Major Traumatic Hair Experience which cost me an arm and a leg!!! I thought this place sounded cool, according to citysearch. Then I go to find out: 1. They offer you some watered down tea in a styrofoam cup. 2. There are some sad and unhappy looking shampoo employees. 3. Blasting Phil Collins does not equal hip and cool in my world 4. Trademark bronzed fifty somethings with baby blond highlights is the thing here. 5. They streaked my Asian, straight, dark hair orange. 6. I cried. 7. They still charged me. I try to tell this story to anyone I hear mention this place. I went home crying! read more

Why is it impossible to find a good hair salon in Harvard Square? I just got back from Gino's and immediately logged on Yelp to write this review. After getting a life-changing Brazilian Blowout in Southern California last summer, I was hunting for a good deal on something in the Boston area to tide me over until my return home next summer. There was a special on Gilt City for Gino's -- $75 for a keratin express blowout. OK, now not as great of a deal as I got in So Cal (my heart belongs to Abby and the crew at Madison Salon, particularly for that $99 BB from Groupon!), but good enough. Because I can weave a long tale of woe here, I'll just break it into the good, the bad, and the ugly in hopes I can keep it all straight: Good: 1. Close to my apartment Bad: 1. I called on Monday to schedule an appointment (forgetting that my certificate expired at the beginning of February (the 3rd) instead of the 28th as I'd been thinking. I didn't get a call back until this morning. That was after calling twice on Tuesday and getting no call back either. They said there was an appointment cancellation for later in the day and I could come in today. Harbinger of things to come? 2. The hair styling tools were awful. The brushes seemed cheap -- like the kind you'd buy at CVS or something. Because I have very curly, coarse hair (uhhh, the reason I'm getting a keratin treatment, duh), usually paddle brushes, boar bristle brushes, etc. work best. These brushes were crap. 3. Instead of sectioning off my hair and blowdrying it as I've had done at every. single. hair appointment I've had in the nearly 20 years I've been getting it professionally done, Evelyn did this thing with the brush where she was just haphazardly flicking the brush in my hair while blowdrying it. All this did was tangle up my hair and rip hair out. I could hear my hair being pulled out and I'm sure that I have a metric ton of split ends now. 4. Keratin treatments can be harsh on your eyes. Yet, the hair was allowed to fall all over my face and eyes with no regard. At one point, my eyes started burning and watering because my hair was over my face like Cousin It. 5. Though it was an "express" service, it took almost 2 hours. That's basically as long as a regular Brazilian Blowout/keratin treatment! 6. The woman at the station next to Evelyn used her blowdryer to get hair off her station from a haircut she'd just completed. My bag was on the floor near my feet, not quite all the way under the styling counter. She blew bits of hair all over my bag -- and inside, since I'd recently opened the tote to pull out a book and hadn't closed it. Absolutely no regard because she saw it and just kept going without moving my bag as if blowdrying the station was super important The Ugly: 1. Although the staff was nice enough to me, they were very snappish with each other. Just during my service, I experienced Evelyn being snappish with the shampoo girl and another assistant. She was clocking someone's break time like she was going to tattle if they were late back (which, to be fair, I can understand the frustration but there's no need to have those discussions in front of clients). 2. You know when you're communicating about someone who is pissing you off when that person is present -- you roll your eyes, make pointed glances, and smirk behind their back? Yeah, that's what the people were doing with me. I don't know if it's because they're not used to people who don't have the standard European texture of hair or what, but there was a lot of that snarky bitchery about my hair going on. Excuse me for living. Next time I'll take my money elsewhere. Because I'm a sucker, I paid the tip on the full service and went on my merry way, but I absolutely would not return and would advise anyone I know to stay away. The only reason it's a 2 star instead of 1 is because it was super cheap through Gilt City. read more

I am not loyal to any one hair stylist or salon. I tend to get my haircut at different places all the time. I have straight, medium-length hair. My biggest issue with hairdressers is when I ask for a trim and they subsequently go Edward Scissorhands on me and butcher me hair. Fortunately, this did not happen at Gino Salon. Ronnie cut my hair and did a fantastic job. I was specific about what I wanted, and I got exactly that! A perfect and stylish trim! The salon itself is large, quiet and clean (at least when I went). I will likely go back. read more

I've been searching for over a year for a person (not a place) to cut my hair. Paul is the man. If Paul is no longer there, then consider this place is a dump. read more

I take finding a stylist more seriously than selecting a surgeon. Baggy clothes and a few medical devices can cover up a bad surgery. And Giuliana is the only hair surgeon I have trusted in Boston for 6 years. She's been very reliable both in combining style with taste. Yes, compared to most places, the cuts cost more. But mitigating this, Giuliana's cuts keep their shape longer so I don't have to return as frequently. I need to believe this because I really like to save money but I just can't go with second best on hair in a town where stylists can rely on their customers wearing Red Sox caps 70% of the time. Plus, it's frick'n windy here! A good hair cut is a necessity. read more

This is for Marisol, who always makes my hair look terrific! Gino is a spacious, clean, pleasant salon with great service. Expensive, and hard to park, but worth it. read more

I've been going to see Marisol since I was an undergrad per my sister's (and her friends') recommendation and I wouldn't go anywhere else in Boston. Marisol is sweet and friendly and most importantly: she is GOOD. (and mind you, Asian hair is not that easy to cut) She gave me my first highlights when I was a freshman and I received plenty of compliments from my classmates back then. Most recently I went to her for a trim and once I got my haircut and a blowdry, everyone asked me where I got my haircut. As Marisol knows that I am probably the laziest person in the world, she gives me cuts that will grow out gracefully and requires minimal styling. I will really miss this place when I move from Boston. read more

Hair snobs unite! This is the best place I know of in Harvard Square.

Manny is a hair-cutting God! The best cuts I have ever had. As long as I live in this area, I will have my hair cut by Manny.

I've been having my hair cut at Gino for 14 years and will never go anywhere else. When I first decided to cut my then shoulder length hair, I started asking women I saw in stores and on the street where they had their hair cut. Five of the seven I asked said Gino. Now, people ask me. read more

I needed a haircut. I didn't know what I wanted. I had two friends tagging along. It was nasty outside. I was in an ambivalent mood. They had more employees there than customers, so they were able to take me right away. They gave my friends coffee, and didn't bother them while they sat in the hair drying chairs. The person cutting my hair was nice and friendly. She made a recommendation and because I didn't really care, I let her do what she wanted. In the end I had very mixed feelings about whether I liked my haircut or not, BUT to be fair, I didn't know what I wanted to begin with. The haircut itself was really nice. She knew what she was doing and made it look good. The one particular thing I liked about it was that she told me how to keep the haircut the same after walking out of the salon. My hair doesn't behave, so while a haircut looks nice when it's brand new it quickly falls apart and looks blah after a first shower. This was not the case here, since she knew what she was doing and explained how to maintain it in the future. As I left the place and days have gone by I've warmed up to the cut, and like it more. What I didn't like about the place was the atmosphere. The employees moods ranged from afraid to depressed. While the person cutting my hair was trying to seem happy, the girl sweeping the floors was just miserable and was visibly afraid of the punchy lady at the booking table/register. Knowing nothing about the hair/salon business, it seemed to be rich in ego and status......from what I saw anyway. So, overall I liked the haircut, thought the service was pretty good, atmosphere was depressing, and price tag was a little steep. Would I go back there......probably, they know what they're doing, which in the end is what really matters. read more

I would rather go to the dentist than to have my haircut because of so many disasters in the past. My fear is over, Guiliana at Gino Salon did such a fabulous job! I didn't even have to do the explaining i usually feel the need to do because stylists either dont listen or dont know what they're doing. This salon is so professional totally without being snooty. She and Helena (fabulous shampoo!) worked together and did an awesome job. I could not be more pleased! My highlights and cut came out fabulous!! read more

GINO is horrible! -poor service -rude hair stylists -really expensive TAKE YOUR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE! read more

I've been going here since 1998 when I was a college student. MARISOL is the person you want. She is so talented. I have curly hair and she blow dries it flat and beautifully. She also made my hair for college dance, and I have to say, I looked understated but amazing. I always look fabulous when I leave Gino. The prices are a bit steep, which is why I'm giving it 4 stars. A keratin will cost you at least $350. That's a little much. Then again, Gino is in Harvard Square so the wealthy clientele has no problems with these prices. read more

ok, the haircut wasnt that great! i went there because it was rated best long hair haircut!!!! she did nothing special....not worth the $$$

I've been getting my haircut here for longer than I can remember. I make the 50 mile trip from where I live in NH because of the consistent high quality of Paul's work. And it is nice to have a reason to get into Cambridge every month. Expensive. read more

I really like Gino Salon. they are located a few blocks from Harvard Square and do a great job with trendier hair cuts. (Yelp's CEO used to get his hair cut there.) Like any salon, there tends to be a range of skills among the various stylists. I have used Marisol, and she does a great job with men's hair. You'll need to call ahead to get an appointment with her though, as she is frequently booked up. The only downside to Gino is that they are a bit on the pricey side. ~$65 for a male hair cut. read more

I've just returned from another great appointment with Giuliana at Gino and have a fabulous new cut and gorgeous color. I love her! I've been a client since December 2004 when my old stylist left the area. Since that first appointment with Giuliana i've received nothing but compliments on the way my hair looks. Gino is not inexpensive, but they are worth every dime. I give Gino 5 stars! read more

I decided to try this salon after I moved to the area. I'm used to going to very nice salons in the past, so honestly I was surprised how I was treated. Everyone I met was extremely rude. The colorist (marisol) did my highlights, and then I was shuffled to someone else for the cut and dry. At the end I looked for the colorist to thank and tip her and I was told she left for the day, which was shocking that she never asked how I liked the result before she left! The colorist actually did a pretty nice job with the highlights but her attitude was so horrific, I will not be going back. Everyone just annoyed me there with their rudeness. The girl who did the haircut was awful! The blow dry was even worse. Ultimately I like highlights, dislike the cut and blow out, and HATED the attitude. I would avoid this place. read more

I just got a cut and color from Giuliana. This is the best of both I have ever had since Vidal Sassoon Salon in Chicago in the early 80's. I have been to many Newbury Street salons (and paid more) among others in the greater Boston area so I have a pretty wide comparison. I have thin fine hair with lots of grays. I kept it a bit lower than shoulder length. Giuliana made it beautiful! I also felt very at ease in the salon. Andrea and Elena were sweethearts. I will not need to try another salon. read more

Not a pleasant experience--they didn't have my appointment scheduled correctly and refused to accommodate me or acknowledge their mistake. I wish Diego at the Loft were still in Harvard Square--good work, pleasant environment and people. The opposite of Gino. read more

After reading several reviews I decided to give Gino a try. No problem getting an appointment, but this 80's decor shop needs a 2012 update badly to keep up with the prices they command. I really liked my cut, but listening to the bragging and occasional condescending comments made by the blonde - Giuliana? - was irritating. Does she think clients can't hear? Shampoo staff jumped as other reviewer commented. read more

right off of harvard square and the t one of the best cuts on the east coast