Location, People, Edible Stuff. The things I always rate when I type one of these up.
So location. Frankly put I would drive to Santa Cruz to have Tik cut my hair, so driving back and forth from San Francisco is a no brainer. That needed to be said. The location is in Alameda, on Santa Clara which has lots of street parking available! Let me tell you the meters here are a lot less greedy than in San Francisco! Additionally, they have a private parking lot in the back that has plenty of room and is very secure.
Parking is NEVER an issue here. What a miracle.
Tik is the owner of Sabai Salon, and I will just say I have been looking for a Hair Engineer like this since I moved to San Francisco 10 years ago. She is not a good hairstylist. She is an amazing Hair Engineer, and she has an amazing eye for what looks good on people. Trust her opinions and ideas. In the past 10 years I have went through countless hairstylists (yes I am picky), getting some really good haircuts, but nothing amazing. Cutting short hair is an art, and a lot of hairstylists can not knock one out of the park (Go Giants!). This woman however can, and is Picasso with scissors. Once people hear about this place, you are going to have to book ahead 1-2 months to get in. Her staff seems sharp, I would be fine with getting a haircut from another hairdrsser in her shop. Another thing I want to comment about is the vibe of the place. Sabai has a unique and fresh London meets Traditional Thailand kind of look. Add in an Espresso, Wine, Champagne, Loose Tea, Chocolate Bar and ladies and gentleman you are starting to get my drift. The Salon also had a Cell Phone charging station, how helpful is that?! The music was great very relaxing and fun. Looked like they had some sort of great wireless system installed in all the rooms. As I am an ex techie geek I noticed it, and thought it was well thought out. I think her hair products were organic, or plant based, they were all from France. The prices seemed very, reasonable considering how talented she and her team are. Very "Family Friendly".
Food wise and shopping wise this location is awesome! You can park your car without being harrassed by the meter maids. There are multiple great places to eat all within 1-3 blocks of the Salon. Additionally, there is a fabulous shop called GOODS right next door to her. It is an amazing little shop and I never get tired of going in to buy gifts for my friends (or me). There is also a really nice locally owned pet shop across the street. I always stop and get my dog a treat after my haircut, and then head to Goods for my shopping fix.
I think this might be the best review I have left for a business since I joined Yelp in 2008. It is warranted though. This is the beat hair Salon I have come across in the bay, and I was a little hesitant to leave this good of a yelp review, but my experience warranted it.
Lastly Tik is from Thailand. When you meet her you might think, " Is she really that nice?!" Yes she really is, and please be that nice back. This woman has worked her way up through the ranks, and worked very hard to open her own shop which she absolutely deserves.
Fellow Yelpers stop in, and after you get a great haircut leave Sabai Salon a yelp review. This is a new business and I want to see Tik and her Salon do well, she is a fantastic lady. Thank you so much for the amazing haircut Tik! I am bringing sexy back in a big way.
Disclosure: I received no discount on my haircut, or offer of any freebie to write this review. read more