Bella Bethesda Salon

Nicole was wonderful. We had an initial consult, she made some really helpful suggestions and she talked me through what she was doing as she cut. I appreciated her showing me how to take care of the cut myself (I love walking out of salons with a new style/​cut, but hate that it never looks as good again, so these tips will really help). My hair is so soft! Although she wanted me to buy various products, she wasn’t pushy. Because this was my first time at the salon, I also received a nice welcome package that will help with the next cuts — and yes, I’m going back!

I have been going to Bella to see Katie May for over 6 years. She is super talented with cuts, color and up dos. I recently moved out of the area and am seriously contemplating planning visits back to DC just to get my hair done with Katie. The salon itself is also wonderful– very friendly and clean. All of my bridesmaids and I got our hair and make up done with Bella on my wedding day as well (Gloria is a magician with make up!) l love this place!

Updating my review: I had a issue and it was handle way beyond my expectations. This place knows business and they love their clients. I have so much appreciation for this wonderful place. My hairstylist was Nicole and she did exactly what I hoped. I feel very renewed and I’m hair ready for the Holidays. Thanks guys!

Great place! Went for a color and a cut. The color faded within 3 days, which was very unexpected — so they agreed to do a free recolor. Great service. Will definitely visit again.

Today I went there for a simple blow dry/​flat iron. Gosh I cannot imagine for such a terrible job they charged me about 50 bucks. I could’ve done sth much better myself. The girl was name Kristine/​christina/​sth like that. NOT HAPPY AND DO NOT RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE!!!
UPDATE: I got full refunded because the owner contacted me and offered. I appreciate they caring about their customers satisfaction! wish u all good luck

I recently went here for the first time and saw Kara for highlights. She did such a beautiful and precise job. I’ll definitely be returning to see her.

You get what you pay for. Some of the services here are expensive, but not unreasonable, and the stylists here are top notch. They have great products, from Redken to Pureology. The hair stylists take the time to listen to what you want, what you use on your hair, and offer suggestions. They also offer products, but they aren’t pushy. The salon itself is posh, relaxing, and clean. The receptionists are sweet and take care of you from the moment you walk in. I’ve been here for cuts (Boy) and color (Rebecca) and I have only had the most pleasant experiences. Worth booking!

My daughters and I have gone to Bella Salon for three years, and even recommended it to my mom and other friends. But two recent experiences — similar to those described by Diana J. (review dated 5÷31÷2015) — have lead me to post this review. Last year, my daughter went to Bella to have her light brown hair highlighted with red streaks. When my daughter returned home, the hair was not the way she had asked and she was upset, so we went back and a new stylist gave her what she wanted. That experience was enough of a red flag that I would not have returned, but my daughter wanted to give the salon a second change. On this visit, she asked for the «ombré» look — fire hair, where the color starts at one tone and lightens on the way down. The salon told her that this would require full bleaching and a full-​day process time and that they did not have time to do this style (even though they were aware of what she wanted when the appointment was booked). Instead, they offered to give my daughter red streaks throughout and she thought it would have a bold look so she agreed. She arrived home a few hours and $ 200 later with a few pallid streaks and in tears. The stylist again had not done what she wanted and did not listen her. I felt so badly about what happened, so I called another salon in Bethesda to see if my daughter could still get the ombré look before she left for college. The salon had availability, we came in and within 2 hours (not a full day process as Bella had said), she had what she wanted.
I can understand if Bella does not «want» to give people a particular hair style. But the stylists should at least be honest about it and tell people that they won’t do an ombré/​firehair look, or that they don’t think a particular shade will be flattering. But don’t bait and switch customers by bringing them in the door and then forcing another look on them at $ 200/​pop. This is unacceptable and I will never return to Bella again. If you want a conservative look, competently done in a nice environment for top dollar — Bella may be for you. But if you think that a stylist should listen to you and do what you want when you are paying several hundred dollars, GO ELSEWHERE!!!

I was initially drawn in by the price. Whoever said «you get what you pay for» was right. It was only when I got my second follow up hair cut, this time by the owner who was trying to fix my disastrous cut, that I realized how this salon operates. The hire a bunch of young stylists who practice on your hair for less cost. This trainee might do a good job, but chances are pretty go they will not. I went to a different salon today. We marveled at the different lengths of hair on my head. We will never know why a head of beautifully curly hair needed so much ‘texturizing.’ Top to bottom, side to side, the haircut I got at Bella Belle was by far the worst I have ever had in my life. Even worse than the pixie cut my mom made me get when I was 5. Don’t be fooled by the price. Pay the extra $ 5 to have a professional cut your hair… someplace else.

Just thought I would update now that I have continued to go to Meghan for cuts and Courtney for highlights over the past few years. Both continue to be great! Meghan has helped me a lot with product recommendations and I think my hair looks better now that it ever has in my entire life.
I have never found anyone who can cut my hair to look good whether I straighten it or wear it naturally curly (most folks with my hair type probably know this is a nearly impossible feat), but Meghan can. She is pretty amazing.
Also, I know this is a little thing, but I really appreciate that Meghan is so laid-​back and sensitive while cutting my hair. If I am chatty she chats right back; if I am quiet she gives me my space! It makes the entire experience a lot more relaxing and stress-​free.
Courtney is sweet as can be doing my highlights, and she continues to put up with my weirdly thick hair. I always love my color and it looks natural and pretty every time. I am so grateful to Courtney for fixing my hair last summer that I continue to go to her for highlights, but I definitely would trust Meghan to do them, too!!!

Bella Bethesda Salon — Kathryn Kell
Kathryn Kell at Bella Bethesda is an outstanding cutter, reasonably priced and has a wonderful personality. The only thing is, everyone loves her so much, you have to book well in advance. She is great with long layers — I’ve lived in metro DC two years and despaired of ever finding someone. One tip off is when you call a salon and ask for a cutter who can do long layers, and they say «all of our cutters can,» hang up then. If they say all of their cutters can do it it means no one does it particularly well. When I called Bella they made a specific recommendation, so I had confidence from the start. And Kathryn is excellent with long layers.

When I arrived I was a bit confused as to where to go to get inside of the salon. As soon as I figured out my way around I was BLOWN away. The view of downtown Bethesda was beautiful, the atmosphere in Bella was up beat and welcoming while staying professional and the front desk attended to me right away.
I was immediately welcomed and offered a wide array of drink selections from beer and wine to coffees and teas, I felt right at home. As soon as my stylist, Ashley Dabney, saw me she was extremely welcoming as well and made me feel right at home with a sign at her station welcoming me (by name)!
As I sat down I explained to Ashley that I wanted a natural highlight look that would also look okay as it grew out. I am attending Grad school so I can no longer maintain my old highlights. She suggested a treatment I had never heard of, where she painted my hair freely as opposed to using the typical tin foil — which I will admit initially scared me. Ashley convinced me to wait it out and see the final product because she knew I would love the natural, sun-​kissed look this color would give me. So I trusted her. She kept me entertained the whole way through and was an extremely great time!
Finally we washed my hair and I was able to begin to see the new color. As she began to blow dry my hair and make it feel silky smooth, I finally understood the method she had used on me. The highlights looked slightly ombré at the root to give it a more natural feel while allowing it to grow out and still look natural. I LOVED IT!
I don’t usually get a crazy style when I cut my hair, but Ashley also did a beautiful job with keeping me content with my length while still getting rid of my split ends. At the end Ashley suggested a few shampoos and gave me a few samples to keep my hair healthy until my next visit.
I would highly recommend Bella Bethesda and Ashley Dabney as your stylist! Even observing other stylists and clients you can tell everyone who worked there was having a great time and keeping all of their guests happy. What a great experience!

HUGE HUGE HUGE WASTE OF MY TIME WITH A STYLIST WHO LACKS BASIC LISTENING SKILLS AND PROBABLY OTHER SKILLS.
So I have been bleaching and coloring my hair for over 15 years. My last color job really messed up my hair when I tried a new stylist bc mine isnt here anymore. so I spent the last 4 – 5 years growing out any remnants of processing in my hair. Now my hair is all natural and hasnt touched bleach, color, or even heat in 4 – 5 years and I decided I needed a change. And I did express how anxious I am for the color change.
The receptionists were very nice and set me up with DEMETRIUS. I went to my appointment and tried to show him pictures of the color I want understanding I would need to bleach my hair and I even gave him full range saying «do what you can, it can even be darker» because overall i just wanted a lighter shade than the dark black hair that I have now. He explained that in 2 months no matter what my hair would become redder/​warmish and i said Okay i am fine with that. And I asked about going darker later and his response was that we would have to «rebleach to get that color. Any color you want we would have to bleach again» — WTF? Why are you re-​BLEACHING my hair when the point of going darker is to ADD PIGMENTS BACK??? Regardless, I was thinking ‘ok whatever I’ll decide after he’s done.’ I tried to show him pictures of how i wanted the balayage to come out blended and he kept responding with «i cant get that color» … OKAY? I am not showing you what color i want anymore, I already told him to do what he can and whatever he felt was best. I was showing him where I wanted to highlights. So he leaves to go get the mixture made and I have already started losing confidence with this guy. So i look for a minimal balayage highlight picture to show him so its not all over and is only a face highlighting balayage. He comes back and i tried to show him the picture and his response again is «i cant get that color» WTF? ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? and then he says «i dont think im the stylist for you»… No crap sherlock. You lack basic listening skills. 1) he clearly lacked confidence 2) felt he’d screw up so made a rack of excuses beforehand 3) couldnt listen 4) doesnt know the basics of coloring hair from light to dark by suggesting i would need to rebleach my hair to achieve a darker color which means stripping MORE pigments when the goal is to add pigments. (please note I asked several stylist friends before posting to make sure I wasnt making this up and they work in 5 star salons in NYC, LA, Chicago, and in Asia).
A huge waste of my time. This is why I wanted to talk with him first to see what his process was to see what he does. I felt like I was asking someone at Haircuttery to bleach my hair. And after meeting this guy who is supposed to be very experienced and great stylist at Bella, I lack full confidence in ever even getting my hair cut here. But I will say it was nice of him NOT to go ahead and try to do my hair knowing I would not be happy.

They did an awesome job on my hair and make for my friend’s wedding. Would recommend this place.

I saw Cintia (Cynthia?) for Hair Color.
She was accommodating, professional, attentive, patient. More importantly, she did an excellent job with my hair. She chose an excellent shade considering I already had two colors going on (needed someone to make the transition from an artificial darker color into my growing lighter roots less obvious). She suggested placing highlights to smoothen the transition and frame my face. It looks great, even several weeks later.
When I color my hair again, I’ll definitely come back to Cynthia.
I was also impressed with the two front desk ladies I interacted with — very professional and consistent. They also brought coffee for me in a real mug, a nice touch.
Lastly, loved that the salon has spare reading glasses sitting in the hair drying area for people to use as they read magazines and wait for their color to process :))
I walked away a very happy customer.

I went to this salon after a close friend recommended it. I saw Katie (Blond) and she was very sweet. The guy who washed my hair was also wonderful. I didn’t realize that the blow dry was an additional cost even though I was already getting my hair dyed and cut. It was a little pricey and I was also running on time in order to pick up my daughter. Therefore, I ended up getting it dyed (one process) and left without it being blow dried so I never got that «Yeai I’m so happy with my hair!!» Experience. I had no complaints though but I wasn’t entirely blown away (no pun intended).
The ONLY negative I’d say is that Katie convinced me to go for a conditioning treatment that cost about $ 50 and said that she would refund me the money if I wasn’t happy with it. I went for it hoping it would be as amazing as the staff claimed. It wasn’t. I didn’t get any results that were helpful at all. I was so disappointed! I don’t know who to really go to for this and I feel strange requesting a refund for that. However, I am going back again soon to give the salon a second try and will update with my experience then. This was not a complaint against Katie though as she was really sweet.

Bella gave me a full refund plus a credit to get my hair colored with another stylist. I saw Katie for ombré highlights and I love what she did. This is the first time I left feeling great about my hair. Katie was great– she listened to what I asked for and asked me questions so she understood what I wanted. Christian did my blow dry and did a great job. I’m so happy!

I just had a really good experience at Bella. I called in Friday and made an appt for Saturday with Courtney. Apparently there’s a tier system and the prices per stylist range from 46 $-95 $. I asked for a price on the lower end and Courtney was at 56 $ which was okay for me (I’ve never paid that much but I was willing). Courtney was very friendly, she listened and gave good advice. I do wish my blowdry had more volume or was flatter and silkier. It was that in between stage. But it was a blow dry and not a serious issue. Will definitely come back for a trim or cut with Courtney. It was a very pleasant appt.
*** I dunno what she did or used but I didn’t wash my hair for longer than usual. I’ll have to ask her next time in there. They gave me a little gift bag. Sample shampoo and coupons. Nice incentive.

I’m the worst person ever… I waited 6 whole months for my next cut with Kathryn!
My hair was looking a hot mess. HOT MESS. As always, Kathryn HOOKED it up! My pictures this time are a bit blurry, but not blurry enough to see my FABSOME (fab+awesome) shaggy LOB do’!
It feels SO good to have this extra weight of my head, and this cut is JUST in time for some Spring weather!
I LOVE YOU KATHRYN.
LET’S MAKE BABIES.

SO, Bella Bethesda gets 5 Stars for the Salon Owner and two of the lovely receptionists who are incredibly friendly.
I am very sorry, but I seriously have to downgrade because of the quality of the haircuts. My first experience was just an overall disaster (the hour-​long wait, the waterboarding during the wash, and then nice haircut turned post-​wash blunt-​chunk) which I shared with the customer service follow-​up call with Leann (sp?). However, after a very passive-​aggressive voicemail from Leann stating she didn’t know that I was going to post a Unilocal review regarding my experience, I called back to let the salon owner know that I only posted because of Leann’s lack of empathy and response. I remember her saying that I needed to try other stylists in the salon…
The salon owner, however, was great and offered me a second time back on her. We spoke about growing my hair out a bit and having another stylist help ameliorate the blunt layer of hair that was supposed to be an attempt to lighten some of my hair for more lift and volume…
What I had originally requested the first visit was «thinning out my hair» since I have long, thick Asian hair. But instead, I got a visible layer of hair cut straight around my head with the rest of it long. I was clear that I am low-​maintenance and don’t often need to dry my hair, so this just doesn’t work unless you are rolling the ends of your hair or using a straight iron to hide the blunt ends.
So second time was not a charm for me.
On the one hand, I was 30 mins late, but on the other, the stylist had more than plenty of time to do the shampoo, haircut, blow dry, then more cutting, and then more styling (a full or hour with me since there is time spaced in between appointments). Because I was late, I told her that I did not need the blowout, but that I just wanted to have the time spent on the haircut. I was very clear and adamant that I just wanted the blunt chunks resolved.
The stylist actually did a great job the first round of cutting. She did it like 8 minutes flat. And then she blew dry and styled for about 30 minutes. IT LOOKED AWESOME! BUT THEN she got scissor happy all over again and started cutting more pieces… I didn’t say anything because I assumed that she knew what she was doing, as she said that lots of her clients are Asian. She spent another 15 minutes with cutting and styling after the intial 30 minutes of the blow out.
MY HAIR IS FAR WORSE THAT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME. Now I have blunt chunks and random lengths all over my head.
I walked out with soft, bouncy hair… and of course, the next day, I wash out the blowout… AND I HAVE UNEVEN CHUNKS everywhere. I spent $ 100 on the boar’s hair brush and Phyto products, but I haven’t been able to hide the chunks. SO, I went to another salon, and they told me that if I want to keep my length, then I should wait a few months to grow it out. Otherwise, I should cut my hair evenly for a clean start (that would be to my shoulders, and about 8 inches.
I’ve never had so many BAD comments about my hair before. Usually people don’t tell you when your hair looks bad, so to RECEIVE bad comments is just the worst. I usually don’t put much attention to my hair because I’ve always been complimented on it without having put in much effort (probably because it’s healthy from not dying or blow-​drying).
I really wanted to call this place home, but these haircuts have just been so ridiculously bad. I have to say that I literally want to cry about my hair right now as I rehash the experience…
*Keeping my fingers crossed that a DC salon will be able to fix this today…