Bubbles Salon – Home Depot Square

I came in for a quick cut the day before my baby shower just wanting to spruce up a bit, get a good blow out, etc. When I called to check the price, they said it started at $ 35 and went up based on length. I asked how much but they couldn’t say, so I figured it would be 10 or 15 more. When I got there Latifah looked at my hair and quoted me $ 70! It was ridiculous. We talked and I got her down to $ 60 which I still feel was discriminatory.
I talked to Latifah about what I wanted: just a trim, a little updo of long layers in back and angling in front. I was very clear that I did NOT want a lot of length taken off. She showed me a piece of hair and said we’ll cut off this much-​it was about two inches. I said that was fine.
Somewhere during the cut I realized she had started cutting it shorter and told her no shorter than that. And then… she kept cutting. She kept saying «you don’t want it too long because then it will be flat». Yeah, point taken but that is my call, not hers. When she dried it she raced through the styling, and when I saw myself in the mirror I realized not only had she cut off closer to SIX inches. I told her «that is much shorter than we talked about» and she dismissed it by saying «oh no it looks good». Once again, not her call to make. I paid hesitantly and decided to go home and see how I felt.
For the next three hours, I cried every time I looked in the mirror. My hair was short, flat, and the cut-​shorter than I wanted-wasn’t even a good cut. I didn’t get layers or angling around the front, and all of it had a jagged line all the way around. I finally decided to call them and talk to the manager.
Natasha was the manager and she told me she would need authorization from her superiors to issue a refund… and offered me a gift card. Uh, no thanks!!! Why would I go back there? eventually they gave me a refund but I had to go back in for Natasha to see my hair. Since she handled the situation professionally and was able to give me a refund, I put the review at two stars instead of one.
Lesson learned: don’t try to save money by going to a place like this. Stick with the expensive stuff that works. Why? You might be able to get your money back but you can’t get your hair back.

I LOVE LATIFA! She is so accommodating and professional. I came to the salon last week in a hurry, hoping to get a quick «blow out» before a black tie function that evening. I explained my situation, and told her exactly how much time I had before I HAD to leave.
She was a MIRACLE WORKER. Did a partial highlight, shampoo, blow dry & curled my hair to wavy perfection. I could not believe how I lucked out to be assigned LATIFA that day. I highly recommend her and I will continue to go back to her!

My impression is that there is about a $ 20 difference between the actual value of the haircut (perhaps $ 30) and the price that you are charged ($ 50 for a simple dry cut). The whole experience is moderate enough that you ought to tip the expected 20% (which, by the way, is done through a cash back transaction) but it was not impressive enough to persuade me to return.

I love my new Baliage highlights that Anakin put into my already amazing chestnut color. Could it get any better?!
Thanks Anakin!!!

I really hate to leave bad reviews but my experience last week at Bubbles was bad enough that I really feel like the situation warrants it. I have long fine straight hair cut into long layers and I realized summer wedding season had taken a beating on it– so many split ends! I wasn’t looking for anything drastic, just a trim to keep it looking healthy so I figured I didn’t need to drop a lot of $$$ and I’d had an ok experience at the Bethesda Row Bubbles location and this location was closer. I read the reviews and while Anakin seemed like the clear choice for stylist, I needed to book something last minute so let them know my hair type over the phone and I said I’d be fine with whoever. That was probably my bad but again… just a trim! I had a morning appointment with Bill and I woke up with a raging migraine– they were very accommodating to make it a bit later (again, I said whoever was fine and was again assigned Bill– maybe the first red flag since his day seemed pretty wide open). Bill was polite, offered me a drink and gave a good scalp massage during the shampoo but that’s pretty much the only good thing that happened during my appointment. He made no attempt to part my hair my usual way initially, saying it wasn’t important at first– I don’t know how to cut hair, but I feel like that’s typically one of the first things a stylist does. I decided to just trust the process and let him do his thing at first since I feel like being overbearing can make a stylist nervous or rush. He finished cleaning up the length and gave me hands down the worst blow-​out I’ve ever gotten, which he then flat ironed– kind of defeats the blow-​out, especially for fine hair that needs volume. Again, whatever– I was going to work out later in the afternoon so no big deal. I saw steam (smoke?!?) as he flat ironed my hair and I was hoping it was just whatever product he used.
The major problem started when he tried to cut layers on my dry hair– it became abundantly clear that this was going to be a really bad haircut. The layers were grossly uneven and he seemed to just be eyeballing and hacking away at it. I let him go on a few minutes hoping it would get better but the more he got, the worse it looked and eventually, it got to the point where I had to say something about them being uneven. I probably have walked around with mildly uneven layers for a large percentage of my life because I just don’t care that much to notice, but this was GLARING. He didn’t really see the problem despite at least a 1.5 inch difference between the shortest layers on each side of my face. He again started unmethodically chopping away but the situation wasn’t getting any better. I had to ask him to stop cutting a couple more times and requested that he please get someone else to look but he kept saying he wasn’t done. I have NEVER been in a situation like that before at a hair salon and seriously was at a loss for what to do– the thought of yelling for help crossed my mind more than once. I finally turned to the stylist in the chair next to me who wasn’t with a client and asked if she could please take a look at it. She jumped in and spent the next few minutes redoing the layers around my face the way I’m used to– pulling them down and comparing them for eveness– and then she «double checked» my whole head, doing a lot of snip-​snipping, even making me stand up (?) because my hair is pretty long. I didn’t leave with a great haircut but she did make it at least presentable enough to leave the salon and I was grateful for her help since I wasn’t her client and I probably shortened her break.
The second major problem came up when I got in my car and was hit with the awful, strong scent of burned hair. I’ve burned my hair many times at home, either being careless or rushed but never in my life have I walked out of a salon REEKING of burned hair– he used product, so my guess is he flat ironed still damp hair. And YUP– about 40% of my split ends were still there– not acceptable! I had to do a coconut oil mask that evening and skip hot yoga because you could have seriously smelled my hair from a few mats away and I didn’t want to be that girl.
Not for nothing, but while the salon is open and bright, the floor was COVERED in hair like wall to wall despite what seemed to be a lot of idle employees. Gross. I did see other clients who appeared to be regulars leaving visibly happy with their hair with other stylists but… my experience was bad, really really bad. Never again.

I love my Stylist Anakin! I’ve been to him twice and each time I’ve loved the cut he gives me. It’s versatile and really accentuates my curly locks. The second time I went to him I brought along my mom who was looking for a new do. She didn’t know exactly what she wanted she just wanted a new do. He didn’t disappoint! He convinced her to try bangs for the first time. It was a good call and she looks adorable! I highly recommend Anakin, not only is he a talented Stylist but he is also a sweetheart of a person!

I first went to Marina after my hairdresser quit without warning and I had nowhere to go. When I told her what happened, she was nice enough to offer to ask around to see where he worked, but I loved her so much that I never even tried to look for him.
I asked her to do the «balayage» style, or hand-​painted highlights and I couldn’t love them more. I’ve been to her several times, and each time, the color looks completely natural and perfectly blonde – I’m forever getting compliments on my hair! Marina is always awesome, she’s a great listener and really understands what I’m asking for. She was such a blessing to find – I definitely recommend going to her! Five stars!!!

I have followed Marina from the old salon at Montgomery mall, to the new location by home depo. She is by far the most amazing colorist and stylist I have ever met! She knows what looks great on you and knows how to shape and color to your facial features and skin tone. If you are looking for a new stylist, Marina is your answer!!!

Just got a cut and color. Walked in with straw hair. My hair looks beautiful and shiny now. Touchable. Hair stylist = So. Highly recommend!

You know I’m going to Unilocal an update whenever I see the color alchemist Anakin ^_^
Welp, I didn’t have time for my usual color/​touch-​up but I needed to chop off my mop. FYI if my hair almost touches my crack that means I’m lazy or its a crazy time. For those who read my reviews you know so let’s leave it at that –_​0
I haven’t seen Anakin for about 10 months so imagine the hair weave length I’ve been draggin’ in either loose casual braids or teased low ponytails. It got frustratingly real so the strands had to go.
Apparently I’m requesting a popular cut which is called the «lob». I LOL’ed since it reminded me of my tennis dayz… good times.
The «LOB» is a Long one-​length shoulder bOB. It’s a convenient cut since it’s long enough to pull back when jogging/​working out. Plus I either hairdry it straight or create loose curls w/​a curling wand — so versatile. Maybe that’s why it’s a top request.
Next time I will color my new ‘do w/​their popular iNOA goodie. It’s the holiday season so I ran out of time. Shucks… the force wasn’t w/​me. Okay I’ll stoppp
NOTE: The lease for the Bubbles location inside Montgomery Mall will end in mid-​January 2015 so some of their stylists including Anakin have settled in to their new address.
It’s next to the Westlake Post Office and across from the Home Depot.
What a difference from the original location — more open space for both clients and stylists. Great job!