Illusions of Shirlington

I have been a client of William Brown’s for almost a decade and highly recommend him! He is very skilled with color and cuts and easy to work with. I’ve had a variety of hairstyles over the years from long layers to a bob to a short pixie and have loved every one of them. I’ve recently grown out my hair from a very short cut to a bob and he was able to make it look cute during the transition throughout the many months it took. Truly, you can’t go wrong entrusting your hair to William!

Gokhan is by far the best for highlights! Love love love my color each and every time I leave the salon.

I highly recommend Illusions. Their staff is great, welcoming and professional. But I confess the main reason I go is Gokhan. He has been doing my blowouts and cuts for years. No matter what I bring him, I leave smiling. He makes my hair bounce and behave.
I followed him to Illusions for one reason — I love the way my hair looks when I get out of his chair. We talk about what I want but then I trust him to do what works best. I also respect that he has told me no — and he was right.
I met him at at mall salon — I was pessimistic that he could do anything with my hair. He blew my mind. My hair never looked better. My hair is fine and curly without a uniform pattern. I frizz easily. Most stylists (there have been others) want to use a flatiron to smooth my locks. Gokhan does it with a blowdryer. I have shared him with friends, but now you know, too.

I have started to get my haircut with Gokhan and I won’t go anywhere else now. I’m low maintenance and my hair looks great even when it air-​drys with all the long layers he put in! I’m really happy with his balayage and how natural the color looks. I highly recommend Gokhan if you are looking for cut/​color. He does an amazing job and I always have a pleasant experience at this salon, the staff is very cheerful!

Gokhan at Illusions is a true artist & best hair designer around! He’s been doing my curly hair for 6 years now and he does make it look perfect every single time. He is a gifted master stylist. I strongly recommend Gokhan and Illusions Salon for a great experience!

So many people have asked me where I get my hair cut, I carry «Illusions» business cards with me now! Over Thanksgiving I was in line at an airport, and a stranger came up to me and told me how great my hair looked. I’ve been going to Irma at Illusions for years and years and I wouldn’t go anyplace else. I live 30 miles from the salon, but it’s obviously worth the trip. I have short hair and she always asks me how I liked my last hair cut, do any changes need to be made, etc. She also suggests ways I can update my hair style which I appreciate! Illusions recently opened up a second salon in Georgetown. I give Illusions my highest rating!

Thank you, Randy, for making me look spectacular for my company’s Christmas party! Endless compliments on the color and style! Made me feel like a million bucks!

Great stylists and color! Irma Wheeler, the owner, has been gradually changing my hairstyle over the past year. I get compliments on it all the time from people I don’t even know — the cashier at Harris Teeter, the mailman, a 27-​year-​old guy, my colleagues, people who haven’t seen me in a while and oh, my husband. He goes there too. We both went to ILO salon in Georgetown for the longest time, and they are great people too, but Illusions is much more convenient and we love their staff. They are very up-​to-​date on products and skin care, and have made great suggestions for me on both. So go, and then you get to have lunch or coffee in Shirlington. What could be better?

GOKHAN has done an amazing job with my highlights. I haven’t found a good hair stylist for years and a friend of mine recommended him. He understands my needs and provides consultation. He is an artist you can trust! He is very professional, knowledgeable and polite. I am so glad I found him and he is the «to go» hair stylist for me not only for HIGHLIGHTS but also hair cut, keratin, coloring, etc.

I have been getting my eyebrows threaded by Reema for almost 3 years. She is amazing and I wouldn’t go to anyone else!

I have not changed my hairstyle for over 7 years. I went to Naoul and she was understanding and attentive to my needs and a thorough respect for my spouse ‘s expectations. She is simply a contemporary stylist. Thank you very much.

I’ve been coming to Illusions for about 4 years now, and Randy is by far the best stylist I’ve ever worked with. He’s intuitive, up on all the latest, and an artist with color. I can’t speak for others, but every time I walk out of Illusions, I’m completely transformed. Thanks Randy, and Illusions, for bringing out my better self. :)

I’ve been going to Illusions on and off (due to changes in my country of residence) for over 10 years. It has always been a wonderful salon, and only becomes more so.
Randy is doing my hair now, and he is both a terrific colourist and stylist. He is helping me cope with my «growing out process» while keeping my hair chic and in great shape. He tried a hair colour I was not sure I would like – he convinced me to give it a go – and I’ve received nothing but compliments!
The staff is welcoming and friendly. I am delighted to be back!

I just got my haircut by Gokhan and I couldn’t be happier! I’m new to this area and needed a new stylist, I found him!

Great stylists, great attitude, great surroundings. Love what was done with my hair…
But the nails, I will never get my nails done here again; Not because of attitude or anything nasty. I get gels done cause they last at least 2 weeks. It’s been one week and I need them redone; I paid double what I normally do for nails that didn’t even last a week.
Amazing for hair, horrible for nails.

I have been going to Illusions for over ten years. I can’t say enough about how satisfied I am with the services that I have availed myself. I am extremely picky about who touches my hair or body. I absolutely trust Luciano with the care and grooming of my hair. The color never fails to be perfect and he provides additional hair treatments when needed to keep my hair happy and healthy looking. He listens to my thoughts about how I want it cut and styles and never fails to deliver a flattering result. I always get complements from random people about my hair :-)
Reema is my full-​face threading specialist. She is also amazing. I am a perfectionist and thankfully, so is she. Reema is very experienced and professional. She works quickly and efficiently with much attention to detail. She has an easy manner and the shape of my eyebrows has never been better! I think highly enough of her to recommend her to my friends.

I’ve been going here for various services for several years and I’ve been pleased every time. I get my pedicures and manicures with Tran, and shes always great.
But I love their threading specialist, Reema. She’s super experienced and pays attention to detail. I would vote her easily «best threading specialist in DC.» Go see her!

One word: GOHKAN.
I came in today a giant hot curly mess, having just fired my former stylist of a year and a half. She got sloppy and turned my hair orange this last time, leaving about 8 inches of regrowth in the back untouched. I went back to that same salon to have someone else fix it, but it was so messed up she said couldn’t cover the mistakes in one visit. Needless to say, Gohkan had his work cut out for him. He brought back my natural blonde and truly made the time to make sure his work was thorough and that I was happy. (He straightened my hair before he started the highlighting process so that he could really assess my current state and what he needed to do to fix it.) He’s also a master with the hair dryer, but I was more amazed at how he blended all my tones together without toner or harsh bleach. It was all just his technique and eye for color.
When I booked the appt. a week prior, I didn’t schedule a blow dry with it because I thought it was included. By today, Gohkan was booked solid, so there was no time factored in for the blow dry, but he made it work while not forgetting about his other clients. He truly, truly cares about your hair and it shows in his work. He had to have asked me at least three times if I liked my hair because I think he knew how many times I had been burned before, and he wanted to make sure I was satisfied.
I kid you not, I nearly cried. He did an amazing job.

Holy! The moment you realize all other stylists have done you, oh so wrong. Gokhan turned my hair out. Could not be happier! Color, cut, style – all worth every penny! I highly recommend this outstanding n professional stylist!

First, I would like to mention that I divorced my hairdresser of 7 years when I found Gokhan. He is a very experienced, talented Stylist. I am VERY picky about my hair because I worked in an upscale salon for over 5 years. He is amazing. My platinum blonde color comes out perfect every time. Also, he is the BEST at a blow-​dry. My hair is wavy and thick, he gets it bone straight using the blow dryer and round brush only… not using the flat iron. I would highly recommend him to everyone… especially you ladies with unruly hair.
I followed Gokhan from another salon to Illusions and I must say I am very happy with his move. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. I also got a great shampoo from Diego.
Can’t wait until my next appointment!
xo