I have been growing out my hair and haven't gotten it cut in some time. I needed to get it cleaned up a bit for a family reunion that would include professional photographs. The salon was amazing--they booked me the same week I called. I had left a message outside of business hours explaining my situation. An 8:00 AM hair appointment might sound tough, but there is parking right in front of the salon, and it's free until 9! I was able to be seen by the eponymous hairdresser, who struck me as somewhat reserved but kind. We discussed my long-term goals (length, possible coloring later) and my preferred hair maintenance routine. (I shampoo and condition 3-4 times a week, use no products, or only air dry.) I felt good about the haircut while in the seat, and I looked nice at the end. Matthew explained that he had cut my hair so that it would lie nicely with some volume with no real effort. However, at home I didn't find a good way to comb or fluff my hair. So the front cleaned up nicely, but I think the overall haircut complicated my post-shower or morning "styling." Nonetheless, the professionalism, cleanliness, convenient location, and willingness to squeeze me in last minute? I recommend giving this salon a shot. read more

I went to Shari Phillips to have my hair done. For whatever reason, she did not like me. Ms. Phillips intentionally ruined my hair so that I would not return to the salon. Rather than trimming angled layers around my face, she cut two small uneven chunks on both sides. Ms. Phillips also began trimming the longer layers towards my ends, but did not finish. The back was left undone. When I went to work, some of my colleagues took notice. They could see two uneven chunks around my face. I went to another stylist in tears. She was stunned by what Ms. Phillips did to my hair. If Ms. Phillips did not want me as a client, she should have not scheduled an appointment, rather than intentionally ruining my hair. What an appalling thing to do. read more

I am a happy woman! Just had a Cezanne smoothing treatment from Matthew Phillips Salon. Erin is a magician. I walked in with dry frizzy hair and came out with straight smooth hair. My hair feels so much healthier and is silky smooth. Quite a transformation. She always does a wonderful job with cutting and coloring my temperamental hair so when this treatment was suggested I figured I'd give it a go. So happy I did read more

Matthew Phillips - My hair after the Cezanne treatment - Hair Salons Near Me - West Hartford, Connecticut

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Amazing Aveda products! I look forward to my next appointment! read more

I have very curly hair n I like to wear it pretty wild. Hair dressers are always trying to tame it by straightening it n I hate that. But not here I saw Audrey and she was such a joy she did a great job on my curly hair I loved my result and will deff be going back my curls are totally revived. The salon is beautiful and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Great place. I also met the owner while I was there he was very nice, and seemed very interested as to what my visit there was for and that my needs were being met. 5 stars read more

I am not a big fan of getting my hair cut and I will go months and months without doing so but it finally got to the point where my hair was bothering me so much. My old hair stylist is just too far away and not good enough for me to travel 30 minutes to see her so I checked good ole Yelp and decided on Matthew Phillips. I must have walked by this salon millions of times! I was booked with Audrey and I flat out told her that I had no idea what to do with my hair, and she guided me in the right direction! She said she was going to give my hair more movement, at the time I didn't know what she was talking about, but now I totally see what she means. My hair is bouncy, flowy and lays on my head just right. I love it!!!! However, it was a lot of pay $30 for a blow dry, so next time I would just get it cut and air dry. My hair looked great but I would probably only get it blown out if I had plans after the haircut. My blow dry went to waste because I went to work and had to put my hair up. The reason why I know this is a great hair cut -- besides the obvious -- is that my boyfriend and his friend both noticed and complimented my hair! Let's be real here.. If a guy notices -- it's definitely a great cut. read more

Just had a great experience with Debbie from this salon. New to Hartford and had a colour and cut done with her. She did an incredible job and really wanted to help me with handling my curly hair and the life long concerns that come along with that. I came to her to reverse blonde highlights and to have my hair return to its natural dark brown. She did an amazing job and a great cut. Thank you!!! read more

This is my first Yelp review ever, which shows how fantastic my last service was with Kate. I have come in for several facials with Kate and each one has been wonderful. The treatment itself always makes my skin glow, but it is perhaps Kate's warm, sensitive nature that makes the facial such an exceptional experience. She is caring, asks just enough about her clients to tend to their needs, and makes you feel centered by the time your session is done. I love Aveda products and have had many Aveda facials, but the experience itself with her is the reason I will keep coming back to this salon. read more

I went in for a manicure today and was taken in 15 minutes late. I ended up having to settle for just a polish change because I didn't have enough time to do a whole manicure because of this. The girl at the front desk was rude, no one offered me water or anything, and I left with not a single "goodbye" or "have a nice day" from anyone. While getting my nails done, I could barely hear Media chatting with me because of the hair dryers and noise all around us. I miss the quiet, peaceful, friendly environment of Per Se where I had been a loyal customer for close to 5 years. Today was my first and last visit to Matthew Phillips. read more

I started going to see Matthew as a sophomore at Trinity at the suggestion of a family friend who lived in the area, and I completely fell in love with this salon and Matthew's genius! It's been 10 years and he's hands down still the very best I've ever seen. Though I've since moved out of state, I still make the trek to see him whenever I need him to "fix" other salon's hatchet jobs, which he easily does in one fell swoop by just looking at me and knowing what needs to be done- especially when it comes to color. I always leave with a huge glow of confidence, and feeling like a million bucks. He's the opposite of formulaic - each client is treated with a custom approach that only his years and years of expertise working in the fashion industry can produce. You'll sit down with your hair flying every which way for 30 minutes, and leave looking like Grace Kelly, it's incredible I truly don't know how he does it. Just a few days ago I found myself with a huge job interview in the area, and leapt at the chance to prep with a visit to him the day before my interview knowing he's the only one who could channel the look I was going for. I left feeling like I could conquer the world, and the next morning as I was getting ready to leave for my interview I got a voicemail from him wishing me good luck. Matthew is a genius with a heart of gold, try him out once and you will find a lifelong stylist that you can trust and rely on, and possibly be lucky enough to call him a friend 10 years later. I got the job by the way!! read more

I have very curly hair and have always struggled to find someone who could cut and style it to my liking. I've gone to Debbie at Matthew Phillips three times now and will not be going anywhere else. She understands what I want and knows how to cut my hair just so I get that. She has also given be great suggestions on how to achieve the look I want at home and keep my hair healthy. Everyone is very kind, welcoming, and they never make you feel like they are in a rush. I'm so thankful I found this salon! read more

A great and fantastic experience, Shirley is amazing. She suggested me a Cessane , I hope I wrote it right, and I am happy I did that. My hair used to look awful , frizzy, and very dry. She definitely changed my life ! My daughter had a perfect blonde color for the first time ever, after changing many salons . She loved it. Me and my daughter had a wonderful experience, silky and beautiful hair, a great chat with all the girls, who are so polite and helpful. Can't wait to go back ! read more

Matthew Phillips - Shirley , working highlighting and transforming the 4 different colors in my daughter's head - Hair Salons Near Me - West Hartford, Connecticut

I came here for balayage and a blowout. LOVED the color but I left with embarrassingly frizzy hair that was not straightened properly. It was strange because the stylist was meticulous about highlighting my strands (greatly appreciated) but by the time it came to straightening my hair she did a half-assed job. Of course this wouldn't have been such a problem if I didn't have to pay an additional $30 for the blow dry. I'll give this place 3 stars since their products are great and the color didn't damage my hair, but if I ever return I'll make sure to see a different stylist. read more

I love Aveda product so wanted to try this salon for a change. Colorist did her best but after 1st visit hair was dull and grey (rather than blonde with nice lowlights). Second visit and many hours later I left with brassy highlights over another dull color. Owners never spoke a word to me or tried to assist although they saw me there for hours on two occasions. Not a team atmosphere and the quality of service was very poor. Spent more time and money with a great salon and colorist to fix. read more

The haircut was pretty good and the stylist was nice, but the price was absolutely insane. On their website, it says they offer haircuts for women for $30. What they don't tell you is that they charge an additional $30 to get your hair blow-dryed. I had never heard of an additional charge just for someone to dry your hair - and an extra $30 was particularly steep. Sure, they did a good job, but the prices are misleading. Don't come here unless you have the money to spend. read more

I went for my first ever facial (yay!) and Kate was the best! I had the basic, elemental nature facial for 60 min. Well worth the price (only $75!). Kate took the time to sit down with me both before and after the facial to talk about my skin goals and exactly what she would do for the 60 minutes. She gave me great advice for my specific skin type...I already can't wait to go back for my 8-week check up. Thanks Kate! read more

Not returning here again! Went in for haircut/partial highlights, walked out with nice cut and not so descent highlights. I asked lower be lighter and top darker, didn't turn out that way, some were light others dark. Next day went in for correction asked have lower lighter (kinda like ombre) the stylist gave me an expression and said what do you mean this looks nice! I showed her picture of what I wanted she said your skin is not white for those highlights, keep them this low toned with mixed in blond tone. I left there and went to another salon - wanda at dellaria- saved day! Gave me best ombre hightlights to die for! Charged very little for what was done! I just feel you need to really research place and get good idea of what stylist is capable of. I did have to pay twice, but for me, a awesome color is important and the salon dellaria made that happen! Not returning here and also felt the stylist should do what client is asking for. read more

I lived in CT for a while, and went to Matthew's salon. Be forewarned that Matthew basically does whatever *HE* feels like doing with your hair, not what you ask him to do. He charges top-end prices, yet the results are not what you want and request. Also, pretty much everyone from the receptionist on down is snobbish and arrogant. Given the prices you pay to get anything done there you would think they could at least fake friendliness. read more

Very pleasant atmosphere. Catherine gave me a fantastic cut, color, and highlights. I referred my sister to Catherine and she also had a wonderful experience and loves her hair. After reading the other reviews, I thought the prices were very fair for West Hartford Center. I will definitely be coming back! read more

Big shout out to Karen!! I have curly hair and the hair cut I got here was probably the best in my life!! And that's after trying regular salons and an expensive salon in the area as well. I had read somewhere on the internet long ago that curly hair has to be blow dried and straightened before cutting it. But no hairdresser by far did that except for Karen! She totally knew what she was doing. She explained it in a way that I understood and gave me options as well. She took into account the texture and the damage done from the previous cut and also how I usually wear my hair. The salon is priced reasonable too. Staff are very cordial. Plus I didn't have to wait for days for an appointment. For as long as I'm gonna be in CT, I think i found my hairdresser. read more

Fantastic personal service, friendly,engaging staff and my hair has never felt or looked better.

I'm a little late on this review, but oh well.. I've been here multiple times and have always had a good experience. Best by far was two months ago. It was my masters graduation and I needed a hair cut. I have curly frizzy hair and the stylist who had done my hair earlier wasn't working there anymore. Was a little anxious to start with coz my graduation was hours away. And then the best hairstylist I have ever met happened to me! Not only did Shannon give me a great hair cut, but after she blow-dried my hair, she set it oh-so-well, with soft curls, that it made me smile cheek to cheek. I never thought I would look that good for my graduation. While I was indecisive whether to blow-dry or keep it curly, the hairdo she did was a perfect mix of both. It looked simple yet very effortlessly elegant. And for a girl who loves curly hair but not the frizz, it couldn't have been better. Graduation pics last forever! And I looked great with the hairdo. If I didn't have to move out of CT , I wouldn't let anyone else touch my hair other than her. Thanks a bunch Shannon read more

I had a very negative experience at this salon. I called to make an appointment and clearly stated I'd be using a gift card. I was told, no problem, and got an appointment for that day. I asked for just a simple cut with a few layers, but the cut was so awful I had to go back and get it fixed. At that point the stylist had to ask someone else for help with layering. So I had two people cutting my hair and it was still a mess when I left a second time. In the end I had to go somewhere else to get it repaired. On top of this, when I went to pay the first time I was there, I was told my gift card would not be honored- after I'd already mentioned I'd be using it. I contacted the owner to politely explain why I felt this was all a little unfair and she was apologetic and offered a refund. However, it has been several months and I'm still waiting...... and I'm writing this review because they've had plenty of time to make this right and they haven't bothered. I'm still annoyed that I wasted all that time and money to get a terrible haircut. read more