The Strand

I LOVE The Strand. Very comfortable atmosphere to hang in for a few hours. Kristy is smart, funny and has a great eye. She really looks at your face and tries to help you figure out the cut that would be most flattering for you. She’s willing to think outside the box. She’s a wonderful combination of the artistic and the practical. She’s an excellent colorist too. Highly recommend!

It is time to book an appointment but I won’t be making it. I’ve come to realize the lack of professionalism in the salon is painful. I have experienced and observed lack of manners and condescending behavior on the part of stylists and that has colored my visits. Too bad, because I’ve had some good services there, but I won’t be back.

Everyone at The Strand are hair goddesses and wizards! I had received the best highlights ever from Kristy, she is so skilled with color, making sure my hair looked as beautiful and natural as ever. I love the small boutique salon, the sweet treats they offer as well as tea or coffee, it’s easy to feel at home there. Thanks Kristy and all the ladies at The Strand!

Thank you again Kathleen (Kate) for another beautiful haircut. Many years ago I asked a friend in my elementary teacher certification classes (Jill H., now in NJ) about who cut her hair, and she sent me to Kathleen at Treat. Kathleen moved to The Strand @ 6 years ago and I followed her there. Kathleen is super-​friendly and also a perfectionist in her work. You will leave happy with your hair both because she’s a magician with scissors and a hair dryer+ round brush and because she has a great sense of humor and is a sweet person overall.

Kathleen is amazing for cuts and colors. I’ve been coming here for years and have changed the color and style over and over. I’ve always left happy!

The only name you need to know for color — Anjanette Tsui. AJ is the master of color. Color is all she does, and she is amazing. I am one of those ‘was a towhead as a kid and can’t let go’ types. Yes, my hair color now is dark blond. OK, maybe light brown now. With gray. Too much gray. But no one knows it. People just assume my light ashy blond is natural because it looks that good. Really. I jokingly tell friends that no one my age (ahem, bumping up against 50) has hair this color naturally and they think I’m kidding. I’ve been highlighting since college, so I know a good deal about what looks great and what looks, well, colored. AJ’s work is flawless. She knows just how to get the right color, depth and dimension into your hair. When I moved to the city 6 years ago I despaired of finding someone as good as my former colorist. And by a total stroke of luck I found AJ right off the bat. The stylist who cuts my hair commented on the beautiful color, and she does color herself. I told her that I was never leaving AJ for color. She sighed and said, «I see why.»

This just in: Kathleen aka Kate aka best hairstylist in the world NOW DOES COLOR! Woohoo! After a decade of great haircuts, she now is doing my color… and she is terrific at it. My highlights are warm, deep, and even my husband who never notices these types of things commented on how pretty the color is!
I recommend The Strand and Kate without hesitation!

I’ve been coming here for over a decade. All the stylists are amazing but my stylist Kristy is the ‘intuitive hair aficionado’. In fact, i just give over my hair completely to her and let her figure out what needs to happen… the results are impressive but I am not the only one who thinks so because i constantly have people ask me where i get my hair done. Kristy knows just what YOU need but is certainly not forceful about it… her skill and magical ability will transform you. Not to mention that the soothing environment keeps you coming back for more (and they see clients on Sunday, amazing!)

I’m rewriting my first review and adding a couple stars since Peggy did call to try and remedy my problem. I’ll start with the good. The salon itself is cute and clean, and they offer cookies, coffee, and tea which is nice. This was my 1^st visit to the salon, and I saw Peggy for a highlight and haircut. She did a great job with getting the highlights super close to the scalp like I wanted. The placement is good too.
Here’s the negative. The thing I was most upset about was that I left the salon with completely unfinished hair. When you pay $ 300 for a salon service you want to leave with beautiful hair that looks like you just stepped out of the salon. My hair looked awful when I left. It was only half dried and frizzy, and my highlights were very brassy. All my past stylists have always used a toner after highlighting my hair so it wont look yellow. Peggy only washed it. I had to fix the brassiness at home with some purple shampoo & conditioner. The haircut wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. She had another client waiting, so I think she rushed my haircut. I asked her to take 3″ off, and my hair hardly looks like it’s been cut at all.
Peggy did call me to see if I wanted more highlights or a stain put in, but I’m a stay home mom who lives 2hrs away. It was a big deal for me to be able to come get my hair done, and I can’t just pop back in. I think I’ll be returning to my old stylist, who doesn’t get the highlights as close to the scalp as I like, but the color is always great, and I leave the salon with smooth beautiful hair every time.

So happy I found this salon AND Kathleen Gagnier. I went to her for my haircuts as a referral from a good friend, and have been going to Kathleen for a few years now. I absolutely love coming to the Strand!

the BEST place I’ve ever been to.
Had a diy hair color disaster. My hair was splotched various shades of orange and yellow in a desperate attempt to get back to blonde.
Didn’t sleep at all, next morning I was searching for salons that were open on Sundays in a panic. I found The Strand and the receptionist made me an appointment the same day for an hour later! I was thrilled and she was so nice.
Jay brought my hair back from the brink, I swear. He was so nice, warm, and welcoming and didn’t make me feel guilty or bad for attempting at home highlights.
He was quick too. I was out the door in 3 hours which is a miracle considering my super thick hair takes hours normally.
And the price point was spot on. $ 250 for saving my hair (my life!). I tipped him more than I ever thought I’d tip a hairdresser simply because he was amazing and deserved every penny.
I won’t go anywhere else for my hair. Everyone at the Strand is so friendly and the work is impeccable for a great price.

Marie is currently making my hair look amazing for the miss Sonoma county 2012 pageant. Last year Marie (known as mom to me!) did my hair for the miss Sonoma county pageant in 2011! I actually won last year and this year I am saying farewell! Marie has made my hair look stunning 2 years in a row! Get your butt to Marie, now! :)

Jay has been cutting my hair for two years now, as it dwindles in quantity and introduces gray into the mix. He’s great at what he does and he’s a really good guy as well. Always easy to talk to. His schedule is extremely convenient, covering weekends and taking off days midweek. At times I’ve even been able to get morning or afternoon appointments on the same day or within 24 hours of calling.
The Strand isn’t a large salon, but it’s just as large as it needs to be. You can get a free cup of coffee, tea or water, as well as cookies if you’d like. Though I moved away from the neighborhood two years ago, I’ll keep driving the 20 – 25 minutes across town for a shampoo and haircut that take only 30 – 45 minutes.

I followed Kathleen G from Treat to the Strand despite it being even further away from where I live because she is a wonderful stylist with a warm yet straightforward style. I travel quite a bit and Kathleen has never steered me wrong when it comes to providing insights on styles that will last. She is also just a joy to be around and she makes me laugh. I’ve never once left disappointed.
The salon is welcoming and offers water and tea plus there is usually a pretty good selection of cookies/​treats. It’s in a nice neighborhood too so if you get there a little early or have time afterwards you can pop into a café or just wander around a little bit. I’ve also never had trouble finding parking which is a plus.

I came here on a reco from a co-​worker and absolutely loved Kathleen. The entire experience was fantastic, and I’m happy to have found a great stylist in SF, as I’m super finicky about my hair and who cuts it.
Kathleen is really practical and honest; she takes the time to understand you, your style, and your hair issues before she makes her recommendations. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone. She also does bang trims in between appointments!

Kylee Slevin has been my hair colorist for the last 2 years. Her highlights are the best I have ever received hands down! She is able to create a natural look that is both urban and funky (as per my request), and glamorous. I love the glow and warmth she brings to my color. You can rest assured, she will always give you her perfect best. Her diligence, commitment and endurance all in the name of getting the job done right is laudable. That her personality is engaging and sweet only adds to the package. Another bonus is she is not the type of stylist who will chat your ear off. When you are in Kylee’s hands, she always puts you first.
Now that Kylee is at The Strand, I am at The Strand, which is A-​OK by me. The salon is sweet and inviting. I highly recommend it.

5 Stars… LEGIT!
So I came here like 2 – 3 years ago when I had junior prom and I was referred to this place by one of my friends. When I first got in I thought it was just one of those little neighborhood hair places and I was iffy! See I really wanted a pin-​up inspired hairdo (I brought in plenty of photos that I got online). I forgot who I got but it was this sweet lady who I felt like could be my mom and holey moley… in 45 minutes she did WORK! My hair updo was AMAZING! It was definitely pin-​up inspired but completely modern. I loved it. It was perfect.
Such nice people here I loved it.

A.J. is a great colorist-​I followed her from Treat.
Susan is probably the best Keratin/​Coppola person around. I tried a cheaper salon and it took half of the time but I got half of the great results.
The owner, Kristy, gave me a brilliant haircut the first time around and I will definitely give her another try!

Kristy, the owner of Strand, cut my hair and I was less than impressed. In fact, I hate my haircut and I’m pissed every time I look in the mirror.
I had been growing my hair for 2+ years to donate to Locks for Love, so Kristy had plenty of hair to work with. The style I requested was simple: a shoulder length stacked bob which curls under and is cut for wavy hair. What I left with was an uneven chin length bob that flipped out and was blunt cut (not compatible with wavy hair!). Finally, Kristy styled my hair in the worst way possible. She twisted little pieces of my hair into mini-​dreads making it impossible to see how uneven the cut was and how it was nothing close to what I had requested. I was totally embarrassed to go back to work. I had brought many images with me to show her exactly what I wanted — I expected her to style my hair in the same fashion as the images I brought (NOT styled like a wet mop).
This cut is so bad that I’ve considered keeping my 15″ of cut hair and having my own wig made. However, the people I’m donating my hair to need it far more than I (and I’m sure they would be grateful for my lousy haircut rather than their cancer and bald head).
Additionally, I feel that if a salon charges $ 75 per haircut, they should have some fluff to boot. There was no head/​neck massage, no posh or pretty interior, and very little professionalism. There was a cold shoulder, condescending chitchat and totally shabby interior.
I found Strand and Kristy because of the glowing reviews on Unilocal.Perhaps I just have bad luck with haircuts? In the future, I’ll take my Unilocal with a grain of salt (the salon reviews anyway!)

I read your reviews, guys, and got myself appointment with Kathleen.
I like the results, and it wasn’t THAT expensive.
For my haircut/​blow dry = $ 65.00 +$ 15.00 tip = $ 80.00
It’s difficult to find hair stylist who knows how to deal with thin hair and Kathleen did wonderful job with mine.
I will be back there in a 6 weeks.
Kathleen accepted my card, but mainly she takes only cash/​checks.