The Last Resort

The Last Resort Salon has only 1 flaw, and that is that they aren’t closer to where I live! I LOVE how my hair and makeup came out for my wedding, it was unbelievable! It rained on my ceremony, but we still had it outside, with a reception to follow under a tent (also outside). I danced the night away and took photos in the woods — at midnight my hair and makeup was still amazing. No one could believe it. The next day, after sleeping, my hair was still on point! I wore it that way all day :)
They staff is amazing and so friendly. I was so nervous the day of the wedding and they really helped me calm down and once my hair and makeup was on my nerves started to settle a little. I’ve been to their salon as well and it’s comfortable and cute! For my wedding they came out to the venue and made everyone look fantastic! I really can’t thank them enough. I wish I lived closer so they could be my regular hair salon. You won’t regret choosing them!

Val and her team did an amazing and creative job on my wedding day! I found her through Unilocal and she was very quick and responsive to my emails. Her prices are reasonable for both hair and makeup and she did a great job creating the styles and looks that we all wanted.
She was able to plan correctly to get my 3 bridesmaids hair done, my maid of honors hair and makeup done, and have my mom’s hair and makeup done before we even arrived at the venue. Her Salon is very comfortable and clean and was perfectly situated for our big day!
When we arrived to the wedding venue Val and her team got me ready right on time and kept me calm. They are all so easy to talk to!
You can tell that Val and her team have great experience and it was very very appreciated by me :)
Thank you Val!

Val was incredibly kind to me and I really like my cut. I asked her for a dry cut due to having a major medical procedure and some scar tissue at my skull, the medical work was done, but I needed to still be careful about the scar and I really needed to get a hair cut. A few other salons were worried about this and i understand that, but Val told me to come on it and I was confident that she knew what she was doing and she really did. I have a good haircut now and I will definitely return ongoing to her salon. She refused to accept a fee and said that cancer cuts were free. Brough tears to my eyes. What a kind person and a good stylist!!!

Love Val and Denise. I can’t say enough nice things. They take the time to get to know you and become like a second family. And of course they do your hair in the meantime. I have tried various color trends and Val has always been in the know. I have also had the pleasure of having Denise color and style my hair. She takes the time to understand your requests and then provides her thoughtful feedback before styling. They both ensure that you always leave happy.

Wish we’d come sooner! ! Perfect salon, awesome stylists. They really listened to what we wanted. My daughter and I have long, Hawaiian hair that can be pretty unmanageable at times, so the haircuts we got were absolutely perfect! Kept the length but added style. We love it. Highly recommend and will be back if we’re ever visiting California again. Oh, and private parking and super reasonable price! (Waaayyy cheaper than what we pay in Hawai’i)

I decided to go to Val based on her good Unilocal reviews from curly haired customers. It was the best hair decision I’ve made in the last ten years! I messaged her through the salon’s website, she responded that same day, and we set up an appointment for the following Saturday. Val knows how to cut curly hair, including my mixed race/​mixed texture hair. I have curly/​kinky, wavy, and straight hair. She gave me some great advice on how to keep my curls without the fizz. She also had a great personality, and I enjoyed my time with her immensely. She listened to me and didn’t try and force any products/​changes on me that I didn’t want. Her prices are beyond reasonable (especially for this area). I will go to her again and again! I was so pleased with the way my hair turned out. I’ve gotten numerous compliments over the past week, and I’m still pleased with how it looks!

I have been looking for a good hair stylist and went onto Unilocal!I found The Last Resort and I am so glad I did! Val was so accommodating not to mention very reasonably priced. She knew exactly how to cut and style my hair! I have found my hair stylist. Thank you Val — best haircut/​style in a long time! :)

Denise gave me a great cutting edge men’s cut and full color for an unmatched price for the area. Got nice compliments on my edgy/​trendy haircut and lightened hair color. Valerie, the Mom, also fixed me up. Great attention to detail and great customer focus! Salon is going to look great with the renovations! You get high quality cuts and color for a great, great price. Too many overpriced salons with so, so cuts/​color in Santa Cruz. Finally found my go-​to stylist/​salon in Santa Cruz after 3 different salons– no need to go to Los Gatos and pay ridiculous prices.

Teri has been cutting and coloring my hair for over 10 years and I do not trust my hair to anyone else! Teri is by far, THE BEST hair dresser when it comes to blondes. She is so knowledgeable about the chemistry of hair color and she truly cares about her clients. She takes her time and really listens to what I want each time I see her. The salon is very clean and has a very inviting atmosphere. Val, the owner of the salon, is also so sweet and friendly.

Salon was clean and well organized. Denise gave me a great hair cut and was quickly able to accommodate my schedule. Very happy with The Last Resort — congratulations, you have a new customer!

Valerie and Amy came out to Pema Osel Ling in Corralitos to do my bridal hair, my sister-in-law’s hair, my flower girl’s hair, my Co-​Maids of Honors’ makeup, and ultimately help create our picturesque looks for the best weekend ever!
After doing a hair and makeup trial somewhere else, it was really important to me to find stylists who knew how to guide me (just cause you pin it doesn’t mean it will work!), and who would exude confidence the day of. When our flower girl was missing for her hair session, Valerie kept the family calm. When my florist forgot to include extra flowers for my hair, Valerie went for a walk and found sweet, beautiful buds that looked like they were planned months in advance. I love me a resourceful vendor!
By the time I had scheduled for my trial at Last Resort, there were only ten days before the wedding — not a lot of time for any changes in personnel so it was a bit of a risk. In meeting Valerie and Amy, though, I had full confidence that I had taken the «Last Resort.» After a full trial somewhere else, I was ultimately turned off from having anyone else do my makeup, and even though it’s certainly not the norm, Valerie and Amy were fine to at least do my makeup trial just so I could get my Co-​MOHs’ feedback for their looks. My Co-​MOHs wanted to do their own hair, and Valerie and Amy were open (and not pushy in any way) with that, too.
My flower girl’s hair is tricky to style, but Amy’s work stayed in place all night. (And remarkably, the FG stayed put very well while getting her hair done!)
…and there was laughter and good energy as we all got ready for the wedding. Precisely what I wanted for The Big Day.

I see Teri Willer at the Last Resort and I have have been having her do my color and cuts for the last 10 years. I now even live four hours away and I have seen 3 different stylists in my new town, but no one can do blonde like Teri does, to me it’s well worth the drive! I feel so lucky that I have Teri to do my color just the way I like it. Also she does very good blow outs, my hair always looks so good after my appointments! Lastly my sister and Mom have also been seeing Teri for many years and we will continue to do so because the quality of her colors and cuts is incredible!

I am stuck between 2 and 3 stars. I will say that this review has nothing to do with the salon itself because I love it but the end result of my cut. Went to see Teri for a cut. came in asking for a shoulder length cut with layers and bangs. What I got was a blunt bang (which I specifically said I didn’t want!) and bob. My hair is thick so I need some movement and layers to my hair otherwise it just looks heavy. She barely gave me any layers (if you can call it that). I love this place but for $ 50 I can find another salon that will give me exactly what I want for less.

I can’t say enought about my local Soquel Salon The Last Resort. You feel like family when you are there. Valerie the owner is fantastic and she is assited by her daughter Denise. I have been having Denise cut and color my hair for about a year now. I get a wonderful cut and color every time!!! The time flys when I’m there with all the laughter and fun salon chit chat. I am lucky to have found this wonderful salon. They do lots of other spa services and wedding services including hair and makeup. I would give them more than 5 stars !!! It’s clean, affordable and so much fun plus they are expanding ! Enjoy!!!

What an amazing Salon I’ve found. Valerie has a great sence of business and extremely knowledgeable of hair. Such a fun personable shop to find. I took my mom in for a dye and cut. Our old styless was starting to really show her lack of knowledge and her color was getting worse with each visit. I myself was finding my cuts coming out worse then when I came in. But coming here was the best experience for my mom. She has extremely kinky, curly hair and found alot of people dont know what to do with hair like that. While Valerie was cutting she was explaining the do’s and dont’s and why she was doing what she was. We left feeling like there was a chance for a great cut still out there. I cant wait for my turn

I have had Val, Kelsey and others too from this salon do my hair and makeup for photos and events. Every single time I have looked flawless. I always have people asking me where I went so they can go too. I just had my wedding yesterday and once again I looked great thanks to them. Val kept me stress free about my wedding day. She even sewed my veil for me do it would stay on perfect. I just can’t say enough about everyone here, so happy!

When you’re at the Last Resort, you feel like family. Val is my go to for hair cuts, color, and skin care. She listens attentively to what I want and then applies her expertise. I’m always happy with the outcome.
Val accommodates my lifestyle by scheduling cuts for my daughters and me back to back. They love going to see Val for haircuts because she is so warm and she never cuts their bangs too short.
The Last Resort is clean and affordable and the staff are professional, friendly, and skilled. I am committed for life!

I went to Last Resort for my wedding hair because there were endless amounts of wonderful comments about Val. I sent her a picture of what I wanted and she assured me that she would have no problem doing my half up/​half down curled hairstyle. She even told me we wouldn’t do a practice round. Big mistake.
First she couldn’t re-​create the hairstyle and had to do and re-​do multiple times. Then she pinned up my curls so they wouldn’t fall flat while I was doing all of the other wedding day routines. Well I waited until my dress was on, make up was done and bouquet in hand… we took out the pins and not only did my hair have little kinks in every curl because of the pins, the curls all fell flat and my gf had to recurl it all over again! Waste of $$$ and I was late to my wedding!
This also sounds mean but is true, the salon is tiny and has very little ventilation and Val had some strong body odors, not pleasant while someone is doing your hair. I don’t recommend this salon and never let a stylist talk you out of a practice round, I would not have gone back if we had. Very disappointing and embarrassing on my wedding day.

All of these reviews are definitely right, Val is the best. Went in to get a Brazilian (which is cheap here compared to most places). Val was really really nice and friendly.
This definitely wasn’t my first Brazilian and I have to say this was one of the best I’ve gotten! Usually I wait 6+ weeks to make sure the waxer can get everything off (I have had bad experiences where the waxer said I didn’t wait long enough and then I had to pay all that money for them to not be able to get everything off)…this time I had only waited 3 ½ weeks and Val did a great job! Flawless work :)
On top of giving me a great Brazilian, since I just moved here and am looking for a new apartment Val even said she would try and contact a friend who might be able to help me out! Even though I’ll probably be living in the San Jose area for school, I would DEFINITELY drive all the way back here to go to The Last Resort again. (It was THAT good) I don’t want to go anywhere else!!! :D

I cannot say enough good stuff about Val! She bends over backwards to accommodate my strange hair requests and I always leave her place cuter and happier. I have actually fallen asleep in her chair after muttering something to the effect of, Just make it look cute, I trust you” and awoke with just the style I was looking for. only better and more refined. Did I aso mention she can read your hairs mind?
She pours over your every detail like a mother cub and will plauck a stray eyebrow while she’s in the neighborhood. I feel like she looks at the person as a whole and does all she can to help everyone achieve their best look.