Charlie Salon

I’m really trying to not be upset… but every time I think about my experience here I get pissed all over again. I had been growing out my hair for a year. I wanted simple long layers, framed around the face, a U shape in the back– just something to give it some shape and not lay so heavy. I also showed him a picture of the color– a medium rich brown. I came out with almost black hair, with extremely short pieces around my face, and however it was layered, it is heavy at the ends and poofy, even after asking him to cut it upwards on the ends, like my go-​to stylist does, to give it a not so blunt look. I left this place almost crying and beyond upset. I even rinsed and conditioned it when I got home, and it is the driest my hair has ever felt– much more than even when I have box dyed it. It sticks together in heavy wet chunks and feels like straw. It is absolutely not what I asked for or showed him, and for $ 125 with a $ 15 tip (a college student’s paycheck of 2 weeks, mind you), I will be calling tomorrow to complain. I am not one of those people, but the comparison between what I asked for and what I got is just horrible. I gave it a chance and thought maybe the blow out just made it look heavy-​wrong. Anyway, even if I said I didn’t like it, I would not trust anything else done to my hair. It’s past the point of fixing. I will have to let these layers grow out and try to get this color to fade faster. I will not be chancing on my hair again and will be taking the hour and a half trip back to my old stylist.

I called the salon and the nice person on the phone was able to get me a next day appointment during the holiday season. Nicole did my dye job. She did an AMAZING job matching the red colour from a picture that I brought in. It’s been a month since I got my hair done & people are still giving me compliments! Also, it was significantly cheaper than my old salon. Plus, they made me a cup of coffee while I was waiting. I’ll definitely be coming back

It was New Year’s Eve and I had everything in order for my big gala that night except — wait for it — what was I going to do about my hair? I called, no joke, a dozen salons in and around the area close to where my event was on Broad Street. Many of them gave me an attitude and some even laughed. I knew it was going to be a long shot so I didn’t have high expectations when calling but a girl can only hope right? Plus it was for me and a friend and we couldn’t do anytime earlier than 4PM so we figured no luck. Then, I called Charlie Salon.
Charlie himself answered the phone and enthusiastically offered to squeeze my friend and I in for a 4PM appointment. We both have shoulder length and it’s not thick at all which Charlie indicated made squeezing in two appointments relatively easy. I got a genuine «Come in and we’ll take care of you» feeling after talking with him.
My friend and I arrived just before 4PM and were welcomed by Charlie. We were told that our appointments were going to be back to back with the same stylist which wasn’t a huge deal but one of us would end of waiting for the other to be done. We waited a little longer and, due to our original stylist being a little behind, we were both switched to other stylists at the salon which ended up getting us both out around the same time. We both really appreciated that the salon made adjustments for us that we didn’t even ask for but made for a great experience. Also, while we waited we were offered a glass of champagne to toast to the (NYE) occasion.
Charlie Salon is in a perfect location of Philly and the moderate price was certainly welcomed compared to the others in the area. My stylist did an excellent job with my hair and gave me exactly what I was looking for AND it stayed all night into the following day! Without a doubt, I plan to return to Charlie Salon next time I am home in the city for an event. Next time I’ll try to book a little bit earlier :)

First time I went to Charlie’s salon was to fix my HORRIBLE bangs with an awful hair color and my long damaged hair. It was right next door but for some reason I never experienced this hidden gem before, which i regret now. I was full of anxiety of how they could fix this disaster. They did and i was so pleased. Lovely salon and great team i get my hair trimmed and dyed every three months (i get bored with my hair and i like to change the color frequently and they always do a wonderful job.) The second i enter, the friendly and professional staff makes me feel like home and offers me coffee and water :)
Four and half Unilocal

I LOVE THIS PLACE… The staff is super friendly and always willing to work around my crazy work schedule. I have been in for several hair cuts and always love the results. They have done my color perfectly and always talk about what they think I want instead of just attacking my hair and hoping I like the results. I went recently to have my hair done for an event and received so many compliments. I tell everyone about this place!

I can’t say enough wonderful things about this salon. The owner is super sweet and personable. My stylist Alaina is AMAZING. While I want to brag about her, secretly I want to hit the lottery so I can keep her all to myself. My hair looks simply amazing when I leave her. She always takes the time to consult with me before going to work on my very long, seemly never ending hair. The last time we did something amazingly fun and added purple, blue and a little accent pink to make it pop. I was beyond happy with the results and got all kinds of compliments on it. It was exactly what I envisioned.
Alaina was at another salon when I first met her, I won’t name names, but when she left and landed at Charlie’s, I happily followed. She really is just that amazing. Oh and she’s so easy to talk to and chat with while there.

I was living in Philly this summer and desperately needed a haircut. I had been shopping around for a salon with good reviews and prices when I walked by Charlie salon on my way home from work. I stopped in to inquire about prices and spoke with James at the front desk. He was super friendly and asked if I was a student– I am, so he gave me coupons for a student discount of 20% of a haircut. I told him I wasn’t ready to make an appointment yet, but I’d be in touch. He didn’t pressure me to make an appointment on the spot, and I was on my way.
I ended up making an appointment for a haircut with Bridget. Before we began, she asked exactly what I wanted; and wow, did she listen. I went shorter than normal and it looked awesome. She did a wonderful job on my angles and layers and she was so sweet and good to chat with.
On my way out, James let me know I can get a discount (or maybe a free cut?) if I refer friends, and I will be doing that. I can’t wait to come back to Philly for my next haircut at Charlie salon!

Everything about this place is great. I have been having a hair crisis for a month and Tara took amazing care of me. I booked an appointment that same day– even though she was running a half hour behind, everyone in the salon made me feel welcomed and offered me beverages, magazines, etc.
She did a consultation with me first to find out how we were to go about fixing my orange hair (I am a brunette), and the end result was fantastic.
This salon is in a perfect location, bright atmosphere due to the openness of the space, clean, friendly, and moderately priced for the area.
I will definitely be back to see Tara again– she did a fantastic job from turning me from a pumpkin back to my natural color.

Today was my first time here. The hair stylist that did my hair was Nicole. I love how my hair turned out. I also like how friendly All the staff were at me. I would definitely come back to this place and recommend this salon to my friends.

In an earlier review here on Unilocal I mentioned that I only trust two people on the entire planet to cut and style my hair: one is Shea McJagger, who has done so on two continents, and also ALAINA WRAY, who has done so on both coasts of the USA! During yesterday’s visit to Charlie Salon, Alaina’s home salon in Philadelphia, she once again proved her exceptional vision and artistry, wholly validating my choice and faith in her as a stylist!
Our usual conceptual strategy is for Alaina to have a look at my hair’s length and state, and then we discuss together what sort of cut and style we envision for that visit. On this occasion, I decided to fully give myself and my hair over to whatever new concept Alaina saw within my mane then and there, and WOW, am I happy that she did exactly what she wished!
I went from a very casual, long, shaggy look to a style in which my shorter sides and longer top may appear youthful or professional, formal or punkish, all depending on what I want. Alaina framed and then cut the style, then showing me its dynamic qualities and aesthetic versatility in all the simple ways to combform, so that I am now able to easily get to each look within the style! It is PHENOMENAL!!!
Alaina is exceptionally well regarded amongst my female friends as well, her art of colour and skill in styling being tops in the area. So ladies AND gentlemen of the Tri-​State Region, I earnestly advocate that you GIVE HER YOUR HAIR!!! She will amaze and astound you in every possible, positive way!!!
Alaina Wray bloody ROCKS!!!

I can not say how happy I was with my experience at Charlie Salon. I was in town for a wedding and had a last minute drama with a different salon in town. They left me high and dry and I was really stuck. I walked in to Charlie’s on the way back to my hotel and not only did they take me as a walk in, but Nicole did my hair EXACTLY as I wanted, which included extensions I had brought with me. I am very grateful for what a fantastic establishment this is!

I’ve always had a bit of trouble coloring my hair (it does NOT like bleach) and wanted to get a few streaks of color in the front. Buddy suggested getting extensions. I was a little hesitant to have something foreign in my hair for an extended period of time, especially since my hair is (in my mind) a very unique texture. He put about 10 blonde extensions in and then i decided last minute i wanted a little blue if possible… Buddy created 5 blue extensions for me in about 10 minutes and popped them right in! I was thrilled!!!
Overall i was extremely pleased with the service and the other stylists were very friendly to boot!

Why do I keep returning? Charlie listens. Sometimes I have very definitive ideas about what I want in either cut or color or both. I need someone who will help me make my vision a reality and Charlie will do just that. Other times I just let Charlie do his creative best. No matter what I ALWAYS get oodles of compliments after a visit. The entire staff is excellent.

Always happy when I leave!

About two years ago I got a groupon for a brazilian, my first ever. I had no idea what to expect and was no doubt nervous about the whole thing.
I am happy to say my experience with amazing! Barbara is an esthetician genius! She makes you 100% comfortable in a situation that is easily extremely uncomfortable. We talked the entire time as she worked her magic. Comfortable, painless, and beyond satisfactory. I continued to see Barbara and even started having my hair done by her co worker, Jill, who is an incredible stylist.
Needless to say I have followed Barbara and Jill where ever they is working and have never been disappointed. I recommend and even encourage all my friends to go to them both. I have never had my hair done or been waxed in Philadelphia by anyone else, nor do I plan on ever doing so.
Barbara is now at Charlie’s which is extremely convenient because once again she and Jill are working together again! Both of these ladies are amazingly talented and friendly.
Do yourself a favor, take an afternoon for yourself and head to Charlie’s salon for some pampering. Both of these ladies are extraordinary at what they do and very reasonably priced as well as fun and easy to talk to. I recommend both of them to any and everyone.

I went in with a girlfriend for manis and pedis. They said they couldn’t take us at the same time, so we scheduled the appointments back-​to-​back (they estimated an hour for each person, no problem). My friend went first and after 2 hours, her mani/​pedi still wasn’t done. As others have said, they did not have the «equipment» to do manis and pedis and their color choices were super limited. The nail technician was SO slow. In the end, I didn’t have time to get my mani/​pedi because hers took so insanely long. While everyone was nice, I’d go here for hair services, not nail services.

Over priced for a mani ped. No spa chair or nail dryer. And I’m pretty sure they made a bet whether or not I would tip. Rude. When I gave the girl her tip, she offered it to a coworker.
She didn’t paint my nails right (wasn’t close enough to my nail bed) and my nails looked like they «out grew» the polish within a few days.

I went for a cut and color about a month ago based on raving reviews from a coworker. Now normally I could care less about my hair. It gets cut, it gets colored, it looks good for like 3 days then I’m over it. I got my cut and color with Nancie, who was highly recommended. I came in with some ideas, Nancie threw hers out and we decided on a cut and color.
WOW. This is the first time that someone has nailed what color I wanted in my hair. I couldn’t have asked for better, and I have gotten nothing but compliments, even now, 4 weeks later. The cut I got was simple since I’m growing my hair out, but next time I may go more adventurous, so I’ll keep you posted!
Overall, great service, nice people, and not out of control pricing for being in Center City. Plus they’re currently running a student discount!

I scheduled myself a mani and gel removal during my lunch break.
I arrived a little late, but they took me anyway. I was asked if I wanted coffee, water, or tea and asked if they could take my jacket. I gave them my jacket and asked for water. The jacket was hung up in the closet and the water was cool and refreshing and delivered in a shrub glass. Very nice.
Everyone was dressed respectably, with their make-​up and hair done in a nice, but trendy way. This matched the décor and ambiance and I was very smitten with it.
My nail technician removed the last bits of a gel manicure that I had gotten weeks ago, and although she asked if I wanted another, she did not push when I said no.
I chose two colors — a nice purple and purple mix glitter to go on top of it.
Then things started to get weird.
She asked me to prepay for the service, so that I «wouldn’t have to fumble with my purse». Okay. I did so. I was surprised (in a good way) that the services cost $ 20 LESS than I was expecting.
I sat back down and she asked if I had a jacket. When I said yes, she got it for me and helped me put it on. It was a chilly day, so I had a wool coat — which was rather warm for the comfortable little salon.
She gave me a TERRIFIC hand massage, the conversation was lovely, and my nails look GREAT.
When it came time for my nails to dry, she asked when I needed to be back to work by. I had 15 minutes to go. At that point, she got up and walked away. She hung out with a few of the other people in the salon — in the back and at the reception area. I waited for 10 minutes, blowing on my nails to get them to dry faster — and hoping she would come back and touch test them for tackiness. At 5 minutes until I had to be back at work, she got up and went outside with 2 other girls, and walked out of view of the window. Had she left? Well, if she wasn’t there any more there was certainly no point to my being there.
When I walked out of the salon, I saw her there on a smoke break with the other girls. She said good bye and wished me a good time at the event I’m going to. I made it back to work on time.
It’s hard to review this. The service, until the end, was amazingly good. The service performed was also good. But, the end was bizzare.

I feel confident saying the eyebrow wax I got at Charlie Salon was the BEST I have ever had. Mind you, I’ve only ever gotten my brows done at $ 8-​quick-​serve type places, but this experience was absolutely perfect.
I came in with an expiring Buy With Me certificate, which was $ 10 for $ 20 worth of waxing services. Online it said eyebrows were $ 20, so I made an appointment for later that night. I was called by the receptionist and informed of a cancellation, and told I could come in earlier if I’d like, which was really helpful.
Maria was there to greet me when I arrived about half an hour before my appointment. She was super friendly and nice, talking to me about her past experience and telling hysterical stories. The wax took about 20 minutes, and wasn’t painful at all (though I don’t normally experience pain during brow waxes). She waxed, tweezed and trimmed the hair to perfection. Honestly, I didn’t know my eyebrows could look this good! And the most amazing part: NO redness! That’s something I’ve never experienced before.
Upon leaving I learned the wax was only $ 15. Not a big deal, and I definitely didn’t expect any change back. The receptionist asked Charlie about it, and he somewhat rudely said «NO CHANGE.» I mean, I didn’t even ask. But I know he was busy with a client and probably just wanted to make sure she heard him.
Maria gave me a coupon for a free mini-​facial for next visit, which I promptly booked. Can’t wait to enjoy one of her famous facials!