hair and will cut my hair dry, instead of when it is wet and stick straight– that isn’t my natural hair! I washed my hair about two hours prior to my appointment, let it air dry without product, and got a beautiful cut from Julie a few months ago and came in today for a trim with her. Absolutely wonderful!
Ps the salon smells amazing and my hair now smells amazing as well! Thanks so much :)

Also want to add, the entire staff is very sweet and easy to schedule appts with. The salon is small but impeccably clean and organized. Thanks Julie for making me feel beautiful!
I’m SOOO happy I gave this place a try. I’ve definitely found my new salon. Julie did an awesome job on my new omgnb hair extensions.

I have trouble committing to an expensive cut, so the $ 15 dry trim every 8 – 10 weeks is the perfect fit for me. With flat, thin hair cuts at other salons in the past have never seemed worth it. I see Julie, and to be honest, the first time she cut my hair I had never seen it cut with such focus before. VERY easy to commit to more visits and purchasing better products.

I have been a patron of Speak for some time and recommend the salon to anyone looking for a great stylist and location for salon services. Julie is the stylist for my entire family (I love that my kids can get their hair styled here, no kiddie cut salons for us!). I have several friends that are regulars of Kayla and she is great too. In addition to being amazing stylists, I have to rave about the good vibe feel of the salon! They also have an amazing spread of unique beauty items for not only hair, but skin and the soul too. I pretty much want one of EVERYTHING on the shelves. I love Speak and can’t imagine going anywhere else!

My hair cut is fabulous and does everything that I want it to do. Thanks, Julie.
From Ellen in Hyde Park :)

I booked my appointment with Julie at Speak through their web site nearly 3 weeks ago. I selected them based upon their Unilocal reviews.
When I arrived for my appointment, I was 10 minutes late. I have a new puppy in the house and I had an accident to clean up before I could leave. It was one of those mornings! En route, I tried to call but could find no phone # on their web site home page — just an email address — so I just went with it.
I drove past the salon the first time because there is not much signage so I had to drive around the block (2 of them because one of them is a one way street). Once there, I walked in and there was a woman doing a consultation with a client. The stylist looked at me and nodded her head but said nothing and gave me no direction nor welcome. So, I took a seat. A few minutes later, a second stylist came out with her client and glanced my way but said nothing. I waited for nearly 15 minutes but they acted as though I was not there. This was bewildering, so I got up to leave and no one said anything to me as I walked out the door.
Since I did not get my hair cut as I had planned, I can not comment on their ability to provide that service. I can say that their customer service doesn’t even register on the chart. I don’t know if they are always this way or if they were being passive aggressive because I was late. Only they know that and they weren’t talking to me.
Update: No, I was not accustomed to your salon’s set-​up but that is irrelevant. I’m a 40-​something woman who has spent a lot of time in salons so I have an expectation of professional service. Since your salon IS so tiny, it was all the more uncomfortable to be no more than a few feet away from either of you and neither could manage to even tell me hello. You fell short, but it worked out well for me in the end.

I don’t write reviews ever. But I feel this salon deserves one from me.
I am very picky about who does my hair. I moved to Kansas City from Wisconsin and needed to find someone to do my hair. I came across Speak Salon after doing a search on google and the reviews were good so I decided to try it out. The salon is very cute and it feels like you’re at home.
Kayla B was my stylist and she is so amazing. She’s very friendly and knows exactly what to do with hair. I have been unhappy in the past with other stylists but Kayla knows her stuff. I have been back to her 2 times now and just made an appointment for a 3^rd. I highly recommend Kayla and Speak Salon :)

I have been going to Speak Salon for a year and leave happy every time. Julie is an amazing stylist and Kayla is a genius at waxing and tinting. I love being able to book online, its so convenient. All 3 ladies who work there are lovely and funny and make you feel like you’re at a friend’s house. I have turned 2 of my friends onto Speak and now they are fellow devotees! A very cool and cozy place. Highly recommended!

I’ve been going to Kayla at Speak for over a year now and I won’t go anywhere else. I have always hated getting my hair cut because I have wavy/​curly hair that I don’t like to mess with. Kayla understands how to cut my hair so I don’t have to put a bunch of product in it to tame it. She doesn’t try to sell me stuff I don’t want or do stuff to my hair I don’t like. She gets that I just want my hair to look good without having to brush it and she is a miracle worker who makes that happen. Also, I see her like once every two months and she remembers everything I told her the last time.
Kayla is awesome!

BEST SALON EXPERIENCE SINCE IN KC.
MELISSA turnt it out today! Being the son of a hairstylist I can spot passion and talent from a mile away. Melissa made extra sure that I was satisfied with the cut and color. Her thoroughness made me feel safe in her chair, especially it being my first appointment. Also, Kevin Murphy hair products provide their users with extremely natural, high performance hair care, and the ladies at Speak Salon are definitely in the know. Is it weird to go back twice in one day???

It’s been a week since I went to Speak — plenty of time for me to style it on my own and see if I can get the «Hi, I just had a blow-​out for the 7^th day in a row» look. So far, I absolutely love it. Check my beauty and salon category, I’ve gone to every salon in the KC area… and hopefully, I found my home.
Back story, I HATE getting hair cuts. No matter how long it gets, it’s still super healthy that I only need to get a cut once a year. With my long, thick, Kardashian-​like hair, most stylists get extremely scissor happy when I unleash the mane. Melissa was fantastic. I was a little apprehensive at first because she does dry cuts and I’ve never had a good experience with that — nonetheless, she nailed it. She took off 7 inches and I still feel comfortable with my security blanket, aka my hair. She even took the time to flat iron my hair! Normally, people charge extra for that. Ugh.
They also give you a full week to come back and do touch-​ups at no cost if you find something wrong with your cut.
The building is terribly hard to find in my opinion; hence, the deduction of one star. Extremely reasonably priced, only $ 50 for a cut!
Double bonus — YOU CAN BOOK ONLINE. You can never go wrong with that.
Thank you, Speak Salon and Melissa!

After years of searching, I’ve found my salon. My hair is doing exactly what I’ve wished it would do forever. The cut is perfect and easy. Julie, the owner and my stylist, is nice and friendly without being overwhelming. Speak also offers $ 15 dry trims after your initial cut, which is perfect for someone who’s always tempted to take the scissors to her own hair to save a few bucks. Speak, I’ll be seeing you again soon.

These guys are awesome. Flexible, laid back, reasonably priced. You can also schedule an appointment online which is great. Highly suggested.

Melissa van der bom has made it possible for me to love my crazy curly, insanely thick hair again! The shape and thickness of my cuts from Melissa has been great each time: thinned in the right place, blunt ends where I need them, texture that’s just right. For my first cut, she knew from my reservation that I was a curly girl and she picked up a keratin treatment for me to try out. I liked it so much I’m now getting them regularly. WHAT A DIFFERENCE it has made. Smooth, happy, less frizzy hair, whether I go curly or straight. (They’re not cheap, but mine lasts about 7 weeks and it’s been very much worth it.)
All of the gals there obviously know their stuff. It took me a very long time to find a salon that speaks my language, and I am now a devotee. Thank you, Melisa & Speak, for saving my relationship with my obnoxious hair.

Tara Shaw is so wonderful. I second everything Tara P. said above.
Adding.
I am very picky about my hair stylists. and she has set the bar pretty high. One thing that is very important to me is how personable and the quality of conversation we have. Tara hits a home run here. I felt like she was my friend, not my stylist. She answered my questions expertly and gave me advice. She is not some idiot who doesn’t know her stuff. She is intelligent and willing to share. She didn’t push product on me.
After my first visit, I told her some things I didn’t like about the first time and she really wanted to hear it to fix it. After that, I never had a problem.
The place is very cool and low key. You feel like you are in someone’s home. It is a bit hard to find, I drove by it a few times.
I moved away from KC but I have often considered driving back 3.5 hours JUST to go back here.
Go here.

Tara Shaw is not a stylist, she truly is an artist.
I have never had someone be so precise and take time with every strand of hair.
(and I have a LOT of hair!)
She is an *expert* with bangs also.
I love that Speak offers a dry cut trim option as well for when you only need a bang trim or quick shape up.
I’m so grateful to have found this salon and someone as dedicated to the art of hair like Tara is!

When my beloved stylist of 5 years moved to Taiwan, I was left trying to fill the style void she left in my (and the boyfriend’s) life. I spent about a year getting strange and confusing haircuts from various stylists. Then I found the ladies of Speak. It’s been two years and I love my hair again! Although I like stylish hair, I don’t want to spend hours on it. Tara Shaw is able to cut my hair according to my hair’s «unique» and unwieldy characteristics; she’s extremely knowledge and honest. I now can finally sit in a stylist’s chair and say with confidence and glee again «Do what ever you want.» People are always asking me where I get my hair cut and proclaiming to me «I wish my hair would do that.» The only reason my hair does «that» is because I pay to have a quality haircut from a super awesome stylist.
When you walk into the salon its like walking into a friends house: they greet me by my first name without looking me up, offer a variety of beverages, and always have something to chat about. It’s a laid back salon that doesn’t push products, although the offer some fantastic stuff. This is a honest and costumer-​centric business.
FYI, my boyfriend also gets his hair cut by Tara and is extremely happy. He too spent a year floating through various salons in the area and was never fully happy with his haircut and experience. He is now super happy with his hair cuts and bread trims he gets through Tara.

I can’t say enough great things about Speak. Julie has been taking care of my hair since I moved to KC almost 5 years ago. She’s taken me from short bobs to long layers and always knows what will look good with my face shape and hair color (she does amazing highlights, as well). She just gave me the most amazing short razored crop today, and did an elegant, original updo for my wedding this past summer. Her prices are fair and her product selection is wonderful — the Kevin Murphy products are the best I’ve ever tried.
Tara has done a really nice job tinting my eyebrows and my husband now sees Melissa for his hair (his previous regimen involved simply buzzing his own hair each summer and letting it grow into the winter for the last several years; I think Mel is the first person he’s actually paid to cut his hair). Even though all the girls are fresh and trendy, there isn’t even a hint of pretentiousness at this salon. Everyone goes out of their way to make you feel welcome and beautiful!

This review is for men’s haircut. I am very picky about my haircut and in my last 6 years in KC, I was not able to find a stylist who could give me exactly what I wanted. I have tried most of the salons in the city with raving reviews.
I found this place through Unilocal and I have to say that I was blown away with «Tara Shaw». She is highly skilled, passionate, very familiar with the current trends and so good at understanding what exactly you want and delivers. I was also impressed with the input she had to give me about how to make changes to what I had in mind. She is also great company and personable.
I have been on a hunt for a good and skilled men’s stylist in this city, and I have found one who has even surpassed my expectations.
Thanks Tara for the great cut, I haven’t been this happy with a haircut for a long time.

I have never been particularly loyal to any salon. This is primarily because I tend to get my hair cut once a year or so. The last time I received a haircut, I went somewhere else, and had a pretty good experience. From what I know, though, the same people are no longer running that shop. I had heard about Speak, & decided to check them out instead.
I am really glad that I did! I think I have finally found a shop to be «the one.» Tara was my stylist. She listened to what I wanted, offered suggestions, was chatty but not overly so, very pleasant and relaxing, and in the end I ended up with a fantastic haircut! Her next client showed up while my haircut was being finished, and I don’t feel like she rushed it one bit. I felt bad for the guy waiting (ultimately it wasn’t too long), but was appreciative that she didn’t slough me off to get to the next customer. She offered suggestions of products, but wasn’t pushy in the least. She also showed me techniques for getting different looks from my new haircut.
Besides the nice folks, the salon itself is beautiful. Exposed brick walls, wooden floors, artwork (they are a gallery too), nice hair stations, good music. The whole experience was great.
The best part is all of the compliments I have received on my new cut. I’ve gone this short or shorter before, but have never garnered so much attention for my hair!