Underground Hair Artists

I loveeee underground! I thought it was a little pricy at first but it’s not because it’s so worth it. Vanessa is a great hair stylist. She gave me a fresh new look that I was very satisfied with and wouldn’t have gotten without her friendly encouragement. She made me feel at home and I loved listening to her tips on hair. They give you coffee if you want it and they make sure you have a good experience. Also free bang cuts after you get a haircut whenever you need it. This place has become my regular spot.

Im really proud of the hair color results my phenomenal hair stylist gave me. She was so nice and very intuned with me as her new client.
We joked and discussed her passion and gift for styling hair. I never felt rushed during my visit at this salon. Some salons are known to overbook their clientele and rush them out of the door.
I can definitely say «I’ll be back» and now I’ve found a wonderful hair doctor :)

Confession: I don’t wash my hair myself. Well, sometimes I do… and it doesn’t look good. You see, I have extensions. But even when I don’t, I still can’t do my hair. And so it just makes more sense for someone else to do it once or twice a week… especially if I am going to be photographed. Like for a wedding. Even if I’m just a guest.
My girlfriend and I decided to call around Santa Barbara Friday afternoon for a Saturday morning appointment… Underground Hair Artists was kind enough to squeeze us in for a blow out and style. We left blown away (pun intended).
Not only do I wish I lived in Santa Barbara due to the perfect weather, scenery, and general cuteness of the entire city, but I also want to live here because my hair would look bomb ²⁴⁄₇ because of this place.

Absolutely Amazing! Nobody but Alan can touch my hair now! For reals! Since moving back to SB from the SLO area I have been looking for someone who could give me the «WOW» factor. I was wandering through the sea of salons, I jumped from salon to salon and I was never satisfied with any place.
I had huge issues with trying to grow out my ultra short pixie cut, I lost so much style and versatility by not cutting it for months because I was so jaded from my experience with various salons. After having an bad experimentation with at home color and the no style long pixie, I finally woke up this morning and I had to do something about it. My natural hair is dark brown, I had done a at home bleaching and had some reddish dye, It was a terrible pain to keep up and looked so tired. I showed Alan a pic of a long pixie that was my dream hair cut with blond, I wanted this for about 2 years. Alan made it happen! He is pure magic! It took a lot of work and time for him to color correct me. He was so nice and so optimistic about what we could do. I enjoyed a nice glass of wine, and let him work. I honestly never thought I could have a healthy looking blond ombré pixie. My cut is also amazing and I feel like it took off 15 lbs from my face. Alan gave my pixie some style while still encouraging me to continue growing it out. My hair feels super soft and strong, even after almost 2 bleaching! Olaplex kept my hair from melting and made it feel better than before! I finally have a salon home and Alan is my guy! Also, the salon receptionist I made the desperate appointment with in the AM was super sweet! I owe her big time for setting me up with Alan. I think her name was Lulu? Everyone here was really nice and welcoming. I did not feel intimidated by anyone in any way. I now feel like I my hair dreams will continue to come true!

Chaye is awesome. He took as much time as we needed to figure out a new style, was super nice and did fabulous work. He is a true artist in many respects and a a wonderful person. best experience I ever had at a salon.

Chaye is amazing! I went in wanting my ombré redone and a killer haircut and he made it happen! Not only that, he’s interesting and charming. Keeps you really engaged with great stories and lots of personal care. The salon is super cute and really convenient, right across from the bus terminal. You need to go here if you’re in SB. Check him out before he leaves for LA, Chicago, or NYC. Chaye is destined to be a superstar stylist.

My mom and I were in town this weekend for a wedding. We made a day of it and got our makeup done down the street. My mom, not used to the beach moisture, was frustrated with her hair. We walked in, intending to have someone curl it for her, to help with the styling. I also needed a bang trim, as my last bang cut had butchered my bangs. Well I ended up with Alan, and my mom ended up with the wonderful gal next to him, Sacha. Not only did the two of them do a wonderful job on our hair, they put up with my 10 month old baby bouncing between our two chairs. You see, I sat down for a bang trim, but Alan, being amazing, gave me a full style. Not only was he was able to fix the hack job done a few weeks earlier but he also curled and styled my hair beautifully. My mom went in for a curl, but ended up with a wash, cut, and style. The two of them were so talented, but even more so they were beyond professional and patient with us. I would def. recommend this salon– very cool vibe– everyone in there seemed very friendly. Don’t be intimidated by the funky décor– the clients ranged in age and style. The next morning at Starbucks the gal who did my mom came up to me and said how’s Kim? (My mom) and how was the wedding. So sweet that she remembered us. She’ll probably never forget us– having to work around a 10 month old. :) Haha thank you two so much! You made our experience wonderful! I would seriously debate hopping on a plane from Colorado next time I need my hair done if I was a millionaire. Thanks again.

Underground is a solid spot with great energy. I’ve been getting my haircut here for the last 6 months and every time I come in, whether it’s for a free neck trim or a full haircut I always leave feeling lighter. Sonia Lopez should get all the credit. Plus, when my hair grows back, my hair still looks awesome. She does a fantastic job every time! She’s super flexible, especially with my busy schedule.
The rest of the staff is friendly and accommodating. Plus their hair products make my hair feel, look, and smell fresh. I’m a happy customer. Great spot! You should definitely give them a try. Ask for Sonia… you won’t regret it.

I personally had a bad experience! I had an appointment at 2:00pm, I get a call at 1:30 saying the stylist is running a FEW minutes late, can you come at 3:00pm, I am like no I have a meeting at 3:00pm. The lady is like, ok just come over at 2:00, but the stylist is running just a few minutes late. I was like ok. I go there at 2:10 and see the stylist working on someone, I was ok to wait few minutes. The stylist says «just to tell you it will take me 20mins before I can start with you». I was a little pissed but then I kept waiting. At this point, I waited 35 mins, time is 2:45 and I still see the stylist working on the customer, I look at him, and now he is like «I am not sure when I will be done.» I walked off, and they did not even care to ask me if I want to reschedule.
And now, I write this review!
Please respect your customers time, at least tell them the truth. First, 45+ mins is not few minutes. If they know it’s going to take that long, at least they offer to reschedule. It’s ok to apologize!

Atrocious color job; fried my hair, unethical business practices IMO. Would not recommend to worst enemy.

I’ve been going to Vanessa for years and she has always done an incredible job with my hair. She’s great with a wide range of lengths and styles, and always makes my short hair look fabulous. I just went to Tyler for the first time and he did an amazing job as well. Very attentive to detail (especially important for short cuts). Lots of talent, and a lovely salon!

I went to see Sacha Martinez yesterday and she is the best! She listened to what I was looking for and made suggestions for the cut. Her style is killer and she knows her stuff! She sold me some new products to try and taught me how to get the same salon look at home. I love the new ‘do and I’ll be back every 4 weeks to keep the look.

I had gone to a young stylist and I can’t remember her name but she was very sweet. However, having a great personality does not mean that she can do hair.
I came in for a touch up at my roots and when I got home looked in the mirror and saw absolutely no improvement, in fact, somehow this sweet girl had managed to make my roots more visible.
I would have gone back again to give this place another shot if the stylist next to me doing extensions hadn’t been incredibly rude when I was asking her about the different kinds of extension methods they offer. Yikes. I don’t think she was aware of how condescending she was being to a potential client.
Across the salon a cheery lady was doing a middle aged woman’s hair and it seemed to be going great. The whole time I was wishing she was doing my hair .
All in all, I left with $ 150 less in my checking account and with no intention to ever go back

Customer service was beyond great. Every member of this salon was super generous, courteous, and respectful. Anthony especially was a great hair stylist. I really love the result that came out and I highly recommend this place to get your coloring and haircut done!

I have tried several hair stylists in Santa Barbara. Nobody has been better than Anthony Medel. He takes pride in his craft, knows what he is doing, and does a pretty good job explaining it along the way. HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!

This was my first time here and I wasn’t sure about getting my hair cut. After talking over my idea for a cut the stylist with his flair and experience was able to create a style that fit me perfect. Nice layers, carefree curls and just the right length. Not only was my cut perfect I enjoyed a nice glass of wine while I waited. Thanks Shea you made my day.

Thank you, Underground Hair Artists! Shay is amazing!
After being turned away for a hair cut by Riverblue Salon Spa because I have African American hair (you can see my review of that business for the deets), I called Underground Hair Artists to see if they were able to cut African American hair. They kindly obliged and recommended a couple of their stylists. I was scheduled an appointment for the next day with Shay.
Fast forward to my appointment the next day… Shay was on time and started me right away as scheduled. I love the vibe and atmosphere of the salon; artistic, colorful and clean. The receptionist offered me a complimentary beverage and was very hospitable.
Shay was a five star professional, asked me about the cut I was looking for, explained what he was going to do and went to work right away. He did an excellent job on my cut. I love it! Sans 6 inches and it flows so nicely. I love the layers in the back.
I would highly recommend Shay to anyone. He is meticulous in his craft and really aims to please. I am so happy to have found someone local who I can all my stylist!
The only recommendation that I would make for the salon is to schedule a larger time slot for stylists who are working with African American hair as it can take a little bit longer to work with than straighter hair textures. Scheduling someone too soon after a curly/​coarse/​kinky texture is not fair to the stylist (who is fined if they go over the allotted time by the salon) and the customer (who either has to wait for the stylist to finish with their other appointments to get their hair finished, or leave the salon «undone.»)
Other than that, A+++ for Underground & Shay!

I have gone to Underground three times. Two have been great, and the other was okay. The first time was with a stylist, and that was to date, my favorite haircut. The second was with new talent, and she spent way too much time pushing products, and was too cautious with my hair. The third and most recent time was with a senior stylist, and it is a wonderful haircut.
I would recommend going here to anyone, but be sure not to see «new talent».

I wanted to go blonde for the summer! I saw Sonia, and she advised me to do little by little because my hair wouldnt be able to handle that much bleach. And she also knew me well enough to know that the drastic change would probably make me cry. She did a great job adding all over blonde highlights, it was the perfect color! Im the type of person that doesn’t know what she wants, and shes!!! amazing!!! at figuring out what you want without you going off into a tangent (i seriously just walked in and said «i want blonde» thats it). My mother has been seeing her for about 15+ years now! And Im going on 3! We love Sonia :)

I would just like to say the customer service here is very unprofessional.
As in my last update, I had an AWFUL experience & was not at all satisfied with the results. (read below for the details)
Long story short, this salon has the worst customer service ever. Because of my review, I was contacted by the owner Faye, who contacted me VIA Unilocal (a couple months AFTER my visit at the salon) saying she spoke with Tyler (who was my hairstylist) & they would be happy to refund the $ 205.00.
Note: I didn’t read this message until a couple weeks ago recently, so all this time the message had been sitting in my inbox for 8 MONTHS! (I also was not regularly checking Unilocal on the computer, I mainly use Unilocal on the iPhone. During that time, I was not EVER contacted saying I would get my money back!). Unbelievable.
Today I spoke with Tyler on the phone & he claims the check has been sitting in the salon for a couple months «they were holding it» — & the whole time the check was there they made NO effort to tell me about it!!! Lack of communication.
Because I don’t rely on Unilocal to communicate solely, I was surprised Faye didn’t go out of her way to contact me via cell phone — funny, they have my number on file, they are quick to remind you about your upcoming appointment, but they could care less when refunding you your money.
In the end, I am out $ 205 (which is the most I’ve EVER paid to get my hair done).
My advice, I will NEVER ever come here again. My whole experience (excluding the customer service part was the worst.
I’m sorry to be writing such a bad review — I was expecting top quality results, and I got exactly the opposite.