Salon Viva

This salon is simply amazing! The staff is very attentive and helpful. The owner is also very kind and kept checking on my hair several times. Annie did my color and haircut and the result is really great! They even offered to tone my hair down if I didn’t like the result in couple of days.
Also they have this great deal on Unilocal,$ 100 for $ 150 which they honored!
In two words, simply wonderful!

I end it up here because I love to walk Santa Monica on the weekends and wanted to try a different place for my hair. I walked in and was immediately ask if I wanted a haircut and offered a cup of coffee. My first hair cut was done by Amadh the master himself and I was very impress by his artistic expression and talent in doing hair. The second time I wanted to experiment and ask for Vanessa, she not only surpass my expectations but convinced me that everyone at this salon is a professional at the art of doing hair. What else can I share with you about this place if not the fact that you should you do your hair here. I can personally guarantee you that it will become the only place you’ll trust for your hair.

I absolutely love Salon Viva!!! I get my hair done by Vanessa, I can honestly say I have never trusted someone as much as I do with my hair as her. Honestly she is the best. I recommend everyone go to Salon Viva if they want to be happy with not only their hair but the outstanding customer service they have as well! :)

Vanessa has been doing my hair for the past 9+ years! I have been extremely satisfied 100% of the time. She is a joy to work with and incredibly knowledgable about everything having to do with hair! Yesterday I went to Vanessa with the decision to do something radical — change my chemically treated dark brown hair to a light ash blond! I have very fine (i.e. thin) hair so this was a very delicate task. She spent hours meticulously transforming the color so as not to further damage my hair. In the end, I was thrilled with her work and will continue to go to Salon Viva every time I need my hair done. Furthermore, everyone there is a joy to work with and the atmosphere is fun and lively, too!

My manager suggested I come here when I randomly mentioned wanting to do something different with my hair. That was about a year ago and this is still the only place I’ll go to have my hair done. Vanessa is wonderful! I’m never really great at giving direction when I want something new, but she takes that vague description and turns it into something I couldn’t have even imagined.
Everyone’s always so nice and personable. I’ve never had a bad experience here. You can tell everyone really cares about they’re work.

I came in here after seeing the sign in the window that said $ 25 blow out, and I’m giving 4 stars because it was an excellent blowout, however I was charged 55 bucks, tip 20 as always, and will not be spending $ 75 for a blow out again. Shame, I would have liked to have been a regular, but not at that price

Annie is amazing and so sweet. She always checked with me before making any changes. It’s really important to me to have trust in your stylist and feel comfortable; this is Annie! Shes really easy to talk to and most importantly she’s talented and skilled. I walked away feeling like a million dollars. THANK YOU ANNIE!

I am always so happy walking out of this salon! Herbie is the shit!
& I’ve bounced around the salon like no ones business! Amahd is fantastic!!! He normally cuts my hair very chic and tailored. Vanessa makes you leave feeling sophisticated and sexy. Anne, although I’ve never done color or cut with her yet, knows how to style so gorgeously! I left with this fresh look today, done by Herbie! Thank you boo! Kisses.

DON’T GO HERE! I went in for a haircut and it was the biggest waste of money! My stylist didn’t even cut my hair while I sat in the chair part of my haircut! He made me stand up the whole time when he had to cut the back of my head. I felt like I was a child getting a crappy trim from my parent instead of a paying customer in a professional business establishment.
When we first started the hair stylist told me that the haircut did not come with a blow dry but it is highly recommended because that is when he adds the most detail and cuts anything that he may have missed. As soon as he said that I knew this was going to be a bad experience because he is basically telling the customer he is going to only give half of a haircut unless they pay extra. Very cheap and unprofessional!
So I asked anyway how much it would be for him to do my hair correctly, and he told me that he usually charges FIFTY DOLLARS… for a blow dry! but he told me he was going to give me a great deal and only charge me an extra 20 bucks to actually do what I thought I was originally paying him for! After I declined he rushed everything as fast as he could! I have a lot of long hair and I have never had a full wash and cut (even without a blow dry) last shorter than an hour and a half. but at salon viva I was the last customer of the day and I was in and out within an hour. (What a coincidence)

My hair has never looked so good! I received compliments from everyone. This salon is a family owned business that makes you feel right @ home. Whether you have curly hair like me or straight hair you will leave satisfied. PS this color was formulated just for me

Best hair salon in town. Amaud’s razor cuts are out of this world! Truly, LA’s best kept secret. Won’t dare trust my hair with anyone else.

TOTAL AMAZINGNESS! Had been looking for a new stylist took a stab at Viva — Perfection! Herbi did wonders on me went from blonde to firecracker red (not sure how to post before and after, trust me Spot On!) He had a picture to reference and nailed it perfect! Same with my fiancé, he was nervous, but Herbi nailed that too! Happy to say this is our new hair home. Aside from Herbi doing magic, Lisa and all the girls are fantastic! Highly recommend this salon, we will be back!

Vanessa is my go-​to for amazing hair. I was referred to her by a friend and I have not gone to anyone else since. She first cut and dyed my hair ombré until I decided I wanted crazy bold hair. Now it is a purple-​lavender ombré. I’ll be going back to her for any touch-​ups/​color changes for sure.

Thanks Vanessa! I went in for a fresh look with more body and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the color, extensions and cut. I’m so happy.

I have been going to Salon Viva for 4 years now. Always great service, always friendly staff. Vanessa is the bomb diggity!!! :)

Vanessa always makes sure my hair is looking its absolute best. Today, I had her take my black boring hair to a lighter brown color and add a few accents to spice it up. I work a lot so she already knows that I need something that looks good but doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. She started by doing full color and then added a few balayage highlights to give the perfect amount of complexity. Then, she performed a Brazilian blowout keratin straightening treatment and finished off with a blow dry and flat ironing. I couldn’t be happier with my hair!!!
The salon is an adorable boutique shop in the heart of Santa Monica with a parking garage merely doors away. The staff is always very friendly and professional and I haven’t had a single bad experience so far.
For those reviewers who complained about add on prices, welcome to Los Angeles where you have a to pay for what you get, but at this salon the quality of service greatly exceeds the price that you pay.
I highly recommend Vanessa and her team for anyone out there who wants a high quality hair experience!

Went back again for a lighter look
Herbie made it happen
Loving my hair
That’s it! I found my hair stylist! Won’t be searching anymore

Herbie is the best! My hair looks amazing, he made my hair look so healthy, my hair was really really damaged, and I’m soo sooo happy! Trust him, he knows what he is doing. Everyone here is sooo nice and sweet in general. Best hair salon in Santa Monica. Thank you guys so much!

I absolutely love leaving reviews for someone so well deserved!
Edison, you absolutely made my day!
As soon as I met you, I was comfortable, you listened well to what I wanted. J-​lo would be proud!
First, thank you for the amazing hair wash and shine treatment.
The blow dry was incredible, And the cut was even better, you have hands of gold my dear! I am beyond happy with my hair!
Besides that, it was so much fun! I enjoyed our conversations and laughs so much!
You are absolutely fabulous in every way!
Your UBER cool ;)
See you in a few months for another trim! Not a pixie lol

I came here to use my Groupon, $ 35 for haircut & gloss shine. The place is very clean, the staffs are very friendly and accommodating. They have asked me if I want drinks for Nth time, all the time I was here. I had an appointment so I was attended right away and the service was perfect from start to finish.
I do have a very long hair and I didn’t have any preference really when I came in. I just want to have it shorten. I have forgotten the name of the girl who did my hair (I also didn’t have any preference as to stylist since it/​s my first time) but she did a great job of suggesting it to be shoulder length with long layers. Really looks very nice and easy to maintain too.
The 7 – 8 minute scalp massage was a plus, I really can fall asleep with that good massage. She did it twice, one while shampooing and another when the conditioning shine gloss was applied. Really took her time to do her magic. No rush, even when she was cutting my hair.
Note that the Groupon does not include blow dry but she did a quick rough blow dry anyways.
Well, this is a good place to go if you need any hair cut/​treatment. I see a lot of happy and satisfied customers around me while I was there.
You can’t beat good service :)