I have never had a real beauty treatment for a hair cut. Now that I've been here I have to come back. Lucy took such great are if my hair and let me leave feeling like a beauty queen. My hair feels healthy, I never knew I looked so good with curls in my hair. I really need to step up my hair game. The salon is clean, chic, and a friendly environment. It is pricey but your paying a fair price for the services offered. Thankfully being a UC student I got a great discount that made this experience very affordable for me. I cannot wait to come back and maybe change up my hairstyle with some color and short length! I feel comfortable making drastic changes with my hair because I know the stylists and experts. I felt more than comfortable letting Lucy fix my bangs and clean up my hair style. I love this place! read more

I feel 10 years younger after every appointment!! Michael is a gifted artist!! I highly recommend Salon-U!! read more

Outstanding haircut! Michael Tomo is fabulous. Always listens and takes pride in his work. So happy I found him.

Very nice relaxed salon. My hair always looks amazing. Caitlin is super professional and I am very picky.

Friendly, professional, and really listened to what I wanted even though I didn't know that to CALL it... and the space was clean and peaceful (quiet) without feeling "pretentious". read more

Their location has changed to 5 E Figueroa! I have been to Michael for a haircut 3 times now. I have long hair, which I usually go to just get trimmed about once a year. A few weeks ago, I went to see Michael again and wanted to change my hair up with some face-framing layers. Michael did an awesome job with what I wanted and what worked with my hair. He is always open to talking about a multitude of topics, or not talking at all! I always leave Salon U feeling refreshed and 100% happy with my haircut. read more

Michael is a lovely, welcoming professional who runs a friendly salon. He takes his time with each client and always listens carefully to what I'm looking for in my cut. The main thing that I appreciate- he's comfortable with silence and I can read or chat depending on how I'm feeling. My new go to in SB read more

I had my hair cut here and as a man, it came out fine. My lady followed my example and went for highlights and color.... BIG mistake this place ruined her hair. Its bad I mean it looks like a mouse or an old lady. In Interior lighting she looks like she is 75 years old. she wanted a little darker blond and they turned it gray. plus it's an uneven color darker gray on the bottom and golden at the root. Worse when she was there she noticed it sucked and they said " you need to see it outside" and walked her out of the salon to show here in sunlight, or to get that disaster away from the other guests. She should have known it was going to suck when the girl asked for a photo.... for a touch up die job??? ***This part gets mean***How about you make the bottom look just like the top part. I am not sure how you got that smart but slow it down a bit your forgetting to think. did you need a photo not to turn her hair gray? I mean, that is definitely not what she asked for. If you care what your hair looks like then skip this place. The owner recommended this disaster after a consult and test cut ( Me) and after all that it was a huge bait and switch burn. These are not meant to be salon people. disappointing :( read more

I made a last minute appointment for 2 eye make ups, 1 full make up, and 3 blowouts and hairstyles. I was very happy to hear Karissa (make up artist) would find a way to accommodate us even before the salon open its doors. Karissa said she would have someone help her do hair while she took care of our make up. She had mentioned she might not had time to wash all 3 hairs but only two. Long story short. We got there, we didn't get our hair washed, we didn't get the hairstyles we asked for, makeup was just ok for eye make up but would not recommend doing full make up. I wasn't even given a moisturizer or primer for my face so the make up was just looking dry. I had asked for braids but not just a simple braid I could do myself and pay someone over $50 for it. It's very disappointing to have paid someone like a pro and realize you could've done the same job on you read more

Salon U - Actual - Hair Salons Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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This salon is trendy and cool, which is what enticed me to come here in the first place. My first visit, I received star treatment complete with robe, tea, and choice of reading material (which, I must say is pretty extensive). This has continued without fail since! I have yet to see the dj play, which I am curious about, but they play top 40 music so no complaints here. Maranee is my bff when it comes to hairstylists. She is a doll! And she makes my hair look just as good as an A-list celeb's so I keep coming back and I plan on doing so indefinitely. Next up, feather extensions! Yes, they do them here! :) read more

I need to get my haircut and it made me think about Salon U, I LOVE the place. I wish I could afford it more often. Maranee is wonderful and will do a terrific job. A few months ago when I was there they were setting up for an art show that evening so I went back. I loved it, there was a bar, a DJ and all of the best people you can imagine. Certainly NOT Mom's hair salon! read more

I genuinely don't want to think about not having Christina cut my hair... she took my hair short way back in the day and I can't imagine going to anyone else. don't get me started on her scalp massages during shampoos. wowza. did I mention her cuts are always impeccable? salon u is a really nice space-- open and airy-- and everyone there is great-- they have art on rotation and put on some pretty fun parties. read more

Savannah does an AMAZING job with my color and cut - I always walk out of the salon looking like a million bucks! Everyone there is super nice and easy to get along with. I've been telling everyone I can about Salon U. My husband is even hooked! read more

Salon U experience was amazing! The place was very clean, friendly people working and having a good time. Especially Lety Lemus, she did an exceptional job! She is very kind, professional, n experienced. Lety took her time, did a great job n gave me a sharp and great looking hair cut. I highly recommend that you pay this place a visit, and get pampered by this wonderful person. read more

Salon U is a comfortable, stylish, professional hair salon. My wife and I both come here religiously for our styling needs. Michael, the owner, is a great guy that always makes me look good. My wife gets her hair colored and cut here (is that what ladies call it?). This salon is comfortable for men and women, great parking, and pretty smiles all around. Highly recommend!! read more

Maranee McDonald is a superstar stylist-- superb with color!! Salon U has a rocking contemporary artistic vibe commonly attempted, but not achieved, elsewhere. Truly class meets industry-- a brilliant marriage. Design, local art and competent, friendly, edgy staff complete the picture of sexy allure that emanates. I was immersed in frustration at the inability of a few different local stylists to achieve my desired color at the time I found Maranee and Salon U. Maranee understood exactly what I wanted. She was responsive, efficient, incredibly empathetic with respect to my prior stylist woes. She was friendly. Maranee gives the best scalp massages I have EVER experienced. (EVER.) I've never been happier with a stylist or salon, holistically, and cannot imagine life without either of them! Many thanks to Maranee McDonald and Salon U for being A+ in the biz. read more

Never had a bad experience with the owner, Michael doing my color. Very fair pricing! Doesn't rip you off, rack up your bill, then surprise you with an absurd total at the end. Honest and talented. read more

I was in town for a wedding (my son's!) and knew that I needed my hair done. I booked with Christina Katz and cannot recommend her highly enough! She was terrific and made my hair look better than ever. She gave my hair exactly the right amount of volume and it looked amazing. Thank you so much, Christina. I visit Santa Barbara a few times a year and will definitely be back. I am going to write a separate review for Karissa who did my makeup. She, too, is amazing!!! Well, Yelp won't let me write a second review of Salon U so will add to this review. I had never had my makeup done professionally. Decided to take the plunge and entrust my face to Karissa. WOW! She is truly an artist. My makeup has never looked better, meaning I have never looked better. She was a master at covering the redness in my skin and making my skin glow. I love how she did my eyes and applied the right amount of eyelashes so my eyes really popped but I still looked like me. I am now hooked on professional makeup artists and highly recommend Karissa. We did a practice run the day before and then again on wedding day. Go to Salon U for hair and makeup. Great place. Plus both Christina and Karissa were so fun to work with! read more

Wonderful experience. The salon itself is clean and beautiful- hard wood floors and large windows allow the space to be filled with natural light. Janice is amazing. She suggested new techniques for my cut/color and I walked out of the salon feeling like a million bucks. Not only is she sweet, but is very knowledgable about what she is doing. I will never go to anyone else! read more

I love my hair! I have searched high and low to find a hairstylist who understands how to work with my hair and I've finally found her. I had been walking down the street and saw a woman with a beautiful haircut and color so I stopped her and ask who did it. She told me Hannah Stiles was her stylist, she's Vidal Sassoon trained and that she's been going to Hannah for years without any hiccups. I went in to try her out. Sold. Everyone there was so friendly and professional. They have tons of magazines, good coffee and teas and you really get the feeling that you're being taken care of. Added bonus; the head massage. The best I've ever had. I'd go in just for that (not to mention my amazing new hair!) read more

I just got a hair cut last week and couldn't have been happier. Courteous and professional staff, and the stylist gave me a great cut. I really liked the modern interior design and art displayed. And I appreciated the appointment reminder phone call. read more

I have nothing but great things to say about Salon U. It had been a while since my last cut (4 years!) and I went in and asked Joel to give me some layers and some style. He is amazing!! I totally love the end result. Love the energy, love the atmosphere, and love the personal attention. A great place with great stylists; highly recommend! read more

Go to Savannah! She makes me feel and look amazing every time. She is great with color and listening to your needs. You won't regret it!

Michael Romo is wonderful and has colored my hair for over 15 years. He listens, has a great demeanor, is sincere and does a fantastic job every time. Thank you Michael and looking forward to another 15 years. read more

I'm not sure where to begin. Salon U and Maranee McDonald came recommended for wedding hair. My Mom and I both spoke to Maranee, discussing her experience and pricing and scheduled a trial visit. My Mom and I went for our trial with Maranee and we both were pleased with the work she did. My Mom was happy with her hair, and the loose waves she did for me were nice. I felt that she was capable of giving me the look I wanted for my wedding. About three weeks before the wedding, we speak with Maranee to confirm our schedule. She explained that she had a cut and highlight the morning of my wedding and can't make it to Santa Ynez until noon, when we needed to be ready by 2:00 pm. After expressing my concern for "not wanting to rush" and the importance of her being there on time, she told me she totally understood and would reschedule her appointment so she could be with us by 9:00 am to get started. Another week went by and I emailed Maranee to confirm pricing. At this point, she emailed back stating that she charges a travel fee and proceeded to send her pricing which she stated she must have "forgot" to send earlier. We went back and forth and agreed on pricing - which now included a travel fee that was never before mentioned. Unfortunately, two weeks out, I'm not in any position to find another hair stylist. Not only do I have emails confirming her start time of 9:00 am, my wedding coordinator also confirmed with Maranee what time she would begin hair. At no point did we experience any resistance or attitude. The day of the wedding, Maranee arrived an hour late to begin our hair and make up. She offered no explanation, no apology and entered the room with an attitude. She was unprofessional, wearing a bikini top with a sheer cover-up over it. She didn't greet myself nor my Mom. It felt awkward and made me sick to my stomach. Of all my bridesmaids having their hair done, each politely asked her to do their hair again, or tweak it just so, as they were not pleased with her work and did not feel that she took the time to hear what they were asking for to give them the look they wanted. Maranee saved me for the end, and I felt rushed. I wanted my hair down, but in the end we ended up pinning it to the side. It looked nice, but I we didn't have enough time to make adjustments. We needed to be on our way to the venue by 2:00 and literally were running out of the room at 2:05pm because of Maranee's tardiness. While I didn't love my hair, I liked it and I trusted my Mom and bridesmaids to tell me if it didn't look good. The up-do she did for me is not why I am giving her a bad review. It is her lack of professionalism, her attitude and the fact that she told my mother-in-law that we were the "worst wedding group of girls she's ever worked with". I would NOT recommend Maranee McDonald for your wedding. read more

I came across this place after purchasing a Groupon for highlights-"Highlights and Blow-Dry from Jessica Treen @ Salon U (60% Off)" The deal offered was from stylist Jessica Treen. Deal does not mention that it's only partial highlights. I scheduled an appointment on Saturday with the stylist directly and she told me that she had me booked. So I show up, because hey, I had an appointment. Also, I had lunch and a makeup application appointment and a wedding to attend. I show up early and check in at the front desk. The stylist doesn't approach me until about 30 minutes later asking me if I had an appointment with her. Surprise! I show her our text messages, we do in fact have an appointment. I detected a pretty bad attitude when she approached, like an "uh can I help you?!" vibe. So, I wait for her to finish with a client that somehow was allowed to book my time slot. Another 30 minutes, she's finished with her customer. I ask her how long partial highlights would take, she said two hours. So an hr later, she begins the highlights on me. It takes her about 20 minutes to even make small talk with me so that I'm comfortable (After all--you're an hour late and have cost me my makeup appt and lunch--talking could make me feel better about the situation). Her small talk included, trying to upsell me on hair extension installation or a brazilian blowout. No thanks, I came for highlights. She finishes partial highlights in about 35 minutes-- a record time for highlights. The other two was spent blow-drying (she's great at that). Highlights lack dimension and do not match the hair extensions that I requested that she match. Hair is almost white and some very brassy areas (yay). I will also have to go get lowlights on my black hair since none of it was left. My friends ask "what happened to your hair!?" So now, I must go to another salon and have my hair fixed----which is EXPENSIVE! My friends have never told me that my hair looks horrible after leaving a salon--and I've heard it from multiple people. And uh, that's it. That's my experience. Late, horrible non dimensional non natural looking highlights, upsells, and lack of professionalism. Darn, Groupon. Lesson learned though. You get what you pay for. read more

Christina always does an amazing job and takes the time to make sure the new haircut is perfect. Love coming here and will keep coming back! read more

I've been going to salon U for almost 8 years. The owner, Michael Romo, is one most genuinely kind people I have ever met, and always comes by to say hello and make sure everything is going well. My personal hairstylist, Liz is an absolute sweetheart and hands-down one of the most talented colorists. Her attention to with my hair cuts are always top notch. Most recently she did a balayage color that is just beautiful. I've also periodically visited other stylists if Liz was out of town, and I happily recommend Lucy, Janice, Talia, and Christina,for both cut and color. Briana is the person to go to for hair and make up especially if you're getting married or going to a fancy occasion. Salon U feels like family and recommend you give them a try. read more

I got a haircut here a while back. The cut was great! The price was not bad either :-) The owner, Joel, is a super nice guy and will go out of his way to make you happy. All in all it was a great experience. And yes, the place has an awesome interior. read more

I've been going to Salon U since before it existed. The owners Joel and Michael have been cutting hair in Santa Barbara for decades. If they were good enough for the Four Seasons Biltmore they were more than qualified for my hair. I've been sending people who were terrified of allowing hair dressers to touch their hair to Joel and Michael for years and every single one of them no longer goes any place else. Straight hair, curly hair, hair color, whatever! Go to these guys and their staff. They rock. The location is fresh, clean and has great revolving artwork. The girls walking around have great attitudes and are easy on the eyes too. read more

I got the best haircut from Joel! I moved to SB from LA 4 months ago and was terrified about finding a new stylist. I have tricky hair and if the stylist is not super experienced and does not listen to my explanation of the amount of work I put into doing my hair (which is none) I have ended up with some terrible cuts that took forever to grow out. Joel completely listened to me and understood that even though I was cutting it my intention was to still grow it longer. He gave me a rad funky perfect for me hair cut that all I have to do is wash and it looks great! No flat ironing or products. He is awesome and I am so relieved to have found a great stylist in SB read more

I lived in Santana Barbara for about five years, and tried multiple salons along state street - this salon is by far the best one. Savanna went above and beyond what I expected ... I would drive two hours just to go back to her. I came in with an idea - yet with no specific color or secific style - and somehow walked out with my exact idea. If your smart, go to her. read more

I have been going to Michael at Salon U for 5 years. He has made my curly/wavy hair look so good -- he listens to me and has helped me maintain it at a long length, and then when i wanted to cut it short, he gave me the cutest bob for curly hair. I have also had my hair dyed at Salon you as I transitioned back from dyed black to my natural color, and they did a great job. And, if you sign up for their newsletter, they'll let you know about special deals every so often, which makes their wonderful services even more affordable! Also, I have occasionally had my hair cut by other stylists at Salon U and it has been good as well: i just prefer Michael as I have been going back to him for all my haircuts. I have occasionally gone elsewhere, but always come back to Salon U. Also, I've been using their shampoo, conditioner, and hair styling creme for years, and while I know they are changing it up, they are definitely on the right track. Salon U has a vision and the experience to carry it out! read more

I've been going here for years, and can honestly say this is the best hair salon for both quality of work and customer service in SB. My first experience was actually a hair cut I wasn't happy with, but they were so pleasant and accommodating about making it something that I liked, I was really pleased. The second draft ended up being the best hair cut I've ever had and the customer service has continued to be really excellent. Michael does a great job with both color and cut and doesn't seem to mind at all that I'm very picky about both. Its not the cheapest salon, but the prices are extremely reasonable and you certainly get whatyou pay for. I would recommend this salon to anyone. read more

I have been looking for a good salon for a very long time. I was really happy when I found Salon U. Brianna does great job every time I go there to get my hair done. Definitely recommend her! read more

Michael, the owner is the best in SB. I drive from Thousand Oaks to see him! His cuts are amazing and grow out beautifully. The shape still looks great months later. His color is precise and he does a great job of listening to what you want. On top of that he is genuine, cares about his clients and salon. read more

Beka is awesome really sweet and genuinely cares about what you want , Was in the city for couple days needed some fixing and Beka and Micheal worked their best on what's right on my hair and I don't have a second opinion. I just wish I could come here more often to do my hair with Beka . Love her ! read more

There are not enough stars for Savannah! I have been going to her for several years and this review is long overdue. Savannah does amazing job with blonde color, she knows how to add depth, dimension and shine. She nails it every time. Her cuts are on point too. I have very thick hair and she does the perfect amount of layering while keeping it hip and modern. Savannah has great style and keeps up with trends without being overly trendy. Savannah is so good that although I moved to LA from SB three years ago, I still drive to SB to see her! read more

I have been getting my hair colored for 10 years and no one ever seems to get the color I asked for right! Until I met Brianna! She gets it! You tell her what you want to look like and what colors you want your hair to be and she nails it every time. I am soo picky with my hair and when I leave Brianna I feel great! She also does the keratin blow out on me and it leaves my hair straight, smooth, no firzz, soft, and shiny for weeks and weeks! Where I would be without my new hairstylest gem I do not know! The salon is pretty, spacious, bright, and clean as well! read more

Lucy colored my hair and I could not be more happy with it. The salon itself is really nice and other staff were friendly too. I recommend this salon and definitely recommend Lucy. read more