Steel + Lacquer

I am deathly afraid of salons that I go once a year. I would totally feel comfortable coming here again. You can tell the team here know each other well and are tight, making for a comfortable and cool ambiance in the salon. The mirrors are awesome because you get to watch so many stylists in action. I loved my haircut with Johnny and the fact that he was so patient, kind, and unpretentious. He was also super focused and skilled with the whole process and I really appreciated the time he took to tend to the cut rather than blaze through it. I’m an easily nervous type when getting my hair cut and I am not a good conversationalist with my ears «off» but I never felt like he minded and that was really nice of him. He is sweet to my dog who was with me for my appointment! Anyone who loves dogs rock! :) thank you so much for a wonderful haircut that looks and feels great!

This is my second visit here.
The décor is amazing. As soon as you enter you are greeted by friendly faces. I was a little early and with my friend they told us to wait in the lounge area.
When we got to the lounge area (upstairs) we were offered coffee or wine. My stylist Alisha come and got me after a few. Gave me the best hair cut ever. Was careful and took her time. Explained what she did.
Not only is the service great, but the price is amazing, $ 60 for my hair cut and blow dry. Phenomenal. This is definitely one I’ll keep going to as long I’m in San Francisco.
Thank you Alisha!

Okay, just got my hair done by the amazing Jarrod! I say amazing because my hair is pretty much how I envisioned it and so much more! My last stylist said there was no way I can reach this level of color unless I go through another 4 sessions. Well, Jarrod proved her wrong! I’m so in love with my hair and it’s so soft!

Lena is an absolute hair magician! I have been seeing her faithfully for years! I have followed her at several locations, but am in love with Steel and Lacquer, it’s the most beautiful, chic salon. Lena always patient with my fickleness regarding my hair (and helped me go from blonde to black and back to blonde, making sure my hair looked fabulous at every transition period in between!). She is great with all shades of color (trust me, I know) and cutting. Love her!

Do you know how hard it is to find a stylist who understands what «a trim» or only «an inch or two» means?! I’ve had plenty of oh no moments after a hair cut where the stylist had taken too much of my length off for stake of split ends. Michelle knew exactly what I wanted and how to execute. I came in with major split ends and super dry hair from using hotel products while traveling. She understood my desire to keep the length of my hair while giving it a fresh new style. My hair feels so much lighter but still long. The best part is they offer free touch ups in between cuts. I highly recommend Michelle!

As a guy with straight hair you would think my hair is fairly straight forward to do. I can assure you over the years I have been proven repeated wrong. Usually, once I find a place that I think will do a good job it takes a few times to get it right. Last time was in Denver with Toni & Guy. Fast forward to today after relocating back to San Francisco and two disappointing cuts later I found Steel & Lacquer. Lena listen to what I wanted, made some suggestions of her own and she went to work. What a delight! Hands down, not only the best «first» cut ever, very possibly the best ever! The cut is great in every way and my wife likes it too! Further when I requested some product for my hair what she suggested works and feels great!
Thanks Lena!

As a black woman living in San Francisco, it’s difficult to find a hair salon that works with my hair type, without having to go into Oakland or other surrounding areas (unfortunately). So when Steel + Lacquer opened in my building, I was annoyed that they were so close, yet I wouldn’t be able to utilize them. Happily, I was wrong! After emailing them to ask that dreaded question, they told me YES, they could do my hair, and I jumped for joy!
Johnny was my hair stylist, and he worked MAGIC on my hair! I told him a little about my hair journey and what I was looking for, and he listened and was able to give me exactly what I wanted while also putting his own stamp on it. After he was finished, I felt so confident and like a brand new woman!
I’ve been back since then and will continue to go back. The salon is so clean and modern and Johnny is a gem!

Lena has been my stylist for 5+ years. I found her through reviews on Unilocal while she was at Grasshopper Salon and have since followed her on her journey to open up Steel + Lacquer with Jarrod!
Lena is amazing at what she does and I always leave feeling wonderful and fabulous with a new cut and/​or color. She is also very laid back and easy to talk which makes the whole experience that much more comfortable and relaxing.
The new salon is amazing — it’s modern, sleek and very «Steel + Lacquer». The location is super convenient and I can’t wait until my next visit!

This salon is the PLACE TO GO!!! There is nothing I love more than a minimal, artistic space and Steel + Lacquer nails that on the head. Not only that but the styling team is personable and genuine.
That being said let me go on reviewing what I actually came here to review: my stylist, Johnny. Let me just preface that I am not one to usually log on to write reviews but I am so utterly happy with my haircut I had to give credit where credit is due.
My Asian hair has always been a bit of a challenge for stylists and there are certain hair styles that I’ve been told my hair «does not have the texture for». Well, they all must have been lazy/​unskilled because Johnny has the eye, finesse and talent to make anything happen.
He has that capability of cutting your hair and making it look effortless, the kind of hair you have when your so-​so haircuts «grow in».
Normally when I get my cuts I am indifferent or generally satisfied with them but with Johnny’s cuts I look good and I FEEL GOOD. I can’t stop looking at my hair and what’s even better is I know how to recreate the look because he’s shown me HOW.
I know I am going to Johnny from here on out and I am so happy I can go into my haircuts with an ease of mind and confidence that I’ve never had before.
Welcome to S.F., Steel + Lacquer!

Woo! I am happy to say Steel + Lacquer are up and running and the place looks and feels great. The vibe is friendly, the décor minimal and clean, and I think it’s cool to look out the window and see the Twitter building :)
I bought 3 bottles of Smith & Cult nail polish WAT! I don’t even use much nail polish but they have all these awesome colors and you can try them while you’re getting your hair processed. I put a different color on every finger.
Racquel once again outdid herself and gave me a great cut and color. She really knows me :)
Easy to get to by MUNI — Van Ness stop!

I’ve been seeing Jerrod for almost 6 years.
Let me assure you, I’m not fancy. I’m low maintenance in all things when it comes to my appearance, but if I’ve learned one thing over the years, it’s that a good cut and color is worth the investment. Jerrod consistently knocks it out of the park in keeping my look natural, idiot-​proof for me to do myself and fresh. I had 3 people ask me for referrals last visit and I can’t take any credit for it.
I cheated on him once and had to go back to the salon to get it fixed (remember how I said I’m low maintenance? It was that bad.) Never again.
I let him do whatever he wants because I trust him implicitly. Honestly, I’d let the man dress me.
Plus he’s good people.

Simply put: I have been a client of Lena’s for the last 6 years and she is AMAZING. Initially she transformed my dishwater blonde hair into a beautiful warm blonde that looked so natural, people could not tell that I colored it. This past year she has helped me change it up a bit — first to a fun rose gold and now to a more sophisticated auburn shade. I love that I can just bring in a picture for inspiration or talk to her about tweaks that I want to make and she will whip up a batch of magic, make it happen AND make it look great on me. Her cuts are fantastic too!
In addition to her artistic talent, Lena is just a super cool, down to earth person and my time in her chair goes by fast.

Everyone that walks out of S+L has their own unique style. You can see that staff takes time to know their clients and match them with great styles. I overheard a consult about cut and color and I couldn’t be happier with my cut.
The salon is against 10^th street with huge windows. It’s nice to people and car watch through the mirrors. The seats were super comfy… after a long day, it’s nice to pamper yourself.
I am a happy new client!!!

I’m a really happy client.
I’ve been going to Jarrod for 6 years and follow him where ever he goes. I’m so proud of him for opening this place with Lena, it’s got class and style, just like them.
Jarrod is amazing with cutting and color. I get a lot of compliments and have a few people tell me they’ve tried to copy my hair, so that says a lot about his work!

Lena forever!
I’ve been going to Lena for… I’ve lost count of how many years. I was referred to her by my previous stylist when she moved out of state. She said, Look, Lena is a color expert. I also think she knew we’d just get along (so important when your appointments tend to span three hours!)
I have naturally blonde hair that in my 30s changed into a drab dishwater color. Lena swooped in and restored me to my original hue – and she makes it look so incredibly natural. No streaking. No overly blonde sections.
I’m so happy she and Jarrod have their own spot now! So deserved!

Jarrod has been my stylist for over five years and he is god sent. I have really, really thick hair and tons of it too, so it’s really difficult to find someone that can manage my hair. But not for Jarrod; he’s got it down! Jarrod loves what he does and is 100% vested (up to date with latest hair products, methods, techniques).
Jarrod not only knows how to cut my hair so it looks good day in and day out, but he also knows how to blow dry my hair (and for ladies with thick hair, you know what I mean). His haircuts are magical and most importantly manageable.
I trust Jarrod so much that I asked him to do my hair for my wedding. He made me look so natural and beautiful. He also worked wonders for my bridesmaids, MOB, MOG and my Dad too (never looked more handsome).
He even entertained my impulse to cut my hair very short after my wedding, which again is dangerous for my type of hair. But he accomplished it: it looked great and was cut perfectly for my style of hair.
I’m so excited for the grand opening of Steel + Lacquer as it is so well deserved for the one and only talented Jarrod. That said, I need to start penciling in my appointments earlier as it’s going to be tough to get a hold of Jarrod.

Jarrod has been cutting my hair for about 6 years, the longest relationship I ever had with a stylist. He’s always interested in feedback, what I’m looking for and he loves hair and making sure that I have a great cut, and healthy, beautiful hair. He’s also very knowledgeable about products and what’s going to work for me, and the quality of the product. I completely trust him with my hair.
I came to him after a bunch of highlights and my hair being dry and stressed, he got it back in shape and it’s been amazing since then. He’s never pushed color on me, like so many other stylists, he loves my color, although I keep hinting as soon as the grays come out I will need some color magic.
I’m one of those people that gets totally relaxed during the process, so Jarrod does more talking, and he’s always learning, traveling and polishing his skills to keep his clients excited and not bored. I might keep my hair the same length but I do want some variety and fun in my looks from each cut and he always delivers.

Lena is the best! She’s an incredibly talented, wonderful person — I love getting my hair done. I’m so bad at actually doing my hair, but she always gives me great cuts that require minimal work. She really understands hair and is honest about what I should and shouldn’t try based on my habits and hair type. I love the products she uses, they tend to have less chemicals with great results, and she always explains why she uses them, the benefits, and how I should use them if I’m interested in taking them home.
I highly recommend Lena to everyone!

Is there a way I can give this place 10 stars? I’m a huge fan of Lena! She is the reason my hair is always flawless and on-​point. I love that she is always ahead of the curve when it comes to techniques in coloring, styling or cut.
What I appreciate about her the most is that she takes the time to listen to her clients and understands how to execute on their vision and the result if just pure hair amazingness!
For example, she knows my signature hair color is black — but bc she’s an expert she knows that I don’t want it blue/​black or for my hair to look matte — I want a more natural black hue. So, she always mixes what she calls «Cherlyn’s Color» which is the darkest brown color she can mix to match my natural color and give me that shine I love!
I have been going to her for years and am so excited she is going to be opening up her new hair salon with her co-​founder Jarrod (who is also an amazing stylist too!!)
I cannot wait until Steel + Lacquer opens later this year! Seriously, you should make an appointment with them asap!

Lena’s creative color & understanding my hair is why people really do ask me «who does your fab color?» & Jarrod’s masterful knack with the scissors has given me a new look, huge confidence & people asking «whoa where did you get that amazing cut — have you seen the back of you — WOW?»
Been a client of these 2 for 1 yr while they hold out in a temp spot awaiting opening of their own Steel + Lacquer. Like an Advent calendar, I’ve got my Steel + Lacquer Opening Doors calendar ready.
Thought you have experienced the best wash bowl head massage? Not until these 2 have you in their hands. I’d pay just to lounge there!
Steel + Lacquer will rock with Lena & Jarrod at the helm