Coven Salon

Emily is a rockstar! I’ve been with her for over 5 years and my hair is always on point. I moved to the Bay Area a couple years ago and when I come back to visit family, I also make a point to visit Emily. My hair is thick, heavy and straight and Emily knows how to lighten enough so when I come back 6 months later, it still falls great.

After hearing rave reviews from a couple of friends, I decided to give Coven a try. I love the name — it says feminine power, mystery, witchery, and friendship to me — so that was an extra bonus. The space is very cozy, minimal/​rustic. Everyone in the salon is super sweet and easy to talk to. There are good magazines to read AND the offer of water, hot tea, or champagne. Naturally, I chose champagne.
I got my hair cut by Aylah (?). I’d had platinum blonde hair earlier this year, and I was still dealing with damaged ends and formerly wavy-​curly hair that just blew around in sad, dry straggles. I wanted a shoulder length, subtly a-​line «lob» with blunt ends to make my thin, fine hair look thicker and sexier. But I was also feeling adventurous, so I agreed to the up-​sell of toner and I also let my stylist cut my hair a little shorter than I wanted it to be, just below the chin. She did a dry cut, which is the right way to cut curly hair AND the first time a stylist has ever actually done that on me. The result is very pretty and cute, it feels and looks much more healthy, and the curl is coming back!
The total cost with tip was a little over $ 100 for cut and toner with styling (round brush blowout) thrown in. Worth it!

How many times in your life do you get to go into the salon with mid-​back length girl-​y girl hair and walk out with a mohawk? One, if you’re lucky. How many times will you have no regrets and still be sneaking into bathrooms to check yourself out a day later? One, if you’re even luckier. Theresa could not have been a more perfect stylist for my Victoria’s Secret model to Joan Jett transformation. We cut my long, beautiful, annoying hair off in two pony tails and then she did the hard work of precision razoring the bejesus out of the rest. She cut my hair for two hours! The result: a 5 in 1 pixie (fauxhawk, pompadour, kinda angular bob, spiky new wave hair, brushed down pixie). I have no idea how this haircut has so much style cut into it — short hair miracle.
The salon is a cute little satanic midcentury modern storefront with pin legs and gossip magazines. Accessible prices and very open to rainbow/​pastel colors. I will only go back to Theresa (who’s studying with Jenny Slay) but I saw excellent hair leaving on everybody (including natural black hair and dread perms). Thanks for the spikes — I got my rock back! I am delighted!

Had to addend to rave about my newest haircut from Ayla! I finally went for the big chop and got an undercut for my curly hair, which may be my new favorite thing (see awkward mirror selfie in photo section)! She got it perfectly and knew that it was a big change for me, so went slow with the cuts until we were both happy with the final product. Can’t wait to be back for a trim!

I’m a new client and just had my hair done (full foil, a few streaks of additional color, and a cut) by Jenna and am extremely impressed. She was sweet and knowledgable and my color turned out great. The salon is intimate yet bustling and everything is on point including a nice backyard patio you can relax in while you process. The only star subtraction is that it was a bit pricey, as I seemed to get charged full price rather than a relevant portion like I do for similar services at other salons (hair cut was more like a really minimal trim on a few sections, and the additional color was probably 4 foils). Regardless I will definitely be coming back, since their quality of work is worth it!

Ladies, there are 3 things you should spend a little extra on:
1. A pair of REAL leather riding boots. No, not the PVC crap that’s going to wear through before next season. The kind that fit like a glove and smell like I imagine Benedict Cumberbatch perpetually smells.
2. The bottle of wine that is one price point up from the cheapest. Trust me.
3. A good hair cut!
Any of the fine ass ladies at Coven will assuredly be able to deliver you an equally fine ass hair cut. I have seen both Emily and Alexis and have been more than happy with my cuts. I have curly and very frizz prone hair and they know how to handle my lions mane like champs. If you have curls, you need to make an appointment here this instant. Your hair should not look like a pyramid or any similar configuration and you need to start seeing someone who knows how to cut curls.
In addition, the salon space and vibe is welcoming and laid back and they offer tee shirts to change into during your service and complimentary booze. Ample parking around the space and online appointments are convenient.
You’re going to pay a little more for a cut, but honestly ladies, its worth it. I don’t believe Emily takes new clients anymore but Alexis is great with curls and a total doll. Finally I have found a salon where I leave with amazing hair and not hair I feel I have to immediately put up into a hair tie until I can get home and figure out what to do with it.

I am somewhat new to this salon. I have been to four appointments.
I think that you wouldn’t go wrong with any of the stylists here. They all seem to have their own little niche. I started with Alexis. She was great. I had to reschedule an appointment, and I couldn’t get in with Alexis when I needed to as she books out far ahead. I made an appointment with one of their newer stylists, Ayla.
Ayla is awesome. She can definitely cut, color and style my curly hair. What I really love though is how she does color. You know when a stylist just gets what you want even though you might not know how to perfectly articulate your hair desires? That is Ayla. I feel very comfortable in her chair. I wanted something fun but still work appropriate. She gave my just the overall blonde-​ish color I wanted and a splash of different shades of pink/​purple. She also knows how to change things up a little if you don’t want to completely change your hair color. I also loved my blow out since I never do it myself. The time before she styled my hair curly. Someone stopped me on the street after the appointment and told me I have perfect curls. I never spend the time to make my curls look that nice on my own.
The staff also tries to make sure you are fairly pampered when you are there. They have shirts to change into to protect your clothing. They offer drinks. They have a cute little outdoor area to wait in while your hair processes. If you don’t love everything about your hair even if something changes after a few weeks you can come back in and they will fix it.
The products sold here are Bumble and Bumble. I can’t remember which line/​s of colors they use, but I know they have veggie dyes.
The price is about on par with most Seattle area studios. If you want a super cheap cut, this might not be the place for you. There is some variation on cost amongst the stylists though.
I also usually find street parking fairly easily. Just give yourself a little extra time in case it is a busier day.

I cannot say enough about Alexis and Coven! I started seeing Ms. Alexis at Vain about five years ago and had to follow her when she made the big move. I have curly hair and have had some pretty horrible haircuts, but Alexis gets it just right every time. I am totally comfortable in her hands, so I just get to sit back and enjoy catching up. (I should also note that even though I have never personally gone to Jenny or Emily, I have seen their work and they are also incredibly talented. I would feel comfortable going to any one of them.)
I’m compelled to write a review now because Alexis just did hair for myself and my bridesmaids for my wedding. Prior to the wedding I was worried about my grays showing, and she thankfully talked me out of doing something drastic like highlights or a full color. We did a glaze, which covered the grays but kept me looking like «me». I feel like most stylists would not have been that thoughtful.
On the day of the wedding, she was on time and ready to go (even though I was running late). While I was finishing up, she fixed my fiancé’s terrible haircut he had gotten a week prior so that he wouldn’t look horrible in our wedding photos. It was such a relief! She hung out with us all day as we got ready, and I kind of forgot she wasn’t part of the official wedding party. The girls were so happy with their updos/​blow outs, and don’t even get me started on my wedding hair. I have seriously never looked that good. Ever. In my life. We worked off a couple pictures I found online, but what she produced was 10x greater than anything I could have expected. Not only was it absolutely beautiful and exactly what I wanted, but it held up ALL FREAKING NIGHT. Sweat, dancing, people hugging me — nothing loosened those bobby pins until I wanted them out.
I seriously love this woman, you guys. Huge girl crush. She’s the best.

This would be 4.5 stars if I could do that. My hairstylist at another salon is fantastic but broke her wrist. This sent me into a panic, okay maybe panic isn’t the best word but with my curly hair mixed with my lack of any desire for something that isn’t a simple wash and go freaked me out. I read a bunch of reviews and loved the name «Coven.» I got an appointment with Ayla and I now I have my favorite hair cut in about 8 years. She is excellent. They have won a new customer in me. The only reason I didn’t give them 5 stars is the salon itself, while clean and comfortable isn’t as comfortable and fun as many others. Does that really matter, not really in the grand scheme of things but not everything good can be five stars ya know! I do dig it.

I am so HAPPY — I had heard about the fantastic stylists at Coven for awhile, and after moving back to the Seattle Area and away from a much loved stylist in Atlanta, I knew I had to give these ladies a try.
A couple months ago I was desperate for a cut before heading off to a wedding, and so I took the first available appointment. Lucky for me — Aylah was open. She did a fabulous job with my hair, which was long overdue, wavy/​curly/​straight and is multi textured due to my allowing my natural highlights to shine (i.e. I have graying hair). At that time I talked to her about my crazy idea of perhaps adding some ‘fun’ color to the tips of my hair.
Fast forward to today — I am in LOVE with my new hair. I didn’t even know what to book since I don’t usually color my hair — but the woman at the front desk, penciled me in and assured me they could do whatever it would take. Aylah did an amazing job of listening to what I was thinking about, adding some tasteful ideas and executing a killer purple veggie ombré to my natural silver streaks! Did I mention, I love it???
The ladies at this salon are so welcoming and wonderful, a very comfortable place to hang out and real skilled artists work here. I recommend Coven wholeheartedly and especially Aylah, who is a jewel.

Emily is the best at cutting curly hair. I have been seeing her for a couple years now and won’t be going anywhere else. She is always booked so try to be put on a list in case any of her appts cancel to get in quick. She is fabulous!

Aylah gave my husband and I great haircuts! She has such attention to detail and really listens to what you want. She’s so easy to talk to and gives great head massages!

Wow! So thrilled to find Coven. First, I knew I found heaven when I discovered this salon has a number of curly-​hair experts! Emily has given me the best cuts I’ve had after trying a number of salons since moving to Seattle. Then, it got even better when I learned that Jenny specializes in hair extensions and I am finally now living my life-​long dream to have long hair. It’s just icing on the top that I first met these ladies when they were participating in an event supporting Planned Parenthood. I’m hooked!

I feel compelled to write a review after reading the negative review posted here as it was so different from what I experienced. Let me just start out by saying that the first time I walked through Coven’s doors I felt so at home. The women of Coven are warm and friendly and have zero attitude. They treated me like I was a valued client that had been going there for years in the way they welcomed me that first time. From Merrick at the front desk to Drew who cut and colored my hair to Alexis and Jenny who chit-​chatted with me as I spent time there. A fellow customer even offered to go grab us all coffee from the espresso place next door!
Now, about my service. Truthfully I was a bit nervous to switch things up since I’ve been going to the same stylist for 10 years and have had great experiences. When I got that ‘itch’ for new hair I realized I hadn’t planned ahead and was unfortunately out of luck. I immediately thought of Coven because I’d gone to a really great braiding class/​workshop there around the holidays and loved the environment and energy so much (that, and the way Bumble + Bumble smells). I booked my services with Drew (partial highlights /​medium haircut) and I LOVE it. I don’t really know anything about hair so I can’t speak technically, but the color was really surprising in a good way! The hand-​painted highlights she did are placed perfectly and look so natural. I’ve gotten so many compliments — things like, «Your hair is so shiny!» and every time I look in the mirror I get really happy. She talked with me about the texture of my hair and while I wasn’t doing anything super adventurous this time in terms of the cut she gave me some really great ideas for next time (A razor cut! A bob with movement!). She also recommended some great products for me that wouldn’t interfere with my color (but I didn’t feel at all pressured to purchase). Drew is a REAL pro. I can tell she’s the kind of stylist that would fix anything a client wasn’t 100% happy with, so it confuses me that the person who wrote the negative review didn’t just talk to her about her hair instead of passive-​aggressively writing a 1-​star review (that mentions another salon). Seems fishy to me, based on my amazing experience. Hey — I’ll let you all know how it goes next time! So far so good.

I’ve been a client of Drew for years – even when we haven’t lived in the same city! – and never been less than thrilled with how my hair looked after a visit. She’s done my color and my cut, always listened to me and thoughtfully incorporated her knowledge with my ideas. I would happily and heartily recommend Drew for all types of cuts and color, from trims and reshaping to bold new shades and blondes.

Drew is a rockstar. I have fine, frizzy, mousy brown hair that’s slowly going grey. Sounds sexy, right? Drew manages to give my hair color and life that is otherwise missing. She’s an expert of her craft and has great bullshit to boot! I trust her implicitly with my temperamental mane. :)

I followed Alexis here from her previous salon because as other reviews have said, she really is the best. We’ve discussed my extreme hair laziness and gotten my haircut down to step-​out-​of-​the-​shower-​and-​go perfection. It looks fantastic even many months grown out (as it is now), and I know it will look even better when I go see her in a few weeks. The salon itself is smart and comfortable, and I look forward to my appointments there.

I kept returning here on the strength of the reviews, but now that I’ve had 3 Bad Haircuts (!) here I question the reliability of the reviews. My haircut from Alexis was okay, but she left a visible line in my very short, fine, hair. My two haircuts from Drew were just a flat out disaster, I had to get them both re-​cut by someone else.
If you have straight, fine hair — go to Salon Nouveau on Beacon Hill (of all places!). Ask for Therese or Suzin — they are amazing!

My oldest sister and I were born eight years apart, which as it turns out is the exact age gap that lends itself to a lifetime of mutual admiration and obsession. In 1992 I was eight, and my sister was sixteen, and she had the most glorious head of candy-​apple-​red hair down to her butt. HER BUTT. (I feel like it’s important to mention she was *really* into with Guns N Roses, and had a poster of Duff McKagan above her bed. She wore a lot of flannel. I’m pretty sure American Apparel recently called her to see if she still has any of her old leggings, and if they could just borrow them for a few days, you know, for design purposes. This is not a Unilocal review on my sister, I’m just trying to paint a picture for you here.) She was so cool, and beautiful, and the world’s most perfect creature as far as I could tell, and the most perfect thing about her was her hair. I still have dreams about that hair. I wanted to live in her hair, like some kind of vulnerable baby bird in a silky, vermilion nest. A chubby baby bird with hella boring brown hair. What a cruel, and twisted fate.
Fast forward to a month ago. I am a grown ass woman who, for various reasons, is feeling vulnerable as that aforementioned baby bird one morning and just needing so badly to do something to make herself feel cool, and powerful, and like she’s the boss of her life/​destiny. Like maybe she could be the world’s most perfect creature, if she could just find the place to start. And then it came to me clear as day; I needed to dye my hair candy apple red. OBVIOUSLY.
The point of this verbose-​ass lead-​in is to illustrate how personal, and important hair is. There’s so much energy wrapped up in it, and when you find someone who gets that and works super hard at helping you express all the glowy things you feel about yourself, or could feel about yourself through your hair you have stumbled upon a gift. Drew is that gift. She made all my red hair dreams come true. There was so much intention behind the questions she asked. We spent a long while looking at my Pinterest page. She took her time considering my skin tone, and eye color. She really wanted to get to the bottom of it! When I walked out of Coven with the blooming, pulsing auburn she so carefully curated atop my noggin it was all I could do not to cry with joy. I literally kicked my heels as I walked to the bus stop.
What are your hair dreams? Maybe you also had a teenage sister who was too beautiful for words. Maybe you’ve always wanted your hair to be the exact shade of your aura. Maybe you stood on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean at sunset this one time, and the pink on the horizon brought into clear focus all the ways in which you are the universe expressing itself, and wouldn’t it be something to have hair that particular incarnation of pink. I mean, I don’t know, but I’ll bet you Drew could help figure it all out.

Making an appointment is easy and any of these three accomplished stylists (formerly at VAIN) will not disappoint!
I’m particularly excited for curly hair specialist Emily Hartl to make some magic happen! Will post pictures and update this review on Wednesday!
Although I haven’t been to this new salon yet I have received excellent color from Jenny Slay & a variety of rad haircuts from Emily Hartl in the past. The Montlake location on 24^th is super close for me… VAIN was too far away.