A friend turned me on to Sami, and I've been going to her for years, since she was based in San Bruno, and now here in Millbrae. At my age, I've been to countless to hairdressers and while I don't get fancy stuff done, just your basic color and cut/trim, I could tell tales, where it's not gone well. I have some "special needs," e.g. allodynia (hypersensitive scalp) and such, where I need a hairdresser to handle my head/scalp gently. Sami is hands down the BEST person I've ever gone to, and for a minimum of 6 reasons: 1. She actually listens to me needs such as how I need to have my scalp treated, so that when she washed and rinses my hair, she'll always remember and is super gentle, inquiring if the water is too hot or cold, etc. 2. She never phones it in, and goes the extra mile to ask if I'd be open to doing something different, e.g. instead of by rote covering up the grey with the same color, asking if I'd like to experiment with a plum color--to which of course I say excitedly, "Uh, Yes!" 3. She doesn't wait time with extraneous stuff, and simply trims efficiently, getting me in and out, which is what I like; I'm not someone who likes to spend hours in the salon. 4. Her fees are super reasonable and I'm more than happy to give her whatever she asks for, given her quality of work is stupendous. 5. She genuinely cares about what I feel about the haircut or color in question, e.g. we once played with a reddish hue, and it turned a weird orangey color I hated and couldn't live with--she's the one who encouraged me to come in and fixed it without charging me for it, though I insisted that I pay something for her time, given we experimented due to my wish :-)! 6. She's an incredibly sweet, kind, warm and loving human being, who bridges the delta being a customer and service provider. The warmth emanating from her is unmistakable and a remarkable thing: she imbues the hair cutting process with life. I appreciate that she's easily accessible, e.g. I schedule my appts with her via texts, not to mention she's walking distance from my house. My husband, btw., also goes to her, and though he uses her for a simple barber-style men's trim, he also loves her as much as I do. She rents a station in an old-fashioned unassuming hair salon called Gloria's Coiffures . . . what century is that word from--"coiffures"? Despite the image this word likely conjures up, that of white haired stiff styles sitting under heat lamps, despite this image, Sami is the bomb and does my hair all kinds of good :-) read more
