Flashes Salon

Went in to discuss my hair styling needs, and the guys immediately googled a picture of what I actually wanted. Phillip sat me down in a chair, checked out my hair, and pointed out how uneven the last cut had left my hair (longer on one side than the other!). Pleasant convo and good listening skills had me setting an appointment before I left.
Went back and saw Phillip, and he bantered with me while doing an exceptional joon giving me the closest style to what I was looking for (note:my hair was not yet long enough for the style to work completely). I left happy and Phillip told me to come and see him in about six months, when my hair should be the perfect length for the ultimate expression of my 70’s-style shag cut dream!
Thanks for making this shaggy dog look like a prime pooch!

Came here to get my fiancé a hair cut and we were both impressed. He did an amazing job! We decided we are going to have him cut my fiancé hair for our wedding. He knows what he is doing and was explains everything as he was doing it. Every nice enviroment. The place is really clean and nice.

First time at Flashes Salon on 5÷30÷15. Staff is very welcoming. Great haircut by Bill. Definitely will be going back.

Philip is simply the best! This guy REALLY knows how to cut hair, lemme tell ya. I like Philip because he’s respectful of your time, and still does an amazing job EVERY single time. He’s very friendly, thorough, and really knows what he’s doing. It’s hard to find someone this good, that is so consistent and equally accommodating with appointment times as well.
In general, the salon is also super-​friendly and Michael always makes me feel like I’m one of their best customers. It’s also pretty easy to find parking in the area, if you’re driving over. Love this place, and Phillip is by far the best barber I’ve ever had! Plus he’s a super-​nice guy, which sometimes you just don’t find in pretentious salons that just want your money.

Well, being a neighborhood kinda gal, I keep my money and business local, Mike, the owner is the nicest person you would ever meet, I was going to another place, but it just seemed alittle to fufu for me. I love the guys that work there, especially Sal.E. He is current, trendy and the best in cuts and color, I like to try new and now I have candy apple red hair, last season it was pink, This shop is clean, busy and «friendly, Mike always has a smile and a wave,

Overall AWESOME!!! The salon is very clean and everyone on staff is super friendly. Michael the owner is very easy to talk to and makes your feel welcomed. I recommend Phillip! He is such a funny guy and all around professional when it comes to his duties. He recommends cuts and styling tips. He is also very professional and having him cut my hair is a fun experience. If you are in the area these guys really know what they are doing. I have been going to this establishment for the past two years!

I work right down the street from Flashes, so I pass it pretty much every day, although I have never really put any thought into checking it out. Not because it doesn’t look nice, because it does, but just because I have a regular hairstylist that I have been going to for quite some time now. Also, because I’m very frugal with my money, and it has never been in my personality to pay outrageous salon prices when my haircuts are always simple, quick, and don’t require anything fancy. Which leads me to how I ended up checking them out…
I received an email from Belly (as in the Belly card) telling me that there was a deal for a free (yes, FREE!) haircut for me to go check them out. I actually was already planning on getting my hair cut sometime in the next couple days, and although my regular stylist is very cheap (only $ 15 for cut and shampoo), free is always better than cheap… and, like i said before, I am frugal. So I figured why not take them up on the offer, right?
After being buzzed in (that was the only negative about this place… seemed odd for the need to be buzzed in during business hours?), I was quickly greeted by the guy at the front desk while also receiving a very warm and welcoming smile from a nearby guy as well (turned out to be the owner I believe, Michael). I told the guy at the desk, named Sal, about the email I had received and said I was interested in getting a haircut despite having no appointment. He told me «no problem» and took me back to his chair. He asked the normal questions about what I wanted done, how I styled it, etc and quickly got to work. He was quick, but not rushing, and seemed to be very experienced and knowledgeable. I had been growing my hair out longer for the first time in years, and knew sort of what direction I wanted my hairstyle to go, but not necessarily how to describe it. Well, Sal obviously knows not only how to do great hair, but how to listen and understand as well, because it turned out pretty much exactly what I had in mind. He was friendly and charming, and most importantly seemed very sincere. I have had experiences in the past with hairstylists who just talk and talk and talk, and can’t recognize when I may just want to be left alone, or they are very friendly but are just so over-​the-​top that it makes them seem like they are just fishing for a better tip. Sal, with his adorable smile and charming demeanor, was none of that.
After my cut was all done Sal sent me up front where Michael got me all checked out, thanked me for checking them out, and wished me a great day.
All in all, my first time at Flashes was great! The cut is amazing and left me leaving with more confidence than I walked in, which to me is when a haircut is a true success. I’ll be honest, I had only planned on going this one time in order to take advantage of the free cut offer, so the only «bad thing» about my experience is that, despite my previous stance on never paying salon prices, I know I will return again soon!
So, thank you Flashes, and especially Sal! ;)
(I actually didn’t even have a Unilocal account, but felt compelled to sign up just to write this… it was that good!)

This review is not about Flashes’ salon services. I have not yet used them.
But I can vouch for Michael being 1) a decent, kind and open-​hearted human being and 2) a solid member of the Wrigleyville/​Boystown/​Lakeview community and 3) A NOTARY. What? Yes.
My story is that I needed a notary and no one was open. I tried everywhere and finally found Flashes where Michael hangs a small sign outside saying he is a notary! He said he noticed there weren’t any notaries in the neighborhood so he just went out and got the stamp and certification, which he paid a couple hundred dollars to do. Just for the community. He didn’t even charge me for the notary services! We talked for awhile and I was very impressed.
If everyone who went into business was so community-​oriented and self-​directed I think a lot of our social problems would go away. I heartily recommend this salon to everyone I know. I hope you stay in business forever!

Several months ago, I decided it was time to find a new hair salon. Every time I arrived ON TIME for my appointment, my stylist would continue to texting on his device… sometimes even disappearing into the back room to finish his ‘conversations’…even though he saw me arrive. …and leave me sitting in the waiting area well past my appointment time. I finally had enough and started asking for recommendations for a neighborhood salon… one of my best friends told me about Flashes. I am glad he did.
I always look forward to getting my haircut at Flashes. Michael always greets me with a smile and a hug. As for my stylist, Philip… along with being an excellent stylist, he is also very friendly and so much fun to chat with! I hate when my cut is done!

Very highly recommended! Both my husband and I are frequent Flashes clients and we love it! The stylists are all fantastic and there’s always someone with a smile there to take care of you. I felt so comfortable and relaxed and didn’t want to leave by the time my hair was done. My husband’s hair always looks great. We really recommend Flashes to everyone!

I’ve been going to Philip for almost a year now. The haircuts are always great as well as customer service in general and atmosphere!
You will always get a head massage with your shampoo (done twice: before and after the haircut). Philip’s job is super clean and no hair is to be found on my clothes — or even worse — under them or on my face!!!
And believe me, I love Tabatha and her show so I know what I’m talking about ;-)

im gonna miss michael but daved’s stay was short at flashes, I guess they will no longer offer manicures? Daved’s talents are moving to Lather on Montrose however this is still a great spot if you need the lakeview area :)

If I could give this place 0 stars, I would. When I moved to Lakeview, I thought, why not try this place out since it was right around the corner and I was too lazy to walk to Robert Jeffrey’s. The 1^st stylist I got — all he did was a lot of fancy scissor work, literally twirling around 2 scissors at once and making a lot of «snip snip snip» sounds (think Edward Scissorhands). Maybe that’s why the salon is called Flashes b/​c at the end I couldn’t tell that he’d really cut anything at all and in fact, made my hair look worse. All that for $ 60. I decided to give the place a second shot a month later. Bad decision. 2^nd stylist cut more of my hair this time w/​o the fancy scissor work but it was still a bad cut (AND I had to wait over a ½ hour for him while he chatted away with whom I presumed to be one of his regular clients even though it seemed like he was done cutting the guy’s hair). Anyway, 2^nd stylist layered my hair using his scissors like a razor blade (basically the lazy way to layer one’s hair) and so everything came out uneven. Then he used a brush to curl my hair while blow drying it but he curled it so much, I ended up looking like I was wearing a mushroom cap on my head — again, 60 bucks. Luckily I had a baseball hat in my bag and immediately put that on as soon as I got out of the salon. Don’t go here unless you want to spend a lot of $$ for a horrific haircut.

i have fussy hair, well, something about me is fussy, and so i’m really picky about my cuts. for the past four years i have tried ALL the other salons in boystown and i always come back to flashes. steve is great and Michael is WAY nice!!! always walk out happy with my cut. i’ve quit flitting around, what’s the point!?! i dig this place.

Let me say that for some reason, since I was a kid, I LOATHE getting my haircut. I go 2 – 3 times a year just so I don’t have to look like a nutjob. But since I decided to shell out the money for Steve R, and I actually look FORWARD to my rare cuts. I leaving looking and feeling great. He’s also dang good with color.
The sitting area is small yet cosy. The lovely owner and other stylists are friendly and always accommodating. Parking can be tricky, but not impossible.
Just goes to show that nothing is better for your head than the stereotypical super fabulous gay man with a pair of scissors.

I had a great experience here. The staff is friendly and professional. Steve did a great job. My hair has never looked better. And considering I’VE dated 7 hair stylist, I know what I’m talking about.

Love this place, staff are great, I have followed my stylist Jason to this, the third spot. Have never been disappointed with the job he has done. Have had several of my friends go here too.

I just moved to Buena Park last week and needed a hair cut. Luckily as I was walking to my gym I spotted Flashes. Flashes is a trendy salon right where Broadway and Halstead meet, and the people and service there are fantastic. I actually made my appointment on their website and the owner emailed me to confirm it. I showed up a bit early and while I was waiting I was offered beer or wine and was made to feel very welcome. The haircut itself was great and included a fantastic temple massage and was ~ $ 35. If you’re looking for a salon in that area or want to try a new place don’t be shy about heading in to Flashes.
UPDATE —
I just wanted to comeback and revisit this review, it’s been over a year now and I’ve since moved out of Buena Park, but still make the trek back to Flashes for my haircuts. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually looked forward to getting my haircut, but at Flashes it’s always a pleasure.

I gave them a couple of chances with my hair, and both times I was NOT happy. I went back once for them to fix it, and I still didn’t like it. I bought a tanning package and the bulbs didn’t do anything. Staff was friendly, but that was the only good part of the salon.