Essence Salon

If you plan on going here, really REALLY make sure you understand what they are charging you for before you let them do anything. Their break down made no sense and they like to double charge. They did not accomplish the shape and style of the hair cut I wanted either.

Crystal is the color correction queen! I had been dying and bleaching my hair on my own for 6 months because I hadn’t found anyone in SD I could trust my hair with until I stumbled upon Crystal’s IG. She took me from a patchy, green with a ton of bands to a beautiful purple based grey in our first session and our goal was white but I’m so in love with this color I might just stick with it. I completely trust her with my hair and be patient because everyone’s hair is different! Mine was bleached several times but I left her salon with softer hair than before! The salon itself is very cute and clean and next to a café which is convenient for those long processes. Its also next to mission bay so you can flaunt your new do at the beach~

I’ve honestly never been or thought of going to Essence Salon until Crystal started working there. Its a nice drive by the bay but is off the 5 so plan accordingly for traffic .They have ample parking and I have never had to park on the streets. The salon overall has a chill vibe, very clean, and friendly staff all around.
Service: CRYSTAL Q. is amazing! I’ve gone from dark to light to super light back to dark. She finds the healthiest way to make you look good! She has really taken my hair to different levels. I started off in her garage with my virgin hair and have not stopped going to her since. She really cares and does everything she can to do what you want to your hair even when you don’t know yourself. Her vast knowledge as a stylist first came to light when I told her «I want to change my color dramatically but not too dramatic» and was able to give me exactly what I wanted. Since then I have gone from black to highlights, to blonde, to grey, and now to caramel. She thoroughly explains to you what she is putting into your hair and why the process she chose is the healthiest. She doesn’t go for the quick fix and is willing to do more work if it means less damage to your hair.
Products: She has also recommended so many good products for my hair. I was never one to spend money on hair products but again, she does everything to keep your hair healthy. I’ve used Moroccan oil, Essence shampoo, and Shimmer lights shampoo to maintain the magic Crystal creates and recommend all three!

Stephanie. Stephanie. Stephanie. That’s all you need to know. She’s funny sweet and ridiculously talented. She puts up with my long hair withdrawal freak outs when I beg her to trim my hair and somehow make it longer. She listens. She is amazing at a shampoo. And she styles my hair just the way I like it.
A++

Several years ago, I switched hair salons to Essence. I saw Dawn and liked her immediately! Not only did she change my haircut, I can go in to see her and have her do her own thing. I’ve always loved my haircuts from her and I like the way she styles it. Ask for Dawn Casara and you won’t be disappointed!

I needed someone experienced to fix 2 fail haircuts. Natasha was the woman who was able to fix my hair and give me a whole new look that I was looking for. I’m super excited and happy with my cut.

Stephanie Stewart at the Essence Salon in The Bay Park area of San Diego is the best hair stylist I have had in years. She is great with both color and styling and in addition,…just a delightful person. I highly recommend her!

I brought my 5 yr old daughter for a haircut. She has been afraid about going for a haircut for the past year since she had a really bad experience at Ponytails & Crew cuts. Nicole was very sweet & patient, she gave her an amazing cut & my daughter was all smiles when she was done.

Dawn P. is awesome! Always a great haircut and always a pleasant experience!

I’ve been a client of Dawn Poppleton for 10 years! I’ll follow her wherever she goes because she never disappoints. She listens to what her clients want which is so important. On top of that she’s so friendly and nice. I couldn’t ask for a better hair stylist. Give her a try. You’ll be glad you did.

I just had my first session with Crystal, and I honestly can’t wait for the next one! She’s super nice and explained exactly what the process is for my hair and what products I’ll need to help speed the process along as well as maintain the color. The salon itself is in a pretty okay area, it was easy for me to find parking. There’s a really cute café next door, I recommend any grilled cheese sandwich. The inside of the salon was pretty nice, pretty much what I expected out of a salon. They offered me refreshments as I got my hair done. The environment itself is pretty welcoming. Everyone in the salon is really friendly.

Just left the salon, after getting an awesome (as always) cut by Saman! Over the years, I’ve followed Saman to different salons, and this was my first visit to Essence. Really liked the vibe and energy. It has a great feel without being pretentious. Smiling faces all around. And of course, Saman’s work speaks for itself. Would highly recommend the salon, and if you have a chance to get an appointment with Saman, rest assured you’ll be in great hands!

Natasha is AMAZING such a jewel! A+ stylist person and a joy to work with. I will continue to have her work with me as long as I can. Salon was super easy to find, clean, fast, and friendly

Nicole is always wonderful. I have been a client of hers for 5 years and she is the only person I let touch my hair. She is THE BEST at blondes. She has also died my hair red and brown in the past and she is amazing. I have always had my hair cut by her with NO complaints. She does exactly what you tell her to. I always show a picture to her of exactly what I want and she has been able to recreate that for me every time. She really cares what I think of her work and if I am happy. It’s hard to find people who still think of their job as an art and Nicole definitely still does and you can tell she really enjoys what she’s doing and strives to make her clients happy.

It was my first time going to this salon. I called this place up to make an appointment and asked for one of their best stylist. I got scheduled with the stylist named Nicole. And so I went to my appointment yesterday and I was very specific with what I wanted. My hair length was a little past my armpit. I’m growing my hair out, but I wanted to get a V-​cut shaped from the back and a long side bangs. So she said she might have to cut about 1 inch off. I said that’s ok. And she asked if I wanted a dramatic V-​Cut or just medium V-​Cut. I told her that I prefer dramatic if it’s not gonna look funny with my hair length, and she said ok. so I let her do her thing… then I started realizing how my hair started to look really short from the front. Like should length short!!! And I told her that, too. And she said that it’s longer in the back… so I let her keep doing her thing. And when she finally finished and she showed me how it looks like from the back. I WAS SOOOO SHOCKED! She chopped off my hair!!! I can hardly a V-​CUT shape! My hair almost looks like a straight cut at the bottom! And she chopped off more than 1 inch! I didn’t write this until today because I thought I would get over it. But no! As I was drying my hair this morning and trying to fix it, I was feeling more and more upset that I started crying because she messed up my hair!!! The worst hair cut that I had to pay $ 48 for!!! I don’t even know why I still gave her a $ 10 tip! I must have been still in shock at that moment!!! I hardly post a review on Unilocal unless I had really GOOD or BAD experience with a place I visited!

I came here todoay to get a cut and a color done by Crystal. I absolutely love what she did!!! Shes such an amazing stylist and made me feel so comfortable and even fed me snacks! Shes definitely going to be my new stylist and I highly recommend her to everyone!

wide parking spaces, friendly staff, and on time.

I only come here now for my haircuts. The reason is because of Crystal. She does a great job. She has perfected her craft and can do anything I’ve ever asked. I’m very picky about exactly how I want my hair and I have always left happy. I would highly recommend crystal. I have recommended her to my closest friends and family as well. You can see her work on her Instagram if you search crystaldquach I believe. This is where I found out about her.
Oh and the cherry on top? There are usually donuts that are complementary too!!!

I hate to write this review because I want to keep Cassandra all to myself. I came here for the very first time to get an Ombré, a touch-​up at my roots and a hair cut. I asked which stylist knows how to work Ombré and I was immediately got hooked up with Cassandra. I know how you girls out there are super picky and not too sure how a new hair stylist can make or break your hairdo. Rest assure, Cassandra is THE BEST.
I explained how I wanted the Ombré and the hair cut to look and she made it happen. I was so WOW by it because when it comes to Ombré, I wanted that «Transition» look and not as if someone dip your hair half way in a bleach like a dip stick in a package! The Ombré color (Blonde) which comes in different shades. Cassandra nailed it to the exact blonde color that my previous hair stylist just couldn’t master (Salon Reiki).
I walked out of there looking and feeling like a millionaire!!! Until I see my ride, which brought me back to my humble reality world. None the less, Cassandra is probably not reading this review because she is completely BOOKED with clients and more than likely too busy. Like I said, she really is the best. No one and I mean, NO ONE will every touch my hair again except for her from this day forward.
Color my roots, hair cut, brown color in the mid-​section and blonde at the end for a total of $ 160. =)

Essence Salon is always clean and super friendly. I haven’t actually been here in quite some time but have never regretted coming here for a haircut (like a lot of places) and have always had a pleasant time.
Erin, who has cut my hair the past two years (excluding the last time I got a hair cut) does a really great job (especially since I have crazy curly hair).
I am at least impressed since she doesn’t have straight hair and I’m not sure how much experience she has with curly hair.
The last time she cut my hair was the nicest cut I’ve ever had and my hair looked amazing.
I also remember a time after I had surgery and asked how much it would be for her to wash my hair since I couldn’t wash it myself, and she told me to come in for free and she would wash it.
Super Plus Nice Points for Erin!!!
I recommend this place :) Go to Erin, she’s very sweet and very talented!