I had gone to Plan B 4-5 times and loved it and had a great experience with my blonde, and had a great time with my stylist! I just went there yesterday July 17th with massive roots and asked for a root bleach and tone, and brought in extensions for my ENGAGEMENT PARTY in a few days to make sure it matched. Not that my hair walking into the salon was already the color of the extensions. I brought it as an extra step of assurance that my hair ended up being the same color, and the right color. I go home with wet hair, it dries, and I see that my hair is now an ashy darker color. It was yellowy beach blonde before, and so were my extensions. It's now the next day, hours until I have family and friends flying in for the weekend, and the salon refuses to accommodate me coming in right when they open to have anyone fix me. I was also left with lines of badly blended bleach, or whatever it is you see in the attached photo. I'm feelin like a blonde Zebra right now :( I'm writing this review because I am sad and angry. I did everything right for my engagement weekend to start off strong, with good hair in this appointment. I brought the extensions, didn't ask for a change in my color, been to the same stylist I've been to many times before and had wonderful results with in the past, but I still got heavily scorned and at the worst possible time in my life. I can only pray before my wedding in the future I don't have this happen at a different salon. Note: I was emailing the owner who offered to place me with the same stylist at 1pm for a fix- that's unfortunately too late in the day with my friends/family coming into town. I'm still shocked they wouldn't do anything to accommodate me right when the salon opened at 10am, or any time near it. The owner also called me "unreasonable" via email, specially and verbatim "Seriously? You are so unreasonable" after seeing my review. I think sharing my experiences, to save other people from having the same bad one you've had, is very reasonable. I encourage everyone who has had a hair experience that has made them cry to post a review and share what happened to them, to save others from experiencing the same. No read more

This place is very odd. I call to make an appointment on Monday, make the appointment, show up for appointment on Wednesday and...no one is there. I waited 30 minutes. Called multiple times. Never got a call back. I took a whole day off work. Nada. Mistakes happen, but to never call back to acknowledge it? ew. read more

Been going there for over 6 years...accidently stumbled upon it and found Kerri--WHO IS THE BEST! For my thick, dark black hair; she knows exactly how to bleach and color at just the right amount. Could not recommend anyone else in MA, over her. read more

Great find! I was a walk-in with no prior call or consult and Cindi did a great job on my very short (but still feminine) pixie cut! An earlier attempt elsewhere was waaaaay too "Peaky Blinders" (too short on the sides, too long on top) so when that finally grew out enough and I was due for an overall cut, Cindi did a great job reshaping it back to the pixie style I was going for. I was in and out in about 30 minutes and it was very reasonable at $75 for a wash, cut, and finger style. I will definitely be back! read more

Truly the worst salon experience I've ever had in my life. This occurred back in 2020, so hopefully the stylist isn't there anymore. I didn't leave a review for a while with the pandemic and all but recently had a friend ask for recommendations, which prompted a discussion about Plan B & reviewing photos from the job. The stylist promised she could do a balayage with no reservations (I had virgin brunette hair). But, she had no idea how to properly bleach hair, left diagonal orange skunk stripes, fried my ends, forgot to remove metal clips from my hair before putting me under heat, then charged over $250. I left in shock then called for a free touch up, which barely helped. read more

** EDIT: Got a response as expected. I appreciate him posting our email thread, it just confirms what I've already said including his rude reply. We didn't discuss finer highlights, I never would have agreed to that (which you can see in one of the emails). By the way, thanks for sharing my full name and email address on Yelp, Rick. Professional as always! ** This is going to be long but after paying over $300 to get my hair done by Plan B and then fixed by another salon, I REALLY want to talk about it. Went to see Rick for Balayage highlights on Saturday after reading the rave reviews here. The salon experience itself was great. I showed Rick the pictures of what I wanted and after discussing the best way to achieve the look, I felt like we were on the same page. He was super friendly and easy to talk to, the appointment went by pretty quickly. Once my hair was washed and dried, it didn't look anything like the pictures I showed him, but it still looked good. The lighting in the salon warmed up my otherwise corpse-like complexion and all of the colors matched up really well. He offered to glaze my hair for an additional charge to remove any unwanted tones but I turned him down and went on my merry way. Fast forward to my walk home where I catch a glimpse of my hair in a window. It's yellow. Like, REALLY yellow. I got home, stared at it for about an hour unsuccessfully trying to convince myself that I liked it, and finally gave up and emailed Rick to let him know it needed to be fixed. He responded quickly and let me know it's no problem, he can just glaze it down, and reminds me again that it's another $35 dollars (the charge was mentioned multiple times throughout our exchange. I get it. You want more money). In my panicked anxiety to get it fixed ASAP I agreed to come back on Tuesday for the glaze. I was still pretty upset about how terrible my hair looked and after doing some research on glazes since I was unfamiliar, I emailed Rick again (at 6 in the morning, which is admittedly insane but I'd been up since 4 googling ways to fix my hair so why the hell not). The correspondence was as follows, these are direct copy/pastes: "Hi Rick, Sorry to bother you again, but I've been reading up on hair glazes (stressing about your hair color leads to lots of googling at 4am) and it looks like their effects only last a week or two? I would like the yellow hair permanently toned down closer to my natural color, is glazing the best option? Even if it looks great, it sounds like it'll fade quickly and then I'll be right back to where I am now. I would prefer not to spend $35 every two weeks getting this reglazed until it grows out. Is there another option or will glazing still be my best bet? Thanks, Laura" Rick responded: "Laura, let me do my job.....ps glaze after a Balayage is $35, a stand alone glaze appointment is $70. Now, just take it easy...." I was shocked. It's not unreasonable for a client who's dissatisfied with a service to ask questions about the best way to resolve the problem, especially since it's been made explicitly clear that more money will need to be spent to do so. All he needed to say was "yes, the glaze is temporary so we can do XYZ instead" or "no, the glaze lasts so and so amount of time and should give you the results you want." I responded with basically a summary of my previous paragraph as well as pictures of what my hair looked like, considering he hadn't seen it outside of the salon and in the real world. He replied by blaming the color in one picture on my bathroom lighting ("No wonder! Get rid of that bulb!!"), saying the other picture is the color I "left the salon with and loved", and saying I should still come in and get the glaze. He had already lost me after telling me to take it easy, but his combative responses and willingness to place the blame literally everywhere else sealed the deal. I had noticed his comments on every single negative review here and now I get it. The "it's not me, it's YOU" way he handles things is so off putting, I will never step foot in that salon again and have already turned off several potential clients just by going out in public with that hair. HAPPY ENDING: I managed to snag an appointment Monday at Salon Luna where the incredible Bryanna brought me back to my almost exact natural color. We all cheered when she washed my hair and announced that the yellow was gone. OH, and I asked her about the glaze Rick kept pushing as the fix. She confirmed it was as temporary as I had read it was which I'm guessing is why he never answered my questions about it. And now I can go back to pretending this never happened. read more

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Rick provides the best color in Boston! He's very knowledgeable and creative, but simplicity is why I see him. You never want highlights that don't blend and are chunky, unnatural Looking. I go to Plan B for Rick's bayalage color technique. It leaves your hair with a natural but rich color without any brassy pieces that blend very well with your base color. I've been in the spa industry for ten years and been to numerous salons in cambridge/boston area, even the so called, " Best of Boston" salons. Nothing compares to quality of Ricks technique at Plan B. Try the Friday night lights special, saves you cash! Blow-dry not included which is expected for such a good price. read more

I got my haircut with Jenelle yesterday and am super happy with the result! She was very patient with me as I somewhat clumsily explained what I wanted, and then was thoughtful about combining my ideas with what would work for my hair. She styled it beautifully. The result is so sophisticated and easy to care for!! read more

This is my first time writing a review!! I am just tired of wasting my money and my time with services that dont meet their promises. I went to Rachael at Plan B twice in order to fix the same haircut...It seems she has a problem with directions and maybe partially deaf...I told her shoulder length over and over. and only the first of my hair was should length...I was going to go back, because they say "3rd time a charm" but im done. that would just be dumb...Also, she cut my co-workers bangs.. and they are too short..when she told Rachel and visually showed Rachel where we wanted her bangs cut.... SO OVER THIS SHIT... do the job you are paid to do!!!!!! read more

**EDIT** After posting my review the owner, Rick responded and invited me back to the salon to correct my hair. I am very pleased with the finished result and thankful to the stylist, Rachel. I appreciated the professionalism and willingness to work with clients to achieve desired results. Thank you! Went to Plan B for a balayage - I brought a photo with me to show the stylist. My stylist (Cynthia) glanced at it shortly and hardly consulted me in regards to the color. The result was very, very streaky and a brassy orange color. I am very, very disappointed. I understand the color being hard to accomplish ( I guess) but I am having a hard time understanding why my roots look so awful. I specifically stated that I do not often go to salons to get my hair colored so I wanted a style that would look good when it grew out (more of an ombre style). Honestly, I think I will have to completely re-dye my hair a darker color to hide the awful streaky and messy roots and abandon my dreams of having a nice blonde Balayage until my roots recover. I feel like I completely wasted my money. This is a shame because Cynthia and the other stylist were very kind. I'm read more

Plan B Salon - Streaky and unnatural looking roots - very dissapointed - Hair Salons Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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I wandered in here looking for a haircut because the place looks nice from the outside and their posted rates were within my price range. I was told they were full for the day but a guy volunteered to cut my hair the next evening, so that's what I did. I went back, the staff were nice, the guy was chatty, my haircut was good. HOWEVER, upon checking out the man disappeared into the back while the receptionist told me he was the owner so his haircuts cost $80! (Their salon menu lists a plain ol' cut as $40) I was absolutely never informed of this beforehand, nor was this information available anywhere. Needless to say, I won't be going back despite the pretty good haircut, as their ethics left me very impressed. ... After leaving my review this morning, this is the response I received from the business owner: Richard F. has sent you a message on Yelp: nice review,,,,,, "Next time, don't assume price points, our menu states, cuts from $50 blah blah blah.... Have been owning salons since 81. Your right, why should I charge more than someone cutting for 5 years. I'm such an idiot. When your ready to start a business, ready to pay the the payroll, taxes, rent ,utilities, workers comp, personal property tax, federal unemployment tax, matching state and fed taxes,, business insurance taxes, liability taxes, health insurance, supplies and advertising expenses, and so much more, you tell me I'm not worth the fee......Don't ever come back, ever..................." read more

This might be an awesome salon. I've been excited to try it out since I first read the reviews here several months ago. I have called several times to try to make and appointment. The first time I got hung up on after someone unintelligible answered the phone. I called back several times after that and all that I got for my trouble was a disheartening dial tone. Last week I was on vacation and I went to the salon in person, they were closed. Okay, so they have limited business hours... I grabbed a card from the door that had their hours listed and called the next day firmly in the middle of their advertised hours. I was connected this time: to an answering machine that directed me to leave a message if I was calling during their hours of operation to schedule an appointment. I did so. Nothing. Called back again several days later during posted business hours. Received the same answering machine message. I didn't bother to leave a second message. I'm pretty persistent, but I'm also learning that sometimes a girl just needs to cut her losses... read more

I was very unhappy with this salon. I found it to be very unprofessional with very poor customer service. The cut that I received was sloppy and did not even remotely ressemble what I had asked for. I had even brought in a picture, and asked for minimal layering. The cut I got was so surprising and embarrassing. It basically completely undid all time I had spent growing out my hair for the past six months. I had told Liz about my desire to keep it long, and about all the time I was spending to grow it, and she cut most of my layers up to my chin. Very disappointing. Later, when I asked to have it adjusted to make the layers closer in length, or to receive my money back if this were not possible, the reaction I got was completely unprofessional. Without even opening a calendar, Rick told me I'd have to wait over a week. And when I told them that I wasn't interested in trying to hide a hair cut I wasn't happy with for that amount of time, they turned me away, saying that they would not help me or refund my money. I have never had an experience like this and I was incredibly displeased with their level of skill and service. To top it off, it was really expensive. read more

Hair on the ground Hair on the ground Lookin' like a fool with your hair on the ground My hair was so long when I came in here that it was practically on the ground. I went about 10 months without a cut and you can imagine what that looked liked. I wandered into Plan B after being turned away from my appointment across the street at Asa Hair Design because the stylist decided to tell me he was sick after I waited for about thirty minutes. It happens. Anyways, I didn't really expect that Plan B would be able to take me as a walk in but Liz quickly got started on me. She was super nice and gave me exactly what I asked for. Definitely the best my hair has looked in a long time. Completely unpretentious and not at all intimidating like I've found other salons in the Boston area. I'm going back next week for the Balayage highlights they offer! read more

BALAYAGE is absolutely the best way to highlight your hair. Ask for Janelle. She is really great at listening to what you want and executing it perfectly. Plus she is easy to talk to. There are many shades of highlights you can get with balayage (warm, cool, dark, light). I've done foil highlights for over 10 years and grew annoyed with stylists not listening to me and walking out with bleach blonde hair. Balayage prevents this from happening and comes out looking beautiful and natural looking. Janelle took a last minute blowout from a very stressed out Harvard student and styled her hair while coloring my hair too. The students hair came out amazing as well. I couldn't believe it was the same woman. She took this woman's completely tight, kinky curly hair and blew dryer it into a bouncy, big curl Bridget Bardot hair do'. P.S. They have a special called "Friday Night Lights" where the balayage is half off. They don't blow dry your hair after, but Janelle is always kind enough to dry it a little bit so you don't walk out with totally wet hair. read more

I visited for the "Friday Night Lights" special but will stay for the results...my hair looks great! I had been the victim of multiple tone (& not intentionally...) kinda blond hair for six months and knew I needed something different to get me out of my hair funk. Rick uses the balayage technique where he paints the highlights on your hair without any foils and it looks a lot more natural. He also used a semi-permanent gloss to even the tone of my hair and I can honestly say that I'm hooked. Did I mention that all of these treatments (plus tip) still cost less than a partial at where I used to go? Score! PS: If you're still questioning Plan B because there are some crazy reviews that scare you, try scrolling down and viewing all the "filtered" reviews. I was shocked to see so many five star raves hidden behind that link! read more

Would you like some wine? How about biscotti and coffee? Would you also like a kick ass haircut? Rick is great! Personable, funny and the kind of stylist who I trusted instantly and guess what, my results were great. After losing my go-to stylist in DC when I moved up here, I wandered in a wilderness of bad cuts and color. Now my cut is perfect, my color made me look tan in the middle of winter and I left with this Moroccan oil that adds shine and straightens. I'm booking my second appointment at Plan B and I'm excited like a I'm going on a date. Hurray for Plan B! read more

OK, I have to start off with an apology. I went here for stylingand some highlights a while back and I promised to write a review.....obviously I am a bit late on this one. Anyhoo, what a great Salon! I cannot say enough good things about it. Very professional staff, excellent customer service, reasonable prices and flexible scheduling. What more could a girl want? These people obviously know what they are doing if they can take a (at the time) rather boyish looking t girl and turn her into a bombshell chick. Thanks a bunch, Plan B! I will definitely be back. Abby read more

Got my roots touched up by Jadie today and my hair is flawless! After my first post, the salon owner reached out to me and insisted I come back in to have my hair fixed - free of charge! Jadie made me feel very comfortable and it only took 30 minutes. Love this salon. Love Jadie. I will be back again for sure, thanks to Jadie for the PERFECT summer blonde hair!! read more

I have been coming to plan B for a long time, but I decided to finally send off a review. Rachel cuts my hair and I am always pleased. She never pressures me to get layers or "add movement" that I have experienced in other salons. I know my hair, and I know how I want it cut. Blunt and even. It is, after-all, attached to my head. Both Rick and Janelle have given me balayage highlights with tone in the past. The value for their Friday night lights special is not beatable in my opinion. The highlights always look great, when I was highlighting I got compliments on how natural they looked. read more

Rick is amazing and a genius with color/highlights. I followed him through 3 salons, and am delighted that he's now set up in his own place. Plan B is elegant; decor all-white (and spotless). It's a short flight of stairs above the street which means instead of feeling like you're getting your hair done in a fishbowl, you get to watch people walk by from above. Rick is not only "a genius with color" (to quote myself), he's a riot and very entertaining. And a great listener -- he does what you ask him to do, if he disagrees, he'll mention his reasoning, but you always have the final say, and there are no nasty surprises. The only problem I had with this place was the products, which do not work on my hair at all (but I have particularly obnoxious hair, so this won't apply to silken beauties like y'all). They may even have changed product lines since I was last in, who knows. read more

Plan B is a great salon! Ever since I bought my Gilt City voucher I have been a regular. I see Rachel about every 8-10 weeks for a cut. She spends ample time to get it cut and highlighted perfectly. I have also had bayalage highlights done by Rick. He is the color expert! Last time I went Rachel was off, so Jenelle did my cut and color. She is just as good as Rachel. I highly recommend Plan B Salon to anyone in the Boston area who wants excellent hairstyling. read more

I have been going back and forth for months debating the pros and cons of getting my hair colored in Boston. I just could not imagine getting good quality for under $100 or justify spending over $100 on a good color. I did research on salons in Boston via Yelp, Groupon, etc. until I stumbled upon Plan B! I am SO glad I did. I talked a friend into coming with me for Friday Night Lights and I cannot say enough good things. During the two hours we were there (for both us to get balayage and someone in between us), the salon inspired us the entire time. The aesthetic is very crisp, clean and classy for such a small place. The bright white walls, light wood floors and neat lighting fixtures really brighten the space up. Every client in there during our visit became our friend. We spent the whole time group chatting amongst each other, with the stylists, all facilitated by owner Rick. He knew the details of every regular's life (without being nosy) and helped to connect bits and pieces of conversation. I loved it. Now onto why you're reading this review.... Rick is an amazingly talented artist. I work in the beauty industry and feel like I have to be looking at least fresh 95% of the time. Rick did a thorough assessment of my hair (texture, damage, previous color) and was very upfront with the costs. He acknowledged that my previously box-dyed hair may need a gloss (an extra cost, but he told me that right away), but that we would wait and see after we dyed it. My hair came out beautifully and did not require the additional gloss, but at no point did I feel like I was being up-sold to profit the salon. Rick made suggestions for treatments and color I might consider in the future, and he was very thorough and instructional in his advising about these services. I loved Plan B. I loved Rick (and the rest of the team) and 100% recommend it to all of my friends and colleagues. read more

I've never had my hair colored or highlighted, and when I decided to take a walk on the "light side" this year, Rick did an amazing job! Patient, knowledgeable, and very attentive to what I had in mind, he turned my raggedy Romanian self into a pretty, pretty pony! He will also have you in stitches from laughter! Here are photos of his magic from my last two visits. read more

Plan B Salon - Bananas for balayage! After second visit. - Hair Salons Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Finally, no more complaints from my wifey about not being able to find a good stylist in Boston. She loves what Rick does with her hair and I agree it looks fantastic! P.S. Posting this review for my wifey, since she can't be bothered to have her own account :-) read more

Rick and team are great - friendly, professional, responsible, affordable. I'm pretty picky about my hair and thought that I would never find a good place in Boston. On a recommendation from a friend, I gave Plan B a shot last year and have been pleasantly surprised ever since. People have complimented my hair and I have gladly sent them over to Rick. I had two big black tie events last month, so planned my haircut appropriately so that I could get it styled as well. I have to say, my hair looked great! I was very pleased with the result. My friends loved it too. I got some highlights but about a week later noticed that I didn't like one of them. I called and they were very nice - fit me in and didn't charge me to fix it. They just wanted me to be happy with my hair, and I am. Great customer service! Definitely give Plan B a shot! read more

"A++++ Best salon on the east coast" -my humble opinion Alright truth be told, I was hesitant to do this review for years... This salon was my little sanctuary close to home and the owner, Rick, was my Friday night date (all respect to his wife Judy), but he made me feel beautiful and made me laugh, what more for a girl ask for!! Now that I'm moving to Cali, I guess I can tell ya'll how special this place is.. I've refrained from reviewing this lil gem, since I like to think of it as my own (I'm a little possessive). It's hard to come by a salon that charges $60 for a balayage, provides a family like environment and entertaining conversations.. I looked forward to my Friday night lights appointments! I told Rick now that now I'm moving to the west coast, I guess I'll start telling people about the salon.. He proceeded to make fun of me, about being featured on the next episode of hoarders and having a trailer full of hairdressers I didn't want to share with anyone else, haha! This is why I love this place, I laugh my A$$ off and get my hair done for cheap, win-win in my book! Check them out you'll be glad you do! read more

A SALON WHERE 'BLONDE' MEANS BRASSY BROWN I have seen Jadie for several cuts and liked her scissor skills. A couple weeks ago I asked her to do a partial foil to restore some of the bright blonde color I have always had (my hair is turning an unattractive grey). I took a photo of me with that light blonde hair to use as a model. The areas Jadie highlighted, however, ended up a medium brown with strong coppery tones. I have never had that hair color before and asked for a redo. The next day she redid it, but the result was they same, only with much of my hair now a strange brown-with-red color. I truly hated it. I have no idea why she was unable to produce that standard blonde color. Perhaps it's because after adding the toner, she had me sit under a hot dryer for 20-25 min? Just my guess, I really do not know. I was going on a trip and did not want to look like a freak, so I went to a stylist I used to see in Porter Sq. She used a product to help rinse some of the reddish-pink color out of my hair, and then redid the highlight, restoring my light blonde. There is still some of that red/pink in it, but the blonde color predominates. I went on my trip feeling like myself. When I returned from the trip, I emailed Rick at Plan B, including photos of the model color, the color I got at Plan B, and the color I got from my Porter Sq colorist (blonde, brassy brown, blonde again). Pointing out that I had had to pay a total of $400 to get a little blonde in my hair and a minor trim ($160 plus $30 tip, as well as $180 plus 30 tip), I asked for reimbursement only for the color - not the trim or the tip. I received a hostile email from Jadie (not Rick) telling me Plan B does not give reimbursements, and she couldn't believe I would even ask for one. She wants me to walk around looking like a freak?? I emailed back asking for clarification of how she was unable to give me that standard blonde color, when all the colorists I have seen over some 15 years were able to. I was genuinely mystified. She has not answered my question, which I assume means I will not be reimbursed. Do not go to Plan B if you think a salon should reimburse you for its mistakes. Fortunately, there are other salons in the area that can give clients the hair color they desire. read more

Came here after snagging a great Gilt deal. This cute little salon is located conveniently right in Harvard Square. It was slightly quirky to make an appointment- you don't get a "live" person when you call the salon. Just leave a quick message or email the salon and they will get back to you quickly to schedule an appointment. In my case, I was lucky enough to be fit in 2 days after I called and the owner (Rick) did my highlights and Janelle did my cut. Rick did a color consult, suggesting certain highlights and discussing how the others would look. We chose a warm coppery-ish highlight which contrasts nicely with my dark hair. I am very pleased with the way my color turned out. Janelle did a good job with my cut, keeping my long layers and cleaning up my overgrown scraggly hair. The blowout was decent, perhaps not as polished as I would've hoped, but overall I had a great experience here. Super nice, helpful staff that go out of their way to accommodate you. Overall, I would give my color 5 stars and my cut 3.5/4 stars. read more

Janelle at Plan B is the best! She has been doing my hair for a while now, and I'm always so happy. She made my hair look normal again after it was overdyed by another stylist. I went about two weeks ago and lately I keep catching a glimpse in the mirror and thinking, wow, it really looks so great right now! She also does exactly what you want with your hair, and she is a really nice person! I was sad to see there are some rough ratings on here so I wanted to post my own review since my experience with Janelle at Plan B has only been perfect. read more

Since moving from California to Cambridge 3 years ago, I've tried out many salons in the area. A few gave decent cuts, but the cost was way to high to visit regularly. I've only been to Plan B once, but I'll definitely go back. It was quite inexpensive for the quality of cut that I received. Janelle was fantastic! I have extremely straight hair that is fairly thin, but somehow she managed to make it look fun and interesting. She really listened to what I wanted and made nice layers without making it look choppy. I wish I'd found Plan B sooner! read more

I first ran into Plan B three years ago when I needed an emergency lunchtime haircut before I jumped on a plane to a conference. I haven't gone anywhere else since. I have long, curly hair that I like styled *just* so--and I've never been disappointed by Plan B. The stylists listen, they work with you, and they know their stuff. The base-level cuts are in the $50 range, which I've found to be reasonable for a boutique salon. The difference with Plan B is, I feel like it's $50 well spent. Particular shout-out to Janell(e), who makes you feel like you're chatting to a longtime friend while she's making you look better! read more

I'm a senior college art student, so hair is the last thing on my mind. I've had long hair since I was a kid and never really changed my hairstyle since middle school, but it was time to change it up. I was going to go somewhere else but they were rude at front desk and were full anyway, so fate had me end up at Plan B instead. And what fantastic salon Plan B is! They immediately took me in and Janelle did my hair. Janelle is so fantastic; she listens to everything I wanted and gave her opinions on what looked right for me. She sorted through my hair doubts and didn't mind me going back and forth on what I wanted. She was so patient and I couldn't ask for a better hair stylist. And at a base $50, plus student discount and a great service, I found the price very reasonable. I like how the salon is a tiny boutique, it's such a cute and comfortable place. I highly recommend Plan B! read more

When I wanted to get a haircut in the city, I called all the top 10 salons (according to Yelp) and they were all booked for that same day. I came to this place very last minute, I set an appointment, but they also take walk-ins. It's in a very convenient and easy to find location in Harvard Square. The salon is clean, and the staff was very friendly and helpful, and they listened to what I wanted. It was a no-fuss, good experience, and my hair cut came out great! I was just doing a basic women's hair cut, and it was well done. I'm very picky about my hair, and I've been to several high end salons in the area, and the results are the same. Definitely recommend coming here! read more

The owner of Plan B thinks that I "trashed" him in my previous review. He seems intent on disrespecting me and destroying my character in this public forum. He has posted unprofessional and catty replies 3 times- calling me pathetic and miserable. Trashing him was not my intention when writing the review. I returned to the salon more than 3 times. One foil was actually pretty good and he did give me a $30 refund after I complained on my last visit (they raised the prices and I didn't know). My main critique of Plan B, and Rick doesn't seem to understand this, is that they did not treat me as a valued customer. I like to have a rapport with my hairdresser and feel that he/she knows me and my hair. On my first meeting with Rick I told him all about my life, my divorce and my 2 kids- I guess I felt I could trust him. After a few more visits, it became clear to me that he didn't know me from Adam...and now its clear that he can't be trusted. I wrote the review 2 months after my last visit because i found a hairdresser that I really like (and doesnt have a chip on her shoulder) and realized what I was missing at Salon B. Check out Salon Cu in Somerville. read more

Best haircut I've ever had in the Boston area, and I've tried a lot of places. I called at 12:20 on a Tuesday afternoon and they were free to take me at 12:30! The woman on the phone was very nice. The salon itself is lovely - sparkly clean, chic decor...relaxing atmosphere. Ashlen cut and styled my hair. She was FANTASTIC. She first had me sit and chat about what I'd like her to do. I explained that I'm trying to grow my hair long, so I'd just like a simple clean-up trim, no layers, and some pretty angles. (In the past, even when I've explained this clearly to other stylists, I've somehow left the salon with a dramatic cut....) She was so friendly and made sure she understood exactly what I wanted. She shampoo'd my hair and was GREAT at it -- she was super gentle (I HATE when people pull my hair and such) and used Moroccan Oil products, which smell absolutely delicious. Then we got to the cut. She did e.x.a.c.t.l.y. what I wanted. And she was super friendly the whole time. She, again, was also very, very gentle with my hair, which I think is pretty rare -- she used the brush carefully, and I really appreciate that because my individual hairs are quite fine and prone to breaking. She even offered to tighten my feather extension for me! And, remarkably, this all cost $40. They had a discount for Harvard students! Finally, a reasonably priced salon with an awesomely talented stylist. I will definitely be going back in December and referring all my friends. Thank you, Ashlen! [Just one note, though.... SERIOUSLY, who named this salon? I want a haircut, not an abortion.] read more

I'm surprised that this place has so many 5 star ratings. I got an unfortunate haircut here (the "soccer mom meets weed-whacker" description that the reviewer Keri B used is apt). Note: Rick sent me a nice email after this review was published, saying that he wished I had let him know that I wasn't happy with the haircut and that he would be glad to remedy the situation. To be fair, I should add that I only grew to dislike the haircut the next day when I tried to style it myself, but I decided to go somewhere else to have it fixed. read more

Plan B is the place where no one knows your name. I went 4 or 5 times over the course of 6 months and Rick didn't know me from Adam each time. My daughter also went several times and had the same experience - you'd think someone would remember the new mother daughter combo who have every potential of being two loyal, long-term customers (no offense but you students come and go). But no, and the problem with Rick's short memory is that he doesn't have a relationship with my hair either. He and I talked about a long-term plan (A not B) for growing out and shaping my hair but, in a fit of amnesia, he layered it and cut it way short - the worst possible style for my fine and quite wavy hair - an abomination with no recognition of what my hair needed over the long run. Besides the fact that he really only know one haircut with minor variations (great, if it's the right one for you), no one likes to think they are just a number. Either the guy just doesn't care or has a serious case of early Alzheimer's. I am now going to a salon where they say that they stay in business only because of their "family" of loyal customers - feels good... If you want to know anything about the real Plan B, read Rick's response to me, Keri B and Sarah R. Nasty beyond belief. Imagine what he is saying about you as you go out the door... read more

I came to Plan B in November just before Thanksgiving at the end of my rope with my hair. I moved to Cambridge from California and had not had my hair done in a while -- I was mostly just scared to find a new salon after leaving my stylist in LA who I loved so much. After looking at Yelp reviews and websites, I decided to go to Plan B. I scheduled my appointment for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving because I was going to meet with prospective employers a week later and did not want them to see my disheveled mess of hair. As I do whenever I book an appointment, I told the woman that I have long, coarse, curly hair and that I wear it straightened. Salons I've visited have always been able to blow my hair out, so I didn't think it would be an issue. I had my consultation with Rick who looked at my hair and could see my highlights and the layers that were cut in my hair. Though it was awfully grown out, he did remark that he liked the color and cut. I stressed that I really wanted to keep it similar to what I already had because I loved what I had. I asked for balayage (which, on the website, mentioned that it came with glaze) and he said that would be good. I emphasized that, as a law student, I needed to make sure my hair looked conservative because law partners don't look favorably on non-conformity. After getting my hair washed and going back in front of the mirror, I was surprised to see such red tones in my hair. The highlights I'd previously had were golden brown. Rick asked me if I wanted my hair flat ironed, but I declined and wanted it blown straight. He made several comments about my hair being so thick and difficult to dry and to warn them next time that I'd need more time for blowdrying. I was sort of taken aback, but just let it go. When Rick finished my hair, I almost felt like crying. My hair was RED -- like Tyra Banks circa 2005 red. I just hoped it would fade or I'd grow to love it (or both) and paid and left. Luckily I asked for a receipt when I paid because I saw that I had been charged $30 for glaze (despite what the website said at that time). I went home and slept on my hair. I showed my mom and some others pictures of me and they all thought my hair was too bright. I called the salon and left a message advising them that I needed to have my hair toned down and also mentioned the charge for the glaze. Liz called me back on Saturday and said I could come in later that day to have my hair toned down. Liz mentioned that glaze was an additional charge as reflected on their pricing menus in the salon but, as I told her, the website said it was an included service. She ended up putting a dark glaze over the red, as well as putting some highlights on the underneath layers of my hair (when I pulled the top layers up, all the hair underneath was very dark, so the blending wasn't very good). She also refunded the money I paid for the glaze (note: I just checked the website and they have since updated it to reflect that glazing is a separate charge now). So now my hair is dark with subtle red highlights instead of the golden brown that I'd wanted, but at least it's not super bright. Oh, and at the end I was told that there was not time to dry my hair, so I left the salon with a wet head in late November. The pricing is fair, the salon is nice, and Rick and Liz did try to fix my hair relatively quickly which is why I've given 3 stars. read more

It's a shame that a salon with such talented stylists has such terrible customer service. I was so thrilled with the cut and color I got there the first time, that when my 25th highschool reunion was approaching, I booked an appointment with Rick for a cut and highlight. The day before my appointment, I was informed that it had to be canceled. When the receptionist called to let me know, I told her that it really put me in a bind. All I got was an apathetic apology, which I did not find satisfactory. I decided not to give my business to Plan B again. A while later, I changed my mind, because I do think Rick is a good stylist and I thought I should give them another chance. While getting my hair cut (this time I wasn't thrilled with the cut, but just satisfied), I relayed this story to Rick, expecting him to be sort of horrified and offer me some sort of coupon or something, but to no avail. Again, just an apology. Tonight, I was really excited to take advantage of the Friday night highlighting special, where you get a highlight without a cut or blowdry, for something like $50. My appointment was for 6:00, and I scheduled a massage right before. I cut my massage short by 15 minutes so I could be on time for my appointment with Rick. When I got there, the non-Rick stylist (who also acts as the receptionist) told me Rick was running about 20 minutes late, and she "couldn't say" whether it might be as long as 30 minutes. Evidently Rick had decided to give one of the "no cut or blow dry" highlight clients a cut, thus eating into my time. This was not a good excuse, in my mind, and I couldn't wait the extra time because I had to get home to the baby. The receptionist/stylist did not make me feel like a valued customer--no offers to reschedule, sincere apologies, free services next time. In fact, I was so irritated when I left that I said "please cancel the appointment, and I'm not coming back." She just went right back to her haircut. This salon has let me down twice and I can't rely on them to keep appointments, be on time, or make me feel valued if they do screw up. I might expect this from a lower-priced salon, but not Plan B. I won't give them another chance! I should be able to go to a salon and feel pampered and valued. read more