Ryan is AMAZING....like seriously, I would give the woman all the stars in the sky if Yelp! had that option.
I have kind of interesting hair. It's not quite curly but not quite just wavy either. It's not really thick hair, but it kind of acts like thick hair (won't take a curl for anything and takes up a lot of space). But it also acts like thin hair, easily falling flat with dirt, quick to accumulate & show grease and lacking volume at the roots. A great haircut can make a WORLD of difference with my hair. But anything less than GREAT, might as well be a bad haircut for my weird hair. So I either get dream hair that people seem to envy, or hair I have to hide in messy top knots and lack luster ponytails.
When I first came to Ryan, it had been over a year since my last cut, after a string of not great cuts.... so a year of hair hiding. She listened to my concerns and even played with my hair for a minute or two just to feel it and get a sense of how my hair lives. I then showed her some Pinterest inspiration which ranged from long asymmetrical bobs, to long layers... I was conflicted. I had hair down to my booty and knew it was just way too long. After seeing my inspiration, Ryan asked all the right questions: how active am I, how involved do I like to get in doing my hair, what is my most regular hair routine, how do I like to style my hair for going out, etc. Ryan put a lot of attention into our consultation before making her recommendation. Which ended up leading me away from the look a I was really wanting, but would actually fit my lifestyle much better. Which meant not having to do more work with my hair than I usually like to while also not losing the ability to do the things I DO like to do with my hair when I take the time. Let me be clear, Ryan would have given me either cut I preferred, she never pushed me in one direction or the other. What she did in our consultation, was give me the valuable information I needed to make the choice that best suited me.
And she did a splendid job. Fabulous, outstanding, exceptional. She cut over a foot of hair off and still left me enough for my beloved braids & top knots. She brought the body in my hair back to life with perfect layers. And gave me a cut so good that I could get out of bed, shake my fingers through my hair, smooth out my bangs and go.
Even though I no longer live anywhere near the Bay, she is still my hair lady and I try to get in with her whenever I am in the area and due for a cut.
She also did my hair for my wedding as well as my mother's.... which I will write a separate review for once I get my wedding pictures back.... but for now let me just say, she not only did lovely work with our hair. She was also a jewel to have around on my day and she intuitively knew things I needed, that I hadn't realized I needed myself (like a quite minute completely alone).
Above all her skill and talent, is a truly marvelous person. She manages to be both warm and sensitive while also quite matter of fact and direct. All qualities I greatly respect, which many people have difficulty balancing, though she mingles them quite well.
The salon is a stylish mix of modern luxe meets vintage funk. It's open and spacious and inviting. Tempest has a very hip atmosphere without the hipster snobbery. And it's located in a very cute little pocket of neighborhood just off of downtown San Rafael. This place is really all you could wish for in a salon. Great stylists at a place that ups your "cool quotient" .....
Seriously, all the stars in the sky- not just 5!!! read more