Medusa’s Studio & Salon

I love Kelly and and her salon. I moved to STL four years ago and called Medusa with trepidation. Little did I know she was fantastic. Moving to a new city is stressful enough without having to find a new hairdresser; I got it right the first time. Thanks, Kelly, for all the compliments I get for your color and cuts.

Kelley is very nice, and her salon is funky chic. Customer service is so important to me, and she made it clear that she cares about her customer’s satisfaction as well.
We all know mistakes happen. What matters is how you handle the mistake.

Asked for a cut and style that would allow the bottoms of my hair to curl under instead of outwards, which was happening because of the layering I had gotten at a different salon. Kelly interpreted this as needing to completely lop off my hair and she cut it about 3 inches shorter than I asked for. She also failed to do any sort of styling to the bottoms of my hair, so my hair stuck out like a block around my head instead of falling naturally. I don’t understand how a stylist with so much experience could fail to do any styling after cutting a few inches off straight. She was nice, but I expected better from the reviews.

I have been coming to see Kelly at Medusa’s for over a year now. I absolutely love coming to get my hair done. The salon space itself is so unique and fun — getting to drink a complimentary glass of wine (or beer) while having your locks taken care of is just one of the small things I love about coming here. Kelly isn’t just my hair dresser — she has become a friend. When I was laid off at work she helped me network and passed my resume along to others, which was so kind of her. Not to mention she is seriously phenomenal at doing hair — when I first started coming to her my hair was in shambles and it’s now something I can flaunt. The icing on the cake is that Kelly knows every amazing/​up and coming restaurant or venue in the area and I always leave with a few new ideas of fun places to try. Couldn’t recommend highly enough.

I have always gotten my hair cut and colored in Chicago or LA rather than St. Louis because I could never find someone at home that I liked. My country wide hair cuts are OVER since finding Medusa salon. Amazing cut and color every time. I recommend Kelly to anyone who asks and some who don’t ;-). Great atmosphere at the salon and really great service! Stop reading this and just make an appointment!

I recently moved back into the City. I was looking for a new stylist and found Medusa’s on a recent review. Kelly owns Medusa’s. Amazing find for me! She met with me, looked at my hair and listened to me as to what fits my lifestyle. I have been so happy with her abilities and talents. My hair is now healthy and looks great. So many compliments from everyone. And she is such a funny girl!

A friend mentioned this salon, unfortunately it is not my cup of tea. After multiple tries, I’ve decided against wasting money here again. Here is my experience:
Pros: Since writing my review, I’ve decided to take these out of my review after being repeatedly harassed and threatened by the owner of the salon.
# of times contacted before review: 0, # after: 5 and counting. Sigh. FIVE.
Cons: Cash only, and expensive. Prices seem to fluctuate for no reason and without warning. Because she runs this business herself, the only real way to get in touch with her is via text message. Calling the number leads to a message about a full voicemail box… So if you don’t text, you’re not getting a haircut here-​which might be a good thing.
I have had to wear my hair up for months while waiting for this to grow out.
I was so upset to find out that my mother had also gotten a haircut with her and had received THE SAME bizarre haircut, despite even showing Kelly a picture. My hair is essentially cut in two very distinct layers with a good inch and a half to two inches between them. I have varied stringy pieces with shaggy edges cut at a myriad of fuzzy lengths on top of a solid flat mullet-​like layer that curls outward. My mother and I both have this weird layer and It makes styling it difficult, but if I don’t style it, I look like a child cut my hair.
Since our haircuts with Kelly, we have visited two Aveda salons and a salon in Chicago. The first two salons were unable to fix the damage done to our hair and advised us to take the time to grow it out. My mom eventually got hers trimmed in Chicago but was told that it will take a year to recover the length.
Every time KELLY is unable to handle an aspect of styling or cutting your hair, she makes sure to tell you that there’s just something weird about how YOUR particular hair grows… which is weird, because even the gals at Great Clips have somehow been able to master my tricky locks.
The worst:
Let me set the stage: The last time I saw Kelly was for a hair trial two days before my wedding. I was nervous, stressed, but happy to be marrying the most incredible person I’ve ever met in my life. I pretty much won the love lottery.
I was on the fence between using Kelly or a friend that was fresh out of school. After two hours of dousing my hair in spray and mousse, frying it with curling and flat irons, Kelly was unable to get my hair to hold– which hadn’t been a problem for my vastly less-​experienced friend.
While Kelly was doing my hair, you know, right before my wedding, she asks what my husband does for a living. I told her he was a new police officer in the city and as of late, life has been incredibly scary and stressful for us.
Upon hearing this, she proceeds to tell me, you know, right before my wedding, about how police officers are scum, how they all cheat on their wives etc, etc.
At this point, I’m so upset that I’m almost shaking. While she was talking, she seemed to realize that she put her foot in her mouth – but she didn’t STOP. Instead of genuinely apologizing or changing the subject, she backpedaled, repeatedly attempted to legitimize her own opinion, and ended up making me feel like I was, essentially, being violated.
That’s great you have an opinion about something. Good for you. I would hope, like I hope with anyone, that your opinion is formulated with reason, is objective, and based in logic.
I left feeling physically sick. I’ve never felt so victimized by someone I was paying.
On top of ALL of that, Kelly arbitrarily added another $ 20 on top of what I was quoted and was already an exorbitant amount of money. She denies this, referring to the website price of $ 200, but I paid $ 110, and so she pulled that number out of somewhere not on the website… Not sure she actually knows her own prices.
Overall Impression: A truly terrible experience. I could have cried. I got my bearings straight, realized what a hairdresser said about my husband’s character based on his job was about as worth my time as another visit to her salon, and went on with my life.
Decided to have my friend do my hair for my wedding– $ 30, and it held through torrential rain and wind. Not exactly sure why Kelly was incapable of getting a grasp on it, but I was glad I didn’t have to give her any more money.
So to sum it up: Expensive, cash only, repeatedly incapable of working with my hair, blindly offensive on a personal level. This experience never seems to end, as I keep getting messages and updated responses from the owner.
Lastly, I just want to say – I don’t have any personal problem with Kelly. I was upset by what she said, but I’m not going to hang on to it. I am not, however, interested in a response to my review, as I’ve noticed on other people’s reviews. I don’t care about what you have to say and you can’t deny that any of this happened, because it’s the truth, so I’d rather you just left me alone and didn’t waste my time trying to save face. Thanks

Recently moved to STL– trying to find a new salon. I have been highlighting my hair blonde for 10+ years. Showed Kelly exactly what Redkin coloring formula my former stylist did. She didn’t know what half of it meant– that should have been my first warning sign. Since I was 4 weeks overdue– I went ahead. Kelly assured me she could get the same results with her «no bleach» approach. She couldn’t. My hair turned orange. She attempted to tone it, which took another two hours– slightly improved. So after four hours on a Thursday night– I walked out with a decent haircut, and very golden blonde/​orange hair. Kelly could tell I was upset and offered to re do it again if I got home, and still wasn’t happy with it. I slept on it, washed and styled the next day, went to work. Every time I saw my reflection — I wanted to cry. I really wanted to give Kelly a chance to fix it– so I called her. She came in on the next day just to help– which was very nice. 2 attempts and 4 hours later– it was better, but still way more golden than I prefer. I ended up driving back 6 hours the next weekend to my former salon– where she was able to fix it in 2 hours.
I appreciate Kelly’s attempts to fix the mistake– but in the end, she is not a Redkin colorist. Her salon is very attractive and welcoming, and she herself very personable– but I would caution those who have been used to Redkin coloring, and are looking for a new salon.

Had the most amazing hair cut EVER here! Would have given five stars but I found the parking to be difficult. Otherwise, it was a wonderful experience!

I just moved to St. Louis from the Boston area with a really bad color job (blond from a box gone REALLY bad) and a trim was long overdo — needless to say I was in desperate need of repair. I also have to add in here that my hair is superfine and ultra straight (think typical Asian hair only blond) so I’m a stylist’s nightmare.
Kelly was great! She was able to fit me in quickly and offered a most welcome glass of wine right off the bat. The décor is funky and fun to look at during those long processing times, and with the massage chair and island music I had such a relaxing experience. Kelly also took the time to write down some suggestions for meet up groups and restaurants in the area for me to try — I mean, how sweet is that?!?
My hair turned out great… The first time… I was so incredibly happy.
The second time I’m not sure what changed but my hair turned out a greenish-​blue. When I left Kelly said that it would wash out soon. But honestly I’ve never in my entire life of dying and highlighting my hair walked out with blue green hair. Unfortunately, it lasted longer than a week. I decided to give it another go since my first experience was so tremendous. Kelly, again, was a sweetheart. She gave me free shampoo and conditioner (they were used and the pump didn’t work on one of the bottles but I still thought it was a nice effort!!). My hair still turned out greenish blue. So sad! I decided to try out another place that corrected the color.
I think like massage, hair is an all around «fit» business. I think Medusas does offer talent, quality and great personalized service– I’ve seen it. But perhaps I have difficult hair. I love the place and Kelly.

I initially came here because of a Unilocal deal and have subsequently returned because Kelly is really good! I used to be a very frugal haircut kind of gal – in fact, for a good 6 years there, I think the lovely students at Paul Mitchell School cut my hair (not bad for $ 17 if you’re okay with an average haircut that takes three hours).
When I first went in to see Kelly, I brought in some pictures of hairstyles that I liked and basically told her that she could decide the details about what makes sense for my hair. It turned out fantastic! So cute! I got compliments on it for weeks. When it started growing out again, I made a mistake. Due to some time issues and a Groupon I had for someone else, I went elsewhere to get my hair cut. Same hairstyle. Subpar results. After that, I’ve been coming to Kelly and don’t think I’ll experiment anywhere else. I’m not the best client ever… I let several months pass by before I come in for another haircut. The price is probably comparable to elsewhere, but I think it’s a great deal for what you get.

I bought a Unilocal deal because I’m still trying to find my go –to salon after moving here, and this wasn’t it.
The salon itself is awesome, I love the décor. My hair cut however… not so awesome.
It has been months and I’m still trying to fix what was done to my hair. I wanted long layers and was basically given two layers and one of them was very very short. It looks like I have a hair shelf. ¾ of my hair ends at my shoulders (now after growing) and the rest is at least 3 inches longer (after cutting it).
The color was really lackluster as well. I wanted red and left with basically the same brown I had going in.
Really not worth the money… even with the Unilocal deal.

I have been going to Kelly since I moved from California to saint Louis 2 years ago. Thank God for Kelly. St. Louis is lucky to have her. Kelly does a great job with color and listening to her clients requests. I recently had my color done and a cut and was very happy! Great color, great cut and great vibe! Oh and thanks Kelly for the beer and wine! :).

Kelly at Medusa’s is absolutely amazing! I recently started going to Medusa’s because I heard great things about Kelly. Although I love my other stylist and have been seeing her for over 10 years, I’m changing to Kelly because she is fantastic and much more affordable. Not only do I like the hair cut, but the salon is really cute, it’s in my neighborhood and Kelly is great to talk to. She offers some great hair styling tips too, which I really need.
It’s also worth mentioning that I’m crazy picky about my hair cuts and everything being perfectly even. Ok, some people may even say I’m a bit OCD when it comes to making sure every last part of my hair is even. With that said, Kelly does a wonderful job putting up with me being so difficult! It sure would be amazing if my boyfriend could be as patient!

I love this place. The décor is so welcoming and Kelly is a fantastic artist with hair. She saved my hair from a box dye tragedy, took her time and made sure it was perfect. I will definitely be back here for all my future hair needs.

Visiting from Australia — saw the reviews and popped in for some highlights. What an awesome salon — not only did Kelly do a fantastic job on my hair but the whole experience was five star. The interior decorating is so fun and everyone is really nice! There’s even a massage chair! So good, definitely recommend this place!

I really wanted to like this place. The décor is nice and the place is comfy, esp with them offering drinks while you wait. However, the actual haircut was not what I wanted it to be. I told Kelly how short I wanted my hair: below the shoulders. But when she was done, my hair was above my shoulders, a lot shorter than I wanted it to be. I really, really don’t like how it looks; my hair is curly, and just doesn’t look good at that length. But I didn’t say anything to her. I mean, nothing ever comes out of such conversations.
Also, she was pretty rough with my hair, both while brushing and cutting. I felt like my hairs were being yanked. I mean come on, be a bit gentle. When you brush hair, you should at least keep your hand on the person’s scalp to prevent the roots from being yanked.
Glad I used the Unilocal deal and didn’t pay more than $ 25; I would’ve been more upset If I did…

Such a great place! Great décor, great stylist and I’m definitely a fan of both Kelly Butler is the Queen of blonde coloring. She can make some magic happen with her hair coloring style.
I’ve been going to see Sherry for 3+ years now, following her as she moves and has totally mastered the funky red color hair style I’ve been looking for. She’s great at collaborating and recently did a great job doing my hair in a 60’s style for a party i was attending. It was hands down, the best and coolest hair do I’ve ever had. Ever!
If want a super cool style, awesome atmosphere, great location and stylists with some serious style — then Medusa is it. That’s it.

Bingo!
That’s exactly what I thought when I walked in to Medusa’s for an appointment with Kelly today. Up until now, I’ve been a promiscuous salon-​goer. But those nomadic ways are behind me! I love, love, love my haircut. I love, love, love the neighborly, artsy, unique, comfortable atmosphere of the shop. I love, love, love how Kelly expertly knew just what to do, and asked the right questions to make sure I got the haircut I wanted.
It’s a teensy weensy pricier than some other salons, but you know what, you definitely get what you pay for, and it’s not unreasonable by any means. I will confidently go back, because I’m confident it’ll be a great cut and a great experience!

WHAT??? This place has a Unilocal deal? Omg. Get on that shit kids, if ya know what’s good for you. I won’t use it because I’m already a regular and I know these deals are geared to new customers, so let me, a not new customer, tell you the tale of this glorious salon.
I had been going to a certain salon for about 4 or 5 years. It was good, the folks were nice and always did a good job, but I never connected with anyone. It had this weird pretentious vibe to it and when I would call, they’d ask me which stylist I wanted and I’d just say «whoever’s available» simply because I hadn’t found ~the one~.
About two years ago I decided that if i’m going to pay salon prices for a haircut/​style/​color, then maybe it’s time to explore what else is out there. Medusa’s had good reviews on Unilocal (seriously, that’s why I chose it, good job Unilocal) BUT AT THE TIME DID NOT HAVE A Unilocal DEAL WTF!!! So I give it a whirl.
Picture this in your head: a salon.
Now take that picture and throw it out of a tenth floor window because Medusa’s is basically a place I want to live in forever. Go there once. I can’t describe the décor. Just go.
Kelly is The One. See, I was always hesitant to review this place because I’d be reviewing one person and I always feel weird doing that because It might not necessarily represent the business. But when the Business Owner is providing The Customer with their services directly, I’m pretty sure that warrants a review.
She’s awesome, honest, has great ideas, is friendly, approachable and is the only woman who can cut my hair and within 24 hours I’ll get compliments from strangers on how rad my hair looks. My hair doesn’t do anything but grow. Kelly does all of the magic and she has done absolute wonders on my hair. I don’t know about the other folks there, but I don’t think they’d be working with each other if they weren’t completely amazing.
Things to remember: pay with cash or check
Shit ain’t cheap, but why would you ever go to a salon and expect Great Clips prices? Also, you know exactly what you’re supporting. You’re handing the business owner your money so she can continue to run and grow her business with her people and that’s one of the coolest feelings in the world. Just go here.
Parking’s on the street but there’s always a spot nearby.
I feel so weird even writing this because if I were a new Unilocaler, it’d probably be filtered as spam for seeming almost too positive but shit you guys, when you find The One, you just go with it and never look back. If you haven’t found The One (a hairstylist who is so good you won’t let anyone else touch your hair), come here.