Salon Samaria

I simply adore Carol, to pieces! She does a great job coloring my grays, has created masterpieces with her dark blonde or caramel brown weaves, within my darker brown hair color, and much more. I’m always happy and satisfied with every 5-​week hair appointment, I make!!!

I’ve been coming here for about 8 years. I am super happy. My hairstylist is Joanne and I absolutely love her! Can’t say enough, she’s just very knowledgeable and simply amazing at what she does.

I LOVE Joanne! She does a wonderful job every time. If you want a fantastic stylist — go see Joanna. She knows what she is doing. She is a goddess at coloring and styling. I am never disappointed she always does a fantastic job. I have been going to her for almost 3 years now after having gone from stylist to stylist for the past 15 yrs and I finally feel like I am home. She is also kind and funny and she always makes me feel like I am important. I will never go anywhere else. Joanne is da bomb!

Joanne is awesome! I was referred by three friends that go to her. She is super sweet and friendly. The reason I came to her was to help fix a hack job by another stylist at another salon. She did the best she could and did help a great deal and now my hair is starting to grow out. Since then I’ve been happy with what she does to help the hack job grow out. She’s great!

Such a great salon! Favorite stylist by far is the beautiful Mrs. Caitlin Thomas Ebrecht! Also the amazing Lisa Rapier Everyone in the salon is really friendly and it’s a nice environment to be in, they always do an amazing job and you’ll never be disappointed going here.

I have had short hair for years and have become extremely OCD because of it. My stylist Caitlin is so professional and meticulous that I’ve recommended her to everyone and anyone. She’s perfect with color, cut and styling that I can’t believe she even has open appointments at times. She continuously goes out of her way to please her clients and to make them feel confident and beautiful. If you’re not going to Caitlin at Salon Samaria then you’re not looking the best you can be. Just sayin :)

Good bye Top Raman hair!

I love this salon. The stylists do talk amongst themselves and kinda hang out there but I personally like that. I think it’s nice to go somewhere that the people actually get along and like each other.
My stylist is Daniel and he always does a great job on my shaggy mane of thick hard-​to-​manage hair :)

Joanne is absolutely amazing. I was referred by two of my friends at work to her and she has me as a client forever now. I’ve never really dyed my hair and the cuts that I received in south OC were not good at all, so I was beyond nervous. I went to Joanne to have a natural hair makeover. I knew the type of coloring I wanted but put it more in her hands. She gave me a type of balayage highlights and trimmed my hair since I wanted it to stay long. Go to Joanne you won’t be disappointed.

I love Nancy Nelson! She has been cutting my hair for 10 plus years and knows all the crazy little tricks of my hair, because she takes her time. She is the only one to ever cut my hair! I followed her from one salon to the next and will follow her wherever she goes! Awesome is all I can say

My friend recommended Caitlin at salon Samaria. Money well worth it! Five Stars.
The Atmosphere was clean and friendly. The staff and customers all had smiles on their faces.
Caitlin colored, cut and styled my hair perfectly. I love it. Thank you :)

Joanne is my stylist and I love her — she does an excellent job with my hair and she’s the reason I go back. Before I went to her, I couldn’t find anyone who could give me the color and cut I wanted. She also charges very reasonable prices, is mellow and down-​to-​earth, and works quickly.
I think there are some things about the salon that could be improved. One thing I really wish they would do is call a day in advance to confirm appointments. They used to do this, but not anymore. It just seems like standard protocol for a hair salon. This is part of the customer service aspect of the place that’s lacking.
I also think whomever is manning the front desk should be friendly and welcoming when people walk in. Last time I was there, the blonde woman who’s usually at the front (I think she might even be the owner) acted as if I were bothering her when I told her I had an appointment. On top of that, she didn’t even thank me when I bought almost one hundred dollar’s worth of product from her shelves. Salons are a dime a dozen, and acknowledging and valuing your regulars is just good business sense.
Additionally, I think the back area where stylists mix colors and eat lunch should be hidden from view. Customers can see and hear everything going on back there, and sometimes you can hear them talking about clients. I don’t think this is appropriate. And when it’s slow, stylists probably shouldn’t sit around in the nail chairs and chit-​chat. The vibe is very unprofessional sometimes. I don’t like it when I’m getting my hair done and other stylists block my stylist’s mirror to check their hair, makeup, etc.
Lastly: it seems that stylists are only friendly/​polite to their own clients. Once, I asked the male stylist there for help finding a clean smock and he completely blew me off. Just because someone isn’t your client doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be helpful to everyone who patronizes your place of work.
Overall, this salon is okay, but it could be better, especially in terms of service and professionalism. Like I said, the thing that keeps me going back is Joanne.
On a side note, this place caters to older women and simple/​safe hair styles. If you’re looking for a hip/​trendy/​edgy salon that will provide equally hip/​trendy/​edgy cuts and colors, this isn’t it.

I decided to try this salon out because I live close by and read a ton of great reviews about it online. I had my hair done by Joanne and she did an amazing job! I walked in with thin, lifeless hair and walked out with incredible volume and shape. I didn’t think my long, fine hair could have so much style but she made it happen. She actually sat down and talked to me about what I had in mind and gave me her professional opinion before starting. I let her do her thing and the result was fabulous. If you’re looking for a stylist you need to book an appointment with her, you wont be disappointed!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this salon!
JOANNE D is the
! This girl SERIOUSLY knows her stuff! She is an AMAZING COLORIST and stylist, and she will do your hair the EXACT way you want it or she won’t let you leave. She’s the ONLY hairdresser i will let touch my hair. I have reffered everyone i know to her, and they all LOVE their hair and won’t see anyone else! Once you get your hair done by JOANNE you won’t go to anyone else, i promise! She’s such a real, down to earth girl, who’s been there and done that. SHe will give you the best advice, and she know’s what you want before you can even think it. You won’t regret seeing Joanne D !!
Daniel, Nancy, Rosie, Candace and Carol are also all WODERFUL and EXCELLENT HAIRDRESSERS/​stylist, makeup artisits… EVERYTHING!!!

Unfortunately, I gotta downgrade. Mostly because of the salon itself and not because of Alisa. The receptionist never acknowledges me when I am standing at the counter — she completely ignores me. And my appointments are always at the very end of day and some of the stylist apparently have nothing better to do than sit around and drink beer. Seriously. If you have no more appointments, why don’t you go home? While I was at the dryer on one visit, a guy who worked there actually sat down at my stylist’s station and tried on my glasses that I had left sitting there. Eww. Finally, I am getting tired of leaving the salon with wet, messy hair. Sure, it is the end of the day and most of the time I am just going home, but sometimes I have errands to run and I have to put my hair in a ponytail the minute I get out of the salon. Maybe it is time to start looking elsewhere…

This was my first time at this salon, and all I can say is I am so completely satisfied!
Denise was my stylist, and she did an amazing job– exactly what I wanted! I am skeptical when it comes to trying out new salons because for some reason stylists tend to not know how to handle wavy/​curly hair. Denise was awesome and didn’t pull or force my curly tangled hair, and understood when I asked for many layers (because that works best with curly hair).
Overall, Denise was awesome. She knew what I wanted and knew how to handle my wavy/​curly hair. I will definitely be going back next time for my haircut =)

Joanne is THE best stylist there. She is extremely cooperative, easy to talk to and funny as hell! She’ll do whatever you want (unless it’s super damaging to your hair, and if that’s what you want, she’ll figure out how to do it without damaging your hair). I decided to go from dyed black hair to dyed red hair, and she worked with me at the salon to get the color out for FOUR hours, and gave me recommendations for good shampoos and products to help my hair heal from the damage that was done (because there’s no way to take out black and have 0 damage). I’ve been going to Joanne there for years and I probably will always go to her.
She has awesome prices and loves (and is great at) doing all the crazy fun dye jobs and hair styles. I’ve seen her do other girls’ hair and it never really seemed to matter what style or color she was doing, she always manages to get it the way the customer wants it, and she’ll continue doing what you ask her to until you’re satisfied. She’s really patient and super friendly.

As you know its not about the Salon…
But ALL about the Stylist you choose…
Try Denise B.
Who did a fabulous job, twice on my hair with a touch up on my roots, streaks and hair cut. I have never received so many compliments in one week end. Look fabulous for that new boyfriend, husband or in front of friends.

I found this lovely salon through Unilocal!In a heartbeat they booked me an appointment on the same day which was nice because I was feeling spontaneous and I was still need for a stylist of my own! I decided I wanted a trim and blue hair!
Salon Samaria booked me with Denise and she did a fabulous job. The blue turned out awesome and the cute is cute and quirky. I am definitely going to go back to her for all my spontaneous crazy color dyes but also if I’m feeling like going back to natural. I would definitely recommend Denise. She is a very sweet lady and she holds a great conversation which I really liked because past stylists just kind of do their own thing without a word. She’s really good with color and cut so definitely give Denise a try.
The salon itself is clean and has a fresh and lively atmosphere. They have good products for sale and reasonable prices. Definitely going to go back.

Review is for especially for Holly
Flashback to late 2005. I was in need of a haircut and I was sick and tired of getting inconsistency at places like Supercuts, so I was talking to a co-​worker one day, who just so happened to be metrosexual, and he told me about this one lady that works in a salon up in Brea. Now, I was living in Laguna Niguel at the time, so that was quite a bit of a drive, but he sold me on the shampoo before and after, and the $ 20 price tag for a salon quality cut. Plus he said she was an attractive middle-​aged Vietnamese woman, so that helped a little too, hehe.
The place she was working at the time was Mercedes Salon, which is down the street on Imperial, closer to the mall. I called and made an appointment. I go in and meet Holly: a Vietnamese woman in her late 30s, about 5’4″, and like my co-​worker said, quite attractive. She lead me to the area where they wash your hair. I then sat down in one of the chairs and I instructed her how I wanted my hair. 30 minutes and a rinse later, I had my hair exactly how I liked it and wanted it.
That is when I became a regular customer, for a good 2 ½ years. Once a month, I went in and got the best haircut I’ve had in years, and yes, it was a little bit of a drive, but I felt it was worth it. I had eventually moved to Irvine, so that made the drive a little easier.
After about year, she apparently had left Mercedes because she told me they were taking too much of a cut of her business, so she decided to go independent and was working out of a salon down the street in Placentia for a couple months before settling in at Salon Samaria.
My first time showing up there, I noticed it seemed to the be the kind of place that old white ladies go to. And well, there were old white ladies strewn throughout the place, but there were still some middle-​aged and younger women as well, but they were still all white. Even all of the employees were white. The place is very clean and is well kept. And it doesn’t wreak of hair product or hair dye. You know this was definitely a place for the wedos and not an Asian salon.
The chair she was renting was kind of her own, and had more than enough cabinets and drawers for all of her equipment. She seemed to be a little bit more content than at Mercedes and by that time, we had gotten to know each other a little bit so chatting was a little bit easier. She always gave me a hard time about being picky with women because in her eyes, I had 2 girlfriends within a 4 month span. But I digress…
Fast forward to June 2008. I had decided to move home to San Marino and gas prices at the time were nearing $ 5/​gallon, so driving 90 minutes round trip for a 30 minute, $ 20 haircut did not seem so financially and practically justified. Thanks to Felicia, I found Bonnie at Beyond Hair in Pasadena, and she does a good job for just $ 5 more, but it just didn’t seem the same, you know?
Fast forward again to May 2009. I tried calling Beyond Hair but for whatever reason I couldn’t get through, so I decided to give Holly a call. I’d actually been thinking about it for the past month or so because gas prices have seem to stabilize at almost $ 2.50/gal. Once she realized it was me, she sounded really happy to hear from me again. I made an appointment and went in.
The place is still the same. Holly still looks the same. From what I can remember, there seemed to be a couple of new and different employees.
Long story short, she remembered exactly how I liked my hair. I didn’t have to say one thing and we just chatted the whole time. Now that is worth the 90 minute round trip drive. Well, it does seem like a LONG way to go, and it is, but for the $ 20 price tag for a salon quality cut, that includes a wash before AND after, in which she occasionally will briefly massage your head, and especially since she remembers how I like my hair after not going to her for almost a year? How can you argue with that?