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Population Salon Nopa

4.0 (427 reviews)
ModerateHair Salons
Closed 10:30 am - 6:00 pm

By appointment only

Updated 2 months ago

Services - Population Salon Nopa

Haircut

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Recommended Reviews - Population Salon Nopa

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Reviews With Photos

Go see my hair witch doctor, Dalia!
Katie C.

Go see my hair doctor Dalia, stat! She is consistent, kind, genuine, and asks the right questions so she understands what it is I like about a picture I'm showing her. The vibe at Population is gorgeous, from the waiting furniture to the beautiful plant walls to the tatted up stylists with their unique personalities and style. I love the tea or wine refreshment offer when I check in, too. There are many levels of stylists (read: prices) to choose from. You might hesitate choosing a junior level when your hair deserves top notch, right? Sure, but I'm saying my girl, Dalia, is "junior" and she's given me the best lewk and service EVER. I love asking her questions to understand how she styles my hair at the end, and what techniques I can learn myself. She has great advice for product and never tries to oversell me. I can't vouch for others, but if you see Dalia after this review, tell her I sent you :) My star rating: 5 - I would be a regular customer 4 - would go back again 3 - probably try a different place 2 - not very satisfied 1 - turnaround and run

Valerie G.

TL:DR; I have been looking for a new hair salon ever since I moved to San Francisco and I had heard a lot about Population. It's trendy, cute, has beautiful interior and also has super cool stylists! They fixed my chunky highlights that I got elsewhere in the city which was just perfect. Brittany is amazing!! All the stylists here have years of experience, they have "ranks," which you can see when you book "JR," "MID," "Senior," etc. The more senior they are, the more expensive the appointment is. Do want to point out for those who are budget conscious that the pricing (at least from what I have been told) is pretty standard for the city! You definitely pay for what you get - amazing color and wonderful attention to detail. Their assistants also help which is super cool to see the community they have created here. My balayage in particular was everything I have always wanted. I literally told Brittany I just wanted lighter and she gave me exactly that and more. They use high end products and each stylist brings their own tools. Brittany had a wonderful Dyson air dryer which inspired me to look into getting my own! What really gives Population 5 stars is the ambience they create while you're in the salon, I went to the Nopa one and they really do try to give it that farmhouse and rustic edgy feeling. It's more like being in the comfort of a home, rather than an uptight too-pristine-to-be-true feeling. Will definitely be back for a toner when I am due!

I had a very bad experience at this Salon and am still in shock by this. Below is detail on my experience and I've also shared pictures to go with the detail. The first picture is my hair before I ever went to Population for color. On my first trip to Population Salon, I tell the stylist I want natural caramel highlights.She then proceeds to bleach my hair for an hour. I have never had bleach done for this long. Then she washes out the bleach and says she is going to put on a glaze. The second picture is what my hair looks like after the bleach is washed out and before the glaze. I proceed to tell her I am a little concerned because it is way lighter than I want it to be. She gets mad at me and tells me that I "broke her rule" and that I'm not allowed to look at it until she says I can. Then she puts on the glaze and blow dries my hair. I am shocked by how my hair does not have caramel highlights, but instead is essentially blonde. I am left speechless and don't say anything to her about not liking it so I can go home to think. The third picture is the color that she made my hair I then decide this is unacceptable and I call the salon to tell them how unhappy I am and it needs to be fixed. I suggest that maybe if I senior stylist could fix it that would be great because I am very unhappy and I'm not sure the current stylist knows what she is doing. Their response is to not address me working with a senior stylist and instead that I go back to the same stylist to have it fixed. I am worried but remain positive. I show the stylist reference photos (4th, 5th, 6th picture) of what kind of caramel highlights I am looking for (including a picture of highlights I got done last year at a different salon that I loved). When I get to the salon to get it fixed the stylist says that the salon closes in 45 minutes and that is all the time we have. I am shocked by this as I am clearly very unhappy about my hair and am now worried about her rushing the process. She also tells me that there was a miscommunication and that she thought I said I wanted "beach blonde highlights", clearly trying to cover up for the fact that the highlights are not caramel but instead blonde. Then she puts the glaze on. She tells me she only has time to partially blow dry my hair because the salon is closing. She then proceeds to blow dry a part of my hair. She then stops and asks me what I think. I am in shock by what she did by my hair. Not only did she not make my highlights caramel, she proceeded to make my entire head of hair dark brown with a red tint. The seventh picture is what it looked like. I express that I am unhappy and explain why. She then proceeds to start crying and walk out of the room. I am in shock and walk out of the salon. Then I am sitting in my car, I look down and there is hair dye dripping out of my hair onto my white $500 Sezane jacket. She did not properly remove the dye from my hair. The eighth picture is what it looked like. I normally don't write reviews but I am shocked by this $400 experience that has ruined my hair and caused significant inconveniences. I want to warm others to make sure they find a good stylist before taking a risk on hair coloring.

Balayage by Michelle
Patty B.

I came in for a balayage and Michelle knocked it out of the park! My hair had a grown out balayage from last year, a brown color above it from a previous dye, and dark black roots. Michelle painted on such a natural and flattering balayage, that I could barely recognize myself! The atmosphere is super trendy -- lots of greenery and modern interior items. They ask you if you want a drink before you get started, have lots of magazines to read, and a clean bathroom. Will definitely be going back to Michelle!

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5 years ago

Was Not impressed with the quality of my cut. I would have expected the hair dresser to better understand what I wanted

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Review Highlights - Population Salon Nopa

I've been going to Brian for cut and color ever since I moved to SF two years ago, and I couldn't be happier.

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Arty - Mako did such a beautiful job for my wedding

Arty

4.2(394 reviews)
0.9 miJapantown, Lower Pacific Heights
$$$

I don't live in SF anymore, but I make the 1 hour trip just to go to this studio every time I need…read moremy hair done. I love Romi and I will continue going here to see her!! Compared to the other studios I've been to, they are the most consistent, honest, and detailed. I have never walked out of this studio unhappy with how my hair looked, even if it deviated a bit from what I originally wanted. In the most recent time I went, I was absolutely blown away with how my hair turned out! So much that I think I will continue asking for this color for years to come, maybe until my hair can't handle it anymore lol I've been going to Romi for a few years for color and haircuts and I deeply appreciate how much attention to detail she has. In my case, she had noted down the colors that I've had before and uses that as a point of reference for my session. This is so helpful, especially since I don't remember what I asked for months prior. Since I liked my most recent color so much, I can walk into the studio with full confidence that I can ask for the exact same thing again because she has it noted down somewhere. Thank you Romi!!

I have a very thin, damaged hair and always feel embarrassed to go to a hair salon. That's why I've…read morebeen only gone to get a haircut once a year when I go back to Japan. Then a good friend of mine who has been going to Arty for a while now recommended me to try them. So I went in today for the first time and had an amazing experience. Yumiko san was very professional, warm and kind. She took her time to cut, fix my hair problems and styled it nicely. Place is super clean and relaxing. Thank you so much, Yumiko san for your wonderful service. I'm definitely coming back.

Photos
Arty - Exactly 1 year after the digital perm. Yumiko's cut and perm make this hairstyle look good at any length.

Exactly 1 year after the digital perm. Yumiko's cut and perm make this hairstyle look good at any length.

Arty - Yumiko gave me this perfect haircut and perm to make my first trip to Turkey beyond perfection. Thank you!

Yumiko gave me this perfect haircut and perm to make my first trip to Turkey beyond perfection. Thank you!

Arty

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David James - Beautiful blended color by Devon.

David James

4.8(294 reviews)
0.4 miAlamo Square, Hayes Valley
$$

Nielle is the best!! I'm so glad I found her, I would follow her around the Bay Area. She keeps my…read morehair looking fresh and healthy after it went through a major thinning process. A shoulder cut can quickly look crazy on me (mullet alert) but she was able to perfectly layer my hair with some face framing bangs to come out perfectly balanced. Also she's the easiest person to talk to, makes your appointment feel so relaxing and peaceful like you're catching up with a long time girlfriend - she is theeee best!!

I've been going to Nielle for over a decade and from the jump she really listened to what I wanted…read more I originally came to her after a botched balayage I got in the Philippines, and she completely fixed it. From there, we did an 10 hour transformation going blonde and honestly, that appointment bonded us for life. I've never trusted anyone else since, she's basically my hairstylist and therapist hehe Her balayage is SOOOOO good. It always looks natural, grows out beautifully, and lasts forever without getting brassy. I'm pretty low-maintenance, and somehow my hair still looks put together months later because of her work. Her haircuts are also super clean, and she's actually the one who got me into curtain byayangs and I've stuck with them ever since. What I appreciate most is how much she cares about doing things the right way. When I decided to go back to my natural color, she didn't rush it or take shortcuts. She slowly transitioned me over time and kept my hair healthy through every stage. I live in Los Angeles now and will literally fly home just to see her, that's how good she is! After 11 years, she's more than just my hairstylist, she's someone I trust completely. Highly recommend!

Photos
David James - Cut by Sabrina.

Cut by Sabrina.

David James - Bleach and tone transformation by Devon.

Bleach and tone transformation by Devon.

David James - Bleach + tone and buzzcut on Devon, by Devon.

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Bleach + tone and buzzcut on Devon, by Devon.

Population Salon Nopa - hair - Updated May 2026

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