Hong Kong Modern Hair Design

I’m normally of a fan of the $ 5 Chinatown salons, but Hong Kong Modern has changed my mind. $ 11 for a men’s cut isn’t bad at all for the kind of service you get here. Sam is my man, and he’s got the low-​down on most male styles. It was quick, and the cut was fresh. I waited about 10 minutes for a spot to open up (there are 5 stylists generally working at once). This place is normally packed, so I recommend you bring something to do while you wait, but it’s quality stuff.

I had been here more than a few times and have been satisfied with the perms that Jenny does. Since the process takes a long time I always call ahead to schedule an appointment. Jenny always respected my appointment; she wouldn’t overbook herself. Even when people call or walk in for her, she would tell them how long the wait would be because she’s already helping me. That means a lot to me — perms can take a long time!

I don’t do my hair much in a salon. But if I do, I’m never happy. Because they never gave me the result I wanted. I read the reviews here and everyone says it’s cheaper than most and it isn’t that bad. I don’t want to spend a fortune for something I don’t like. So, I gave it a try. It was my first time, I just took my chance. Hopefully the Jenny that everyone was talking about will do my hair. Thanks to some reviewers, I called first. They said, if you don’t, you would have ended hours of waiting. I was very lucky, Jenny took me. I’m glad she did. At first, I couldn’t make up my mind what I want. She gave me her honest opinions, never try to sell me anything. It didn’t came out exactly what I wanted, but I was satisfied for the work she did. Indeed, she pays attention to her work. Explain everything to me before any decision was made. I got a cut, perm and color. Came up $ 120. I gave her $ 20 tip. I guess the hair was good, because I didn’t wash my hair when I got home. Usually I do that with disappointment. Not this time. I don’t like the other stylists, because they talk too much. One lady talks consistantly to another person while cutting a guy’s hair. Somebody mentioned that they don’t sweep the floor after cutting someone’s hair. Yes, it’s true. But they were all so busy. People keep coming. They don’t even have time to take a break. I almost wanted to buy lunch for Jenny. She was the most busiest one. Keep the good work, Jenny!

I have gotten haircuts from so many Chinese hair salons around the Sunset. Sometimes I try to stick with one until I get turned off. Today I decided to try this one and was satisfied with my haircut. The hairdresser ironed my hair before she started trimming. I will be back to this hair salon.

$ 11 for a haircut and it did not come out the way i explained to the hairstylist. I was thorough on my explanation too. The stylist name was «Mag» an Chinese female who cut my hair on the first chair closest to the front door. At least that’s what i could see was hand written on her business card.
I even explained how i wanted it after she took too much off the sides but she didnt want to hear it. She just rambled off some explanation of how my haircut should be based on the thickness of my hair. Not cool.
3 stars because i didnt have to wait.

One of my friends introduced me to this salon when I was in high school and had recommended Jenny. Ever since then, I have been coming here and have recommended family members, friends, and coworkers to this place. And so far everyone I recommended loved their haircuts and now they are regulars of Jennys as well. =) While I only go to Jenny for my haircuts, there are also other great hair stylists working at the salon. Also the prices here are very cheap and I just love my end results every time! I was actually just here today for my regular haircut and Jenny was nice enough to even curl my hair after. So definetely come check out this salon as they also offer alot of other great services! You won’t be dissapointed and neither will your wallet!

I was wary of the quality of such a cheap hair salon, but I ended up loving both the results and prices here!
I’ve gotten Japanese straight perms for years to tame my thick head of curly hair. I’ve always gotten them from Japanese salons back home in Hawaii, so I was nervous about trying a new salon. My Unilocal search brought me to Hong Kong Modern Design after finding most other places were way more expensive than what I paid for in Hawaii.
Jenny took great care of me. Even though I wasn’t a Chinese speaker, she was friendly and chatted occasionally but not excessively throughout the process. The entire process takes about four to five hours which roughly entails: wash, apply relaxer, let hair absorb relaxer, wash, straighten, apply sealer, wash, finish. Definitely bring books or snacks for sustenance throughout this entire time! The longest part was perhaps waiting for the hair to absorb the relaxer, so I spent a lot of time relaxing in a chair and reading.
After the entire process, my hair looked shiny and straight both at the salon and a week later. Jenny even trimmed a few split ends for me without losing my hair length, which was a nice bonus.
I was not only ecstatic about my hair, but the price as well. The price for a Japanes straight perm here is $ 160 and up, depending how much and how long your hair is. Because I have a thick head of hair, I got charged just $ 10 extra. This is the cheapest you’ll find in San Francisco, where other salons start at $ 250 or even $ 400! Most importantly, cash only, even for a straight perm! Definitely stop by a bank beforehand.
This is definitely my go-​to salon for straight perms here in San Francisco, and I’d recommend it to anyone else looking to do the same!

I came here twice to cut my hair and was unsatisfied both times.
The first time I came here, I made it very clear to the lady cutting my hair that I only wanted a slight trim. She said okay, then proceeded to cut about two inches off my hair in order to «get rid of all the split ends». Thank you for that, but nobody asked you to do that! I went home that day with super short hair and I was furious.
I came back again recently hoping for a better experience since my family comes here all the time. Again I asked for a trim and the guy nodded and began cutting. Once again, my hair was cut shorter than I asked for.
Long story short: don’t come here for a trim if you have long hair — the people here LOVE to have fun with it as if you were their own personal doll. The only redeeming quality about this place are the nice hairdressers. Other than that, they DO NOT know how to listen to their customers.

My husband and I came on a Monday appointment, it was not as busy as the weekends but there was still some wait — which is a testament of their popularity serving the neighbourhood. Jenny did my hair and Ling did my husband’s, we are both very satisfied — they know Asian hair well and pricing was unbeatable! It’s «modern» in terms of hair design/​styling not its interior design, and I didn’t mind the «messiness» of the place, reminds me of my childhood in Asia — nostalgia!

I love this place because it’s dirt cheap and I used to love the handiwork of Sams. No more. His handiwork is sloppy and choppy now (like a mouse bit your hair). And when I tried to tell him he made my hair choppy he just got aggressive and defensive. Never again.
Everyone else can do a great job though (especially the infamous Jenny) so I’ll be back!

I am giving ⁴⁄₅ stars for the overall experience at the store, largely driven by Jenny, who is by far the best person I have tried there. Jenny is not only very detail oriented and does a great job, but is also willing to let you know if a hair style choice does not suit your particular head/​face shape. Here’s a tip: always call ahead of time and make an appointment, because Jenny is mostly always busy if you walk-​in.
Now I have also gotten my hair cut by the other female stylists there, and have had good experiences with them. If Jenny is busy, then I also recommend trying to see if one of them are also available.
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Now here is where I wish I could give ZERO stars for individuals at certain places on Unilocal.I am usually a very optimistic and forgiving person, but I had a horrible experience with the lone male stylist there. He is the one wearing the vest and has several hair brushes in a holster by his hip, like some sort of western cowboy with a brush and pair of scissors instead of a Colt revolver. Not once, but TWICE, I have given him a chance, and boy. .. did he make me regret it.
First of all, if you don’t speak Chinese, then I can guarantee you that you will most likely not get the style haircut that you intended. After trying to explain what I wanted in English, I finally grabbed one of those books with tons of men’s hairstyles in them, and pointed to an image of the exact hair style I wanted. What resulted was a Mohawk-​styled haircut that was NOWHERE near the picture that I pointed out to him several times. Not only that, but there were several spots where my hair was starkly uneven and had looooong pieces of hair sticking out where the surrounding hair was at least 1in shorter.
To add fuel to the fire, the entire time he was whisking his hand and little hair buzzer around my head, cutting off bits of hair here and there. It was more of him trying to cut hair in a fancy manner, rather than actually doing anything productive to give me a good haircut. On top of that, he kept stopping to smile and show me my style and say «good? good?», when I repeatedly said «ehmm…not this style…» and tried to point at areas where my hair was clearly overlooked. After an hour of him trying to force me off his chair by trying to convince me my hair was okay by constant smiles and fancy twirls of his scissors around my hair, I finally stood up.
Was I happy with the results? Not in the least. Would I ever go to him again? NEVER.
Would I go to Jenny or the other ladies at HK Modern Hair Design?
Yes. This is a great place to get a great value haircut. .. as long as you know who to stay clear of.
P. S. — I wasn’t going to write a negative post about this man, because I frankly think it is distasteful to talk bad about someone. However, my girlfriend’s mother just went there today and got her hair butchered by the same guy. I consider this a Public Service Announcement, and hope that you all heed my earnest warning. s

Wen I first moved to SF, I was actually really concerned about finding a hairstylist since I’m really particular about my hair (especially how my bangs are cut). Too many times I would try a new hairstylist and be disappointed. The fact that my hair grows really slow makes it even worse. If the haircut went wrong, it would take forever for it to grow out and look decent again. Luckily, a friend recommended me to this hair salon and I was lucky enough to have May cut my hair. She was so friendly and easy to communicate with. She’s also extremely good at what she does. I’ve been satisfied with my hair cut every time. All my friends come to her now as well. Highly highly recommend her.

Jenny is great! She cut my hair in long layers so I can still put it up without using bobby pins. Go on a weekday if you can. I made an appointment but it wasn’t needed because it wasn’t super busy.
Salon is bright and airy. Someone was getting a perm but the storefront didn’t have that overpowering perm smell that makes you gag.

Thanks to Unilocal I found Jenny! Be sure to make an appointment with Jenny (she is off on Wednesdays) otherwise there is guaranteed to be a long wait on weekends.
Unlike many asian hair places where the hairdresser will be yapping to other customers, talking on their cell phone or be otherwise distracted while cutting hair, Jenny is attentive and will take her time to make sure you are happy with your cut. I’ve gone to her twice now and both times she gave me exactly what I asked for. So glad to finally find a QUALITY and AFFORDABLE place for haircuts and trims.
Caveat: this place is probably better for Cantonese speakers so you can tell them exactly what you want done to your hair. I’ve only gotten haircuts here so can’t speak for how they are with perms or color.

My experience at HK Modern Hair Design was important because it was my first time getting my hair permed AND colored, so I was praying that they would do a good job, and they totally did! While you can walk-​in or make an appointment, I would always suggest to call ahead of time, especially for more complex requests like mine.
May was the one who did my hair, and even though her English is not perfect, she is a brilliant hair stylist. She trimmed off the dead parts of my hair before styling it and also made suggestions on how red I should go and how we should make my hair look better in the future when it grows out. They have magazines and photo albums, but I suggest that you do your research ahead of time and bring pictures of what you want your hair to look like.
Everyone is so fast, efficient, and friendly, which you can tell by all the regulars who walk in and out of the salon. Hey I was there for almost five hours, so I see these things. The board of prices is hidden behind the front desk, so it’s difficult to see, but just ask them for prices of services. Perms are about $ 55 – 60 depending on the length, and coloring is $ 60 – 70.
Check it out! This place is HUGE, and they do such a good job at accommodating a large volume of customers.

I tried this place out. It was horrible! I asked to shorten my bangs a bit. Sam, he cut my bangs in a straight line, and cut it two inches ABOVE my eyes. He also ended up cutting my eyebrows! I was thinking of growing my hair longer, when Sam layered a great deal of my hair! And now, I’m unable to tie it. Thank gods hair grows back!

It’s really ironic that this salon is called HK Modern, while there is absolutely nothing modern about it! I actually stopped by for a quick trim on the recommendation from a cousin. There is really nothing aesthetically pleasing about the place. It quite bare bones. White walls, 4 old posters of head shots circa 1980, old chairs and plain hair stations. The restroom was smelly and unkept. The hair washing stations were all wet on the seats. While it’s the cheapest haircut in town, I realized that it’s cheap for a reason.
On a Saturday afternoon, this place was very busy. There were 4 stylists, each tending to a client with about 4 people waiting. I sat down and waited my turn. All the while, each 30 minutes, a client would walk in through the door with an appointment. Other walk-​ins arrived as well. I was shocked that this place was so popular! Do not go here unless you have an appointment. I guess it’s the low prices as I couldn’t tell that there was anything special about anyone who had their hair cut or styled.
I ended up waiting about an hour until I finally got a trim from Sam. He looked pretty hip but his hair cutting skills were just average. Note — if you do not speak Chinese here, it might be difficult for you to communicate with the stylists. When I told Sam what I had in mind, he was very resistant. He didn’t want to trim too much off. He plays it safe and doesn’t have enough confidence in what he’s doing. I wanted to shorten my bangs bc they were too long and he kept telling me it wasn’t a good idea. What hairstylist does that? Just cut my bangs dammit! In the end, I wasn’t getting anything daring, so the trim was acceptable. The fact that I had to coach Sam through my haircut was a bit annoying. He only charged me $ 14, but I wouldn’t go back.
What was a bit disgusting was that none of the stylists once swept the floor after cutting someones hair. There was hair piling up all over the floors the entire afternoon. Also, I did not see any of the stylists wash their hands between clients. This place is dirty. I’ll stick to my usual salon.

I’ve had my hair cut here for years, mostly by Ling and twice by May. I prefer Ling because she does a good job, follows what you tell her, and gives advice on how to get healthier hair. In the past, I brought a picture of what I wanted which she followed closely, but I’ve hit a point in my life where I have a go-​to haircut, and a picture is no longer necessary. I’ll be asking for a layered shoulder-​length cut until it noticeably dates me like feathered bangs of the 80s. Ling’s nice and always remembers me. Her haircuts are easy to maintain and grow out fashionably if you don’t have time for trims.
May, on the other hand, does an okay job if you really need a haircut, but she tends to be rough on your hair, and I find the way she layers to be too choppy for my liking.
If you’re coming in on the weekend, make an appointment. The weekdays have minimal wait. From what I’ve noticed, Ling and Jenny seem to be in high demand and they all do wonderful jobs. For $ 14 – 16, it’s worth it.
Whenever I find myself in SF, I make sure to stop by.

Ask for Jenny, and make sure you set an appointment. She’s in demand so much that without an appointment, I waited nearly two hours.
$ 10 for a mens haircut with pre-​wash. You just can’t beat that, not even in CT.

Saw this place at Unilocal.I haven’t gotten a perm for along time. Since is a new year. I need to change my look.!!
People here so so nice!!!
Perm here about $ 70.00 n up.
Hair color $ 55.00 n up.
Yep yep I really need to color my hair too. Next month come back for that.
Oh lots of parking this area !! N lots of yummy restaurants near by too !!
Omg jus done n my hair didn’t come out curly !!! Ok won’t be coming here again. Going stick with Chinatown old school salon !!!