The lady service attitude was poor. I want to communicate during haircut but she declined my request. Then i have to face a terrible result. It was either her lack of attitude or her technicality. In both ways the final outcome looks very unpolished. read more

We came here on a whim and I'm so glad we did! Sammi greeted us warmly and put a booster in her chair to accommodate my young daughter. She washed her hair gently and gave her an excellent cut. Highly recommend Sayu Hair Salon for a kids cut that's well-executed and great value. read more

Sayu Hair Salon - Sammi giving my six year old an excellent haircut! - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

I had a very disappointing experience here. The haircut I received was far from what I asked for, and the stylist didn't communicate clearly throughout the process.The price was extremely high for the quality of service provided read more

Sammi is the best, period. She can take one look at the shape of your head and know how your hair should be shaped for the hairstyle your want in the best way that works for you. read more

I messed my hair up with blue hair dye, which faded to green. The staff were very kind, offered many suggestions, and explained how I could avoid this in the future. They then spent the next 2 hours fixing it, even staying open after closing. They were kind, diligent, and talented! Thank you Sayu! read more

Disappointed. This salon is busy because it is close to campus but the lady is obviously not a trained stylist. Her cuts are probably in the $15-$20 range but she charged me $35. Not going back ever. read more

The staff is really nice and listen to what you want and also gives suggestions. I got my hair permed and trimmed in a very timely fashion and I love the outcome. read more

I got a hair trim here for $35 and it was pretty nice (⁠^⁠^⁠) the service was fast and result was nice too My hair was really long and I haven't gotten a haircut in like a year or two . Now it's much more manageable read more

Sayu Hair Salon - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

Sweet people, but they don't have a good experience in handling curly hair. This is the worst cut I got in my memory. People with curly hair please avoid. They were doing a good job for people with straight hair though. read more

Sayu Hair Salon - Bad uneven haircut. - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

i really recommend this salon. the stylist was really good with communicating with me about the style i wanted.

Sayu Hair Salon is a magic gem in Berkeley. I found them in 2013 when it was just Sammy working the store. Sammy is is very detail oriented and is very experienced, if you know how you want your hair styled or bring a photo, she does a fast and great job and ensures you live happy. I no longer live near Berkeley and actually live closer to South SF, but I make that 45 minute drive to Berkeley every month to make sure that Sammy cuts my hair. They are very welcoming and are very busy on the weekends, so I recommend making an appointment in advance for then, but they always accommodate drop-ins to the best of their ability. Pricing is great for the quality hair cut they give you. read more

So I waited for a while making sure they wouldn't know who I am 1. Just bad at haircut. The lady gave me a haircut was like in a huge hurry, I wouldn't say my hair was ever in a good hand. 2. Very rude. I simply said flood the last barber's hairstyle. Simply cut everything shorter. First she said yes and then, refer to first point, I certainly start saying this is not right and definitely not what I wanted. Then she basically said don't teach me how to cut a hair and then start questioning me if I know what is this technique I am using(no wonder I don't know, not in Berkeley to learn terms of haircut) 3. Over priced, wouldn't offer a hair wash. Unlike curly hairs, Asian straight hairs needs to be wet before hair cut(very basic knowledge). Then she charged me 10 bucks for a hair wash. Btw she is better at washing hair then haircut. Lol Just do your hair a favor, avoid this overpriced rude haircut. read more

We have been here for hair cut in years. Excellent service and reason price! I recommend people to try it out!

Great haircut place and friendly staff. Has been coming here since my college days. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a quality haircut. read more

Incredible service. The men's haircuts I get here are consistently very well done. I will always come back here.

I walked in on a Friday afternoon and was seen immediately. The lady who washed and cut my hair did a great job and was fast

Great place, priced very averagely compared to other Berkeley places but great.

I got a haircut yesterday from this middle aged Asian woman with blond hair. She gave me this "undercut" except it's not what I wanted. It wasn't the language barrier but it was her resistance to listen to her customers. She was nice but her communication skills is horrible. This morning, I looked at my haircut on the side, to the back, and to the front. I, literally, LMAO'd at my appearance. As the saying goes, "I can't go downtown with this!" If you must get a haircut from this place, stay away from the middle aged Asian woman with a blond hair. Just dont! read more

My haircut and layers were uneven and jagged. The left side is different than the right side. Maybe if you want a "messy" look haircut, this would be okay. She overused the texturizing scissors, cutting haphazardly, which is why I ended up with the jagged edges. I asked for a shoulder length haircut with smooth blended layers. This was NOT what I ended up with. When I washed and dried my own hair the following day, I realized what a mess of a haircut I was left to fix and grow out (the cut was shorter than shoulder length too). I was mislead by all the positive reviews of this place. Sammi is a nice person, but this is one of the worst haircuts I've ever gotten! If you have thick Asian hair a want a smooth polished haircut, go to Lan at Le Petite Salon. She was away on vacation which is why I tried Sayu, and now regret it. :( read more

Sayu Hair Salon - Jagged uneven "layers" with chunks missing. - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

good location, and they are cheaper compared to other places. The quality is better than average

Fantastic and personal service. I called ahead and the woman who did my hair was so warm and answered all my questions beforehand while working with me and my hectic schedule at that time to find a slot to do a perm for me. I had to catch a flight right after, and they were able to accommodate that perfectly even though I have thick hair and perms are often pretty lengthy. We chatted throughout the two hours that I was there and you can tell that so many people here are regulars who have lovely relationships with the staff. The pricing was very reasonable as well, particularly given the quality of the perm that I got, and I'm so happy with this entire experience. I would love to visit again if I'm ever in the area. If you're lucky enough to live around here, please give them a visit! read more

Sayu Hair Salon - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

Reasonably priced, well done haircuts near campus. I get my hair cut infrequently. Moreover, I was very bad at explaining how I wanted my hair cut. However, Sammi was patient, courteous, and knew exactly what to do. I was very satisfied with the result. read more

Got a haircut here a few years ago based on the "4 star" review and this place is terrible! Have to review now because I can't believe it still does.. Like other low reviews have said, if you don't care about getting a decent haircut then go here. 1) I came here on a Sat morning at my scheduled appt when it supposedly opens and the owner/hairdresser was about 20 mins late. I recall having to call and thankfully it reached a cell number, but why even bother making early appts or appts at all if you don't intend to keep them! 2) I was getting a pixie cut (bad idea when trying out new salon!), which requires precise cutting with scissors so it doesn't become a bull cut or something weird and she literally used a razor the whole time and pretty much only used scissors on my bangs which also turned out terrible. With a pixie cut there really is no way to save it when something goes wrong. Thankfully, I didn't request my hair to be cut extremely close to my scalp so I was left with a bit of hair to work with but I couldn't do much for my bangs except to wait for them to grow out. I DO NOT recommend this place, especially for females. read more

Overall, unsatisfied. I at the very least, they were exceptionally nice, but disregarded my specific requests to cut, wash, then dry and cut again (referring back to the spiky-ness of my hair once it dries. read more

Tried this place twice, I thought maybe the first time I wasn't clear but this time I made it simple; zero on the sides and a little off the top, follow the same cut I already had. I asked to view the back while I was getting a haircut and the person cutting my hair said it wasn't ready? I don't care if it's ready I want to make sure I'm getting what I asked for. I told her to just follow the same pattern that was already there from my previous haircut and she still managed to mess it up and I didn't even get a zero on the sides I was better off without a haircut. read more

Five stars is based on meeting all my criteria. Please note this is not a fancy salon where they make you cocktails and four different people touch your head. This is a humble, owner-operated place busy with walk-ins. But as a woman in my 40s it's great to find a no-frills place that listens to what you are looking for, but offers suggestions/choices and then executes to full satisfaction. At a fraction of fancy salon prices. (And the impossibility of getting an appt the same week) Very happy with my stylish new haircut, full highlights and styling. read more

Terrible! Do not care what you what! No attitude! When I was trying to communicate with the hairdresser, she said do not tell me what you what?! And it's too expensive! No wash! No dry! $25! That's rob not haircut! read more

This was barely an okay cut. I didn't expect anything fancy - it's cheap by Bay Area standards - but I thought I could at least get a trim straight across. read more

Sayu Hair Salon - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Horrible, worst haircut I have ever gotten. Did not listen to customer and will have to deal with this for a while until it grows out. Do not recommend. read more

Still my go-to place after 5 years! Sammi knows what it means to have healthy hair and her recommendations and products she uses reflects that quality. For hair color, she also offers ammonia free color options in addition to the typical hair coloring option. I personally like the brand she uses because it doesn't smell heavily like chemicals. She also uses the appropriate developer level that's needed to get the color you want (vs. going with 40 for any color, as some salons do to speed up the process) She's able to do balayage and also successfully match your previous hair color with one from her salon, minimizing the need to start anew with a full color when you switch hair dressers. For perms, she offers different size rods to achieve your desired look for the cold perm (so regular perm, not digital). I wanted a medium curly look and she used a variety of sizes arranged beautifully on my hair to give that natural look! Of course, she can cut hair and is knowledgeable of the different types of hair layering styles that you are seeking to mimic from magazine photos. Additionally, as I found out today, she also does eyebrow and facial waxing. To make the best use of your time, my suggestion is to come with photos of what you want to have as your next hair style and let Sammi do the rest! Her recommendations can save your hair months of damage. Extra cherry on top: she's very reasonable with her prices (you really can't find any place that's cheaper without feeling rushed during your appointment) and aims for quality above all else! :) read more

I know it seems fake that this place only has all 5 star reviews, but after trying it out I had to agree with everyone - SaYu is fantastic. I really loved Sammi (the stylist), she is very sweet and good at what she does. Of all the places I've gotten my hair cut in Berkeley, this has to be my favorite. It was very fast, inexpensive, and well done. I will definitely be returning. read more

Saw a pic of demi Lovato with her new red ombre look on Instagram and sent it to sammi so she could do a rendition of it on me. Looks fabulous! The highlights, color and cut came to a $130 total. Sammi takes a lot of care for customers and has vast amount of experience with hair. Nailed it again. Thanks sammi read more

See all

I've been here about 5-6 times now, so feel I have enough experience to chime in with my own thoughts. Every time I've been in has been great. Ive had haircuts by three different stylists, each with their own style but they are all good at what they do. One of them is not so great with English as others have mentioned. However, this is no way effected being able to describe the haircut I wanted and how it came out. For those people who aren't happy with the result..it's probably your own fault for not describing what you want well enough. Otherwise, they work quick and scheduling has been very easy every time. Plus, for $15 it's tough to beat. In short, if you don't suck at describing what kind of haircut you want..You'll be just fine. read more

Sammy is amazing at giving haircuts! As an Asian male with stiff hair, it's kind of hard getting a perfectly aligned cut but Sammy is super consistent with how she cuts. I've been coming here for the past 3 years and I have never regretted it. read more

Only good if you don't really care about your style and just need a trim, beyond that they don't provide much. It is $15 for a cut, but it's definitely a case of you get what you pay for. There was only one hair "stylist" and she didn't speak English so she would either pretend to understand me or constantly need to refer to the manager to translate. Also other customers would show up without an appointment and the manager would say to them "yea just 10 more minutes, then 15 for the next new customer, then 20 for the third one" basically making up the time and rushing the hair cutter. She would not take any time to measure or style my hair, even when I had multiple images of my own hair just after it was trimmed by my other favorite stylist at another store. When she quickly finished it was totally wrong and off from the image she could easily compare to and when I told her this she replied "no no that is the same, you wrong." How am I wrong!? I am the one getting the hair cut not her. TLDR: stylist doesn't speak a dime of english, they rush the customer, they accept any walk in customer forcing your session to just a few minutes, the stylist will argue that you don't know what you want when she does it wrong. This is just for a basic "Supercuts" trim when you have no time, money, or care to have a decent look. read more

Great haircut for a low price of $15 for guys ($13 during this promo period). Sammi is super sweet and polite, and puts a lot of attention on small details. Yet, she manage to finish cutting my hair in around 15 minutes. Great place for students to get a nice haircut after classes before heading home! read more

As a disclaimer, I'm not super picky about hair. I like SaYu because by Bay Area standards, they're affordable, and they also can work with East Asian hair texture. I got just my bangs cut here once and they were only eight bucks and looked great (although a full haircut is much pricer than that). read more

Sammi is the best for straight hair, dye & haircut. Very reasonable price with great haircut!! read more

Mixed. Been here 3 times. Haircuts are good and so is the price. However, when I scheduled appointments I still had to wait long while walkins were treated before me. Today I arrived at 10:15 (should open at 10). Was closed. No note on the door, no nothing. So all in all, good value once they start trimming but bad etiquette. read more

Sammie did a really good job with my hair. I went in with already bleached hair and just wanted to get my color redone. She's patient and helped me pick out a good color and the results were great. read more