Mia is absolutely a color whisperer!!!! I didn't know what to do w/my sort of graying hair....her suggestions and the final solution were nothing short of stunning!!!!!! read more

Mia is an amazing colorist!! Love her talent and her vibe. Just all around sweetheart. Cream soda is the name of the color she did for my balayage and it's gorgeous. She works with your complexion and just is the best!!! read more

1. If I am lucky, Mia will be doing my hair until I'm 80. 2. If I'm super lucky, my hair will be the beautiful copper color that Mia has been doing for the past 6 months until I'm 80. 3. If I'm the luckiest person alive, Mia will still be the same joyful, loving, caring, kind person that she is now when I'm 80! No joke, I (pretty randomly) went to Mia for a consultation and was like, hey, I want to change my hair to this very specific color. She was over the moon about it, and happened to have a cancellation that afternoon. I came back a few hours later and she's been doing my hair ever since. Talk about luck! Mia makes me feel so welcome and cared about when I'm in her chair. She truly wants to make sure I am happy with the color, and she always makes me feel comfortable the entire time I'm with her. Her space is beautiful and clean and inviting. She is prompt and thoughtful and so freaking talented. You can't go wrong getting your color done with Mia! read more

Mia is the BEST! Skilled & experienced with an artistic eye as well as professional and warm. I'm so happy I found her. I met Mia at her cute Oakland space for a consultation, and from the get, I felt her confidence and experience come through. She was easy to talk to and was able to hold my vision while offering her professional advice. I've thick black/brown Asian hair that's peppered with some gray and not interested in a demarcation or High maintenance root touch ups so Mia did a beautiful job giving me some balayage pieces and made everything a cool navy blue which will blend nicely with my silver hair as it fades out. Now I've a base that I can switch up and be creative with as things grow out. It's always such a blessing when you find someone you can put your trust in and just sit back and feel taken care of! read more

Color by Mia - Navy blue highlights and silver coverage by Mia! - Hair Stylists Near Me - Oakland, California

I grew my grey out during the pandemic but realized I was not ready to go full blown grey. Since then, I've been searching for a colorist that could help me blend my grey into something beautiful - so I didn't have to color my hair every few weeks. After much searching (and some bizarre results with others including pink hair and bleached hair which just broke off), I found Mia. She is a freaking hair color whisperer! I have gotten so many compliments on my hair. But most of all, I feel great! We now have a good foundation and I am excited to see what creative ideas Mia has in store for me next. I've only been to see Mia twice, but we connected right away. She tells it like it is and I love our conversations! Just a great experience overall! Mia also referred me to a get hair stylist, Kay. That was the cherry on top. A fantastic haircut and style and beautiful grey blending. What more could I want? Thank you Mia! I now have a dynamic supershero duo to take care of my hair! read more

Long overdue review. Having never colored my dark Asian hair before I was nervous. Googled a lot of pictures, called a lot of places, for some reason Mia stood out. Of course it helped when I saw she had been named best colorist. Took the leap, her online appointment book made it easy. Sent pics of my hair, pics of what I wanted and she took the time to talk to me about what I wanted. The day of my appointment she took her time to explain to me what the process was and made me feel comfortable. Without any solicitation, her other clients who came in raved about her to me. 4 hours later I came out with the hair I have been dreaming about. Even got compliments from complete strangers! My husband loved it too... read more

Color by Mia - Hair Stylists Near Me - Oakland, California

My hair looks so pretty! Mia is hands down the BEST for color in the Bay. I get complements on my color when I walk down the street, and everyone I've referred to Mia has been very, very happy. Mia is thoughtful about keeping my hair healthy and always stays up on the best new products and treatments. Also, she's super fun to talk to, whip smart and gorgeous, it's always a treat to spend time in her chair. Thank you, Mia! read more

Mia is the best colorist I have ever been to! She has such good intuition with what will work for people! Bonus: she is SO cool and really great to talk with while you are in the chair. You will leave feeling like a million bucks! read more

Color by Mia - Hair Stylists Near Me - Oakland, California

I had a color "accident" -- bright pink totally inappropriate for my age or my upcoming work trip Back East. Went to Mia in distress for a corrective color consult. Her advice was to wait for it to fade. It did! She clearly knows her stuff, how hair reacts, different types of hair and dye... In the end, I didn't need corrective color. Mia steered me right, and earned my respect and appreciation for her skills and ethics. I'd go back in a heartbeat. But I think I'll stay away from hair color for a while. :) read more

I have to tell you, I did not anticipate how much goes into getting a creative color! I have a new found respect for those who do it. But the real reason I am writing this 5 star review is because of Mia's customer service in her text consultation with me. Her response to my inquiery was FAST. She took the time to text with me for almost an hour about what I was looking for. She patiently talked me through the process of what would happen during the sitting, the time of the sitting, and the cost. When it came time to book, I realized I needed someone faster than she was available. She referred me right away to someone who she trusts. Thanks for being so awesome, Mia. I WILL come back to you. read more

Mia is fantastic. She somehow managed to make my transition to my natural gray relatively painless and she added purple highlights to keep my new style fresh. She is knowledgeable and forthright with her communication. She is also humble, neglecting to tout her skills as a perfectionist and friggen rock star! I find providers via Yelp and have never, ever been disappointed. Finding Mia via Yelp proved that everyone here is simply right. Thanks, Mia and Yelp. read more

I'm a 5-star-review freak, I know, but I do my best to avoid wasting my precious time on the joy-less. And there's nothing better than writing a 5-star review than only brings more of the good. Salon owner and operator Mia is among many shining attributes, by far a colorist worthy of 5 (Gold) stars. Where do I begin? This would be 5 pages long if I labored to cover every detail of her impeccable service, from booking to final product; troubleshooting, expectation setting, and business savvy. Mia is truly a success in all ways, which makes her a rare find as an artist and multi-gifted entrepreneur. She is as equipped to teach in her specialty as she is to offer workshops on color mastery (which she does). What you need know: Her prices are excellent. Excellent. She is a color EXPERT, who charges the same as stylists. Yes, our beloved stylists are not necessary our colorists. (I learned this the hard the way!) She will not ever over-promise, so be prepared to accept that every situation is different, and Mia will work with you to get your color correction right, while educated you on how to protect, fortify, and maximize your color. She's brilliant in this. She will do whatever it takes, guaranteed to do more if needed. So no paying twice for the same job. She is busy. Book ahead and keep in mind it may take 3 weeks to see her, so get on her cancellation list once you get settled with a plan for repeat visits. It's worth it. Last by not least, Mia's salon is adorable, she is stunning, and paying her a visit will change your life. Seriously! read more

Mia is amazing. I have long, blonde hair that I've had colored for years. I've been in a perpetual struggle to accept my naturally darker roots and yet still want to be blonde. After a short conversation with Mia about want I *really* wanted, and how much effort I was (honestly) going to put into maintenance (likely not much), she figured out exactly what I was looking for, and I can finally end my search for a color style I'm happy with. I'm really so pleased and cannot recommend Mia enough. She's a true expert. read more

Color by Mia - Hair Stylists Near Me - Oakland, California

I wanted to write about my experience with Mia. I am transitioning to grey and found her via google. Before our scheduled highlighting appointment she spent time with me looking over photos via text and we spoke over the phone twice. It ended up that I didn't need her services and I'm going to "tough it out" during my go to grey transition. After discussing possible options we decided there could be damage to my curl and the texture of my hair if we did what it would take to soften the grey grow-out demarcation on the crown of my head. She is the most knowledgeable and honest hairdresser I have ever encountered! She was generous with her time and expertise and incredibly honest and ethical. In the end she "lost" a client but gained an admirer. I am very grateful to her and will recommend her to my friends. Thanks again Mia for your support! read more

I have been getting my hair done by Mia for years, there is truly no other colorist in the world that can do what she does. I have had my hair ruined in the past and Mia has been nothing but upfront and honest on what your hair can handle and what the consequences are if you want to go from one extreme to the other. Mia is extremely knowledgeable; I have seen her just look at pictures of hair and be able to tell if the hair can take to being colored or not. She's well rounded with all hair textures, she keeps up with all the new trends and products. I can honestly say that I will travel whatever distance I must - before I ever have another colorist touch my hair. read more

Color by Mia - Loving this color! - Hair Stylists Near Me - Oakland, California

Mia is awesome! I love my new hair color!!! Nice chatting with you and reminiscing about Hawaii. Mahalo! read more

My 17 year old daughter had a very unfortunate series of bad coloring jobs (one done by herself!) and needed HELP! Mia stepped in and fixed the problem so beautifully in the most creative way. My girl went from feeling self-conscious and unhappy about her appearance to feeling gorgeous and uplifted. She also said that Mia is REALLY kind and extremely smart. She said that she thought Mia and I would be friends. :-) read more

I'm a high school student who has never had any treatment done to my hair. I have thick Asian hair so I made sure to spend a lot of time researching stylists with experience working on my type of hair. Mia's experience is vast and during the consultation appointment it was clear my mom and I made the right choice. I went for a really conservative color for my balayage but after the consultation, I agreed a more caramel color was the way to go thanks to Mia's expertise. I posted on Instagram and got many positive comments. We live in Alamo but the drive to Mia is so worth it! Love love love Mia! read more

I can not say enough about of happy I am with Mia! I went in just looking to lighten up my "ombre" hair but I feel like she did much more than just lighten it. She totally fixed my Ombre (what looked more like a dip dye due to the last time it was dyed). Now it actually blends nicely, I didnt even know you could fix that. Her customer service was superb! She is super friendly and an has an overall great personality. Trust me when I say you get what you pay for and I believe the price you pay is worth it. I love how my hair looks now, I finally got the look I had been wanting. She really listens to what you want and don't want and addresses any concerns or questions you may have as she is very knowledgeable about what she does. I am so happy I decided to go here! read more

Color by Mia - Love my new hair! - Hair Stylists Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

Mia is fabulous- from her personality to her talent as a colorist. The day I met Mia she color corrected my hair from a botched orange blonde to a beautiful natural honey blonde. Not only is she great at what she does but you feel comfortable in her presence as she is super down to earth northern Cali kinda girl. I know that when I am in her chair I have no worries and that my hair will come out exactly as I imagined- if not better! It's hard to come across a good colorist. Mia is a true artist. I started going to Mia exactly 2 years ago and I couldn't be more impressed with her technique and easy going attitude that leads to perfection with my hair. Thank you Mia!!! My color is current and chic. I couldn't be any happier. I am a lifer! :) read more

See all

MY FIRST TIME COLORING MY HAIR!! I had pitch black, thick, virgin hair and Mia transformed it into this honey glow!! I was very nervous to color by hair but Mia explained every step of the way and made sure I was comfortable with every step. She opened early just for me (since I have a tight schedule) and I spent about 4 hours there. She used Olaplex (extra charge) on my hair every step and it was so worth it. I am beyond pleased with the results. My hair looks vibrant and it feels so smooth and luscious! Can't wait to go back for another color change when my hair gains some more length! read more

Color by Mia - Hair Stylists Near Me - Oakland, California

The first time I went to Mia was for a color correction - tired from years of coloring jobs that never quite got it right, I tried to get my hair re-dyed for the last time to my natural hair color at a cheap salon only to look like I was wearing a black ink rug on my head. In desperation I went to Mia to fix this. Fortunately she was able to take me last minute due to a client cancellation so I only had to wait a day. On the day of, within two hours I was already most of the way to the hair of my dreams - after showing her pictures of the looks I longed for, Mia carefully painted and wove baby blonde strands in that not only mitigated my bad dye job, but made my face glow. I witnessed the amazing power of matching hair color to one's skin tone that day. Because she didn't want to overwhelm my hair with too strong of chemicals, I booked a followup appointment where she added more highlights that took my look to a whole new level. I overcame a lifetime's worth of doubt that I as an Asian woman could pull off blonde blended into my naturally dark hair. My days as a non-believer are behind me now, but I'll only trust Mia to guide me through the process going forward. read more

Mia is amazing! I have dark blonde/light brown fine hair that I am really picky about when getting it lightened or darkened. Mia does balayage on it & everytime it turns out perfect!! Not only does the color look fantastic, but it NEVER appears to have breakage or obvious roots/ lines of where the color starts. Prior to finding Mia, I have always hated paying a ton of money for ok color, but ending up with instant fly aways from breakage or hair color that was so obviously just done. I am able to go for long periods of time without getting my hair done. I had a baby last year & waited 6 months to get my hair color done. It had still looked good with more of an hombre look towards the end of that time. She had planned that for me & it was much appreciated. Mia is also a really sweet, fun, interesting lady. She is ABSOLUTELY worth the quick trip to Montclair area & makes it really easy for her clients to pay with credit cards. No need to bring cash! Love that!! read more

Transitioning to gray? Go to Mia...she's a colorist and definitely a hair color therapist! I went to Mia for a consultation on transitioning from black hair to natural gray with the goal of a stylish and polish look. I received three outstanding options that I never thought of. Mia spends her talking through your short-term and long-term coloring goals...the attention and expertise she shares are a rarity. read more

Mia is honesty the best colorist I've ever had, and I've been coloring my hair for a loooong time. Over the past year she has taken my from extremely damaged reddish blonde (courtesy of several bad dye jobs in Asia) to gorgeous platinum blonde then a deep rich brunette and now a beautiful golden blonde. She has a real eye for color and balayage - all the colors she's done on me look natural. She's also a wonderful human being and it's a pleasure catching up with her every time I see her. You can tell how passionate she is about her work and how much she cares about her clientele leaving the salon feeling confident and happy. I joke with her that seeing her is like a therapy session :) I followed her from Spruce salon to Mio on Thornhill and I love her new digs + her interns. Seriously, do yourself a favor and go see her. She will help you find and create your inner glowing color child :) read more

Did I tell you how AWESOME of a colorist Mia is? I'm a hairstylist myself, so I'm super picky and I would never let anybody else near my hair. She's been coloring my hair for years. read more

Color by Mia - Hair Stylists Near Me - Oakland, California

Mia is THE BEST!!! I know about hair color since I have been doing my own for almost 30 years now, so I can tell when someone really doesn't know much or hasn't had enough experience. The moment I met Mia, I knew she would be able to correct the my hair mistakes. I have Asian hair and had all kinds of gradients of colors going on. My hair has been through a lot and was considerably weak and fried. She was able to correct the wrong hair color I had, after just three days. So if you're thinking about how good she really is, trust me, she's a godsend. She can really give you the outcome you are looking for, with no damaged hair. She lifted my color to as light as it could go safely and added the silverish gray color I wanted, and darkened my roots as well for the balayage/ombré effect. I am really pleased with her expertise and knowledge, and she teaches you how to maintain the color as well. She's the real thing. Do not ever doubt her being rated by CBS as one of the top 5 colorists in the Bay Area, she really deserves that rank. And she's a really lovely and funny lady as well. You will feel so comfortable with her. I am keeping her as my colorist for life!!!! Adding a photo after two weeks, to show how perfect the silver/gray hair is now. read more

Color by Mia - Hair Stylists Near Me - Oakland, California

Whoa - Mia is such an incredibly good colorist - the BEST!! Mia is a color genius, an artist, and the most talented colorist I have ever experienced. I am so happy to have found her. She is honest and clear about what will work and what will not work. The results are amazing. While having my own hair done I have sat in her beautiful and comfortable little salon and watched magic happen. My hair has gone 50% grey but she has brought it back to a very natural yet sophisticated look that I did not think possible. And she is personally a total pleasure. Cannot say enough good things about Mia - the best colorist in the Bay Area!!! read more

My family comes all the way from the Philippines to have our hair colored by Mia every year! She is the queen of color for Asian hair, and the queen of color period. She really knows her stuff, and is the sweetest person to talk to. We are always so ecstatic to see her and with our results. Go see her!!! read more

Mia is one of a kind--the hair color queen! I've been going to her for 3 and a half years and my hair has never looked better. She makes you look and feel beautiful, but is always candid about what will work best. Please stay in Oakland forever, Mia! read more

Thank you Mia. You are a VERY talented woman. I highly suggest seeing Mia :)

Mia is indeed the queen of balayage -- she brings a painterly touch to the technique, and the placement and blending of my highlights -- wow! I can tell they'll grow out really well, too. She took her time and really shined in executing her speciality. She's also a funny, caring, delightful person. Highly recommended! read more

My favorite colorist ever. I've been seeing her for 8 years. Look forward to fresh hair and amazing conversation with Mia every time

Love this lady. She's secretly a magician. Her work lasts for months and you seriously feel like a supermodel when you leave. Plus she's so much fun to chat with during your appointment that you don't even want it to end. Highly recommend. She books up fast and far in advance so definitely plan ahead of time. Also, be mindful that she works out of both Oakland and SF so pay attention to which location you're booking. read more

Love her!!! She does my color and my highlights, and I couldn't be happier. Fabulous job, super natural and soft. My hair is a dream afterwards. read more

Loved Mia! Her studio is so bright and cute and she's so fun to talk to. She immediately understood what I wanted and my hair turned out perfectly. So thrilled to have found her! read more

I have been seeing Mia for the past eight years because she is the absolute best at getting the perfect shade of blonde. I have followed Mia to her different salons over the years but am thrilled she is at Spruce because it is literally down the street from my house. If you want the perfect hair color go see Mia. She is amazing, I could not imagine getting my hair colored by anyone else. read more

Mia is an incredibly talented colorist, and I strongly recommend her services. I recently visited Mia at Spruce and she worked wonders on my hair. I plan to be regular with Mia and already have my next appointment booked. read more

Mia did such an amazing job. I had made a dumb decision to use box hair dye and dye my hair brown and it made my hair have a green tint to it. It was so ugly. I went to Mia and she removed the green and did then gave me highlights with special products and techniques and made my hair look gorgeous. I was beyond happy with my hair. It is a beautiful golden blonde with light blonde pieces throughout. It reminded me of my hair when I was a kid. I recommend her 100%. She uses only the best products and only lets you leave when your hair is exactly the way you want it. Def go to Mia. read more

Mia is 100% hands-down the best colorist I've ever had, and on top of that, is an amazing human being. And while I'll admit to being bad about sticking with a cutter, I would never, ever, EVER let anyone else color my hair. I admit before I first met her 4 years ago, I was intimidated by the pictures of her on her website. OMG, she's so gorgeous and hip, I thought I would feel very drab and old and suburban mom-like in her presence. But she is as warm and down to earth as they come, and she genuinely loves all of her clients. I seriously would follow Mia anywhere. In fact, I'm kind of hoping one day she moves to Mexico or Maui so I'll have an excuse to move, too. Love you, Mia!!! read more