Substance Salon & Barberspa

Now, I don’t usually write reviews, but I had such a great experience here that I wanted to share. I just had my first haircut here with Brooke, and I am so happy with the results! She was super friendly, gave me helpful tips, and knew exactly what cut I wanted. I recommend this salon hands down.

I’ve only been to Substance for blowouts and have had my makeup done there once, but they have done consistently well every time I go. The staff is super friendly and they always do an outstanding job. Love the atmosphere of the salon too, very chic. The services are a little pricey, but a well deserved treat!

I love this place. I’ve never had a bad experience there. It’s very clean and everyone is very friendly and professional. And they give you wine! It’s my favorite place to get my hair and makeup done for special occasions. Patty, Jaz, and Aubrey for makeup, are great.

Last week Thursday I had an appointment at Substance Salon and I can certainly say I was not disappointed, and had the best experience I have ever had at a salon. Usually I don’t just try new hair salons off the whim due to past experiences and my hair type. It was my first time at the salon, and I was recommended by a close co-​worker of mine who has been there before for a cut and color. Though she’s only been there just a few times she could not tell me enough how much she swore by this location.
I have been looking far and wide for a hair stylist who would be able to handle my very thick, long and course hair. Not only handle it but provide me the haircut I have been itching for. Being that my co worker had so many good things to say I said why not call and speak to someone. I called the Monday of and spoke to the receptionist and told her about my haircut and what exactly I was looking for. She then assured me that they had the perfect stylist for me by the name of Kris, who specializes in more texturized hair. I made the appointment and walked in on that Thursday evening.
Starting with the physical, I was heavily impressed with the design of the store and how modern it was. They appeared very professional and organized. I sat down all but 5 minutes until Kris came over to greet me. She took my jacket and put my nervousness at ease from the time I sat in her chair. She spoke to me, I showed her my vision (that she looked at for all but 10 seconds and I put my phone away, which is rare being that beauticians usually kill my battery trying to mimic the look I show them), she asked me specifically what I wanted and she told me what products and how she would be cutting my hair.
I put my hair life in her hands and she ran with it. She gave me the best haircut I have ever received, and gave me exactly what I wanted and more! She new exactly what she was doing. She was awesome! It was not awkward at all either. We shared good conversation, as well as a few laughs– you would have thought we knew one another for some time.
I don’t typically ramble about a person or place unless it’s serious, Kris definitelyyyyyyy deserves it. I don’t know about the other ladies but Kris is definitely my go to and I will be returning to her chair. I have already recommended my best friend who has gone in just the other day and had her hair cut by Kris, and also had a great experience. I have gotten a ridiculous amount of compliments on my haircut even to this day and cannot stop checking myself out in the mirror! If you do ever read this, THANK YOU KRIS!!!:)
Side note: The UNITE products used on my hair were awesome as well!

Absolutely love this place! It’s hard when you are traveling to find the perfect place to get your hair cut. Its even harder when you have curly hair. After seeing previous reviews I decided to give it a try. When I called to schedule my first appointment I told them how my hair is curly and they said that’s no problem at all we can set you up an appointment with Kris.
Kris was absolutely fantastic! She talked with me for a few minutes to understand how my hair is typically styled on a normal day. Like how it reacts in different types of weather situations etc. When she finished cutting I was extremely pleased with the result. This is one of the best haircuts I’ve ever received. I would highly recommend anyone to this place.
To sum it all up… great service, friendly staff, and a very modern look inside the shop. Definitely a must go!

I recently moved to the area and was in need of a new stylist. As most women know, this is a stressful life change :-) I needed a layered cut and glaze color and was referred to Kris. As soon as I was introduced to her I felt at ease. She had great personal style and was very sweet. She talked me through the process of color and how she planned to cut my hair. Jazz washed and prepped my hair and was very sweet as well. In the end my hair looked awesome! I was so relieved to find someone so close to my new home. All the staff was very nice as well! I highly recommend Substance Salon and Kris!

Can’t say enough about this place.
Love love love

I decided to give this place a try as I needed a blow-​out for my graduation. I really enjoyed my experience here. My hairdresser made my hair look exactly how I wanted it to, and for $ 40 and less than 45 minutes it looked much better than if I tried to do it myself! I will definitely return before my next event!

These people know their stuff! Linda is my favorite, though; she’s laid back, friendly, and she gave me great advice about how to tame my curls. One of the best salons I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to a LOT of them in my lifetime).

Love this spot! Couldn’t trust this team more with my hair! Made transitioning from Nyc salon to nj easy! Manny is wonderful with my husband, the management is great and Andrea is such an awesome stylist for my color and cut! Professional, clean, friendly and trendy!

If you’ve been looking for your steady salon, the place you can always count on to deliver the perfect style, consistently — look no further, you’ve found it! I’ve been to more salons than I could count over the years, and had varying experiences from atrocious to «just okay», but was never fully satisfied.
Then my fiancé recommended I try Substance. He has been going to Manny (the owner and Master Barber) for years, and always raved about him and the whole staff. So I booked my first appointment — and that was over a year ago. I’ve now received a few haircuts and a blow out, and couldn’t be happier. The level of service is top notch, from the warm and kind appointment scheduling, the pre-​cut consultation, the wash, cut and blow dry, everyone is terrific. You really get a sense that they truly care about your hair, and want you to be pleased. No cookie-​cutter, carbon copy treatment, no feeling rushed, no gossiping or negative vibes.
This past Saturday my fiancé and I went and got our hair cut together. He (as always) had Manny, and I had Linda. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted, checked in and offered refreshments. Linda came over and whisked me away to her chair (right next to Manny’s), and asked me what I’d like to do. I showed her photos, she gave me her opinions, and came up with the perfect style. She really listened, and cared, and was so personable! She’s so sparkly, just a true joy to be around! By the time I came back from my wash, my fiancé was being brought over, and this incredible team timed our services so we would be done at the exact same time. Seriously… Never been to a salon that thinks of these details, and then executes them — flawlessly. They even turned our chairs during the cut so we could all talk with each other. It felt like we were with our friends, and we left with perfect styles. I can’t wait to get my color done, it’s amazing to know I don’t have to be nervous, I already know I’ll love it.
Book your appointment as far in advance as you can — they are all in demand. One visit, and you’ll see why! Fantastic service, attentive staff, great products, all in a gorgeous space.
Substance DELIVERS. Every. Single. Time.

I had run by Substance Salon a few times last summer and it only became more and more appealing each time that i HAD to stop in. I finally walked in on a summer day and asked to make an appt. for a blow out, thinking I would try something non-​drastic first. On the outside it looks inviting, always busy, and when you walk in it’s alive in there! Great music and atmosphere overall. I felt like I was transported into a NYC salon. Not exaggerating. It’s beautiful inside.
Each and every person in the salon was friendly and engaged in conversations with their customers. I made an appointment, my jacket was taken, and I immediately started to feel relaxed and good hands.
From the wash to the blow out, I have zero complaints. I loved every second and have made this my go-​to salon. My hair is wavy/​curly so it takes some time to get dry and styled but it lasted a few days and I received so many compliments!
I normally see Linda and she is just gets me and my hair. The first time she colored my hair, during our consultation I showed her a picture explaining that I’d be happy if it looked close to that. As many people can attest, it’s rare that you get what you hoped for. She nailed it and has continued to each time I’ve been back.
On days where our schedules have not aligned (or I called last minute), a few other girls in the salon have blown out my hair at their «blow dry bar» and again, no complaints.

I came in here on a whim a couple of months ago. I needed a haircut and it was a holiday weekend. After calling a few places and basically being laughed at Substance was very accommodating. It seems that Andrea had a cancelation and was able to fit me in. I didn’t do research and was just hoping for the best.
I felt like near royalty form the moment I walked into the salon. Maybe I have just been to mostly run of the mill hair cutters but I really liked having my coat taken for me. I was also offered something to drink.
I was just in for a wash /​cut /​style. My treatment began with a hair wash. The hair wash was absolutely amazing. They really spent time massaging my head and it felt just super relaxing. Of course my wash finished with a conditioning and more massaging.
After my hair wash I was bright back to Andrea. I never know what I want so Andrea was nice enough to just go with instinct. She kept my length but still got rid of a lot of old hair. She also cut in some things to the font of my hair which I have come to love.
After spending the time at the salon this day and talking to Andrea about wanting to lighten my hair I made another appointment.
I have since returned to the salon for my hair lightening day. Once again I felt wonderful with the treatment I received. I was very late, to the point that Andrea called me to wake me after my appointment should have already began. She was very nice and let me race down to the salon. Andrea spent a decent amount of time discussing my options with me.
She helped me to understand that what I wanted would best be done in a few stages. First and foremost we had to fix the color that was in my hair to get me a consistent base. Since I ran late we also were not able to finish the lightening process on this trip. Instead she gave me a wonderful deep chocolate brown which we will begin to lighten on my next trip. Of course if I was on time we may have done it all in one day, but we also felt my hair might do well with letting the color settle and doing the rest on a return trip.
I am very happy with my hair — even in its intermediary stage. I still feel very comfortable with Andrea and this salon in general. I saw several other heads being worked on and it was all beautiful. I do recommend this place highly.
One last note is that during my hair treatments they even brought me a cappuccino! — thanks =)

I have had mixed feelings about this salon. They have helped me during the week when I needed to have an appointment at last minute while I have had to wait for an appointment on a Saturday for forty minutes. I love their coloring system because it is a very good brand and gentle for my scalp since I have sensitive skin. They use the Redken hair coloring system. Linda does a good job cutting hair. I have had other stylists who did not do a good job, and my ends were mismatched.

Nothing to brag about.
Couple of the stylists really became snobs talking trash about their long time clients.
Just from that I don’t go back.

Have never gotten a bad haircut there. Whether it’s for men or women, they have some of the most talented stylists in Bergen County. If you’re a guy looking for a sophisticated cut, Manny is definitely your guy. He has an impeccable sense of style and will give you the right look you’re searching for. On top of everything, they are in an ideal location (right by Rutherford train station) and the place has a super cool atmosphere.

I change hair salons more often than I change my underwear. Ok, eww. That wasn’t a very good metaphor. Let’s just say that I’m never satisfied. I have some disaster stories where I run out of the salon halfway through the cut without paying. That really happened. Luckily that place is long out of business. So in my constant search for the best hair salon I came across some promising Unilocal reviews about Substance Salon. I gave them a try and now I’m sold.
Before I booked my first appointment back in August I read the stylist bio’s to see who would be the best fit for me. At the time, my hair was very long so I picked Andrea because she specialized in «long layered haircuts». She shaped my long, unruly hair into a sleek, smooth and shiny look. I walked out floating and couldn’t stop touching my hair. Fast forward a few months and I just went back to cut my long hair into a long bob, or lob, as the cool kids call it. Andrea again did not disappoint. I never used to go to a salon every 3 – 4 months but now I kind of can’t wait to go back already and see what we can do with my hair next.
Other things I love about Substance:
–the space is really minimal and fresh, I love the record player in the corner
–they offer you a hot or cold beverage when you walk in
-$ 30 blow dry bar is definitely something I can see myself booking before an event
–i really suck at blow drying my own hair and am excited to perhaps try their blow dry class to finally learn how to do it right
–the shampoo peeps are SUPER friendly, take their time and massage your head while you recline with your feet up (that foot rest is such a bonus!)

Talented artists, shitty management. I booked hair and makeup for my wedding, and I really wouldn’t recommend it unless you have a huge bridal party and everyone is getting serviced there. I only had myself and one other person (my friends opted to go to their regular stylists, which I was fine with) and I got completely screwed.
They booked me for 1:30 pm and my hair and makeup people didn’t get there till around 3 pm. Obviously this screwed up the entire timeline of the day, and prevented me from enjoying getting dressed with my mom and my friends at the hotel because I was so rushed. I had to ask multiple times for an update from the robotic receptionist so I could update my photographer. She told me the wedding they were on-​site with added people last minute. Why should that affect me?! Oh, because it’s more money for you. Right. Hey, it’s only my wedding day, right?
In the end, the hairstylist (Kristy) was the only person who truly seemed apologetic and like she was working quickly. They took $ 50 off my bill, but obviously that means nothing to me, I would much rather have been on time. I’m almost shaking as I write this because I’m still so mad. Little stresses always pop up on your wedding day, and I can’t help but think if it weren’t for this, I would have had the presence of mind to deal with them. But everything was so rushed. We ended up starting the ceremony nearly 45 minutes later than scheduled. Thanks, Substance!
I also had problems booking the services. In the end we agreed to $ 50 for the junior bridesmaid’s makeup, but the receptionist neglected to inform me that that meant just lipstick and eyeshadow. I told them she was 14, not 5. Why would anyone pay that much for lipstick and eyeshadow?! She can do that herself. I found that out when i was in the chair. Kristy was nice enough to give her full application anyway.
I really liked the girls when I booked them and I was happy with the physical results but I wish I went somewhere else. I was even thinking of making that my regular salon. Not after that! If they didn’t have time for me, they shouldn’t have booked me. End of story.

I have mixed feelings about Substance Salon.
They have great costumer service and a convenient location.
I got a full head of highlights that look fantastic, Andrea gave me the exact look that I asked for.
On the other hand, I got a horrible haircut, it looked like a teenager cut my hair after watching a youtube video.
I would go back for the color but not for another haircut.

After going to this salon for about 1 year, I decided not to go back. I expressed concern a few times that my hair was getting over processed (I get blonde highlights), but my stylist stated that it was probably my blow dryer or Chi straightener that I used at home. The last time I went to the salon, I walked out of there with fried hair around my face. Obviously, that was caused by the coloring and not my styling tools at home. This was in August of last year (6 months ago) and I’m still trying to grow those sections out enough to have all of the fried ends cut off.
The staff is very nice, but I cannot continue going to a salon that was ruining my hair.