Kabuki Hair & Skin Care

When I lived in San Francisco for one month this year (January) I got my hair done here twice. I cannot remember the name of the sweet lady who did my hair but I loved her. I walked into the salon from the Greyhound station looking like something the… greyhound dragged in… and after an hour in the chair I walked out of the salon looking presentable enough to hang out with my friends at Spec’s and Li Po’s on New Year’s Eve. Whenever I return to San Francisco to visit friends I’ll definitely return to Kabuki.

I had gone to her place for about 10 years. Keiko used to be a better hair stylist, but now she just doesn’t care sometimes. Last couple of times she gave me a horrible cut. I went another hair solon afterwards and they asked me if I cut my hair myself. They did not think that the previous hair cut was done by a professional.
She often looks herself in the mirror and talks about her dancing experiences. She’s into Argentinean Tango. While I listen to her story about her dancing, I am desparately wishing not to cut that piece of hair, and want to ask her if she is paying attention because she’s just talking very exitingly about her dancing competition or something. I just would not recommend her.

I went to Kabuki for quite some time.
The salon is clean and relatively quiet, but a bit difficult to locate. If I had not seen the street view on Google Maps, I would have missed it entirely.
Keiko is nice, but as some other reviewers have noted, she often tries to up-​sell to get you to purchase more and more services — even after she has begun the treatment that you came in for. If you are «in the chair» with wet hair, you may not feel comfortable authorizing another $ 15-​$ 50 item or service. It can feel coercive and it is not very professional.
She does an excellent job cutting hair, but if you make an appointment with her, tell her what you would like at the beginning and stick to it. Do not allow yourself to be talked into additional purchases because you could easily end up paying a lot more than you thought you would. This happened to me more than once.
For this reason, I cannot recommend Keiko to others, but do feel free to try another stylist. Your experience might be different.

There aren’t many kitsuke (kimono dressing class) in San francisco. Keiko-​san is very nice and doesn’t overwhelm you with information. Private classes are $ 50 for 1 hour session and 6-​group lessons are $ 180. It was hard for me to attend the group classes since they were during the day and I work. I think the private lesson is reasonably priced.
Definately going back for a second class… so much to learn in wearing your kimono perfectly. (If only I had strong 8 arms like a tako…)

What a rip-​off! I had a very slight trim, where she cut my bangs, and cut off my split ends. My bangs are not much and complicated either. She charged me $ 48, without shampoo and slight styling. What pissed me off the most is that she styled my hair very ugly and I preferred the way it looked before going in! I also felt that she didnt’ really know how to cut or style hair, b/​c she kept asking what exactly I would like, as in length of bangs etc. It’s the hair stylist job to know what length of bangs would look, it’s supposed to be their expertise. Otherwise I would be cutting my own hair, and in this case, I wish I had!
I thought after consultation, she would reduce the price knowing that my hair cut is so slight, but she still charged me for it. I could have just gotten my bangs cut somewhere else for a LOT cheaper. From reading other reviews, it looks like she’s just as greedy with other customers and trying to charge extra. I will never be back.

Service: Keiko squeezed me in yesterday afternoon after I called in the morning. I even showed up early and she accommodated me as she was also coloring another woman’s hair. She is also very nice and chatty if you want to be.
Cut and Style: She listens to what you want and tries to give you exactly what you asked for. I’ve had my hair cut for the past few years at an expensive salon (great job, but just too pricey for me nowadays) but I don’t feel like I’ve lost any quality here. The shampoo and blow drying were nice and relaxing.
Price: The price was decent, around $ 50 for long hair.
Overall: I will definitely be back!

I just got my haircut. and by far, this is the best haircut I have ever gotten. Believe me, I have tried so many places, I can say I found the place I would go back again. Keiko is very good and experienced. She highlighted my hair as well to the color that I wanted. She is very wonderful.

I brought my friend here for highlights and she really liked how keiko did her hair. The shampoo and conditioner are the bomb! I paid 50 for deep conditioner and shampoo, style, and cut.

Mr. Sakamoto is amazing as one of the best hair dressers of all those times I tried different places in my entire life. I had very long hair for about 4 years now. Never had long hair before then, now i had enough. I need my hair healthy, pretty but more easy going at the same time. So this Monday, I just decided to color it again, turned out that I also wanted to cut it all first. Finally! Now my new short hair is about reaching my shoulders, it saves me lots of time and energies to deal with it everyday, just like I cut off certain people out of my life to have a better life. It both works greatly! Under the sun, the color likes a glass of red wine, but indoor it’s totally naturally dark. For the price he offered, $ 40 for hair cut and $ 100 for coloring (touch up is only $ 65!) the quality is so good! Detailing layers and gorgeous classy style he chose for me… Ummm… 5 stars!!!

One problem I had with this place is that the lady there Keiko is kind of pushy. She wants to push you to get a $ 300 straight perm. She will even come to your house with her equipment to do it. It seems her business is slow and she can’t rent out her empty stations.

DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT get a straight perm here. She may or may not know about cuts and facials… but DO NOT GET A STRAIGHT PERM here. I paid $ 350 for a straight perm and my hair isn’t even remotely straight.
Overall Kabuki was just alright in my opinion. I called to make an appointment for a trim and straight perm. Keiko, the owner, was able to fit me in the same day which I was very happy about.
My appt was for 3:30 and I came in at 3, the place was empty so she started right away.
I had a friend of mine cut my bangs but they were too short so i’d been pinning them back, letting them grow. She did a good job softening the edges without taking too much length. I asked her to take off 1 inch for the trim and she did exactly that which was nice but I ended up having not as many layers as i’d like which is okay– i’m still growing it out.
When she started the perm process I was very comfortable but around 5:00 one of her dancer friends came in for coloring and i felt like she was rushing a little bit so she could start with her friend and I had to ask her to straighten it more after the neutralizer, which is the last chemical step.
The perm came out frizzy and wavy in some major areas. I went back to have her fix/​redo it and gave me a speech about damage and that she used and light solution and didn’t leave it on for a long time becasue of this, I’ve had straight perms before and I know they damage your hair, i just wanted it straight so i asked her to do it again anyway and she tryed to charge me for the solution but not the labor even though it was her fault it came out wrong.
And the service was unbelievebly terrible. Both times i was there she took time out of my appointment to talk to/​work on/​show around her friends and/​or dance students. It drove me freaking crazy!!!

Keiko is the owner here and she’s very friendly. I’ve been visiting her for close to 7 years. Very professional with her cuts and she makes sure that you’re completely satisfied. Keiko offers facial services and has a dance studio for ballroom dance lessons as well.

I have been coming to kabuki for the last year and half and Keiko does a fabulous job everytime. I have gone to the more expensive salons to get my hair done and doesnt come out half as good as when Keiko does it and she listens to you when you say «only 2 inchs!» I have also have done the japanese straighting here too. Keiko calls it the «super straight perm.» Its a long process but she does a fabulous job and the price you cant beat compared to other salons.
She also has a dance studio downstairs which is wonderful and she has a class on monday nights for beginners.

That person who had first reviewed this place must’ve been lost through the haircut because I had the best one just a few weeks ago!
My friend’s mother (Keiko) owns the salon and I got a tour of the place. one of the largest salons I know in the city. But aside from that the service is wonderful.
The week before I went to get a haircut my friend talked her mother about my hair texture, how many layers I had, what I wanted for my future haircut, etc. It was like an job interview with my head. :]
Keiko sat me down before washing my hair about how I wanted to cut my hair one more time before we went under the shears. Washed hair, got a manicure while my haircut was in progress and when Keiko got to the end of the trimming. the real part of the haircut started. She talked me through the haircut and told me what she was going to do before she would cut any hair off. My favorite part was when she used the texture shears on my bottom layers. they sounded like blades of death next to my ears but it got the job done. I got the soft bangs I wanted and the perfect thin layers on the bottom.
There isn’t much more a girl or guy could ask for in a haircut and in a hairstylist like Keiko.

Keiko is the nicest hair stylist you can come by. I walked by and decided to get a haircut, but didn’t have an appointment. I really needed one before i went to a wedding, and i didn’t want to go to a place like great clips or supercuts. I went in and she didn’t have any openings for that day, go figure since it was 7 pm, but i figured i’d give it a shot. I said i couldn’t get it any other day and she offered to give me a haircut at 10:30 pm. It is kinda late, but its not too far from my apartment so why not. She did a great job and really knows what she’s doing. At first i wasn’t sure if i liked my haircut, but after playing around with it, it looks great.
For people’s reference, i’m a guy. I didn’t really know what i wanted but she suggested a few things.
A great place, great service, close if you live in nob hill.

Actually nobody has commented on the kimono rental/​fitting business at this place, so hopefully this review will help those interested.
There are several kimono’s for rental. The conventional ones are $ 250, while furisode, gorgeous ones reserved for special occasions, are $ 350. Since I was arranging this for my kid sister as a coming of the age acknowledgment and as a present to her 21^st birthday present, I opted for furisode. The hair was done at $ 40, and her hair was banded up to show her neck. An extra $ 30 to $ 40 was spent on neck treatment to make her neck look better. That is understandable, since that is one way to show beauty when wearing kimono.
Keiko-​san was very hospitable, as I was getting nervous of carrying out such a splurge, and did not know anything about how to prepare for kimono fitting. My kid sister and my mother were very appreciative of her coordinating this difficult task. I’m definitely a happy customer.
On the side note, this place also has kimono’s to be rented for shichi-​go-​san (celebrating the growth of your child being 7 and 3 for girls, and 5 for boys).

I just returned from having my hair colored. I am so happy I have beautiful hair again, as prior to I had two horrible experiences! I let Katie decide on what was best for my hair, and I could not be happier! She definitely knows what she is doing! :) Cheers!

I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t like to get my hair cut and usually tells the stylist, «what do you think». But after several bad haircuts from stylists who seem to only know how to cut hair in one way, a friend recommended Keiko (the owner) at Kabuki Hair Salon.
Keiko gave me a great haircut, that had a good amount of layering and gave my hair (which is pretty flat) a little bit of volume. She talked me through the shape of my head and what haircut she thought would work for it.
I also now know that Keiko was trained in Tokyo and has done hair and make-​up for dozens (haybe hundreds) of traditional Japanese weddings as well as more traditional weddings.
There are about 8 chairs in the salon, so it’s entirely possible that some stylists are hit and miss. I’d ask for Keiko on my first visit and ask her who’d she’d recommend if she’s not there.
They also do manicures, pedicures and also might also have massage services available.

I come here twice a year to get my hair straightened.
When I first moved to the Bay Area I splurged on a Thermal Reconditioning Treatment at Maiden Lane Salon. It was expensive, $ 500 not including tip, but so worth it. I loved how smooth and straight it left my (formerly) curly hair even on windy, foggy nights.
Unfortunately I can’t afford to go there twice a year. A Korean friend told me that many asian salons offer this service for half the price. So after a bit of research I ended up at Kabuki. At first I was nervous because the salon is kind of dumpy. But Keiko used the exact same technique that the stylist at Maiden Lane used with the same results. Only this time I paid $ 200. She calls it the «super straight perm». The process take 3 hours.
The salon moved from 500 Sutter Street to 771 Bush Street.

My experience was great! Keiko was very friendly and made me feel comfortable. I went in knowing roughly what I wanted but was fuzzy on the details so she helped me pick something out of a style book which would look good. I’ve gotten a heap of compliments on my cut and feel really great about it, which is more than I can say for most of my other visits to salons. The price is very reasonable, too.