First off, don't let these 1 start reviews from these Karen's scare you away from this awesome establishment! I don't care where you go, it's not easy cutting a toddlers hair anywhere. Alice (Co Nga) was such a sweet lady and very attentive to our baby. Baby was moving around like crazy and Alice was keeping her engaged and being an all around endearing Aunty. Haircut came out great and pricing was decent. Not only did we feel at home at her salon, the aesthetics inside were very comforting and nostalgic! Library of VHS tapes with the big Disney covers. Tiny TV box with the built-in VCR. Reminded us of our on upbringing. Loved it! We'll be back! Give Happy Cuts a visit! read more

Our kids can't wait to come back here, which is an absolute shock for a haircut! Cars to sit in, tv on during the cut, lollipops at the end. And of course perfect cut (and both kiddos have some wild hair challenges). Can't believe there aren't more 5 stars, perfect place for kiddos! read more

She was great with my autistic son. She was kind and sweet and took her time. He was crying and screaming but it didn't seem to bother him at all. read more

Place is very busy, but fairly accommodating. From what I saw, a lot of their clients are repeats but they accommodated me within 15min. I can't recall the barber's name, but it was the only male barber there. but I actually had an interesting conversation with the barber which is a big plus over some who do not speak a word unless they are asking how you would like it. I wouldn't say it was one of my better hair cuts, but for $15, it just might be. Overall, the service from the barbers are top notch and is what really prompted me to write this review, they go out of their way to make sure you are well taken care of and it shows in the cleanliness of the place which is decades old but looks new. read more

Omg I should've listened to Dede P.'s review. I had the same exact experience. I specifically said NOT to touch my son's bangs and I turn around for a second and gone!! Wtf?! Also, the back was splotchy and she tried to tell me that my son's head was not round hence the uneven bald parts. When that didn't work for her she blamed him for not sitting still. So basically I had to tell her that i could've given my son the same if not better haircut. How is she a professional? It looked like a home made haircut. It was so not professional and I really HATE his hair right now. Thank goodness it will grow out. At least she was nice enough and the place was pretty small and cluttered. Not sure how she gets by cutting kids' hair because she has no kid skills whatsoever. she just tells them to look at the tv in which she pops in a video. What a disaster - Consider yourself warned!, read more

I warn all yelpers who is considering coming here to, DON'T COME HERE! Alice does not know the first thing about cutting hair. Would give 0 stars but I have to select 1 star in order to post this. Took my daughter to get a cut this weekend based upon the yelp reviews. I completely regretted my choice. The picture below clearly shows why this was the most horrible place to take your child to have a cut. She took 10 minutes to cut her hair and 15 minutes to give her a braid. When my daughter took out her braid the next morning that was when I saw her finished cut. As you can see from the pictures below, it looks like she just took a scissor and just cut it straight across. I asked for her hair to be lightly layered. This was what she called layering. Took my daughter back that afternoon to show Alice how anyone who has a shop can call this a cut charging $20. She has the audacity to lie in front of my 7 yrs old that kids move around and that may be the cause of it. With my daughter standing there, she was saying "I didn't move, why is she saying that." I left and took her to another salon (KB Salon, Susan was wonderful) to get her cut fix. read more

Happy Cuts - Hair Salons Near Me - Alameda, California

Fuming! I went in with some trepidation because my last experience was not very good so I made it a very definite point to clarify what I wanted. My son is just about to turn 5 and we wanted him to look his best in two weeks. Specifically I said that I wanted his hair in the back to remain fairly long and that I did not want the sides extra long - as in the Justin Bieber look. I told her not to cut the back short THREE times and showed her how not to cut the sides. My son got to sit in the motorcycle - a cool feature - I sat down to read the paper after explaining very clearly what I wanted with a special emphasis on what I did not want. I looked up a few times in the beginning and everything looked fine and he was watching the video (which I had to have her change from a villain/gangster animation to something age appropriate). When she said he was ready for inspection I got up and discovered a son with very short hair in the back, long sides and almost nothing cut off the front! I had her trim the front back, trim the sides after showing her exactly what I had asked her not to do and when all was finished my son had a Republican Cut - I was furious but what is the point of getting mad - I am venting now where it counts. I wish I could post a picture of the back of his head and show you her definition of NOT SHORT. read more

The owner only knows how to cut one way for boy's hair and that's short. Don't think you can go in there and ask for a certain style and get what you want. Both times I took my son in there he came in with long hair and came out with a short, military cut with very short bangs. All I wanted was to trim my son's long hair so it wasn't in his eyes. I had a vision but the owner has her own. If you don't mind the short, military look this place is for you. read more

After my review I got a nasty message from the owner saying that my child was sick (he was not)... and that my child was the worst she has ever seen in her 14 years...and that it was my fault because i was so cheap because I had given him home hair cuts in the past. Not sure why you would even want to respond to a customer that way EVER. This has just prompted me to give you another terrible review. If anyone wants recommendations for places for toddler first haircuts let me know but it is definitely NOT this place. Awful and I will NEVER return read more

My husband and I left our 19-month-old daugther with my mom for a few hours and we came home to a daughter with a botched hair cut. I can only describe her hair as the offspring of an Asian bowlcut and a mullet. Needing an emergency hair fix, I perused Yelp reviews for children hairstylists, and chose Happy Cuts for the following reasons: 1) it's geographically desirable 2) it had toys and videos to distract a restless toddler 3) there was no way - unless someone shaved her head a la Airbender - her hair could look any worse I made an appointment for Sunday morning, and the place was empty when we arrived. (TIP: Do NOT bring a stroller since you need to climb up 4-6 creaky wooden stairs.) I placed my daughter in one of the cute seats shaped like a race car, and she was happy - that is until Alice draped on the hair cutting robes. Since the robes probably reminded her of wearing a hospital gown, my daughter was well on her way to a tantrum meltdown. Thankfully, Alice popped in an Elmo video, and the tears disappeared like magic. All too soon my daughter was sedated with Elmo cute-ness/annoying-ness, and Alice worked quickly to create an even bob. She also arranged my daughter's hair in cute pigtails complete with pink ribbons and signed off a first-haircut certificate. Overall, we had a quick and easy experience, and the price wasn't too bad either - $16. We will definitely come back. read more

Alice can cut hair faster than anyone on a moving, scared toddler! And she does surprisingly well for how much my son moves. The first time I took him, he was about 2 years old and he was terrified. The videos helped a lot, but my son was generally a very difficult toddler. He's three now and can sit better, so the quality of his haircuts has gone up tremendously. It's well worth the $16! However, don't expect to be able to direct Alice, much. She is like grandma, and grandmas know best. So it's best to go somewhere else when your child is ready for a different style (and can hold still) and you want to tailor the cut a little better. It's funny, all of my son's friends at his school go to Happy Cuts and they all have the same haircut! read more

It's been a few weeks since my toddler's haircut - wanted to take some time to cool down so I can give a constructive review. My wife and I brought our 15 month old toddler here for a haircut. This was his second haircut, first was at another place in pleasant hill, which went smoothly but was unfortunately booked. We arrived at the place where Alice was consulting with a couple of clients. She asked if we had an appointment when we walked in, which we did, and proceeded to ask the other clients to come back in 10 minutes. The place seemed kid-friendly with videos and cars to sit in for the haircut which seemed promising. We ended up putting my son on my lap to make him more comfortable for the haircut. Alice started buzzing his hair with a clipper and my son started crying. Alice, continued to buzz his sides still, but he was getting distressed and crying harder so it was difficult to get any cuts in. She snarkly asked if we brought a pacifier or milk in a bottle for him to stop crying. This is when Alice got aggressive and grabbed by son's head with force so he couldn't move to get a few cuts in. My son got visibly more upset, face turning red, and I see from the side of my eye that Alice was getting visibly inpatient, almost rolling her eyes. We tried to reset, carried him then sat him down again, and Alice attempted again. This time, she grabbed his head even harder, and I had to peel her hand away because I was worried that she would damage my son's soft skull! By this point I have had it. I got up, with my son, paid the lady, and we left. Come to think about it; I should've never paid her and had just left since in the 15 minutes we were there she forcibly made a very uneven cut. As I was paying, she offered for us to come back the next day to fix the half haircut, but we would NEVER come back after how she handled my son's head and her temperament. I can't say that she doesn't do well with older kids, but I definitely would NOT bring a toddler here for a haircut. read more

We had seen the great reviews on yelp and the place was recommended by another mom in my moms group so we decided to give it a go for my 22 month old's first haircut. I decided I didn't think my son's blond curly mullet was cute any longer and thankfully there was an opening the same afternoon. We strolled my two boys down to Park street and parked the stroller outside on the landing- not only were there 4 stairs but our double monster stroller was definitely not making it into the tiny shop. We were ok to leave it outside, but probably best to leave the stroller at home next time. Alice was warm and welcoming and my son (who wouldn't let me anywhere near his locks with scissors, smart boy!) climbed enthusiastically into the yellow race car. After she popped in an Elmo tape he was calm and sat quietly while she snipped away. And this little guy doesn't sit still for ANYTHING. I was thoroughly impressed with her skills and her "carside" manner. She even gave him a certificate with an attached blond curl for a keepsake. His haircut is perfect and we'll be back! read more

I've been meaning to write an update to my previous review of my daughter's haircut. Although I still believe Happy Cuts did not cut my daughter's hair as instructed, her haircut actually turned out looking quite nice on her after a week of growth (and getting over the initial shell shock of my kid not having much bangs any more). She ended up with a pixie hair cut, which suits her toddler face at this age. And the other pro of getting her hair cut super short? It takes a while to grow back, which saves me from having to take her to the hair salon so often. So i'm humbly taking back my outrage and would like to thank Happy Cuts for giving my girl a different cut that looks good and saves me time. Less is More. Just beware that you may not get exactly what you wanted going in, but hopefully it will turn out great anyway. read more

We had a fantastic experience here with our little guy. The proprietor that owns the place is so nice and really enjoys cutting kids hair. we found out about this place from my recommendation from my wife's coworker. This was our first haircut here and we will definitely be going back as well as recommending it to all our friends. She was so sweet and she even kept his hair and gave him a little certificate and put the hair in a little plastic baggie that attached to the certificate. My wife almost cried when she saw it because it was so sweet. When it comes to getting kids hair cut around Alameda this place is tops! read more

I too my 5 yr old yesterday pm.! I felt like that was the $25.00 worst spent on a hair cut.! Hair cut doesn't look good at all.! She left long hairs around the ear line(I have to cut it at home). Never again. I'll just keep going to Oakland China town. read more

Our absolute favorite place for a kids haircut. It's been a consistently good experience.

Alice is nice and easy to schedule an appointment. I have been here about 3 times so far and she does the job. She's patience with my daughter and very kid friendly environment. I do notice some parts of the hair is not consistent and there are a few strands here and there but I think it's due to my daughter moving too much. She charges about $25 for kids cut. She convenient and local and does the job. There's not many kid friendly salon in Alameda. read more

Alice did a great job with my 3 year old boy. He's had 2 haircuts prior to this and they did their best but he was difficult (whining, moving his head, hiding his head, asking to leave and not to touch him lol) Alice handled my little guy like a pro! She was patient, respectful and comforting. It also helps that her shop has so many cool toys, car chairs for the kids to sit in and even offered a cookie! I almost didn't go based on the reviews here so I thought to share in case anybody was hesitant. The other salons as I mentioned were fine but my son needed distractions and Happy Cuts did it! He looks so cute and we will definitely be back in the future. read more

My nephew has been getting his hair cut here for about 2 years now, and my niece just made her first visit here. This place is small but I think that's the perfect environment for a child to be in. It's not overwhelming, sterile, or cheesy. Just comfortable and Alice is great so the kids. The niece's hair cut came with French braids and ribbons. The nephew always comes out looking spiffy. She has a collection of VHS videos and a sports car, jeep, and motorcycle chairs to pick from. read more

I hate writing something so bad, as my husband said the woman there was very nice but the cuts on both my boys were just SO DANG BAD. It's been weeks and I just can't get over it. I cannot wait until it's grown out enough to take to someone to salvage. My son who went first got a slightly better cut but my poor second kiddo looked AWFUL. We asked that it be left longer on top, it was all chopped, awkwardly uneven with chunks in the back where the clippers clearly missed the hair but it didn't get evened out with scissors. The bangs were so bad I tried to even out but it's just a mess.. I was so upset but thought at least it was probably really cheap but nope! It's expensive for a kids cut to boot! It's just so so disappointing. read more

Worst possible place to take your kid. Alice has no communication skills. She kept shouting on my one year old. Randomly started running her scissors all over. Dropped all hair in my kids mouth more than 5 times, kept pushing her tiny head. And finally, the last straw, ten minutes later told us that she has spent 30 minutes on the hair cut and that she can't do it. Are you kidding me?!! We made a big mistake by coming here. Our kid was crying by the middle of it because Alice kept annoying us with her constant frustration and lack of empathy for kids. Don't take your baby here if you love them. Dirty place, she used an old dirty comb and did not have any skills on how to handle a baby. We simply paid her the money and walked out. Going back to snips where folks are atleast courteous!! read more

BUTCHERED MY DAUGHTER'S HAIR HORRIBLY!!! I cannot describe how awful my daughter's hair looks. I went here after reading the good reviews. My kid had shaggy bangs and her hair was all split ends and needed some TLC. What we got was a choppy, uneven, terrible cut. My daughter has very easy to cut/style hair-it's bone straight and had an A-line bob that was slightly grown out. It looks like it was hacked to bits, with bangs that are uneven, and ridiculously short. I feel so bad!!! I'm glad she's only 3, so that she doesn't know or really care. Sadly, I do!! DO NOT GO HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It shouldn't be called "Happy Cuts" it should be called "Crazy Hair Butcher". This business should be shut down. read more

I could see how the haircut could go either way, but my son left with a pretty good haircut, zero tears, and a cute certificate. It does sound like she has a standard boy haircut, and I'd likely veer elsewhere if I wanted a longer look. But for now, I'll be taking my son here and expecting what he got today! read more

Happy Cuts - Hair Salons Near Me - Alameda, California

I wanted to give it try. Big mistake. Alice doesn't have basic haircutting knowledge. read more

Happy Cuts - It looks like my son cut his hair himself. How on the earth could she ( Alice) cut like that? Is she blind? - Hair Salons Near Me - Alameda, California

I came here to fix what Cool Tops in Rockridge did to my 1-yr old daughter. The place is small but there's toys, videos, and fun seats everywhere, my child was immediately amused. Alice is very sweet and listened to what I wanted, and what I didn't like. She even grabbed her hair books to show me photos of what she envisioned/suggested. She helped clean up a asian bowl cut into a cute pixie. My daughter looks great and really enjoyed her time there. The cut was fairly priced at $16. Alice also offered parenting resource newspaper and spots to take my daughter for walks on the way out, she was a pleasure to work with. read more

My son is 2 and has a very hard time with hair cuts. Alice is sweet and kind. She made him feel safe and secure and she became his friend. We still have some difficulty, but he is always happy to see Alice! read more

A great alternative to Cool Tops for Kids. The owner of this tiny little shop is Alice (from Vietnam). She has the shop set up in a very welcoming fashion, with a motorcycle chair, a yellow car chair, and a TV with videos. Alice is very sweet and our kids love her, even my little guy who was there for his first haircut, after missing a nap, aged two. He was putty in her hands. She does everything Cool Tops does, for less fuss and a lower rate (kids' cuts were $15). Plus, she has a ton of kid-friendly hair products (including organic) for reasonable retail prices. read more

We've been coming to Allice for almost 5 years. Here's the deal ... If you stand near Alice during the cut and give her specific feedback, you will get a great haircut at a good price. If you sit down and text during the appointment, you may not. That happened to me once. My boys (7 and 10) really like going to Happy Cuts--they enjoy sitting in the cars and watching videos during their appointment. They have straight and wavy hair, and she has given them many darling cuts over the years. I recommend Alice for parents who are willing and able to get involved during the appointment. read more

Just took my 20 month old here for his very first haircut. I had been putting it off as long as possible bc I knew he would freak out! The woman who runs this salon is very nice and has a lot of selections to keep your child distracted and happy! I had a really nice vibe from her and she was very nice to both me and my son. Only thing is its a little expensive for a childs haircut as many of them are below $20 at supercuts etc but I didnt mind paying $25 for the extra work it takes and patience when dealing with a toddler! Will definitely be back soon :) read more

Alice has been cutting my kids' hair for years. My daughter is super easy, but my son is very squirmy and hates everything about getting his hair cut. Somehow, Alice always manages to give him a great cut. She's a bit of a miracle worker. read more

Happy Cuts - Alice gave my daughter the cutest A-line haircut. She loves it. Thanks! - Hair Salons Near Me - Alameda, California

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well... I just brought my daughter here for a haircut. Alice does a traditional cut for her. She is very sweet, friendly and attentive to kids...so I would say if you need a very chic cut then you properly would need to go somewhere. but if you need a kid friendly hair salon...this is a very good place caz they have movie, toys..etc. read more

I had a few great experiences here. Including my little guys very first haircut where he got a great cut while sitting with his daddy and watching cartoons and a cute certificate with a lock of hair attached. The lady was really fast which worked out great for our busy bee. read more

Took my kids there today, she was fast & efficient. The place was a little dirty & cluttered, but I especially loved the seats for the children during their haircuts. read more

We've been to a few places and this is the place that my 4 year old son wants to go back to. Alice is patient and does a great job. He used to complain and cry when we first started going and now he no longer fidgets or complains. I highly recommend bringing your little one here. read more

My son has or had long hair. I should have real yelp forst. The lady was nice but I told her I wanted to keep his hair long. She showed me a picture and I agreed to it. The picture was of an older man but I like the style because it was long. Long story short his hair has no lenght at all and I asked her I tought she was going to do that haircut and she replied "he is only 2 he needs a kids haircut" really??? Hes my kid. I didnt say anything I dont like confrontations. Paid $20 plus tip and left. I cried more than my son cried during his haircut. read more

Alice was great!! I have triplets so it was by far the best experience. She was fast and patient. I would recommend this place for kids.

I just took my five-year-old to Happy Cuts for a trim, and we had a wonderful experience. Alice is warm and my daughter, who can be shy with new people, was completely comfortable with her. She gave my daughter a sweet hair cut and was very helpful in making suggestions on how to keep her scalp healthy and how to help her feel better about getting her curly hair brushed. Happy Cuts has cars to sit in and a variety of movies and shows for kids, which my daughter really enjoyed. We are both very pleased with her haircut and how Alice styled her hair with braids and ribbons. She went out of her way to make sure that we had all of our needs met. Highest Recommendations!! read more

It's a good place for a first time hair cut because they have toys and movies and cars for the kids to sit in. She braided her hair and put in ribbons, which was nice. But I think the lady's technique for cutting hair is questionable. she didn't cut her hair evenly. I didn't say anything and it was good enough but doubt we will return read more

I thought Alice was great! She immediately asked what my 18 month old wanted to watch and popped in a Thomas the tank movie. She worked quickly and carefully and kept him distracted with toys. Cutting a baby's hair can be a daunting task and I felt that Alice did an expert job. She treated my son as I imagine she would treat her own grandchild. Also, the price was very reasonable. I will be coming back. read more