ASA Hair Design

Welcoming and lovely space. My stylist, Nina was equally welcoming and lovely. My hair looks great and she gave me wonderful advice and encouragement to try new styles.

One of the best haircuts I’ve ever had! I was afraid of trying someplace new right before a wedding this weekend, but I was pleasantly surprised at finding a wonderful stylist that doesn’t charge $ 100+. The place is very welcoming and everyone is great. Chris did an awesome job with my hair. There’s a woman working there too and she also did a great job with another customer. I haven’t been this happy with my hair in so long and the price was great. I’ve been to fancy salons in Newbury where the experience has just been OK, but not «wow», as you’d expect after paying crazy high prices. Highly recommend!

Soooo glad your now open SUNDAYS!!! When people have work off and need to get stuff done, all the staff is great, good vibes all around looove it!!! :)

I went into Asa’s this morning to get a hair cut. Granted I hadn’t been to a salon in over two years and my hair had grown significantly. I called first thing in the morning, two hours before they open and I was able to schedule an appointment for the same day.
Rene worked on my hair and she did a fantastic job. I’ve had shoulder-​length hair before and it’s difficult to make the cut look clean and professional. Rene did a great job with the cut and I was very impressed. Moreover, she was very kind and friendly.
I cut off about 5 – 6 inches and had a shampoo and blow-​dry with the cut. I was charged $ 65, which is reasonably priced considering its prime location in Harvard Square. I would highly recommend Asa’s to anyone and I plan on returning for my next trim.

EDIT: It actually grew out to be fine within a week. We’re probably still not going back, but it wasn’t horrible

able to take walk-​in
$ 55 + tip

I went to ASA Hair Design yesterday evening for my first haircut since moving to Boston a few weeks ago. I was nervous (as I always am when trying out a new salon), but it turns out that my fears were completely unfounded as they did an amazing job!
I got a haircut from Dougie, who was wonderful — a true haircut artist. I have long hair, and he gave me perfect «long layers». He was fun to chat with, and really made sure to customize my haircut to what I wanted (which I have learned is not always the case at some of these salons). Apparently he also does coloring, too, so I will likely be returning in the future for highlights.
I highly recommend Dougie and this salon!

This review is for hair cut only — I’ve had two hair cuts with Chris, and I’m very happy with how both sessions turned out. I have thin, straight hair which is not forgiving with even small flaws, but Chris knows what he is doing and he takes his time to execute what I want. The atmosphere, customer service and talent are all present at ASA. The prices are very reasonable for the quality of hair cut you get. I would definitely go back and highly recommend Chris for a hair cut, especially if you have straight hair!

Best haircut ever is from Dawn Scanzillo at Asia Hair Design in Harvard Square. I met her at a previous salon, and followed her to Asia hair. Perfect haircut, asks the right questions, is personable and funny. Now she’s a friend I love to see! The salon has a laid-​back vibe, not one of those impersonal, loud and hectic salons, where you feel like a number. And no blaring music!
Take the escalator up to the 2^nd floor. Eateries on the 1^st floor.

I got my haircut from Amanda, who is super friendly and makes you feel comfortable. I wanted to go from pretty dang long (down to the middle of my back) to fairly short (just above shoulder length). I couldn’t find a picture of what I had in mind and didn’t know how to describe it, but Amanda pretty much nailed it. I have straight Asian hair, FYI. It cost $ 55 not including tip.
I’ve been here once before, and I don’t remember my previous stylist’s name, but she was great too. ASA will probably be my go-​to salon as long as I’m in Cambridge.

Chris is super nice. Great haircut for reasonable price. I continue to go back as a loyal patron.

My hair was pretty badly damaged from a dye job at my previous salon.
I came in and immediately knew Amanda would take good care of me and my hair. She gave me the best haircut and I am so happy. I went from having long hair to a short, funky ‘do and I couldn’t be happier. I feel like my hair finally matches my personality and it’s made me so much more confident in who I am. Amanda pinned my hair back on my head to show me how short hair would look so that I’d be 100 percent sure about my decision.
I couldn’t be happier. Thanks, Amanda!

I had a very bad experience here. the stylist was nice but her hands were shaking the whole time and my layers were uneven. blow drying session was a nightmare. she kept pulling my hair so hard with the brush it was painful. the only positive aspect: lower price.

All five of these stars go to Geeta, an amazingly talented hair stylist and one of the sweetest people I’ve met since moving to Cambridge. There aren’t many stylists in the area that know how to deal with the unique intricacies and challenges that come with Asian hair, but Geeta is a pro. She listens attentively, doesn’t rush through any of the details, and makes sure you leave completely satisfied and looking your best. I don’t know what I would do without her!
Make sure you call ahead as this place gets busy (especially on Friday and Saturday afternoon). Prices are reasonable ($ 35 – 40) compared to other options around Harvard Square.

I scheduled a last minute haircut before going home for the holidays, since I couldn’t make it over the river to my usual guy. Their prices were good, their reviews were decent, and they’re close to my office. All good things in my book.
However, overall, my experience here was… odd.
First, when I walked in, my stylist noted that it was hot in the studio, and asked if I wanted to remove my sweater. Fine, but I asked if I could have a robe. She hesitated, and I hesitated — sweater chicken. Finally, I gave in and took off my sweater, revealing my tank top underneath. At which point, she blinked, said, «Oh, you have a tank top on — let me get you a robe.» Odd.
We went through the usual consultation (cleaning up my medium shaggy layers, cutting new front bangs), wash (great massage, btw), and began the cut. At which point two things happened: 1) She kept commenting about how she disliked razored and thinned cuts (being Asian, this is something that I do pretty frequently to my hair); and 2) She kept telling me that it would be fine if I «needed» to come back for her to correct it at any point.
Why would you speak negatively about my current hair cut, if I haven’t expressed any displeasure with it? Why would you continually hint that the cut you’re giving me may not be right the first time? Again, odd.
She did a just okay job with my layers, but sadly my bangs weren’t great — first they were too long, then they were too short. I figured that I’d give it two weeks, then decide if I wanted her to fix it all. Two weeks has now passed, and instead of going back, I’ve decided that I’ll just trim my bangs myself.
I suppose that says it all.

Asa recently came to my rescue when some hack at the Hair Cuttery nearby gave me a mullet and I needed it fixed ASAP! I called three salons in the area looking for a same-​day appointment and luckily Asa had one that worked with my schedule.
I got there at my appointed time and had to wait about 5 additional minutes for the stylist to finish up. No biggie. I was greeted by Geeta very warmly and I sat in her chair and asked her opinion on the best way to fix my hair. She was genuinely sad for me when she saw what someone else did to my hair and promised to fix it.
About 40 minutes later I walked out with beautiful hair that looked EXACTLY the way I wanted it to look! She managed to take a horrible situation and turn it around completely. Best of all, the appointment only cost me $ 45, which is a real steal in Harvard Square! Geeta was super nice, very personable and sweet, and I definitely would not hesitate going here again for haircuts (and maybe color too!).

This place is not actually easy to find, it is on the second floor of a mall…
Gina is calm, nice and patient, she takes her time which might be good sometimes, but for me, I did not like the results. It kinda wasted my time, 70 MINUTES working on my hair, really??? Doesn’t it mean that she cannot do it right for men? I am a man though, maybe she is good for girl styles, idk. I was really embarrassed by my hairs since it was too short (I could cut my hair like that myself in 5 minutes, using a machine). I really wish never went there and I DO NOT recommend this place FOR MEN.

Well I felt good walking into the salon… but have kind of felt like crying the 5 days since! I wanted a cut and color, and felt confident that we had decided on a perfect shade for me. Saw samples and even a photo, great!
Somehow that didn’t translate into what I received. Multiple shades darker, and not even the correct tone of reddish brown that we discussed (or that was being excitedly spoken of during the processing.). Best part? The top half of my hair isn’t even the same color as the bottom half! It’s an interesting look, to say the least.
I will never return to Nina (I believe this was her name, but I tore up the card soon after getting home out of depression.) It’s a shame I didn’t get the great experience everyone else had here.
Also– why are the mirrors so high that I can only see my nose and above? Was my chair just crazy low?

It’s hard for me to give this place anything but 3 stars because I typically judge a salon on the cut, but I didn’t even get that far at ASA Hair Design. Unfortunately my stylist didn’t show up on time because there must have been a miscommunication about the time. I waited for 30 minutes and gave up. But you know what, miscommunications happen. We’re all human, and I have no hard feelings about that.
What bothered me about Asa is that it seemed like no one knew what was going on. There was no receptionist, and the hair dressers that were manning the desk were more concerned with what they were going to get for lunch, then the fact that I was waiting there. Then when I asked whether I still had an appointment, the woman I spoke to when I arrived looked at me confused as if she had no idea what I was talking about. It seems like this salon is very disconnected, everyone fends for themselves and has no interest in helping each other out. I don’t like the lack of team effort here which is what really turned my off from Asa. Also, the style of the salon itself needs some organization. There was a massage chair I nearly walked into when arriving. This place needs a little TLC.

I have been to quite a few salons in the Cambridge area and the ASA salon has been the best so far. It’s very easy to get to due to its central location in Harvard Sq. However, not sure about parking if you are driving… The salon is located in the Garage but on the second floor so you’re kind of separated from all the restaurants and clothing stores (a good thing in my opinion). The place is nice, small but clean and welcoming.
OK the hair: I have had two appointments here, one for a cut and one for highlights. I had Dougie both times. Overall it was a very pleasant experience! My impression is that Dougie has had a lot of experience, has a good intuition about what will work for you and your look. I am really happy with how my highlights came out, it is just the look I wanted! I think he is good at understanding what you want but also adding the professional expertise/​suggestions for those of us who don’t.
I didn’t feel like the process was being rushed and I had some really nice conversations with him. I think this ties into all of his professional and life experience, but he is actually a really interesting person and nice to talk to.
So all in all I would definitely recommend this place, especially for highlights.