Designer Hair Salon

I was a bit skeptical after reading the reviews, but I still decided to give a shot since I want to find a good hair stylist in Sunset. THAT WAS THE WORST DECISION THAT I HAVE EVER MADE!
I have quite long hair and just want a trim, I talked to Abbey and told her what I want. I have never been to a salon where they still trim your hair when it was dripping and wet. That was the first warning sign. She just screwed my hair! She did layer in the back which looked like a random uneven cut and when it came to the side, it was uneven and did it super short just enough to cover the ear. I have no idea of what’s going on, so I yelled and stopped her. I have fine hair and with some slight curl and it gets really fuzzy if it’s short. She was so unskillful and I can tell her skill was still in 80s. The worst part was she screwed my bangs, I asked for a small trim but «layered» it again which looked terrible.
I have been to many hair salons in the Bay Area and this is the first one that would let a customer walk out without a rinse.
She charged me $ 20 for that awful cut and I was still nice enough to tip her. I don’t know how she could survive on Irving Street with so many competitors around. I would never go back again.

I love Mei Ling!
It is a no nonsense lady who is very casual about her talent.
… just because she makes it look easy… doesn’t mean it isn’t great.
She is fast and accurate.
Doesn’t shear you like a sheep!
Shampoo optional.
Does what you want.
When I saw her and her haircut… I knew she might be the person I was looking for.
My hairdresser mover to LA from Sassoon.
She is every bit as good at ¹⁄₁₀^th the price.
Don’t be intimidated by the fact that most of her clients are Asian.
Her English is good and she can cut any style if you bring a picture and enough hair!
Enjoy!

Brenda c.: do u happen to know which salon Christina went to? I’ve been waiting for her to return from «vacation» for 2 months! Thanks a bunch!

This is the same crew that cut my hair in high school — and I came in desperate for a manicure before a trip to Vegas and Moi squeezed me in (which is the only positive thing I can say).
This is probably the worst manicure I’ve ever received. There are bubbles on my thumb nails! The polish application is uneven and chunky in places! There is polish all over my cuticles! It just looks like a hot mess. I could have done better at home, and if I had time, i would have removed the polish *before* my trip that evening. Ugh. never again.

When you walk in, you get to choose a hairdresser, otherwise you will get put with the last person who hasn’t cut someone’s hair. I’ve been getting my hair cut here for years and I’m still coming back. I recommend going back to the same hairdresser every time because they are personal and usually remember your preferences. And of course, they can adapt if you tell them what you want different than last time.
As for location, it is on the same block as Teaway. PERFECT!
The price at this salon is also very reasonable (~$ 10 for guys) and remember to leave a tip.

I usually go to Salon de Hong Kong next door, but wanted to try this place once. I just needed my hair straightened, which is a pretty straight-​forward (no pun intended) procedure. This place offers pretty good value for salon needs, but do not expect any glitz and glamour. The guy who straightened by hair, I think his name is Wing, reeked of cigarette smoke (1 star off) and also left me in the chair half-​way through working on my hair to attend to another customer (1 star off). He did apologize though. I am pretty easy-​going, so that did not upset me, but I thought it was kind of unprofessional. I left the salon with the task completed, so that is all I asked for.
Helpful tip: Bring your own magazines if you do not want to read their cheesy Chinese magazines with bright colors that appear to be some kind of a Crayola massacre.

I have been coming here on and off for the past 8 years. I have always gotten my haircut from Holly. She is simply wonderful. I have gotten to know her personally through the years because she is a great conversationalist and tries to make your visit best suited to your tastes as best as possible. She would make sure that everything she is doing to your hair is what you actually agree on. Also, she is very detail-​oriented which I like since it makes you feel the money you spent was very worthwhile.
I come here for everything from regular trimming to color treatment to fancy hairdos for special occasions. I can’t remember any bad experiences, except this one time when she cut my hair a tad too short, but it was not an unrecoverable error =P
One more thing is that this place does not produce fobby haircuts haha like some asian hair salons would do. The only thing that is inconvenient about coming here is the parking. Since your haircut may take more than an hour, you are pretty much limited to parking in spots near residential areas, which are not always easy to find.
Prices are relatively fair!
You can also make appointments, which I find easier to do, or you can just drop by… the best time are on weekdays.
4 stars to Designer’s!

Best value for a quality haircut in the sunset!
I’ve been going to this place for 3 years based on the recommendation of a former roommate. For $ 11 (guys) and $ 14 (girls) I think its the best deal in the area, way better than the supercrap at supercuts for $ 20+
I will warn you, watch out for the one guy that works here. He’ll ask you how you want your hair cut but will proceed to cut it the way he thinks it should be done. You have to be vigilant and proactive to stop him from cutting it the wrong way. (see Joice’s bad experience)
The ladies are great, the best is Abbey (I think is her name?) …the one who has a streak of dyed hair, usually pink or red.
I usually ask them for a quick rinse after my haircut and they give it to me for no extra cost. Its nice because I hate walking out of a haircut place with bits of cut hair falling onto my clothes and in my car.

I will never ever return to this salon again!
I told the hairdresser (a guy) a hundred times for just TRIM my bangs. But he just made it to «Hongkong style», he did cut it too short and layer it on the top of my head… also he use the razor than scissors. I was really fussy at that time to tell him: «don’t do that, don’t cut too much, don’t use the razor, blablabla…»
But…he didn’t listening to me at all! Gosh… I really really really hate my bangs after.
And he did the haircut ritual less than 15 minutes.
Then when I complained and got mad of him, he just said: «you need a new style»
I didn’t say a word, I walked down to cashier, pay, and didn’t give him a tip.
I walked outside, met my husband and my friends… then I cried :(
My friends said it’s the unusual thing that someone walked out the salon, crying…
It’s already 2months and I’m still use my hairpin everyday. The bangs is growing and getting longer but the layer makes my bangs still silly :(

«YOW MO YUP BIU?» aka «Did you feed the meter?»
I’ve been coming here for the past 3 years now I think (when they were across the street) and Abbey has been my hair stylist since Day One. She’s always friendly, asks me how I’m doing/​what I’ve been up to & she doesn’t mind talking about her & her family. I like that we have that kind of rapport.
She does a great job cutting my hair and I’ve only gotten one bad haircut from her. One time she forgot how I like it on the side and she buzzed it a little too short but other than that she’s been great.
Because she’s by far the busiest hair stylist, I always call ahead to make an appointment so I rarely have to wait when I get there. How do I know she’s busy? Whenever the phone rings while I’m there, it’s usually one of her clients calling to make an appointment. Now some might get annoyed by this but since they don’t have a dedicated receptionist, I don’t mind.
I’m usually in & out w/​in 20 minutes which is great, especially when I’ve driven there cuz I don’t like putting extra quarters in the meter (thanks for reminding me Abbey!). Yes, parking can be a hassle so I try to ride my bike or jog there whenever I’m not lazy.
For $ 11 + tip for a haircut & shampoo, I really can’t complain. Much cheaper than the $ 25 haircut I used to get when I worked in the Financial District.

There are two operators that I love in this salon. One speaks good English the other one is my gal who does her absolute best for me. The price is definitely perfect in this spot. I go in once a week and have been seeing Abby, the cute girl with the red streak in her bangs. She looks young and sharp and she IS. What would I do without her. I appreciate the Lion dances that the owner employs every Chinese New Year too. They have a brand new immaculate bathroom and the girls are all very friendly. Lets give them five stars for the relaxation we receive in there. Oh, and Thuy, the manicurist is the best kept secret in the city. I adore her work.
Being worry free with your operator is worth a valuable gift. She’s loyal and trustworthy to the end.

I accompanied my boyfriend to get a haircut. I looked at the Unilocal reviews for this place and the place next door. I went on a whim and let the reviews do the judgement. Immediately when we walked in, they pretty much sized us up. The lady with shoulder length hair and brown streaks cut my boyfriend’s hair. It took about 25 minutes and he was just getting a buzz cut basically. She was being overly OCD, which meant that she was either super precise or messing up. When she was close to finishing, my boyfriend and I both noticed a huge part of his hair that wasn’t cut. He had to point it out to her, in order for that part to be cut. WTH? Oh by the way, she sucked at lining up the front of his hair. Now his hair line is diagonal. We will not be coming back. It was not worth the money spent here. Shouldn’t have even tipped. Horrible experience.

**THIS REVIEW is for 3 different people that work here. Read on.
I always think I have already written a review for a place, and then i check Unilocal,and i didnt! Well this place really deserves one.
I got my hair straightened here one time a few years ago and was VERY VERY happy with it. It was about 5pm, I think they close at 6 or 7. Anyway, a nice lady was happy to help me anyway. Probably because it cost a lot. During the process, they were happy to help me feed the meter when it needed to be fed. My hair was probably about a foot and half long then and very curly. Even after the place closed, the lady’s son came in to wait for her to get off of work. She even told him to take out his saxophone and show me he could play titanic on it. It was a really fun experience actually. The lady was very pleasant to talk to and I didnt feel uncomfortable.
I was finished at 8pm, and then she tells me they only accept cash! But she trusted me to go to the ATM down the block. It was $ 200, and I tipped her $ 40, so $ 240 for a good job! It’s actually cheap, because when my hair was short, Ive asked other places and they told me its $ 200 already. Maybe because they saw the thickness of my hair and told me a ridiculous price just to shoo me off.
Another time, I came here to get a bob cut. It was exactly what i wanted, even though it took a long time to explain to her what I wanted. It was another lady this time. I have never gotten a haircut from the lady with the purple streak in her bangs. I actually came here to get my hair fixed from another haircut from Nicole’s. It is hard to explain what a bob is when i dont know how to say it in chinese… but she got it down anyway after one cut, then i had to tell her this wasnt it. she was getting frustated because she spent so much time on me. It’s still not worth docking off a star though.
Docked off one star for another haircut i got here one time which was TERRIBLE!!! DO NOT get a haircut from the ONLY guy that works here. He is just the worst. I told him to not cut my bangs so short. But he did anyway. So i said, OMG that is so short, AND straight when i asked for it to be slanted down my face. So he tried to fix it and cut off more of it! gah!!! Maybe he only gives good cuts for dudes. I think i should probably write a separate review for this guy… ***i will write that on the top of this review

moved locations, like every single shop on irving. everyone on irving is moving from store to store, or from one shop to the place next door.
Designers moved from their original location to the shop across the street. They took over the old Verizon store that was right next to Salon De Hong Kong.
haircut wise everything, was the same. same star rating for the haircut.
as for the new location? horrible. why move to a new location when there’s a salon right next to you? Are they asking for trouble between customers? This gives customers a choice of which door to pick, since their neighbor is another salon. The interior design is also shabby. Same old look, no improvement from the past 10 yrs. Same interior, same tables, same plastic floor, and same chairs. They did not add newer modern design like LEDS or new chairs, all mirrors are the same. BORING! dropping a star for lack of design and improvement

I consider myself to be somewhat fashionable. I tried «The Rachel» layers back in the day, did the bob cut in college, and now I have had side bangs for the past 4 years.
I also consider myself to be quite thrifty when possible.
Hence, I have been coming to Designer since I was 8 years old! That’s nearly 20 years – wow. Why? Because it is UBER CHEAP! A trim with layers costs me $ 14 American dollars. Cheapo-​depot. And I got an up-​do for a wedding for $ 40. Nice.
My lady is Cristina. She goes by Cris sometimes, and she has Mondays and Wednesdays off. I rely on her for a nice cut or trim, but you do have to be very specific with how much you want…“My bangs shouldn’t be shorter than the top arch of my eyebrow…“
I have also done highlights here, but gave that up 3 years ago.
My dad and I are practically the only non-​Asians that go to this Irving street establishment, but that doesn’t stop us! (Ok, so I’m ½ Asian)

Sorry, I am not really rooting for the stylist/​hairdresser, but the lady whom do my nails.
Thuy — that’s her name has done a great job always. My pedicure last for weeks and it is still sparkling after 4 weeks of going to her. She is patience and dedicated, I hate it when someone try to rush through the process and end up hurting you instead.
Must make appointment though esp on weekend since she is a busy busy lady.

So, I been coming here for more than 15 years. I’ve gone through my phases… the bowl cut to the fob bangs, the color tips to the infamous fade, and the haircut that hella other asian dudes have to what I have now.
Haircuts are only $ 11 and I can’t emphasize enough that these chinese ladies give one mean fade. The best in the business!

Not much to say, I cut my hair once because I needed a 1″ TRIM, the stylist trimmed what seem to be a 5″ instead. I specifically told her like 10 million times… «ONE INCH ONLY», she responded with
” Yeah, I know” and went on acting like she knew what she was doing.
As a result, I had to tie my hair in a pony tail for 2 ½ months. Never again will I walk in here to trim my hair. not even a strand!

This is my haircut place to go then whenever I need to get rid of my split ends. I always ask for Abbey. She’s talkative and I love it when people try to make conversation with you instead of sitting there waiting for your haircut to end in awkward silence.
For $ 10 you can get a decent haircut here. Can’t complain about that.

This along with most of the asian hair salons on Irving Street are owned by the same owner. Pending on how you want your haircut along with the «stylist», the results could either be great or what the hell am I paying them for? Like the typical Asian hair salon, they are experts at the asian fob haircuts. If you stick with a certain hair stylist, sometimes they cut your hair exactly what you wanted, other times, its really really bad.
The people that work here LOVE to talk smack about their customers. I guess their lowly jobs allow them with plenty of free time on their hands I overheard them talk smack about so and so customer in Chinese as if they didn’t even pay for their haircuts and tip them. If your don’t know Chinese, then be careful when they smile, while talking in front of you. They may be talking about you with a grin and saying how pathetic you are.
Sometimes they will ignore you and pass you to whoever when you walk in to get your haircut. They size you up/​down to see if you have the $$$$$ to tip them for a half ass haircut.
Besides the cheap price and location that they’re located in, everything else is really lame.