Bang Salon

Got a great cut by Matt today. We spent just the right amount of time taking about what to do and I’m really happy with the results. I’ll be back for my next cut with Matt when the time comes!

I had to go back for a second visit to correct the stark contrast between my roots and the ombré the stylist colored my hair (I’m a naturally honey blonde and she added yellow/​white blonde), not even resembling a natural looking ombré. I brought photos and left with my head of hair looking nothing like the photo. Thankfully, they put toner in the next day to correct the awful job. I was questioned a bit about why I came back, and even was told by the stylist that I showed her a different picture. It was perturbing to be questioned so often about my dislike for the color. I also was charged an additional amount for a gloss that I did not ask for. The next day I essentially walked out with the same hair color I originally walked into the salon with on the first day… just $ 211 lighter in my pockets.

This review is long overdue. I’ve been coming to Selma now for about a year and she is fantastic. Not only is she a hoot and fun to chat with, but she does a fantastic job cutting my hair. I have super straight hair that I like cut in a modern bob and I am extremely particular. Selma is very detailed in her work and listens to exactly what I want. She is also a senior stylist, but her prices are nearly half what you would pay at some of the more snooty salons in DC (think K street/​Georgetown). With Selma at Bang you get all the style and expertise with none of the airs of superiority. Schedule early with her though because she is popular and books out two weeks in advance. She is truly a gem!

Melo is such an amazing stylist, and I’m so happy! (U Street Bang Salon)
Coming to Bang Salon was something I was initially very apprehensive about because I’m from California, and I’m only in the DC area for a few months. I have my favorite salon in CA, and I really didn’t want to have to go someplace new and explain my needs, how my hair is, etc. However, my hair needed a hair cut BAD.
That being said I was so impressed. The salon itself is super fun and I really liked the atmosphere. They’re also open late which was a plus for me. Melo took care of me, and even though I had an idea of what I wanted, he gave me some pointers and made sure I was well taken care of.
I’m so happy with my new hair, and if I’m ever back in DC this is where I’ll be getting my hair done!

I really liked the vibe of this salon, and Erin did a great job on my hair. Everyone was really friendly as well.

I’ve been to quite a few DC hairdressers over the 9.5 years I’ve been living in the city. Have to say that Diego (at Bang Salon Metropole) is just consistently the best. I have extremely thick wavy/​curly hair and refuse to have a style that requires blowdrying. Most people have no idea how to cut this type of hair without damaging it (with razors, etc.) But Diego knows exactly how to cut my hair to bring out the beauty and keep it healthy for the long run. After going to Diego consistently for 2 years, I let someone persuade me to try their hairdresser. That ended up leading me down the unfortunate spiral of getting bad haircuts from a variety of different people over the course of a year. When I finally got the courage to go back to Diego, my hair was back to looking amazing within 45 minutes. I’m so thankful!

Leah is fantastic for a quick cut. This whole place is friendly and accommodating. The prices are decent — not the cheapest in town but for a mid rang high quality style this is the place to go.

Great pricing and were able to fit me in on short notice on a friday. Wish I lived closer so I could go more often.

I love the haircut that I got from Patty. I had been searching for an affordable yet trustworthy salon to try out, and this is the place! When I arrived, we had a great consultation when Patty really took the time to get to know what I wanted and discussed what she was going to do before starting the cut. She totally got my vision. She cut off all of my dead ends and brought my hair back to life! I’ve been getting compliments on how good my hair looks ever since. Thank you, Patty! I will definitely be back!

I love Liana! She’s so nice and a really good hairstylist. She knows how to cut a hair and she is a perfectionist. Highly recommend her!

I got a great haircut from Kristin early this summer. I have curly hair, and have often had terrible haircuts resulting in «triangle head.» But Kristin was super nice, friendly but not overly prying, and did a detailed but efficient job on my hair. She also gave me advice about keeping hair from getting frizzy in humid weather! I am leaving DC but making sure to book an appointment with her before I move! It was also a good price ($ 49) for a good haircut.

I was really happy with the haircut that I got here. For women in DC looking for a short hair style cut — I mean cropped/​pixie or actually short like men’s cuts — I would fully recommend Nicole. She’s one of the only stylists that I’ve met who gave me a great short cut on a first visit. If you’re like me, you know it’s super hard to find a stylist who *gets* short cuts on women and the tiny details that make something like a tight undercut or super short sideburns look polished and hip instead of accidental. I’ve lived in NYC, the Twin Cities, and the Chapel Hill area, and I’ve gotten so many shorthair haircuts that looked like old lady cuts, had weird mistakes in them, or just were obviously done by someone who had never had short hair and didn’t know how it behaves. Basically, there are so many hairdressers who don’t know what to look for in finishing a short style that I have often taking to trimming my sideburns myself rather than risk paying $ 70 for an unknown stylist. Other times, I’ve found that if I «train» stylists with lots of photos and talking about my hair, after two or three visits they learn what I like in a cut and can do a great job.
I say all of that because I want to say that Nicole was super professional and a total pro. I came in with a super grown-​out cut (see above, fear of new stylists), needing to look presentable and photo-​worthy for a friend’s wedding on the weekend, but still keep my short hair edge. I explained what I wanted, how I usually do my hair, and how short I usually cut it (a little shorter than I asked her to do, cuz no need to scare the grandmas at the wedding with buzzed sides), and that basically I wanted a well-​shaped, intentional looking pixie with a longer piece in the front and a super short hairline in back. With just that information, she sent me off for shampoo. I was just about to worry that I didn’t give her enough to go on, but when I got back to her chair she asked me a few more questions, and then got to work. She was super focused and really thorough (no out of place chunks or long bits), and she went over the whole head wet, then again dry. The cut looks good straight or wavy, dressed up or down.
If you’re looking for a super chatty stylist, it’s probably not her, she was more business than gossip, but she looks super cute (always a good sign), and she gave me a great cut, even knowing that I was only in the city for the summer and so probably wouldn’t be a long term client.
So go get your cute short haircuts from Nicole at the Metropole salon.
Also, FYI, bring cash for tip. They have separate shampoo girls here, which I hadn’t planned for, so remember to bring some extra singles to tip the shampooer in cash (I hadn’t and I felt bad). You can leave your cash tip for your stylist in an envelope at the counter, but they don’t have a tip line in their cc receipts. The salon itself was great & clean & smelled good & all the stylists looked awesome, and its in a great location near 14^th St and the infamous P St Whole Foods.

Liana = life changer. I had not been to Bang salon since a failed blowout in Chinatown 7 years ago. Desperate to get some grays (eek) covered on a Sunday, I was able to snag a last minute appointment with Liana. Noticing that she had great curls, I asked her what she did. This is where the life changing comes in – Liana is a curl genius. She showed me, step by step and product by product, what I need to do for my hair. I’ve been straightening my hair for 22 years and have tried various curly hair stylists and salons to try to find a way to make it look good curly. Accidentally stumbling upon Liana was the best thing that has ever happened to my hair. Everyone loves it curly – friends, family, employer – and I haven’t even touched a blow dryer in over a month. Thank you Liana!

I love this place! I booked a blind appointment with the «next available» and I hit the jackpot with Kristen. She is the bees knees! She really listened to my concerns and was so patient during a consult with the photos I brought in. Then, she took my tragic, overgrown mess and gave me a super cute, easy to style cut. I’ve gotten more complements on this cut than I have on a haircut for the last 10 years. Seriously. The best $ 50 I’ve spent this year.
The salon high energy so it might not be the place for you if you’re looking for a peaceful, serene spa-​type experience. The prices are perfect for cuts that need routine maintenance and definitely let the more adventurous to experiment and change out styles and cuts on a regular basis without breaking the bank. The online booking option is icing on the cake.

Bang is a great salon that gets me in and out with a great haircut. If you live nearby I highly recommend checking them out.

I joined Unilocal for the express purpose of sharing this review as when I was doing my research on a new Bang location/​stylist, I relied upon the reviews I read on Unilocal.I have been a dedicated Bang customer for over five years. When my beloved stylist left, I thought I would try a new stylist (Kathyana) and a new Bang location (Metropole). I could not be more disappointed.
I asked Kathyana for a trim to get rid of the dead ends and for medium-​ish layers. The one thing I explicitly told her I absolutely didn’t want was for my hair to sit at my shoulder length. Well… I have one massive layer on either side (that don’t line up, natch) and wouldn’t you know those layers sit exactly at my shoulder.
When I left the salon, I didn’t say anything as the blowout curled the ends of my hair and I didn’t notice just how short and uneven the layers were. However, the next day when I styled my hair, I saw just how jacked-​up this «style» was. I was crushed that I had dropped $ 60 for something I could have done better myself. I thought about calling then, but really, the only way to even out my two distinct layers is to cut all my hair to shoulder length… you know, the one thing I didn’t want.
Disappointed, I figured I would let my hair grow out. Who knows, sometimes after a week or so, the style settles in? Nope — this one got worse. Now, the layers on either side of my face aren’t even. So I have two layers (one per side) that hit at two different places.
Frustrated, I decided enough was enough… I’d contact a manager. Not an easy thing to do. There is no manager number or email on their website and when I called, I was directed to voicemail (I left one… it’s gone unreturned). So I emailed the main Metropole number and immediately, their front desk person called me and said a manager would be in touch by the end of the day. Alas, no call. I called back again asking to speak to the manager… again, no call. I emailed them again… no call. I tried contacting them via Facebook. Their social media person was quick to contact me to let me know a manager would be in touch. Yet, like my emails and calls… no call.
Between the disappointing cut and the non-​existent customer service, Bang has lost my business.

I’ve had good service here and everyone is really attentive! I appreciate the online booking service!

I was thrown off that it was connected to a gym, but inside was lovely. I wanted to do something different and bold with my hair, and my best friend recommended this place. Diego cut/​shaved my hair and he did a wonderful job. He definitely knew what he was doing and he was as excited about shaving my head as I was. Diego took the time to hair dry and style-​ish my hair. He was just so natural with it! We both had the biggest smiles! My experience was so much fun, and I will definitely continue coming here!

I love Bang Metropole. Speaking from someone who used to fly home every time she needed her hair done, I am so pleased with all of my experiences with Leah. I receive so many compliments on my hair color (blonde) and cut, that I’ll never see anyone else (it’s now been almost two years since going to her). I even chopped all of my hair recently and she did a fantastic job. Since I can only assume the other stylists are just as great, you should definitely consider coming to Bang (and hopefully seeing Leah!).

My first three trips to Bang were pretty good — Angela was a ton of fun to talk to, listened to what I said and delivered. The shampoo people have always been sweet. I would give Bang a 4.5 if it weren’t for my experience with Jamie R. this morning. I would give my experience today a 1.
I came in for a partial highlight with no finish (I was going to the gym after the salon, no need for fancy hair there) and I told her very specifically that I like golden, natural looking highlights, just a touch up of the roots with my current color. She quickly insisted that we use a toner (which costs $ 30) after the foils, even though I said I didn’t want it because I swim several times a week and the chlorine strips the color quickly, making the toner a total waste of money and time. She made a big deal about it, and since I had to sit in the chair for another 30 minutes and didn’t want things to be even more awkward, I didn’t push.
Then, she sat me in a corner w/​o asking me if I wanted a drink (which every other stylist has done) and she left me there for 50 minutes with foils and bleach in my hair while she served 2 – 3 other customers. I don’t have a lot of hair, and my hair is naturally light, so I usually only need 20 minutes, tops. Finally, I went up to her and said that it had been 50 minutes and she told me to go sit by the shampoo area.
Of course, the my hair is now barbie-​bleach blonde. Exactly what I told her I didn’t want. My roots are much lighter than my tips, and I’m terrified of how fake this is going to look once the toner washes out.
She brought me to the chair to brush my hair and didn’t towel off my hair or dry a piece to show me the color (which is what is normally done with coloring even if you don’t get a blowout to make sure the customer is okay with the results). I walked up to the counter, wringing my hair out and it was dripping water all over the floor and the counter when I checked out. She didn’t thank me or say goodbye. For $ 122 for a partial highlight that looks exactly how I asked it not to look, I feel ripped off. Ask for Angela or find another salon.