Sandy Hair Design

Sandy has closed her shop and moved around the corner to Charmante
546 Columbus Ave
(between Green St & Stockton St)
San Francisco, CA 94 133

Sandy is great. Like everyone else has said, she is mad sweet and the haircuts are reasonable. But she is also pretty good at cutting hair.
The comments saying «if you are a guy who needs a consistent, cheap haircut, Sandy is perfect» are dead on. My hair looks exactly the same every time I leave, simple and short on top, with a nice fade into my sideburns on the side. I know I can trust her, and that is what a normal guy with normal hair needs.

This is a cheap place to get a haircut. If you see it in person, you’ll know this by the look. That said, it’s not bad, for a cheap place. I didn’t really know what to expect, and didn’t have very specific guidelines about what I wanted. So for me, it definitely worked out fine. I would advise that the more specific you can be with Sandy about what you want, the better. Otherwise, she’ll just barge ahead with the clippers and scissors. I think for some reason she thinks a haircut should be a very fast service.
I had to continually remind her to not go too short. And I still got a pretty short cut. She went with the clippers and a long extension piece straightaway to the back of my hair. No shampoo… though I guess you can request it (for more $$). I normally expect some sort of product to be applied to my hair after a cut, even a cheap one, and there was none of that with Sandy.
Her tools did not seem very professional. More like household quality. Guess that’s part of the «cheap haircut» vibe.
The décor. well, let’s just say the magazine clippings on the wall of heads and haircuts have been there a while. It’s not really about the hanging out in Sandy’s shop.
I wonder how she pays rent here. Maybe some sort of rent control or grandfather clause? Other establishments on this street seem pretty highbrow.

Good, strait forward hair cuts and a fair price. Go Sandy !!
Hollywood atmosphere, cappuccino machine and beautiful people — Go elsewhere!

I literally hate to do this to Sandy, but this had to be the worst hair cut I’ve recently had. I’ll admit I’m a little more picky than I was back in college, but this wouldn’t have even cut it in college, not to mention how I feel today. The corners were so badly done I’m tempted to go elsewhere for another cut. Sigh, but alas, my hair is too short for that.

I walked into Sandy Hair with zero expectations and no idea how my hair would turn out. Guess I just felt like getting a haircut on my way home. But, since I’m a guy who just gets it trimmed with the buzzer, it’s pretty hard to screw it up and I went for it. I’m used to a 10 – 15 minute haircut but Sandy worked on me for a full half hour and it turned out great — and it was only 12 bucks!
Sandy’s super nice and takes her time, but make sure it’s clear what you want before she gets clippin’. She doesn’t seem to work in terms of inches or fractions thereof when it comes to the buzzer… so make sure to look at the different length attachments and pick out the right one yourself. Probably not the place to go if you’re very picky or have a complicated hairstyle, but for mine, Sandy was great!

Yeah, Sandy definitely isn’t the «best» in terms of being able to cut your hair well. It’s been on and off with me and her. The first time I went it was a great cut, and quick, too. Same for the next couple times. Last two times, however, I’ve gone when there’s been nobody there and she took her good time cutting — but she ended up making it uneven both times.
I really like this place, because she’s super nice, and doesn’t really try to force you to be social and yammer at you like at other places — Ann’s nearby comes to mind — but I can give her a restrained recommendation. I’d say definitely go there if you want a hassle-​free, enjoyable experience, but you’re sometimes you’re definitely putting your head on the line.

Note: Sandy has moved. Please see my recent review dated 2÷2÷11. Thanks.
The negative reviews here are a mystery, until one realizes that they are not about Sandy or her expertise, but rather must be an expression of personal grooming neuroses. This, or some other personal issue, seems the only explanation, as Sandy’s haircuts are the best that I have received anywhere and at any price. My wife has had an identical experience. And Sandy maintains this quality with unflagging consistency.
My hair has been butchered by the most exclusive, hundred dollar «stylists» the world over. From London to New York to San Francisco and beyond. To be fair, often the results were not actually butchered, but merely unsatisfying. But to pay one hundred dollars or more for a mediocre haircut is unacceptable.
Which brings me to another point ignored here: Sandy charges $ 15 for a haircut. That’s fifteen U.S. dollars. That is just about five dollars more than the San Francisco minimum hourly wage. A haircut from Sandy is one of the best, if not the best, bargain to be found in our wonderful, but expensive city. If she were charging a hundred dollars, it would not be over-​priced.
If you are interested in a particular style other than the one you wear when you enter her salon, and you, like some here, have communication issues, you might consider taking a magazine photo or one printed from the web to show Sandy. Because, you see, Sandy can create any style which you can imagine. That is if you have the ability to communicate it. And I say if YOU have the ability. Communication involves at least two persons, each sharing responsibility. It is patronizing and egocentric to blame the other party for communication problems.
And a common language is no guarantee of successful communication. I am sure we have all had the experience of describing our preferred hair style to a native English speaker, only to receive a haircut that has little or no resemblance to our description. Of course, all of this assumes that you really have a clear, specific, idea of what exactly it is that you want.
Go to Sandy. Make the effort to actually think about how you want her to cut your hair, and tell or show her. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Oh…and give her a big tip. Her rate is ridiculously low and the North Beach rents are criminally high. Of course, you can always pay $ 100 for an inferior haircut, administered by a person who looks and talks like you. In which case, you will most probably get what you pay for.

Sandy’s been cutting my hair for five years, the only person i’ve ever been to in SF. only a couple times have i not been happy, only because after a few years i assumed she knew what i wanted, but one must never assume. now i simply redescribe and she gets it right away — everytime. i’m sure she’s not appropriate for women’s designer cuts. she trims for $ 12 and she pays very close attention to detail. i get my cut, go home, wash my hair, and style it myself. she’s the only hairdresser that has ever trimmed my neckline, which grows all a mess, to my complete satisfaction. thank you SANDY!

I, too, had a bad experience with Sandy. I went in for a simple trim and she did not do a good job at all. I agree that she seemed very sweet and the language barrier is a problem, but I only needed a couple of inches cut off of my long, straight hair. Should that have been so difficult?

Sandy is super sweet, and it pains me to only give her one star, but she seriously messed up my hair. And I am a guy that likes it pretty short– so it’s not a complicated ‘do’. I don’t know if there was a language barrier or what, but the few things I asked her to do she did not. I like you, Sandy, but I am afraid I can’t get my haircut here again! Sorry!

The best part about having Sandy cut my hair is the wonderful long conversations we have about life. And when I say long conversations I mean me telling Sandy all about how my day was and having Sandy not understand a word of what I say and then when I’m done Sandy just gives me a blank stare and then laughs at me.
You sassy b!
Oh yeah… haircut… Sandy does a great job every time! She is sweet, go see her.
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Update 07÷07÷07: Sandy is still cutting my hair, she’s still not making any sense when she talks to me and she still doesn’t understand a word I say. Love it!
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Update 10÷16÷07: Still letting Sandy cut my hair. Why on earth would a female ever go here? Men pay $ 12 for haircuts. Women should not. Women are supposed to pay like $ 72… even if you only want an inch taken off.