Vera is the best! Funny, kind, & reliably an excellent professional haircut for reasonable prices. Can't recommend her highly enough!

Vera is terrific. She is professional in every way. I won't trust my hair to anyone else. She's the best!

Very always does a great job. Her prices are reasonable and it is great to support small businesses in the area. I would highly recommend her. read more

Great cut! My hair is deceptively hard to cut, fine and mostly straight but with a wave that can make it look crooked. It is now perfectly even at exactly the length I asked for! Vera is clearly talented and super pleasant to talk with. Very reasonable pricing, convenient location, and, most important, skilled and friendly stylist. Highly recommend! read more

Vera is the best! She always does a great job. I have been going to her for years and she comes through every time!

Omg... they made my husband's head look like a helmet. By the time the older lady who cut the hair was done, one side was shaved off shorter than the other. Ridiculous... And they told us to go somewhere else and fix it. They shouldn't cut hair at all. Don't even deserve a 1 star. read more

Gentle Hair Cuts - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Amazing! Is it weird that I actually enjoyed getting my hair cut? I normally dread it so much that I avoid it until brushing my hair becomes more of a pain than actually going somewhere and sitting super still for thirty minutes. I walked in around 3:30 on a Thursday and apparently other people have jobs because it was empty. Which was great for me! I was in and out in a half hour with 7 inches less hair and only $25 less money (including tip). The stylist was helpful, thoughtful, and very friendly. She definitely kept me entertained to the point where sitting still want it's usual struggle. Overall, great place. $20 for that much hair in a conveniently located and clean salon is a steal. read more

Vera has been cutting my hair now for over two years and I wouldn't want to go anywhere else. Her and her mother, Nancy, have had the shop since the 90's and still charge at a reasonable price even though so much has changed in Downtown Berkeley. They're both wonderful people! I feel comfortable in their space and it's nice to have my barber also be a QPOC I can relate to. Support this spot! read more

I had a HORRIBLE experience. I had very long curly hair, which takes a long time to grow out. I love it long. It went half-way down my back. And I've had it that long for years. I went in knowing this place was cheap but didn't want anything fancy. All I wanted was an easy trim. I asked for the woman to just take off 1 1/2 inches because I wanted to keep the length. She started cutting and kept talking and just cutting and cutting and before I knew it she had taken off 6 inches! By that point there is nothing I could do. You can't undo that! Now my hair is this horrible length, hanging just below my shoulders. I absolutely hate it. I've never had it straightened, but I dislike it so much that I am paying $160 to get it professionally straightened tomorrow. So, the cheap $20 cut at "Gentle" Hair Cuts is turning into an $180 ordeal. I couldn't be more disappointed with this place. I regret walking in the door. read more

For starters, you'd have to be nuts to listen to a review of a salon by a guy that never keeps his hair longer than a quarter of an inch. But for you idiots that are still reading, they give a good $12 dollar buzzcut, and I still continue to go there even after moving out of Berkeley. Also, today, the hairdresser asked me if I had thought about using Rogaine. Wonderful. read more

People are very nice. Good place to get a pretty good haircut for $15 or so (for Men). I would recommend especially for a college kid looking for a solid and cheap place to get a trim read more

I am no longer living in this area but I'm here on business wishing they opened the shop earlier than 9 so I could get the fabulously consistent haircut I was used to receiving here. There is a mother-daughter team that owns and works the shop. They both work really hard to accommodate everyone that stops in for a haircut. I've gotten my haircut by both ladies and they both listen to your wants and have a lot of experience in hair cutting. Also it's super affordable and no need for an appointment. I have short hair and they always cut it well. The shop isn't super fancy, but they do offer great hair products to buy. read more

Extremely quick drop in appointments for cuts, $14 is pretty good. All i needed was a trim as I'm trying to get the lady godiva look going on, and the woman cutting my hair was like, i get it, yr trying to grow your hair out, i'll only take a little off! Needless to say I am always freaked out with haircuts, for fear of something going wrong. I had a million split ends and they're all taken care of. But it was quick, less than 20 minutes I was in there, and I tipped so it wasn't more than $17 . A shampoo costs $4 more if you want it. go here! read more

I work in the neighborhood and have been getting my hair cut at Gentle Hair Cuts for several years now. Vera does a great job and is always a pleasure to talk to -- she's always got funny stories to share! And her prices are quite reasonable. Give her a try if you are in the area. read more

Our whole family loves this place! Vera and Nancy are true gems! They always do exactly what we want and they are extremely kind, friendly and gentle. read more

I've been coming here regularly for three or four years, and I love getting my haircut here. Super reasonable prices, and I get great cuts even when I ask for something new. Vera does a great job cutting hair, and always provides a great conversation. That said, she won't bug you for conversation if that's no what you're looking for. Most of the clients are men, but they give great cuts for women too, even my alternative lifestyle haircut haha. I've sent friends here with long hair for split-end trims too. Great place! read more

I came and got a haircut but she did not line up the front of my haircut so i have to go to another place. Granted i should of asked but i forgot. I dont know why she would not line me up after a haircut. Looking at it not a very high quality cut. No fade whatsoever i could of gotten better work done at supercuts. I wont be returning read more

I used to come here wayyyyyy back in ye olden dayes when I first moved to the Bay Area. Always got the basic, no fuss trim I asked for. Well, many years and a move across the bridge later, I'm back. The cuts from both ladies are a terrific value, and they grow in with zero WTFery. Unlike some of the over-layered 'dos I've been paying 4 to 8 multiples more for in SF over the last many years, my trims here look fine when my hair hasn't been flat-ironed into submission (a process that will never be undertaken by myself). Plus, I'm not gonna lie - they get me in & out the door fast. Never really having been on board with the salon-as-relaxation-activity concept, I love not having to carve out a big hunk of time to get trimmed up. As a nice bonus, they carry the Joico products I'm hooked on. Woo! read more

I've gotten a couple haircuts from two different women. I just ask for them to go heavy on the layers for my wavy medium-length hair. Both were good cuts for a great price ($17?). Super quick too! read more

Gentle Hair Cuts - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

I like this place. I went here twice in 2014. Vera is great. She is so nice to talk to and gives a great haircut. I hope to one day return to Berkeley so I can visit the shop again. The price is right, the location is hot, and the service is all good. I would definitely recommend this place if you are in the area and looking for a decent haircut. read more

I love this place. People are great, the price is very inexpensive, and the hair cuts are solid. Vera does a good job on my hair and is fun to talk with. She has an unique perspective and is very friendly. Her mom, Nancy, is nice too but not as talkative and friendly as Vera is. I don't know Vera's exact background but she knows a lot of stuff about a lot of different topics and is easy to talk with. Vera cut my hair for the first time about a year ago and I liked it, took a photo and now I just bring that in each time and say "do this again". The hair cut I get is pretty short on the sides and back but leaves enough on top to look professional and handsome. She does a good job of blending the whole thing together and I always get compliments afterwards. The cut I get is kind of like a caesar. I am not super picky about my hair but definitely can tell the difference between a good cut and a bad cut. I always leave Gentle Hair Cuts feeling good about the end result. The price is really inexpensive, As of today (3/5/2016) it costs $17 dollars for me to get my hair cut. That is the least expensive hair cut I have found in Berkeley and the quality does not suffer for the cheapness of the price. I ALWAYS tip at least $5 bucks cash. Usually $8 if I pay with my card. read more

I've come here for a couple of years for a haircut. For my most recent haircut, I asked that 1 inch be trimmed off. After the haircutter had finished, I looked in the mirror and realized that my hair was much shorter than I had expected. It appeared that maybe 2 inches had been cut off! The quality of the haircut has fluctuated during my visits. Sometimes I have been satisfied, but this time I am not. Maybe I should not engage in discussion with the haircutter while she is cutting my hair, or find someone else to cut my hair. read more

Zero wait, only took 10-15 minutes, and I really like the cut. She totally got my genderqueer style and didn't try to argue me into something a little more feminine. Instead she just checked in every so often and did exactly what I asked for and then told me how to style it up if I don't want to just have a wash and go. Also the stylist was great with my two year old who was hanging out along with me. Will definitely be back! read more

I went here to get a quick trim before an interview, the salon was very clean and everyone seemed very nice. There was a gentleman getting his haircut and it looked like the stylist had done a good job. However, I was assigned to a different stylist. The stylist I was assigned to seemed nice enough, but it seemed like she was working a little too fast. When she was finishing the sideburns, she got a little too careless with the clippers and made a mistake on the side of my hair. When I mentioned it to her, she said that it looked that way because of the way my hair naturally grows. I asked if there was anything to do to even it out and she became clearly irritated. Long story short, I ended up with an uneven, poorly blended haircut. To add insult to injury, when I paid and didn't leave a tip, she asked me for one in front of all the other customers. To be fair it is partially my fault for waiting until the day before an interview to get my hair cut and it is understandable that even a good stylist would make a mistake. However, the way the situation was handled by the stylist was unacceptable and I will not be going back. read more

Truly a gentle haircut! Nancy looked carefully at the picture I showed her, asked lots of questions before she got started and gave me exactly the styled bob I was hoping for! read more

These two woman not only cut your hair ,but they make you feel calm,and if your real nice they are funny also .they take care of all your requests and then some ,may be $14 but i say give them a $20 read more

what does one expect for $14 i keep telling myself. my reply is- an evenly cut haircut. i had to go back the next day and have her fix the mistake. she did so with apprehension. her mother looked at me the whole time with a scowl that said " what do u expect for $14?!" i really need to pay more for a haircut...stay tuned... read more

i randomly chose this shop just by looking across the street from the building where I work and thought I'd give it a try. Since then, Gentle Hair Cuts has been my regular place to get my hair cut. The ladies that work here do a wonderful job and are super nice. They'll even remember your preferred style and cut once you go regularly. And it's even better that it's only $15 for short hair cuts! read more

I've been coming here for a few years, and I highly recommend it. The owners give great haircuts, and the price is a bargain. The hairstylists are also quite nice to talk with. read more

Really nice people, really terrible haircut. Uneven all over, poorly layered... I've never been particularly happy with a haircut but this is one of the worst I've ever gotten. Good if you need your hair to be short and don't care at all about how it looks. I mean, it's a $15 haircut but on the other hand you'd have to pay me more than $15 for me to go back. It's bad enough that I'm tempted to buzz it all off and start fresh because I have no idea how to go about fixing it and it was cut short enough that another haircut is out of the question. Update: this grew in a bit and it's not as bad as I thought, but still I can't recommend it unless you're interested in something like a buzz cut, which I assume they can do perfectly. read more

I first came here after Lhasa (a few buildings down) gave me the worst bang-trim of my life. People were actually comparing my hair to a bar graph. One of the women working here was able to somewhat salvage it, even at a shorter length than I generally prefer (couldn't really save the length after that butchering). Since then, I've been going back about once a month to trim my bangs, and every time they've done wonderfully (though it was a different woman than the one who first fixed my bangs). All I ever want is them shorter and cut clean across. Yesterday, however, I left feeling my hair was butchered again. Not quite as bad as Lhasa's, but certainly enough to make me miserable. The problem with getting your bangs trimmed is hair is falling in your face preventing you from seeing much, and when you finally can see, it's too late. She made it weirdly feathered and uneven. I JUST wanted it cut straight across, as I have been getting. However, this hair-cutter is the one woman who originally fixed my old butchered bangs and not the one I usually see, so I guess she wouldn't have known what I wanted as well. But I did tell her the same as I have it now, just shorter and even. After it was already feathered, there wasn't much I could do. If I had her cut off the feathered ends, my bangs would be even shorter and that might be even worse. I felt bad because they are so nice there, and I still tipped, but after leaving I'll admit I teared up. I'm not saying I won't go back, I probably will and just request the older woman working there. And maybe I'll bring a picture of my bangs when I actually DID like them so this can be 100% avoided in the future. read more

I love this place. Vera and Nancy are the best. I've been coming here for the past 10 years, even if it meant driving up from San Jose (though I recently moved, so they are much closer). They always remember you, remember how you like your hair. Great conversation and leaving feeling like a star, without paying the high price. read more

I've been getting my hair cut here for 7 years. For the shortish style I get, it's totally adequate. It's cheap, quick, and the two ladies are nice. read more

Horrible hair cut place, the ladies yelled at me the whole time and barely spoke English . Horrible customer service

I'm a man with a normal boring man's haircut. Five stars because they absolutely nail my very boring haircut here. Also they are friendly.

I've been going here for years. It's the best of small businesses. You develop a relationship, rather than just paying money, which you might as well pay to a machine. The haircut is fine, and they remember what I am looking for. Phil M, Berkeley read more

I just got a cut today. it was a buzz cut. the lady was very nice and cordial. she gave me a very good cut. it is very cheap compared to other places. i also needed to use the bathroom and rather then saying they dont have one for customers, they had one. It was very clean and hygienic. like many places you could see that she made an effort to talk with the customer and be nice. bottom line-complete value for money. look nowhere else. highly recommended. read more

Absolutely disgraceful service, would not recommend to anyone. They charged me $15 even though they didn't cut my hair the way I asked them too. The girl cut it so tight I look like a convict or a marine. Even though I was practically skinned around my head she wanted to leave my fringe the way it was nearly at my eyebrows. When I told her it wasn't what I asked for she just replied "too tight to change gunno have to keep it this way" I was disgusted when I left the place. Feel like I was robbed of that money as I need to see another (qualified) barber in a few days to fix this mess before my big trip on the weekend. read more

the hubby gets his hair cut here. he comes all the way from san francisco for his $14 haircut, and you know, what, totally worth it. he's one of those guys that's like a baby or cocker spaniel - he is terrified of getting his haircut (some kind of sampson complex, i guess). i'm just glad he has a place that he feels good about. i like it because they do a great job and what i wouldn't give to be able to get my haircut for $14, am i right? read more

I take my boys (ages 2.5 and 5) here to get their hair cut. They really like both ladies (though the daughter, Vera, is definitely the better barber), and I'm happy to pay $14 to get them to sit still for a cut! Both women are very friendly, and though the haircuts aren't always perfect, they're still better than I could do. Their hair grows so fast, I don't mind if the sideburns are cut too short or if their bangs aren't perfect (and really they're darn good considering how hard it is to get my 2.5 year old to follow instructions like "look down" or "sit up straight"). Excellent for kids without being gimmicky or annoying. I've also never waited more than a few minutes. read more