Barberella

I was back in Toronto for a bit and decided to get a decent haircut. My old stylist had left the salon I had gone to for 5 years so I needed to find someone in a pinch.
Thanks to Unilocal I was able to get an appointment with Steve. He was able to get what I was looking for and really gave me an excellent cut for my thick, curly hair which most stylists just don’t quite know what to do with.
Overall excellent service and really skilled for a salon. The next time I am in TO I’ll totally get my haircut by Steve again.

Shelley has been cutting my hair for years, and I love every haircut I’ve ever had.
Love that place!

I got a really lovely haircut a way back from Steve, many compliments.
Place is nice, good vibes. Not MY place but I recommend it.

This is an amazing salon. The atmosphere is laid-​back. The prices are reasonable and the staff is lovely. The only problem is that it is so popular that you have to book weeks in advance.

I’ve been to Barbarella for three haircuts in a row now, all from Steve, and they are great! I have a LOT of long, wavy hair, and I am far too lazy to get a haircut more than once every seven or eight months. I was very nervous about trying a new salon when I moved to Toronto almost two years ago – curly hair is notoriously difficult to cut correctly, and many times in my life I’ve been left with a weird triangle-​shaped head of scraggly mess. However, I have had only positive experiences at Barbarella, and my hair always looks great! I couldn’t be happier with this salon.
Steve has always been totally chill and nonjudgmental about my low-​maintenance attitude towards my hair and (even better) he has given me great haircuts that continue to look great for six or seven months. He’s very pleasant to talk to (he is friendly without being over-​chatty), listens very carefully to what I want from a haircut, and is great at double checking to make sure that I am getting the haircut I want. Totally rad.

I went here based on positive Unilocal reviews, and was so rewarded. Steve takes such care with his haircuts! It’s actually something to watch —- you can see the concentration in his face. I now have a killer haircut (and with frizzy, curly hair, that’s something to praise about). Also, he’s really relaxed and unpretentious, and listens carefully to what you actually want. The cut was reasonably priced (I paid 70, tip included), especially considering the care that was taken. Highly, highly recommended.

Barbarella was highly recommended by a good friend so I was excited going in. My last haircut was at a disappointing and highly overpriced visit to Evoke in Bloor West.
I arrived at Barbarella so hungover I wanted to lie on the floor and cry. My stylist was sympathetic and wryly funny about it. She kept my water glass full the whole time, and totally saved the day.
Since I was chopping off a foot of hair I had a lot of photos with me, Karleena (I fear I am spelling her name wrong) took time to look at them all and ask me what specifically I liked about each. She also spent time explaining her reasoning for the dye colours she selected to blend.
I *always* tell new stylists the truth about my hair styling effort. I will wash it, comb it and that is it. I don’t blow dry, I don’t use styling products and I probably never will. Every previous stylist has tried to convince me to spend at least 10 min fussing with my hair every morning (no judgement to those who do, I just can’t be bothered). Karleena actually listened to me, and she have me a FANTASTIC choppy bob that looks incredible when it air dries. In fact, it looks so good I actually started spending 2 minutes working some texturizing product into it to take it from great to totally fantastic.
I’ve always felt remorse when I cut long hair but this time it hasn’t happened. It’s been over a month and I still love the shorter cut.
The best part is when I paid for my cut and dye (first professional dye job, also fantastic) I felt like a bandit. The prices are as reasonable as the staff is awesome. I won’t be going anywhere but Barbarella.

I’ve been to many salons in T. O and when I found Steven (back when he was at Vidal Sassoon) my haircuts became perfect every time! I tried other stylists at Sassoon but they weren’t quite comparable –Steven is the best stylist I’ve ever had.
His cuts are a balance between artistry and technical quality. Everytime i wash/​style it, it comes out just like it did when I left the salon. Only a master cutter can do that.
Plus, he will use his great intuition to develop your haircut ideas into a real, beautiful vision. The final look always tops my already high expectations.
Barberella is extremely lucky to have Steven!
BONUS: the staff at the salon is so wonderful. This place has no pretentious vibes. I was offered tea and cupcakes, and felt very welcomed.

To start, I will disclose that I have very short hair and I like it looking funky. My hair stylist was a junior. Although I specifically asked for someone who was experienced when I was making my appointment (I know it is easy to mess up short hair). I was reassured I would be getting a pro.
…That did not happen.
I was greeted by my stylist. He seemed very nice. I showed him pictures of what I wanted. He was confident that it would be no problem. He washed my hair, gave me a nice scalp massage (yey!), and took me to his seat.
The first sign I got that my stylist was not perhaps a «pro», was when he came up to my hair with his scissors and started, what seemed like, cutting my hair one strand at a time. He was trying to be very very careful. That made me nervous, but the cut kept looking alright over time, so I kept my mouth shut.
The tragedy did not strike until almost the very end. I specifically asked him to keep the hair in front of my ear long and wispy, and instead he decided to literally shaved it off!!!
All of a sudden, I looked like a monk. :’(
I had also asked him in the beginning to use those spiky toothed scissors to thin out my hair and make it more textured as it is rough and hard to do anything with otherwise. He did tell me in advance that he did not have those kind of scissors but reassured me that he can get the same effect with regular scissors anyway. This was not the case. My hair was flat.
I left the place feeling disappointed, especially because everyone here seemed to have had a fantastic experience.
I would like to go back and try Taraleigh or Carolynn. Perhaps that’s what I should have done in the first place, specifically asked for them. I didn’t think the receptionist would have lead me astray.
Right now I wait for my hair to regrow while I enjoy the feel of my hats.

I got my haircut on Saturday Oct 20 with Taraleigh. She’s one of the owners, used to work in film doing hair.
I could tell she was very experienced, professional, confident and talented. I said very little and she offered me 3 looks. She’s very intuitive with her suggestions. I was ready for a change and she listened.
When I get haircut, I like someone who is able to interpret the vision that I’m presenting. She did just that, in no time. Impressive.
Previous salons I’ve tried: Coupe Bizarre, Parlour, Earth, of the more recent ones.
I love my cut, and Taraleigh. I’ve booked my 2^nd cut instantly.

I have really coarse and straight hair. I find it absolutely difficult to style it and keep it styled for long hours. There was a special event that I had to attend and at first, I convinced myself to just do my own hair, but thank god for Unilocal — I changed my mind. I found Barberella a while back through the positive Unilocal reviews. I can’t remember the name of the girl who did my hair, but she was absolutely amazing! I had a terrible haircut a few months before my appointment at Barberella and even when my appointment was only for the style, she did a trim for me to help reshape my hair style. She gave some extremely good tips to how to grow it out and what I can do with it while it’s growing out. She understood about my coarse hair and made a huge effort in using the right products to get my curls to hold for the whole night of the event. All the girls here are extremely friendly and loves to chat! It was a great experience and definitely will go back when I have another special event!

I found Barberella’s on Unilocal!Thanks to all who reviewed! It was my first time at the salon, and also, my first time in 15 years getting a «boy» cut i.e. razored on the sides and back, long bangs.
I was nervous about 1. going to a new hairstylist and 2. cutting off my long hair. I’d done this before and my stylist «bit the knob,» as we used to say in grade 8. Most of the comments I received after that last disaster were ‘don’t worry, it will grow back’. Suffice it to say, I was ready for disappointment — actually expecting it this time around — but I’m growing a bit tired of playing it safe after 15 years, so, WTF, I went to get it cut anyway.
I’m so glad I did. Taraleigh at Barberella’s was fantastic. Super cool, talked me through the process, made sure I was okay with what she was doing, and put a rock-​star spin on my hair cut that I absolutely love. She didn’t make me feel like a dickhead for bringing in a photo of the kind of look I was going for (no sighing or rolling of the eyes because I was messing with her creativity) and — although friendly — didn’t attempt long, drawn out conversations about nothing. I’m definitely going back to see what she does with me next time around. Woo!
For those who care about these things, I was offered water but no tea or coffee. And I didn’t receive a head massage during the shampoo or cut. Frankly, I could give a f— but other people may consider this part of the ‘experience’. The only experience I care about is whether or not my hair looks terrific when I walk out (it did) and whether or not I contemplate wearing a hat/​ponytail for the next six months (I didn’t).
Definitely recommend this place.

Hair type: medium curly, shoulder-​length
Stylist: Karleena
Price: $ 67 including tax for a cut
Karleena did a great job on my hair. She talked me through the entire cut and made sure I knew exactly what was going on. You can really tell how skilled and experienced she is. Karleena knew exactly what the last stylist had done to my hair (even though I had had it cut three months earlier!). Also very impressed by her charm and personality. She can carry on a conversation but feels comfortable with silence if that’s what the client desires.
I always fear stepping into salons because of the judgement. I’m made to feel awful because I go months between cuts and don’t use «salon quality» products. No such guilt from Karleena! She encouraged me to get a cut when I felt like it was right. whether that be a few weeks or a few months.
ALSO: The Jane Fonda movie. All I could think about while getting my hair done.

Barberella was recommended to me by a friend, and I am so glad!
I had an amazing haircut from Karleena (sp?), which was well worth the money (approx. $ 50). Not only did she have a great vision for my short hair, but she took the time to explain *why* she made the choices she did (ie. «if I cut your bangs this way, they won’t look silly with your glasses»). I really appreciated the time she spent with me, and I loved the haircut! There was no attitude here — just wonderful, personable service.
Thanks, Barberella!

Last September I went to Barberella after extensively research. I was excited, as being new to Toronto I thought I may have found a good stylist that I can trust and rely upon indefinitely.
Was I ever wrong.
Barberella gave me, by far, the worst haircut I’ve ever had.
I was hacked and massacred after I explicitly stated that I did NOT want too many layers. All I got was layers. My bangs were hacked off and way too short, the length I’d spent the last 10 months to grow was all gone and I am finally, after a year, in a position to try and get another style after this horrible, horrible experience.
The staff were rude, the receptionist aloof and too cool to make conversation with me as I wanted for my credit card to process, my stylist was terrible and didn’t even rinse the condiitoner out of my hair.
I think her name was Ashley or something, she had long blonde hair and was pretty young.
Anyway, my advice to you is this: STAY AWAY. Why get a horrible cut when there are apparently so many other better ones in the city.

I have never received a better blonding experience. For reference I have naturally very dark hair but prefer very pale blonde instead. My natural hair colour is quite stubborn and a few times I came out of the salon looking like a light bulb (light roots and dark midshaft and ends). This was not the case with Karleena at Barberella. She asked me about what has been done to my hair previously and explained to me what she was going to do to my hair. As a result, I felt confident in her abilities. And the root touch-​up turned out great. She gave me an even shade of pale neutral blonde from the roots to the ends: D I left the salon feeling fantastic and now I get my roots done by her exclusively. I would highly recommended Karleena for anyone who wants to go blonde.

Last summer, as I was walking past Vidal Sassoon in Yorkville, a woman came out of the salon and made a bee-​line for me, wanting to know where I get my hair cut. Thank you Barbarella! Even when I’m feeling at my shaggiest, Shelley’s magic shines through. She has been cutting my hair for 5 years now and I have no reservations about travelling across town to her beautiful, unpretentious salon. When you walk in the door you’re always greeted warmly and when you leave, you will feel like a million bucks.

The ladies who work at this salon are lovely and personable and completely devoid of attitude. I like coming here and catching up with Shelly and coming out looking fabulous. Sometimes I have to wait a long time to get an appointment, but I forget this irritation when I prance out of the salon looking fabulous.
Bonuses:
1) they play great music that I don’t already know (and some of which has gone on to be on heavy rotation on my ipod)
2) I have been late more than once and they were always super nice about it (being scatterbrained isn’t always appreciated by others)
3) Getting your hair dyed here is cheaper than other places
4) All of the products smell nice without being overwhelming or smelling like candy (ahem bedhead)
5) If you don’t like a part of your haircut or your bangs grown out too much you can go back and they will do a ‘touch-​up’ when they have a moment.
6) Awesome ladies running a great salon.

I recently had my hair cut by Karlee and I am completely, totally in love with her and with the salon. Karlee listened to what I wanted and then took the time to explain to me which shapes and styles would work best with my hair and why. After the cut, she actually explained to me the whys and hows of diffusing with a blow dryer. And the cut is great.
The salon is small and narrow, filled with vintage desks and stands, an interesting chandelier, and tons of personality. For all that, the staff are friendly and, try as I might, I couldn’t detect a bit of pretension or cooler-​than-​thou attitude. Definitely a new favourite.

Barberella is a really cute salon. I’ve only been once for and it was kind of out of my price range, but I liked the atmosphere a lot. Unpretentious, unobnoxious and super friendly. The cut was particularly good because my hair stylist really listened to me — to how I take care of my hair (or rather, don’t take care of it) and to what I wanted to do with my bangs (or what I didn’t know wanted). It wasn’t the best cut of my life though, so I am still on the hunt for MY perfect salon. If you haven’t found yours yet either and you’re in the neighbourhood, I say give it a shot.