I went here recently for the first time and it was an experience! Anne was gracious and it felt as…read morethough I've known her my whole life. My locs needed some TLC and a retweet bad. I told her I wanted an asymmetrical bob, and she came through and delivered! I love this salon and will be back. You can even buy black crafted products

I've been wearing my hair natural for seven months and it's been a new experience for me even…read morethough I'm older. I come from a family where I was once judged harshly for my hair and felt compelled to chemically straighten it. Bottom line is that I needed to find someone who actually knew what they were doing to help me through this journey. Most of the women I publicly admired were in fact wearing extensions or weaves or wigs or you know some sort of sew-in. I'm so glad I found Ann and her shop Not Just Hair. I had a job interview and I really wanted my short pixie afro to look nice and I wanted to color it and I knew I couldn't do it myself because I had already tried and it just turned red. The minute that Ann saw me she knew exactly what needed to be done and squared me away. I'm happy to post photos because I want you to see the difference! I was able to get highlights and products that allow my hair to look pretty nice with minimal effort. I simply had my barber shape my haircut to highlight Ann's amazing work. There was no long wait at Ann's place or parking issues (if you're familiar with Olde Towne Alexandria, time of day is everything). The women were British, American, and Nigerian. It was so positive. The energy, level of hard work being put into our hair because everyone had a different hair type was amazing. I'm embracing in lieu of chemically torturing myself. It's pretty liberating, especially after 50!

I came in for a protein hair treatment and a hybrid style. I was able to park in the garage that's…read morehoused in the same building next to the salon, although it was a little confusing coming off the elevators and initially locating the shop. The salon is located in the Salon building directly next door to the garage, and it's located all the way in the back of the building (Booth #29) so be prepared to walk all the way around to find it. Because of parking, I'd recommend getting to your appointment at least 20 minutes early because it can be a little confusing to navigate. The shop was a lot smaller than I anticipated from the photos, but it was well kept, clean, and nicely decorated. Though I was a few minutes early, I was pleased that Daria was timely in finishing up the previous client so as to start promptly for my appointment. Daria was pleasant, professional, and pleasing to converse with and overall, I was pretty satisfied with my experience. The only thing that took a star down for me was that she did not really know how to do the style I requested and I had to show her the photo several times before she was able to figure it out. Also, the bobby pins she used were not very good and many of them fell out of my hair and I had to do my best to salvage the style when I got home. I do plan to come back but I would be interested to explore working with other stylists as well.

I made a consultation appointment to ask some questions and get some advice about my bleached…read morenatural hair, which was thinning out from over processing. Ajia was extremely helpful and knowledgeable about hair and offered her thoughts. She doesn't do bleaching herself, but referred me to the person who does in that same space. While I didn't end up following through with the referral, I appreciated the information. And Ajia was such a kind and cool person, that I wouldn't hesitate to reach out if I needed to. We also shared a similar interest in fitness and bodybuilding, which was nice to chat about. Definitely pay Thrive a visit for your natural hair needs in NoVa!

Gladys has been my hairdresser for a couple of years now and does an amazing job every time. She…read morelistens to what I want and never tries to push additional services on me. I always leave feeling fabulous. If you want someone who cares about what she does and not rushing to finish so she can fit in more customers than the other hairdressers she is the one. I highly recommend her. It is obvious she loves what she does. I am so happy I found her.

I got my highlights with Gladys and could not be happier. She listens and has the patience to…read moreensure you get the color you envisioned. Her haircuts are great too and make my hair feel healthy and full. I love how my hair looks every time I go to her. She is great!

Similar to the other reviewers here, I went to Penelope's Vanity for an Aveda Beyond Keratin…read moretreatment. I was really hopeful that the treatment would prove to be beneficial for my curly frizz-prone hair, and the fact that Penelope's is an Aveda salon instilled confidence. However, I would not go back here no matter how much you paid me. First of all, the stylist (not sure if she was the owner or not, mainly because she did not even attempt to make conversation with me - more on that later) could not find record of my appointment on the schedule. There was someone else on the schedule who never showed up, so it's possible they just wrote down my name incorrectly, so I can look past that. I was passed along to an assistant who did an amazing job washing and preparing my hair (she alone is why this place gets one star rather than zero, if that were possible). Then the Keratin treatment was applied. While I was waiting for the treatment to set, the stylist informed me that she would be juggling me with a few other clients, so I may need to wait a little here and there. No big deal. Apparently however, "a little" translated into MORE THAN 3 HOURS. After the treatment was washed out and my hair had been blow dried, I sat and waited while the stylist worked on several other clients from start to finish. She was extremely friendly with all of them (they were all clearly regulars) and asked them about their families, weekend plans, etc. Totally ignored me the whole time. I'm sorry - juggling does not mean I should wait for hours while other people are in and out! Juggling means you go back and forth. When the stylist FINALLY got around to flat-ironing my hair, she did not speak a single word to me. When I made my appointment, I was specifically told not to cut my hair ahead of the treatment because they like to do it with the Keratin treatments, since they can be very drying and cause split ends. However, the stylist never got around to cutting my hair!! And I was there for more than 3 hours!!! I didn't even mention it by the end of my appointment because I was so ready to get out of there. When I settled my bill, I was told not to wash my hair for 24 hours (seems to be a discrepancy with another reviewer who was told to wait 48 hours), and pressured to buy the expensive shampoo and conditioner for sale in the shop. No thank you. I have never been so tempted before not to tip, but I did anyway. Sigh. It has been several weeks since my appointment, and my hair still smells TERRIBLE every time I wash it - like extremely strong old-school perm chemicals!! Also, the treatment does not seem to have had any positive effect whatsoever on my frizz, but rather served only to exacerbate my split ends. I'm currently searching for a new salon to do damage control. I will never, ever go back here, and will recommend the same to all my friends.

I recommend the salon highly it is such a beautiful salon and they are very professional and very…read moretalented I will never go anywhere else but Penelope's you will love your hair if you come to this salon I guarantee it

I've always wanted to have twists done and finally got the opportunity! Actually got them done…read moreabout a month ago and my third picture is the most recent. They give you a good price and the service is always top tier. Can't wait to get my next style

Love this place!!!! The staff is so friendly!! They did a…read moregreat job on my hair they gave me a trim I will be coming back this is my new spot!!!

Love love this place. Been coming here for years! Soukayna is the best! Highly recommend this place.read more

I was optimistic and looking forward to this haircut and full baylage but it didn't come out as…read moreexpected. I went home and just convinced myself it was good but after a week I finally did my hair and discovered I had many chunks of uneven un-blended pieces. They charged me $340. The hairdresser also took advantage, put serum in my hair withholding that he would charge me $50. I never asked for it nor did he disclosed how much it would cost. I even tipped my hairstylist over 20% so a $400 haircut essentially. I messaged my hairdresser about this issue and he just told me to come in so he can take a look... I don't have time to drive 45 mins for someone to look at my hair. I would like someone to tell me they will fix it and it was their mistake. My intuition tells me it's not worth coming back. I just can't trust his work ethic or the salon. Transparency and honesty is so essential.

By way of another review highlighting her threading service, I visited Kanithia. She was pleasant…read moreand professional. She threaded and arched my eyebrows which looked magnificent. I'm so glad I found someone close that provides this service. Also, during my visit I witnessed her doing a natural hairstyle. Her clients hair looked super healthy. I made an appointment to come back and get my hair done after the holiday. I'll leave anther review for the hair experience at that time.

Kim was the stylist and her attitude was nasty. i was uncomfortable after the "trim" and never went…read moreback to this studio.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I would visit my barber (Eddie) every 4-5 weeks. After exchanging…read morepleasantries about how our respective families were doing and small talk about the weather, Eddie would ask how I wanted my hair cut. And my response was usually something along the lines of, "Use the number 3 setting on the clippers to take a couple of inches off the top, the number 2 to keep the sides 'high and tight', and then finish with the number 2 setting to do a skin-fade for the back." To which Eddie would normally reply, "Don't worry, I'll make it look fresh and crisp as always." I would venture to guess that 90+ percent of men have had a similar if not verbatim conversation with their barber. March 8, 2020 was the last time I visited Eddie, and I recall this vividly since we were discussing this "Coronavirus" thing that was in the news and whether it was something to be concerned about here in the U.S. I believe that our uninformed opinion was that this was probably just another "flu strain" and that it was nothing to worry about. Hmm...weren't we a bit off on this prediction? As things were shutting down, I started experiencing the dreaded "pandemic hair," which is to stay by May 2020, the hair on the top of my head was a crazy unkept mane. It got so bad that during a MS TEAMS meeting, one of my co-workers offered to send me some Scooby Snacks, since I was looking so Shaggy. Thankfully, a family member told me about May Samara Beauty Studio in the summer of 2020. I was a bit hesitant at first to see May for two reasons: 1). What type of COVID-19 protocols did she have established to ensure a safe environment? 2). I was raised with the belief that men only went to "barbers" for their haircuts. As for point number one, May has implemented excellent COVID safety and security protocols. It starts with the appointment process itself. She will usually want to talk with you first to vet you as a potential client. And once the appointment is made, upon entering her studio (in the basement of a Condo building), she only allows one (two max) people in at a time and makes sure to lock the door so as to control access to her space. All clients need to wash their hands before starting, and May provides a fresh paper face mask during their visit; I actually appreciate this gesture since it prevents my usual cloth mask from getting too filled with tiny cut hairs. May, herself, is of course masked up during the visit and takes care to clean between clients. She also has a UV air filter to sanitize and circulate the air. In the past 9 months that I've been a client, I've always felt safe visiting her studio. But how about the most important consideration...which is to say, how does May perform as a hair stylist? Simple - 5 stars! As other reviewers have noted, she definitely takes the time to not just ask how you want your hair cut, but does a CONSULTATION to factor in the shape of your face, whether you wear glasses, and what kind of look a person is trying to achieve. She will start with a thorough hair washing, and will provide feedback regarding the health of your scalp and hair, and suggest some strategies if she feels there are areas of improvement. And unlike with my former barber Eddie, who was usually done in 15 minutes since it was mostly just "buzz, buzz, buzz" with the clippers and done - May takes the time to not just cut by also style hair. She does use clippers, but also utilizes a range of various sizes of scissors to create texture; a concept which was previously lost upon me. My old haircuts may have looked "fresh and crisp," but after leaving May's studio, I am extremely happy with the cut since it looks good and more importantly, professional. Post-pandemic I'll still be patronizing May Samra's Beauty Studio because if 2020 taught me anything, it's that once you find a good hair stylist, you KEEP that person.

I am so grateful that I found May's studio in Northern Virginia. I am really particular about…read moreproducts and used to go to an Oway salon in Fort Lauderdale, so when I moved to the DMV, I searched for an Oway salon, and May's studio popped up! Just like the Oway products she uses, May's studio and approach to color/styling are organic, clean, and blissful. For those looking for a thoughtful, high quality, organic, customer-focused long-term hair care salon, then definitely give May a call to schedule your appointment :)