I'm really impressed with my first visit at Art Beat.. Hillary saved my hair from the awful mullet my hair had become...She's done such a good job...people are still commenting on it. Thank you Hillary for saving my hair!!! read more

Have tried this place 3 times and have never gotten a great haircut.

I started going to AYA salon about a year and a half ago. Every time I go I am impressed by the consistently attentive and warm staff. From the bright atmosphere to the tea and cucumber water, you are well cared for. I get my hair cut by Monica. She is extremely skilled and a true professional at what she does. She tends to my curls using various techniques and my hair has never looked so good!! I definitely recommend AYA Salon, and especially Monica. read more

I called in same day appointment. I was so nervous! I haven't styled my hair in years and years. Melissa listened intently as I told her I wanted something short and light but still long enough to be put up. One small head massage with aromatherapy oil, shampoo & condition later I was relaxed and ready to have the cut. It was fabulous. It was like she unearthed me from under all that hair. It looks great. I feel good and I can't wait to come back. Thanks, Melissa! read more

My sole purpose in creating a Yelp account was to write a positive review for Artbeat Salon -- plus Bekah threatened to shave my head if I didn't leave a positive response. No, but seriously though, Bekah had a cool vibe about her and made my visit a pleasant one. I love how she genuinely enjoys her job and likes making her clients happy. read more

The salon is well-lighted and has a most excellent front door. The greeting and scheduling staff where friendly and helpful over the phone and in person. And Noel gave me an amazing haircut just like I knew he would. I live in Marin but I followed Noel from Notorious for Hair in San Francisco to Berkeley and he is well worth the commute no matter where he is. I came in with a couple photos of some of my past haircuts to use as a base reference and explained that I need a short professional/sophisticated multi-toned brown hairstyle. After talking about it, he came up with a way better hairstyle than I'd had in the photos that would not only be easy to maintain and look awesome right now, but would also be a good haircut for the future in terms of its versatility to be re-cut into bolder or more conservative hairstyles when it grows out . Thanks a bunch, Noel! You're awesome! read more

UPDATED: My first experience did not have my hair turn out the way I hoped. I was invited back to try and correct the issue. My second experience led to a misunderstanding. I left the salon feeling defeated and vowed not to come back. The salon has since made an attempt to make me a satisfied customer. My hair turned out great after the second appointment. I needed the second appointment in the first place because they were being cautious and didn't want to over-process my hair. If there is anything I have to say about this salon it is not about their hair service, which is great, but not what makes them stand out. It is their customer service. They go above and beyond to make you happy and a satisfied customer. The entire staff overextends themselves to make your visit one which will leave you blown away. I can, and have, lived with less than perfect products and service, in a sacrifice for exceptional customer service. Artbeat has demonstrated that this is their goal to make you happy, which is hard to find these days. That is something I not only appreciate but value! I would give them 4 stars overall but their standout service pushed it to 5. read more

I very rarely write reviews on Yelp but I felt like the recent service that I got at Aya deserved to be recognized. This is the BEST salon I have gone to in the Bay Area and I have lived here for over 20 years. Not only is the staff super nice and attentive, they bend over backwards to make you feel comfortable, listened to and appreciated. My stylist, Elon, is so sweet and she really does take the time to figure out what I want, discuss options if I'm are unsure and want advice and never let's me leave without being 100% happy. For me the most important thing a stylist can do is listen to me and work with me to get the cut and color that I want. I have never been disappointed with the results. It really does feel like you are at a day spa versus just a run of the mill salon. I recommend that anyone wanting a superior experience give Aya a try. read more

OMAR is the man!!! He's new to the salon and moved here from Florida in July. I was a first time Artbeat customer, but now I'm an Omar follower for life. He did my updo when I was a bridesmaid during labor day weekend in 35 minutes flat after I showed him a picture of what i wanted on my iPhone. My hair looked amazing that day! He did my cut and full highlights the day before the wedding and I got so many compliments on the color! I'm not going to any other hair stylist as long as I live and as long as Omar is in the bay area!!! LOVE him!! read more

Starr Violet is the best brow person I have ever gone to! My girlfriend uses her also. I'm happy with the easy location with plenty of parking. Everyone is always friendly. read more

I'm from NJ, but was in Berkeley visiting a friend and decided to give Artbeat a try, and make a fantastic decision! Melody cut my hair and gave me the best haircut of my life. Although I went in there with a good idea of what I wanted, she took everything I was looking for into account and took the time to think about what might look best on me given what my hair can do, and all her effort really paid off- my hair looks great! Definitely worth the trip cross country. Melody is the best! read more

Fantastic! Great Price! Great Atmosphere! Friendly people! Wonderful products and treatment! I tried Artbeat today for the first time. I have been going to Cowboys and Angels in San Fransisco for several years, but I recently moved to Berkeley and I finally decided to try a new place. Now, I figured C&A was going to be really hard to beat... but Artbeat did! Not only did my stylist, Sarah G., do a fantastic job, but she gave me a wonderful scalp massage before the even more enjoyable shampoo and conditioner massage! The Aveda products are fantastic and she helped me find a good product for my curly hair. She did EXACTLY what I wanted and my hair looks fabulous. I will DEFINITELY be going back to see Sarah. If you live in the East Bay (or even if you don't!) you should try Artbeat Salon! read more

I had my first Artbeat Salon experience today and it was lovely! Great atmosphere, love the layout of the salon and the art that's on display - definitely a place where creative juices can flow. Amy W. is so warm and friendly, makes for a very relaxing head and shoulder massage, wash, haircut and style. She gave me a great a-line cut that fits me well, so fun and easy to style. And I just love all Aveda products - from the complimentary tea to the hairspray, so wonderful. I definitely recommend you call and make an appointment, I had a great time being pampered this morning! read more

I've been coming to AYA for two years now. The staff here is always friendly and the space is warm and welcoming. Monica always cuts my hair. She always takes time to make sure we are on the same page about what I want. I always appreciate and ask for her advice on what she thinks will be flattering. I have fine, wavy hair and Monica understands how to cut and style it. After telling her I wanted it to be curlier she has since given me thoughtful cuts that work to emphasize my natural wave. I highly recommend AYA and Monica to anyone looking for a new stylist. read more

I have been getting my hair done by Hillary for the last few months and cannot say enough good things about her! She is bubbly, sweet and professional. She listened to me and my concerns regarding my hair and the color/cut etc. and she hit a home run! She brought new life to my hair and she has a loyal client from here on out! As far as the salon and gallery it's a funky mix of local art and a serene Aveda salon. The whole staff that I have encountered are professional, but not uptight., and extremely friendly and helpful. Just today I locked my keys in my car and left my AAA car at home and the receptionist was able to get me the number I needed and allowed me to use their phone while I contacted AAA. They are a class act and the prices are reasonable considering the whole package!!! read more

so i'm usually the type of person who doesnt care much about haircuts, but i had a great experience at Art Beat! i went on the recommendation of a friend when i was visiting from LA and wish i could keep coming back!! Atmosphere - place doesnt even look like a salon! the art gallery is great and even the salon portion has a very cool quirky style. - i really did not mind waiting a few minutes since there is so much to look at Service - as soon as i walked in i was greeted warmly and felt welcome - i did not have an appointment, but they accommodated me quickly as a walk-in and i only waited 10 mins - i thought it was weird at first when they asked me to change into a gown, but when i walked out without any hair on my clothes it all made sense! - my stylist was melissa and she was WONDERFUL! greeted me with a huge smile and was so nice and friendly. the tea and massage were a great touch...am i getting a haircut or spending a day at the spa?? she seemed like she was actually listening when i told her what cut i wanted and she made sure i was totally happy with the results! i really recommend this salon and ask for Melissa if she is available!! They need to open another salon in LA!! damn you, Berkeley!! read more

Ashley is your girl for waxing!!!! I go to her for my Brazilian every month and she is quick and clean! It's soooo hard finding a new girl to go to for that service, and I'm as picky as they come!!! I've been getting Brazilians for many years and I'm so glad I found Her!. She knows what she's doing, very professional, and makes it as painless as possible. If your looking for a waxing girl go to Ashley! read more

My husband has been going to see Jay Dee religiously now for over a year. He was never a "salon" kinda guy. But man oh man did Jay Dee change him... and me! About 5 years ago I got into donating my hair to Locks of Love... So now I do it every two years or so... Anyway, this year I went to a salon that was in the same building that I work in and BOY WAS THAT A MISTAKE!! This guy freakin' BUTCHERED my hair for $80!!! Friends told me to demand my money back, I was in tears, and my husband was left speechless... he immediately booked me an appointment with Jay Dee. All I can say is WOW. The man knows his sh*t ladies! He is a miracle worker... He gave me the SHAPE I wanted and even took the time to show me how to style my new doo!! He listened to me and gave me exactly what I asked for. He is FABULOUS!! I am now a believer... Jay Dee made the transition from long hair to a short bob less traumatic with this great cut! read more

I have been going to Travis for over a year for haircuts. He is excellent. He listens and does exactly what I want, but will also offer good advice or suggestions of style when asked. He also is a great conversationalist. The salon has a nice atmosphere -- I enjoy looking at all the art on the walls. read more

I went there for my wedding. Kristin did my hair and Leilana my make up. Everything was like I wanted. Nothing more, nothing less. They both listened very carefully and did a great job. Kristin is very fast and working with you patiently to finish the way you want. Leilana is a perfectionist. I never like make up and always hesitate to have it done, because mostly people over do it. I wanted a natural look . When she finished I could hardly say that there was make up; and, I definetely looked much better. I strongly recommend both of them. read more

I have been to many hair salons and this one is by far the most unique both in terms of services and decor. Everyone from the receptionist to the stylists are super friendly and attentive. I had my hair cut by Omar. He was so patient and nice. He did a fabulous job with the cut and took extra time to teach me some styling tricks. read more

i've been meaning to write this review for months, but my hair just looks too amazing today to put it off any longer. (and it's been over a month since my last appointment.) Whitney is an absolute gem. i moved out of the midwest almost five years ago, but only broke down and stopped seeing my hometown stylist slash bff in 2012 when she moved to Vermont. she had cut and colored my hair mostly gratis for 12 years, and she could read my mind. anyone would have a hard time living up to my hair care expectations. don't tell my bestie, but i'm so happy to have found Whitney. Artbeat is a relaxing, beautiful space and the staff was super sweet walking me through my first salon experience without an insider. Whitney helped ease the pain of cutting too-long-neglected split ends with subtle layers as my hair grew out again. my hair looks and feels healthier, and my style feels new but intrinsically me. (i finally gave in to the new part in my bangs. she's right. don't doubt it.) i look forward to our conversations as eagerly as i anticipate the results in the mirror. Whitney loves good music, good people, and is an enthusiastic supporter of my late-night solo dance parties. ...i mean, she's alright, i guess. don't book up ALL her appointments. (please!) read more

Charlene is exceptionally talented and lives up to her website title of "color specialist". Before going to Charlene, I was dissatisfied with a hair coloring job; and, I thought it was un-fixable. With my wedding date just around the corner, I was really worried. Charlene absolutely, unequivocally SAVED ME!!!! She's truly amazing. I am so forever grateful to her for color correcting my hair before my wedding. Beyond that, Charlene is perfectly sincere, sweet, honest, and down-to-earth. Even in an awkward situation (never easy to go see a stylist about correcting your hair when you don't like what a different stylist did) she was wonderful company - clearly multitasks well because she's a great conversationalist even while coloring hair. I also really appreciate Charlene's commitment to a high quality of customer service. The moment she learned that I was unhappy with my hair she immediately offered me an appointment to have it corrected. Charlene's got a lifetime client in me. read more

I have had my hair cut and colored by Genevieve many times and I have never been disappointed. The cuts grow out gracefully and the color always looks fresh. I have very straight hair and it never looks choppy. She also does a great job on my husbands curly hair and all the kids cuts. read more

Charlene was very good. As promised, (since I wrote a previous review about unsatisfactory service with another stylist), delivered a great cut with care, professionalism, and good service. She was a good listener and conscientious with her hands and precise with her skills. I appreciate the commitment to good customer service. I recommend Charlene if you are going to try this salon for the first time. Thank you, Charlene. read more

Loved the place! Did a great job with my hair, and my hair is color treated and damaged to hell! I always walk away feeling great and looking great. Prices are bit high, but honestly you get what you pay for. Good products too, which means a lot to me as I'm highly sensitive to most products. Great service and an all around great salon! read more

I've been coming here for over 5 years, every stylist I've had throughout the years has been great, but my one and only is Monica! When I moved to NYC, I planned trips around when I needed to get my hair cut or colored just to go back to AYA (no not insane, this salon is that good). Also, I truly love Aveda products, my hair is the healthiest it has ever been. Will never go anywhere else! read more

The Store Manager called me apologizing for what happened and offered me a credit. Now this is good customer service! Not just the $$, but just an acknowledgement to a client's complaint. I will be going back for a haircut and color because Mitchelle was so good! read more

It appears that two other postings have positive things to say about Leilana, but unfortunately I have some not so hot things to say. I picked out Leilana on the Artbeat website, thinking she seemed interesting and afforable. I brought along four photos of haircuts for inspiration, and we talked about them. When I described what I wanted (which was basically a choppy, funky layered out of the ordinary cut), she seemed receptive and it seemed like she was listening. Unfortunately, the experience proved that she wasn't actually listening, since the haircut I ended up with definitely did not match our discussion. My hair was just down to my shoulders when I arrived, and she cut it extremely short in the back; way more a-line than we discussed (I told her that I did not want to lose all of the length). I had to have her go back and fix the bangs- we discussed spiky and funky, she gave me straight. In addition, the layering and overall even aspect of the cut were off. After she finished, she mentioned something along the lines of "of, yea, and I cut it shorter in the back and on top [it's a haircut which goes forward, kind of piled on top] because it didn't look right." I really liked Leilana personally; she seemed like a fun and truly nice person, but as far as my haircut goes, unfortunately it seemed less like it "didn't look right," and more like 'I wasn't experienced enough to give you exactly what we discussed'. Maybe she was having a bad day, I don't know- I only know it was completely not what I asked for- it was practically a boy cut. My point is not to badger but just to hope that Leilana improves, so that others do not have to leave so disappointed. Sometimes, it's worth it to pay a bit more for a haircut, and go to someone who is more experienced and skilled. read more

This review is for Starr Violet in Artbeats Skincare services. Starr is absolutely amazing and a total sweetheart. You know those other skincare services ladies who act like they care about you but really don't? Well, Starr is the antedote! Not only does Starr love and care about her line of work but she cares about you and your experience while you're there with her. She is very clear about everything she does during your appointment, no surprises. Starr is also very good at what she does. I usually go to her for my brow wax and she nails it every time. I have also had a facial with her which was AWESOME. Starr will absolutely deliver what you want and she will put a smile on your face. And did I mention reasonable prices? For real - super reasonable. Go to Starr and find out how good a skincare service experience can really be! read more

I have been coming to AYA for over a year now and it has been the BEST experience. I am a young woman who wants to have short hair - most places I have tried just cut it like a mens cut. My hairstylist at AYA worked with me to find the perfect cut!! She was patient in trying out different ways to cut my hair. When I come in with a new idea for a cut she is honest in her feedback and incredibly intentional in trying new ways to cut my hair. I LOVE her! I look forward every time I go in for a haircut - in all honesty, sometimes I could wait another 2 weeks for a cut, but go in early because its a stress reliever and a relaxing experience to go get my haircut there. I am not sure if I am suppose to give shoutouts to my hairstylist, but Cami - thank God I found you! It's literally a blessing to go get a haircut! read more

The perfect highlight/haircut seemed far from reach when I moved to Berkeley from LA. Until i found NOEL!I The man knows how to color and cut hair, period. He listened to my request of "just make it look sexy, and please, no blah colors" and voila, I got a color that brings endless complements, and a cut that turns heads. The color combination of the highlights is most impressive. The richness of the colors gives my hair more dimension, which I love. Bottom line, I recommend Noel to anyone. read more

This review is for Hilary, who I LOVE for hair color. She does literally the best blonde I've ever seen in my life and I've been to almost every nice salon in SF (Festoon, etc) and quite a few more in LA and Miami. It is not easy to find amazing blonde highlights in the Bay Area and someone trained enough to know you should "break the base" (i.e die the roots in between foils) to protect your hair from color damage. I highly recommend Hilary for color and the salon is great overall. I actually live in SF and travel to the East Bay to see her monthly despite having about 15 "high end" salons within walking distance from my apartment. read more

I've been here twice. My husband and stepson have been here about four or five times each. We all see Robbie and he's fantastic at both mens hair and my curly hair. The Aveda stuff can be a little tiresome, but the stylists are pretty receptive if you're not interested in products. read more

Have had a hard time finding a stylist in Berkeley who doesn't just give you an "all natural" cut (which is fine, but I like a bit more kick in my hairstyle). Finally found this salon on yelp and saw recommendations for Noel. Got my haircut yesterday and I love it! He really gave me a great hairstyle, not just a trim or a cut. I have wavy, shoulder length hair and he took bulk out of it with a razor (LOVE razor cuts) without touching too much in the length. He is also really sweet and nice and he really listened to my concerns. So great service, great cut, nice mellow salon, and now I have a kicking hip hairstyle. Yay! read more

I just moved to Berkeley a couple months ago and was delighted when I found this salon got great reviews on Yelp. I booked an appointment with their new talent and was looking forward to a pleasant hair cutting experience. The morning of my appointment I was so excited to finally have a fresh clean haircut. Unfortunately I walked out resembling Florence Henderson in her Brady Bunch years. I have been in the arduous process of growing my hair out and when I described what I wanted my stylist said that it had been done and I needed to try something new. I agreed with only two points of caution: 1. my boyfriend hates short hair/ I am trying to grow it out and 2. I'm not a fan of flipped out hair. It seemed that although these things were said they were actually used as a template. More than a couple inches were cut off my hair and it now flips out all the way around. I've never written one of these reviews but thought others should be warned about putting yourself in the hands of their new talent stylists. The cut is so hideous I have been in tears the whole day, am $45 poorer, and have to start growing my hair out all over again. Hello ponytails.... read more

Overall, amazing. About a month ago, I got this crazy idea to chop off all my long, curly hair into a short pixie-type cut. This was my first time at Artbeat (I actually found them on yelp) and I came in very recently with ideas and pictures that I thought fit my face/hair shape/style. From the beginning, Emily was honest and extremely clear with me about what would and would not work with my expectations, and what to expect from my hair based on those styles. I told her about my preferences with styling times and I went with her intuition on the cut; it was absolutely spot-on! I walked out with the cutest and most transformative haircut of my life along with relevant, helpful styling tips. I doubt I will ever go anywhere else for haircuts, ever again; Emily was professional, personable, knowledgeable and even though I was grinning the whole time, she checked in with me throughout the cut to make sure it was turning out as I envisioned. Though priced a little higher than I'm used to paying, I would easily have paid double for the amazing experience I ended up having. I highly recommend both Artbeat and Emily! read more

Been going to this place for years, and have especially loved my haircuts from Celine and Genevieve. I have stick-straight hair and can look 10 if it's not cut right. Plus, free mimosas! read more

Thank you Artbeat and Sarah! The 2 cuts I had previous were horrendous, leaving me to do nothing to my hair for 6 months. I couldn't wait any longer and had been to Artbeat for an amazing facial and liked the atmosphere. So I gave it a shot. They chose Sarah for me and it couldn't have been a better match. She listened to what I wanted and didn't want. She gave me the best haircut I've had in years, and I have bangs, layers...the whole works. And the price...SUPER! I couldn't be happier. read more

I don't get my hair cut that often because I am basically too lazy to drag my ass to the salon AND I wear my hair in a pony tail 99% of the time. I was finally up for a change and decided to try Artbeat after reading all of the reviews. Try (who is a new talent at the salon) gave me a great cut and great advice on my coarse, wavy, hard to manage hair. The location is great, the street parking was pretty easy and the salon was clean and nicely decorated. I will definitely call to see Try in the very near future. read more