I haven't had my hair cut since November 2019 and trust me I knew I should as time went by. With constant moving, it was difficult for me to research and find a hair stylist I could trust on a whim. Once I had settled in Alameda, I started checking out local salons on the island. One of the first stylists I had considered was located on the East End but I wasn't sure if they were still styling, so I looked for different options. I had almost considered traveling further off island but found this gem. I've been sitting with their website opened in a tab on my browser for MONTHS before motivation hit me and I started the process of booking an appointment.
Options for booking an appointment were through their website that'll re-direct you to their Vagaro account; phone numbers of the the stylists were available on the website as well. You could also call the salon or walk-in. I've seen options to be put on a waitlist if you're looking for the first available appointment.
As I was making my appointment, I noticed that the stylist I had originally had my eye on was no longer working at the salon. I freaked out a bit, then a bit more research, felt comfortable and went through the process of booking with Cindy Le.
You can tell a stylist is popular when their first availability is DAYS in advance. That was going to scare me off again but I really wanted to get my hair did SO I found a convenient date and time that would work for me. Let me just give you an idea... I booked my appointment on 3/27 to come into the salon on 4/12. I really would have liked it if it was during the week I was booking but alas. The first time slot was at 1:30 p.m. I'd have preferred a morning slot but there wasn't any.
Booking through Vagaro was easy to follow. Giving you options of what services, stylists, date and time you would like. There was a comment section where you can add details regarding maybe your current hair situation and what you were expecting to have done. They will then send email and text notifications which I like.
Day of appointment, I gave myself time to drive from my place to the salon. I hate street parking, so I needed some cushion just in case my car needed to do a little dance getting into a spot. I was SO disappointed when I arrived, there was NO parking along the storefronts. Alright, maybe there was but I wasn't comfortable or sure it was okay to park in certain areas. I parked on the cross street Paru and walked to the salon. The weather was nice, so I didn't mind.
Nice and clean little salon, everyone was busy so I waited a few minutes before my stylist acknowledged me, offered me a drink and said I should take a seat in the waiting area. (At the time I didn't realize it was her, I was still nervous).
After she was finished with her pervious client... it was showtime!
We started with what I felt like a lengthy discussion of how much I wanted chopped off and the color I was hoping to achieve. We were so focused on the discussion that we snipped off the tail end of my hair before the "before" photo.
I had wanted the cut to be at chest length and was hoping for a balayage, dark brown/copper/auburn... something along those lines. She talked me out of the balayage and suggested highlights instead, which I'm grateful for. If not, I think I would've been disappointed with the outcome. The cut was a bit shorter than I had imagined but my hair is HEALTHY and SMOOTH and I LOVE IT.
I probably skipped some parts. Um, she did say she doesn't bleach before coloring. Thought that was weird, but I liked the end result, so it probably worked out for the better. She brought out books to help pick out the color I wanted to highlight my hair. So many options, but we found a shade to my liking. Had the color set for half an hour I believe? Enough for her to take her lunch break. When she came back though, I was in a middle of a real live game. I felt so bad! Haha. Luckily my gaming didn't get in the way of rinsing my hair.
One look of the new color and I'm in love! Couldn't stop smiling during the rest of my haircut and she was happy I was happy.
Cindy was helpful, and considerate. Always made sure I was comfortable and if I needed water. She was friendly and definitely someone I will see again for my hair maintenance. I would totally recommend her, but I don't think she has a problem with that! She's so busy.
There is a bathroom, on the right, past the rinse stations.
Cindy has 2 payment methods. One is Venmo, I'm not sure what the other one was because I wasn't paying attention. read more