Well. I finally decided that it was time to cut my four-year-old son's curly hair for the first time. I love his coils, and I'd put it off for as long as I could. However, his curls were making him hot, and my husband and I agreed that I was time. We'd always said by the time he was four, so...! I finally searched Yelp for curly hair cut, and I landed on PREP. I wanted someone who could do biracial curly hair and someone who was good with kids. I wanted a salon experience for my son's first haircut. PREP had great reviews and Maria was mentioned multiple times. I Googled and found the website, and booking was super easy. The payment was also done online. PREP is located in the Town & Country shopping center, and while the center is busy, it's perfect for a haircut. You can run errands before or after your appointment! Anyway, we entered PREP AT 11:27. I saw reviews that being late was a big no, so we hustled to make sure we did not arrive past 11:30. The salon is clean. They have multiple chairs at at least two shampoo bowls. Our son was a bit hesitant and nervous, so he was shy and started to act up just a bit. Maria had a tablet on deck and that piqued his interest. We talked about the look we wanted to achieve and Maria gave some suggestions. I almost had a heart attack when his ponytail was cut, but I survived! Maria is calm, patient, and easy to work with. She cut his hair and then shampooed, conditioned, and styled his hair. When we asked for a few areas to be fixed, she obliged. I'm super happy with this experience, and I've found our go-to spot. Thank you, Maria! read more

PREP - Before the haircut (left), after the haircut (right) - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Went here for a first time haircut for toddler! Went really well, didn't take more than 15 mins (super short hair) Experienced with toddler/children stylist for sure. It was painless and fun. There are definitely some good stylists vs some I would skip. read more

BAD HAIRCUTS, the 1 star reviews are right ! For a year, we came multiple times to PREP and tired different stylists as recommended in the 5 star reviews. Unfortunately, the end result was always the same, unevenly cut hair, in one case it even looked like we had chunks missing in the back read more

We really loved the haircut that Cecilia gave our 6-year old daughter last year at this salon in Palo Alto Town & Country Village. We made another appointment here, hoping for the same quality (actually we wanted Ceci again). This time we got a stylist named Becky, Ceci was cleaning the stations. We requested a certain amount of length trimmed off and layers for the back of her hair...the result was no layers at all, straight down with no shape. It was really expensive for what we got (over $60 for a simple straight trim). When we left, the stylist made snide remarks about how we should have more children. The whole thing was in poor taste. We likely will NOT be visiting again, and don't recommend walking in without knowing the quality of your particular stylist. BLEH...we wasted our money here and looking at our girl's hair this evening, don't think it looks good at all. read more

Love Celia here. Better to reserve beforehand vs. Walk in. We tried several little people places in the peninsula. This is our favorite. It's really like a proper hair place (adult quality) for little ones. Everyone compliments Ines' haircut. Totally worth it given how many toddler photos we take! read more

PREP - Photo taken immediately after the cut - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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What terrible customer service. I'm planning to donate my daughter's hair and was trying to get an appointment. I requested that we meet in person briefly because the hair donation process is not just a standard hair cut and my daughter has never had a cut before. I had the rudest person call me back and say they are too busy. Every way I tried to request any understanding of the special circumstances were met with a NO. I don't know how these people have such great reviews if they are so terribly rude to customers. read more

One star is for the service given by specific stylist. We have had this issue multiple times where she says there is not enough time to style, or wash hair when there's clearly plenty of time for it - with a minor trim scheduled. She seems always inconvenienced by clients, is not particularly good at the cuts and has said she can't style. Because of her unprofessional behavior I will not bring my kids there again. Perhaps that's why there is never a soul in the salon. read more

Our daughters first ever haircut! Yay! Sherry made all of us comfortable including the little one, she was very kind & offered our toddler fruit snacks, rhymes to watch on their tablet. Before the haircut, sherry made sure to ask for our inputs and did exactly how we wanted it to be. Through the process, she was patient & created a positive environment. Definitely recommend for Toddlers & would love to come back for future haircuts. read more

We had a good recent experience here with stylist Cilia, who was patient and friendly, and gave our kiddo a fine basic wash and trim. My kiddo is a fan of the dum-dum lollipops they offer at the end. The experience here seems to vary by stylist, so I strongly recommend reading reviews and booking with specific stylists who seem promising. Prices have increased (our quick simple trim was $60 plus tip), and I am not convinced there is a big value add to coming here vs. a basic haircut shop, if you're willing to hand your own device to your kiddo to keep them occupied and pack a 10 cent candy as a treat. read more

Ceci is wonderful! My youngest grandson loves to go get his haircut there since we first went last November and we are definitely repeat customers. read more

The reviews made me a little hesitant but my daughter is almost 7 and I thought it was time for her to get a real haircut that wasn't done by moi. After reading every single review I knew I had to request Maria. We showed up and she was just wrapping up with another little boy we happened to know. He looked so sharp! My daughter LOVED feeling grown up and enjoyed the whole experience. We cut off her summer blonde stringy ends and refreshed her hair. She was TERRIFIED her hair would be "super short" but loved the end result! read more

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This place sucks!! Don't go here. I got my son's hair cut here 2 years ago and the stylist butchered it. I decided to give them another chance with a different stylist. Parking was insane because of the holiday week. I called several times to try and tell them I'm coming no one answers the phone. I walk in and she flat out refused to cut my son's hair. Wouldn't even reschedule me! They Took my money and said f u. Never again. Never go here. read more

I visited the salon for my son's haircut. Unfortunately, the experience was unsatisfactory. Cilia provided poor customer service and was unwilling to make a minor adjustment when asked to trim a bit more off the back. The store manager, was equally unprofessional when I raised my concern. This location needs a retraining in customer service. The haircut is odd and my son is missing a chunk of hair on the back of his head (see photo). read more

PREP - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Palo Alto, California

The hair dressers are fine and friendly, so no complaints there. This review is mainly regarding the accessibility to make an appointment. The appointment process is required to be made online, however their system is rather poor. Here are some things that they can improve: - It requires you to make 2 accounts to be able to make an appointment - it requires you to save the credit card and it is not clear how trustful that website is - their online form requires you to enter the credit card manually -- it doesn't recognize the modern web browsers way of pre-filing the credit card data - it doesn't make it frictionless to accept payments like Apple Pay - it is pricey -- $39 for a Junior haircut + tip Simply put, this friction is not something that I am willing to go through for a basic haircut of a 5-year old. There are other places that welcome kids as walk-ins that deserve a visit read more

Sherry was the hair stylist for my 3 yr old daughter and she was super friendly and easygoing. She helped me decide on a practical but fun style for my daughter and even showed me how to style her hair at home. She took her time with the hair cut. There was an ipad available so my daughter could watch something during her haircut. Final results were a nice clean hairstyle that also looked cute. The salon is large and clean. Booking online appointment was easy. The price includes hair wash but their sinks are for older kids and we could not wash her hair. There was another stylist, Maria in the salon and she also seemed friendly. Kiddo was given popcorn, water and lollipops at the end. This place is for kids 2-18 years old and it's nice for older kids who have outgrown the kids salon and want something sophisticated. read more

Cilia was awesome! She was super patient with our lil ones and gave great haircuts.

Don't book appointment, their policy is too harsh. if you being late they will just refuse to serve you and you will need to book appointment and pay again. The lady at the reception desk was very unprofessional and didn't even allow me to finish speaking and keep interrupting me. I don't recommend this place unless you live close enough and can walk in instead of book appointment. read more

It used to be good but quality of care has gone down. We used to like going there but the stylist was very rude last time. Now there is different stylist every time we book. Earlier there was same stylist for our son. The lady was extremely rude to us when I asked for our usual stylist. I asked politely but she got furious and even told me that I could go back and book again another time. It was embarrassing how she talked to me. read more

Maria was amazing with my 3-year-old and 6-year-old! First, she was able to squeeze both of them in even though we only had one appointment by having us come a bit early in case she was done with her previous client, and it was so wonderful to be able to schedule them both as they both needed a haircut badly. It was my girls' first time in a salon, and she made them feel very comfortable and entertained. She was also very quick which I greatly appreciated. She gave me advice for keeping my younger kid's hair from tangling and also on the style I should give my six-year-old given that she prefers to wear her hair down but it's always in her face. Her advice worked well, and the haircuts are beautiful! I adore them, and they're easy to maintain. read more

PREP - two girls sitting on a bench showing off their haircuts - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Kid-friendly service at its best! We took our three-year-old here for his first haircut. The hair stylist Celia was very kind. They had iPads with the PBS Kids educational channel, lollipops, extra booster seats, fun patterned smocks--everything you need for your kid to have a nice experience. The hair stylist was open to our requests, listened and made great suggestions. We are very happy customers. She even provided ziploc bags to save a lock of hair in. read more

basically a supercuts with better wallpaper. my son was given a terrible haircut that was not even remotely close to any of the inspo photos provided and the stylist was unhelpful in offering advice/suggestions. it was my son's first haircut. he was afraid and rather than wait for him to warm up/settle down she proceeded to start hacking away at his hair while he still had his face buried in my chest. she cut off all of the length i asked her to keep as i had asked for just a trim and unfortunately because his hair is so short there isn't anything i can do other than just wait for it to grow. i would not advise anyone to go here. read more

I was able to squeeze in a same day appointment for a haircut for my 10-year old daughter with Maria thanks to a cancellation (lucky us as I was told Maria books out for weeks!). Maria was kind and friendly and punctual. She did a great job listening to my request to lighten up my daughter's thick hair without losing the length and to add some style! We're both loving the new hairstyle! read more

I've tried many different places for a kids haircut and someone who understands how to style my son's hard to style hair, this is the place! Got a haircut today with Maria and she was magic! Spent a long time building texture and making sure her work was perfect. They immediately make him feel comfortable and give him stickers and a lollipop after. Easy to book online! read more

This place is the worst. Do not come here! They don't answer their phones and they have zero compassion. They couldn't care less if you can't find parking even though they are in a super busy part of town with a ton of different shops this close to Christmas. read more

Absolute worst place to get a child's haircut. the incompetent hairstylist cannot cut simple hair! I showed the hairstylist a picture of my daughter's previous haircut and asked her to just trim. the hairstylist kept asking me a million questions and then kept explaining the technicalities of a simple bob instead of just giving her a haircut. She confused herself so much that she kept cutting more and more hair until my daughter received the absolute worst haircut of her life!! my 3 years old girl looks like I cut her hair at home! I paid $40 for this bullshit haircut!! never going back!! read more

We had a wonderful experience at PREP with Mrs. Maria! She talked to my son the whole time and amazingly, he sat still and got a great haircut! If your child gets overwhelmed with too many people around, try a weekday morning! read more

We came for our daughter's first haircut and Maria rocked it again! She was kind and patient with our daughter while cutting her hair. She took the time to make sure she cut it like we wanted and even gave her a little hair bow after the cut! read more

PREP - Before haircut - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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I booked an appointment online for my 2.5 year old, we've been here before and had mixed experiences but this time was really bad. I take my son to a place like this because he get nervous and usually kid focus places help kids get more comfortable. I immediately could tell the person we got was in a rush. My son got fuzzy and I said I would sit with him tomhelp him. He sat on my lap and she just started cutting his hair. I said can you please show him what you are going to use to help him feel more comfortable. She did and then went on to continue cutting. He got fuzzy and I said can you hold on a second, let me calm him down. Then the other hairdresser started to say that the next client was coming in 15min. If my son didn't relax they would have to reschedule my appointment. I said but you already started cutting his hair? They told me that appointment are only 30min and that it had been 10 min and he would need to be done in 15 min. I told her that no one told me this was the policy. So if they continued cutting and it wasn't done in 15 min they would stop and he would have to leave with an incomplete haircut? Never ever have I had this happen. I decided nope, and I left. They were so rude and who in their right mind would continue to potentially leave with your hair half cut! When I left I looked at my clock and it had only been 7 min. When I looked online the type of cut I booked it said 30-45 min. read more

It was the first time my toddler was getting a haircut in a salon - they did such a great job calming my toddler down and getting her hair cut - after a few minutes of crying, my toddler was smiling and having a great time :) read more

Maria is the best! My shy daughter who totally had resisted a haircut for 2 years finally agreed and I was so worried, but Maria made her feel so welcome and calm and all the kid friendly perks were perfect. read more

I just took my 2yo for his first haircut with Maria and it went SO well!! Maria was great with him, super fast with the cut, and his hair looks amazing! ...He doesn't look like a baby anymore but I'll get over that, and we will be back to see Maria for the next trim! read more

Stuff to keep our son entertained and the result turned out great! We will definitely be coming back.

Loved our first salon haircut for my 6 yr old with Maria. She was attentive, kind, and so patient with me - a curly mom with a straight hair daughter who didn't really know what sort of cut to do. My daughter loved everything from the hair wash to the cut and blow dry. Will definitely be back! Thanks again for a great experience! read more

Great place. My son enjoyed every minute. The staff was really professional and kind. Would definitely recommend. The price is a above average but the service great. The haircut included a wash and styling service, which was super. read more

We could find a walk-in in 30m. Our daughter loved her cut. She also got some treats. we will definitely come back again.

Just had our first ever haircut for our 2 year old and it was fantastic! Sherry is like a toddler whisperer - so kind, so patient. Our toddler came in crying but Sherry set her up with a video and some snacks and we had smiles the entire time. We will definitely be back! read more

Maria did an amazing job with our 17 month old's first haircut! She was super patient, kind and really navigated through my son's crying so well. We loved the end result of his haircut and can't wait to see Maria again! read more

We had the best experience with Maria!!! She did an amazing job and knew just how to talk to my son in a way where he felt comfortable. We will definitely be returning to Prep for our next cut! read more

Really good experience. Staff are friendly and very attentive. The attention to detail is really impressive. :) highly recommended.

Maria was awesome, so sweet, such a good haircut. My 5-year old wanted a particular style. It turned out great. Highly recommended!