Today’s Rave

Kath is the best! She is efficient and very experienced. I love her work.

people love this place, so there must be alot of good things about it. ive just decided, when i get a bad haircut, to post about it.
michelle cut my hair, but barely. ok, yes, people are afraid of my fine wavy hair. but hey, i paid her, and i had to go get it fixed elsewhere. the top was cut too short in the center, so it sticks up. the sides were literally untouched. the top in general not integrated. this is one of the worse haircuts i have ever gotten.

I love Margaret and the haircuts she gives me are wonderful. Years ago I was looking for a stylist and saw someone with a great short haircut at Starbucks, I asked her who was her stylist — and she told me about Margaret at Today’s Rave. That was 20 years ago ! I love that she takes such great care to cut my hair the way I would like it. Now and then she get’s me to try something a bit different for the season, and I like that she evolves. If I want it back the way it was, she’s there. Her cuts always holds it’s shape for well over a month. I use to get very pricey haircuts in the City, but I found Margaret’s skill just as good. About 10 years ago I moved away, but I still drive up routinely from the South Bay. Sometimes when I am unexpectedly in the area, Margaret does her best to accommodate my schedule. She is a warm and friendly professional. I love the shop, when you walk in, the stylists are all friendly and make you make you feel comfortable, always.

Sandy Q is amazing! I walked in with long, layered, curly dark brown hair.
I went in for an ombré and hair cut. I hadn’t colored my hair in 8 years and I wanted to chop about 5 inches off so I was a bit nervous.
She did a fantastic job. I love my new look. It’s dramatic, exactly what I wanted. She did a wonderful job blending the colors just like the photo I brought. My hair feels healthy and looks great. I will be going to see Sandy again.
Thank you Sandy Q!

This a special place! I came here with hair that had ‘potential’ but was a mess (dry from working in deserts, etc.) and desperately needed some styling. I happened to get KATHLEEN.
From then on it has been wonderful! In almost no time she had my hair HEALTHY — full, smooth, undamaged and getting compliments from friends and acquaintances alike! I almost couldn’t believe it. Kathleen listens to you but is also not afraid to suggest– whatever approach you like, she’s wonderfully flexible and communicative. STYLING: excellent … I’ve been evolving hair styles with her and she’s terrific at that — somehow really clues in to what you want and makes it happen! Finally — talking over that important subject — COLOR! She’s
incredibly good at communicating, talking you through figuring out what you want, and then
DOING it. Once you go to her, you’re unlikely to leave… and I searched a LOT of salons.
I’ve sent at least 4 friends to her and ALL felt the same way: in each of their cases, they were
quite distressed about their hair and got immediate help! Unproblematic hair? All the more fun, because she’ll experiment with you.
I RECOMMEND her — Kathleen.
P. S. Although I’ve never had her services, I know that Michelle is also very good in that salon.

I love the way that Michelle at Today’s Rave cuts my often unruly thick and curly hair. She gives it shape and style. I often walk in there feeling like it looks «awful» and walk out with it swinging and shinning. She knows what to do with curls and shows me how to style my hair to wear it naturally with the curls or straightened. She gives me options that I never would have thought that my hair would have!
Her rates are incredibly reasonable too and she is a sweet and nice person!

As a very happy customer of Kathleen’s for more than 25 years, it’s time that I let the word out: She’s GREAT! Skilled, thoughtful, considerate, artistic. In the distant past, she did beautiful curls for me – and in recent years she has been doing gorgeous highlights for me in several shades. I love the results and get many compliments. Top rating for Kathleen!

I’ve been going to Michelle for hair cuts since August 2012. I have soft, sometimes curly, sometimes flat hair, and she does a great job. She is friendly, her prices are very reasonable. She suggests smaller changes and offers adjustments if you want a more drastic cut. I’m very happy with her, and my hair looks better than when I paid twice as much, at fancy salons in San Francisco.

I’ve been going to Gene Estrella for haircuts for several years now and he’s simply THE BEST! Gene listens to my ideas, makes sure he understands what I want and then does it in the blink of an eye. I have curly/​wavy thick hair and it took me years to find this guy. He’s a master!

I have never had a bad experience at TR and I have been to salons all over the country NY, LA, DC, SF. The stylists collectively have decades of experience under their belts and stay abreast of the latest trends (razor, Brazilian blowouts, etc).
I have gone to Margaret, Sandy, Gene and Michele at TR and NEVER have had a bad cut, color, straightening job, highlight, etc. I was surprised to read the negative review of someone who had gone to Margaret and had a bad experience with her cut on wavy/​curly hair. I have naturally curly hair and I know it’s a specialty of hers (and not every hairdresser understands curly hair!!!) as well as years focusing on ethnic hair and hairstyles. She is a magician and perhaps it’s why the reviewer and her boyfriend had such a positive experience the first time they both chose to go back a second. Margaret is a perfectionist and old-​school. She takes an hour on a man’s haircut getting it just right and sometimes because of this attention to detail (which is lost these days on many other hairdressers who are just trying to get as many clients as possible in during a workday), shell run a bit behind… However, there is always guaranteed a dependably good cut worth the wait. Her extensive list of clientele speaks volumes about her abilities.
All the stylists at TR compliment one another well and treat their long-​term clients (most of whom have been going for 10+ years like me) like extended family-​They use the best products on the market and offer reasonable prices for the quality of service…
TR is clean, dependable and an institution on Solano AVe which has outlasted many many other salons in it’s immediate vicinity. It’s history and legacy speak volumes for its talented hairdressers– highly recommended!!!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news and ruin the streak of 5 star reviews this salon has, but in this case, I am telling everyone about my experience with Margaret.
The first time I went to Margaret, it was in moral support for my boyfriend. He feels he cannot articulate what he wants in a hair cut and has yet to walk about feeling satisfied when the stylist is done. He had met one of the other stylists at a party and was told he could at least get a discount hair cut if he came to see her. Alas, this person was unavailable. Since Margaret answered the phone, she told him that she would honor the discount — score! With me in tow, we ventured on to Today’s Rave.
The first hair cut the boy received was great. It was well blended, stylish and looked damn sexy. It was actually so well done, that I asked her if she could give me a bang trim. Although it wasn’t exactly how I wanted it (she cut it wet when I asked for them to be dry cut, thereby they were ½″ shorter), I was relieved to see shape in my bangs. Then, when it came time to pay, she charged him full price and me $ 15 for a bang trim when she quoted me $ 10.
He walked out feeling like a million bucks and I walked out excited to jump his bones. So, we figured despite that she had taken 2.5 hours for us to get finished and overcharged us, we were happy.
Fast forward to right before school is about to begin. We are able to make hair appointments at 11 and 11:30 on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend with Margaret. Then all hell breaks loose. Here is the account of all mistakes
1. she is behind well over 45 minutes even though she tells us it will be no longer than 15.
2. She botches my boyfriend’s hair cut (patches, missed buzzed places) while insulting him by calling him weak for not being able to swim.
3. Her Cosmetology license expired.
4. The inside of her work station drawers are all caked with gunk and she doesn’t properly clean off the different scissors and whatnot she has been using
5. She cuts my hair crooked, makes it look like I have dog ears instead of hair, doesn’t do a blowout then tells me it is my fault because I have a cowlick. People, I have wavy hair — never before has a stylist claimed my hair coudln’t be blown out properly because I have a cowlick. In fact, I don’t have a cowlick
6. She rambles like no other without listening to what the customer has to say –especially when it is about their hair.
ROUND 2!!! The hair cuts were so bad. I went home to straighten mine to see if it would lay better… and the hair cut was worse. Back to the salon. I show her the picture I want AND SHE STARTS TO RAZOR MY HAIR. Ladies, you know if you have curly/​wavy/​thin hair you never-​ever use a razor. So despite me stating this at the beginning of the appointment, she does so anyways. And instead of giving me the long bob that looks like Katie Holmes, I end up looking like I allowed my 6 year old nephew to cut my hair AFTER taking away his toys.
An hour into the second appointment, I tell her to stop. I tuck my hair behind my ear and she CONTINUES to cut my hair, making it short, fluffy and very, very crooked. I came in with shoulder length hair and left with it up to my ears.
How she managed to also screw up my boyfriend’s hair, we have no clue. He went from looking like the hair twin of Pudgsly Adams (a more patchy version) with the first hair cut to looking like he had enlisted into the military. The best part? She cut into his hairline in a way that made it look like it was receding.
So, we arrived at the salon at 11, left at 2, came back at 4, left at 6. And I bawled the whole way home. I had to go to another salon to at least get my hair even.
I will never recommend this place.

I, too, am a hair hopper and landed in Kathleen’s chair recently. She did a great job, was very friendly, and I will no doubt return when I can’t stand my own cuts anymore. I have faith that she can fix whatever mess I create.

Man I love this place. I am a hair hopper– meaning for years I have either done my hair myself, gone to a friend of a friend or even my grandma…(yes I know but she was a hair stylist for years). I have always gone back to Today’s Rave faithfully– and every time I have been happier than happy. This last time I got a trim, a awesome hair color and honestly it didn’t take away from my kids college education to do it if you know what I mean! Affordable, pleasant, awesome, stylin, I love this place. I have always gone to Sandy– but Michelle is equally awesome. I adore them.

Gene Estrella has worked his magic on my hair for over a decade. He is not only a gifted artist, he is also a real sweetheart. If you are looking for a new stylist, you can’t go wrong with Gene :-)

I LOVE TODAY’S RAVE!
I’ve been an extremely satisfied customer of Sandy’s for so many years (I’ve lost count)! I remember getting haircuts only… then the gray started coming in… now I get a color & cut every 5 – 6 weeks. Sandy knows what I like and, more importantly, what looks good on me. Long, short, layered, blunt, Brazilian blow-​out, high-​lighted, colored… I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my locks. All the stylists are cutting edge (pardon the pun) — you can’t go wrong once you’ve walked into Today’s Rave!
Aside from getting a great cut & color, I love the ambiance & feel at Today’s Rave! As a busy mother of 3, this is a much-​needed distraction from my everyday life. My hour there can be spent chatting with Sandy about our families, discussing the most recent episode of ‘Survivor’ with Gene, or simply zoning out! The icing on the cake? I always look fabulous when I leave!
There’s ample parking on Solano Avenue though I usually park on Marin so I don’t have to fuss with the meter. This gives me time to stop by Peet’s or Starbucks, Noah’s Bagels, Greetings, Oaks Jewelers… just to name a few stores within a block. I love the location of Today’s Rave!
All in all, you can’t go wrong at Today’s Rave — I’ll be a customer for life!

I have been a client of Sandy Quintana at Todays Rave for over 5 years! She knows exactly what to do when I am looking for a new hair style or need a very nice up-​do. I get my hair colored there about once every 2 months and have never been disappointed! Everyone who works there is very nice and welcoming. I highly recommend Todays Rave to women and men. It’s a very clean, organized shop!

Just got back from my second cut & color with Gene, and once again, it looks great.
But the kicker is, while the last one grew out, it looked great, too – the whole time. Heck, my hair looked good as I walked in this time!
What’s awesome about Gene is that he really, really listens to you. I know you’ve all had that cut where it dawns on you halfway through that the stylist is going in a direction that is horrifying – or you realize it as they’re finishing up. Gene is NOT like that – he spends time with you, asking what you want, how you will style your hair (do you blow-​dry every day? I sure don’t!), and does not push expensive product on you.
When I realized he was really listening to me on my last visit, my whole body relaxed. What a relief – and a joy!
And honey, I look GORGEOUS.

Easily located on Solano Ave. in Berkeley, I discovered this place through a really good friend. Usually, I’m hesitant to try a new place however my friend assured me the stylist would make the transition easy as she has been cutting hair forever. Margret was great, not only did she put me at ease she also gave me a Great cut. As a guy the last thing I want to worry about is a bad hair cut, I want to walk in tell the stylist how I want it and forget it. Margret figured my hair out instantly as I have many calics from years of wearing a baseball cap on and off. I plan on going back as I set an appointment with Margret for a week and a half out.

I completely agree that Michelle is a curly girl’s best friend! She is the only person I’ll let touch my hair; I’ve been going to her for 16+ years. My hair always looks good. Michelle also cuts/​colors my daughters’ hair. I have curls and my daughters both have straight hair — never had a bad cut/​style!
Bonus: Michelle makes me laugh!!!

my mom and I have been going here for years! We both get our hair done by Michelle and she is fantastic! We get compliments on our hair all the time and I recommend her to all my friends and you guys too! Every time I go see Michelle she consistently give me EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED!