Mary Tran

I never write reviews unless I’m blown away by my experience. To start, I had box dyed black hair for years. Last July I decided it was time for a change, so I went to a stylist in west Hollywood for bayalage. Needless to say, my hair ended up breaking off where the highlights were, and I hadn’t went back to a stylist since. Mind you, my hair has always been unbelievably healthy, I brush my eyebrows more than I’ve ever had to brush my hair. I realize some damage was to be expected but after a few months my hair was this dark brown/​striped, bumblebee looking mess. I got to the point where I couldn’t even look at it so I researched stylists in my area and found Mary. I had seen her when looking for a stylist in July but went to the west Hollywood location because the place was a referral from a friend. I wish I had gone to Mary to begin with. Not only is she very personable and attentive, she is a great person to be stuck in a chair with for a few hours. She listened to what I wanted and is a perfectionist at what she does. I love the bayalage results (beautiful!) and cut, she really performed a miracle on this mop! As long as I’m living in Santa Monica, Mary is my go to stylist :)

I am so glad that I have found Mary in Santa Monica! i have one of those boring long thick Asian hair and was looking into changing it up a little bit. She asked me to send her photo of hair style i want before my appointment. I scheduled for balayage. I had ombré six months ago and the bottom part was pretty blonde and dead.
Mary not only did a good job with coloring but also cut beautiful layers to show her awesome color job. She is super fast and efficient and was able to to root touch up and balayage at the same time! I am hooked and a regular now. i was a bit reluctant to write her good review since she will become super popular and I might have a hard time to book her. But she is super talented!

I admittedly creeped around Unilocal,StyleSeat, Instagram, and any other social media platform to research Mary’s work prior to booking an appointment. I have to say thank you to all of you and Mary for the incredibly helpful photos that were posted.
What took me so long? I initially wanted to balayage my hair but put it on the backburner. My routine is to grow out my hair pretty long (2 ft+) then donate it. It usually takes me 2 years to grow out my hair, and the 2 year mark was this year. I was itching to chop off of hair, but remembered the last times I donated, my cuts were super disappointing. After much back and forth, I got my holiday bonus in the mail and took it as a sign to JUST DO IT. I booked an appointment through style seat, left a overzealous message with a photo of a haircut I was interested in, and got hyped.
Mary and her friend that was helping her organize her studio were fun to talk to and helped me understand wtf to do with my hair. Most stylists cut and style your hair and you’re on your way. I told Mary my hair is thinning and she showed me ways to make it look voluminous! She also showed me how to style it in different ways so I’m not stuck with one look. Have you ever gone to a stylist and it looks AMAZING when they do it, and when you try to do it at home… it doesn’t quite look the same? That isn’t the case here. My hair has been sitting as pretty as the day it was cut. I am a wash, dry, and go kind of person so I’m SUPER HAPPY that I don’t have to be a stylist to keep it looking great.
Like a lot of the other reviews said, I’ve been getting compliments left and right. If you’re looking for a sign… this is it.

Went to Mary for the first time and love my cut!!! I went from hair down to my waist to an A-​line bob! Obsessed!!! –michelle

Mary is an awesome person and hair stylist! I requested a light pink dip dye-​ish hairstyle and showed her pictures of what I wanted. She talked me through every step of the coloring process when I asked questions and she was super patient with my hair. The end result was a very nicely blended color job. She recommended starting with a darker pink so that it would fade into the baby pink color that I wanted. At the end, she curled and braided my hair too, which made my hair look even better.

I let this hair stylist, Randall Williams at Melrose Hair Studio, ruin my hair! I asked for silver hair with hints of lavender but he fried my hair into the ugliest purple disaster in the course of 10 hours in one day! I left his salon feeling and looking ugly.
Mary Tran resurrected my hair and gave me the most beautiful multi-​color silver hair with a baby doll cut and it only took her a few hours. Her company was great and her hair skills are on point! THANK YOU MARY!

Mary is truly an AMAZING hairstylist and colorist! She does it all. I have been going to Mary for all of my hair needs for almost 4 years. I have followed her around since she was at Sit Still Salon in Venice Beach because I completely trust her with my hair. She is awesome at giving me advice on what will work best for my hair, she always has my best interest in mind. If she feels something may not work for my hair (like I think it will) she will be very honest with me and will let me know, and that is why I love her. Not only is she good at what she does, she’s FUN and very professional. Always a good time when I’m sitting in her chair :)

May is a great hairstylist. She knows exactly what color goes with your skin tone and how to cut your hair without sacrificing the length. I’ve been going to her salon for almost a year and I believe she was a great find.

Mary is a truly talented colorist! She was able to take my hair from a dark burgundy, to a light blonde, to a multi dimensional beautiful purple, all with minimal damage to my hair. She is very easy to talk to, and you won’t leave her studio disappointed. Mary, you’re the only person I trust with my hair! Thank you for everything always, and I’ll see you at the next session!

She did an amazing job on my hair! On top of that she educated me hair dyes. My hair was dead at the ends and she got it to be soft again she is the only one who is brave enough to take on my hair. I had highlights and I wanted to go purple. I went through ⁴⁄₅ hair stylist and they all turned me down. I’m very happy and thankful that Mary saved my hair

Mary fixed my messed up highlights that was done just a day before I found her on Unilocal.It’s not easy to cut my super straight hair too and I love the layers I have. I can tell a good layering cut because if its not blended in properly, my super straight hair will show choppy or too thinned out. I loved everything. She works on a good pace too and still is excellent at every detail. Thanks Mary! See you soon

Mary is AMAZING! I have been asking for a golden color of blonde for 3 years with past stylists and finally Mary delivered! She’s so fun and professional. The color is amazing. I got a full highlight and I have been getting compliments ever since! Def check out Mary, it is so nice having a good colorist in a new city (just moved to LA).
She was so excited for white girl hair!!! She said it was a treat for her due to its easy nature! Too funny!

Mary does an amazing job! I came in and told her what I wanted, and homegirl nailed it! She is well worth it! Book ahead because her schedule gets filled quickly! She is down to earth, sweet, and professional. She made me comfortable from beginning to end. I am glad I found her!!!

This review is looong overdue! I first went to Mary over a year ago while she was still working in Venice and she gave me the most beautiful and healthiest ash blonde balayage ombré ever on my damaged asian hair that got me so many compliments. THANK GOD I managed to find her again because she is the one stylist I can really trust with my hair.
Mary is truly a professional whose passion for what she does really shines through with her talents. She takes the time to listen to you during her consultations and is honest about all expectations, she’s efficient, and is a perfectionist who you can tell really cares about her clients. She is always learning new techniques and keeps up with the latest in hair and her craft is always improving. Not only is she an extremely skilled artist, she’s got an amazing personality and always gives me tips on how to keep my hair healthy and my color bright!
I would recommend Mary in a heartbeat for anyone who ever wants their hair goals accomplished!

Mary is truly a magician! Like she should wear one of those magician caps and yell ta-​da when she is done!
I have been in LA for 3 years and like many of you know it is SO HARD to find a stylist that you like, not just personality but most importantly skills. Thankfully a friend referred me to Mary and since I had not found her for 3 years I was using box dye (i know) and red box dye on top of that (eek). That really created a challenge for her on our first consultation because I wanted to go blonde! Mary did not turn away from the challenge and in 8 short hours and a quick cut I went from having a head full of dry faded red hair to have a cute blonde cut! She pays attention to every detail and when it comes to your hair everyone wants a perfectionist! I just went back for a second session to lighten up some pieces and I could not be happier!
Go see Mary!

I was referred to Mary by a friend, I have been living in Los Angeles for the last 3 years and you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find a good hair stylist. Being that I live in West Hollywood you would think it would be easy… WRONG. Mary is located in Santa Monica and her work is worth every second of the 30 minute drive. She actually listens to what you want, she makes suggestions on what might work better for your hair type and facial structure while keeping your needs in mind.
Now let’s talk about the location, Mary’s studio is amazing because it’s very private, I’ve been to many salons where there are too many chairs filled with with women chatting and you can barely hear yourself think. At Mary’s you get a very private, personal service, where she can actually hear what you’re saying and 100 percent of her attention is on you. Now, that’s what a day at the salon should feel like. Being by the beach is the icing on the cake, there are so many things to do after you are finished with your cut, color, or blow out. You can grab a drink at a local bar, do some shopping, or just lay out on the sand.
The entire experience here is awesome, and I really don’t feel the need to try anyone else. I always leave more than satisfied with my confidence level on 100. Thanks Mary.

I’ve traveled far and wide to have Mary work her magic on my hair.
I first met Mary about 7 – 8 years ago when she was still living in the Bay Area. At the time, she was working in Los Gatos and I would drive 70 miles to come see her for a haircut. She is sincerely gifted at what she is able to do. Having a round face, it is hard for many stylist to cut and style my hair in a way that compliments my face. Mary, on the other hand, does it effortlessly and with ease.
A few years later, I was heart broken but ecstatic for her when she informed me that she would be moving to Los Angeles to pursue her dream.
Fast forward a few more years… I had seen a local stylist for some highlights that went totally wrong. Unable to trust anyone local with coloring my hair, I contact Mary and make the treacherous drive to LA to get my hair fixed.
When I arrived, I wasn’t surprised when Mary said my color job was horrific. She informed me that it may take multiple sessions to undo the damage and achieve what I wanted with my hair. Without hesitation, I agreed. Now, I’m in the middle of my transition with Mary and couldn’t be happier
I know I am in great hands with Mary and would recommend get to anyone.

I love me some Mary!
I’m from San Jose and usually fly back to do my hair, but I had recently found Mary to cut/​color my hair in LA and I am so thrilled!
Mary is extremely warm, professional, and caring. She is really meticulous about her craft and cares about how you look and can get you in and out really quickly! I appreciate Mary’s craft and how she wants her client to feel welcomed and happy at the end of their appointment.
I will be returning to Mary while I’m in the area! :)

Mary is an amazing stylist! She was able to fix my fried out, brassy balayage ombré into a cool toned, dark blonde balayage. She even worked on my hair extensions to custom color match them for a flawless look! She’s also a sweetheart and always tries to make her clients feel empowered with her positive vibes. Can’t wait to see her again!

mary is a pretty cool chick.
#1. she cut and dried and styled my hair in one hour. yup. one hour. and i have long, thick, terribly self-​managed hair, and she made me look like a champ in 60 minutes. i have never been to a stylist that can do my hair that fast. EVERRRRR. it usually takes 1.5−2 hours for others to figure out WTH is going on.
#2. she is super fun to talk to. that record 60 minutes felt like 30 b/​c we talked the whole time. unlike past stylists where you force conversations and then drop to radio silence for the last 30 minutes as you text on your phone while they finish up… awkward/​rude. not here.
#3. i’ll be honest. this is also the most expensive cut i’ve ever had (starts at $ 90) but i’ve also received the most compliments on how great and healthy and shiny it looks. and this is not on the day she styled it, so that’s worth some extra dollars for the expertise she has.
her salon is one of many in a place called «salon republic» so if you’re a first timer, look for this. each studio is numbered and there is a placard at each studio. hers is #4.
i’ll brave the drive into downtown SM for mary again!