Randolph Cree

I was in DC this weekend for the National Italian-​American Foundation 40^th anniversary black tie gala. Leading up to my trip, I was a little anxious about finding someone to style my hair without making it look like I was going to a high school homecoming or prom. I had tried to make an appointment at a different salon, but they weren’t able to accommodate my schedule.
From the beginning, the folks at Randolph Cree was super helpful — confirming my online appointment request quickly and and with good spirits. When I walked in, Tricia was running a little late because the appointment before me was late. I was offered coffee and tea and only waited for a few minutes before being whisked back to Tricia’s area.
I can’t say enough good things about Tricia or my appointment! Before she even touched my hair, Tricia asked what kind of style I wanted, looked at several photos of styles (even my dress) and created something truly elegant and beautiful that made my fine, straight hair look thick and full. She also talked me through each step she took, explained why she was doing what she was doing and made sure I was comfortable with how it looked BEFORE pinning and spraying.
From beginning to end, it was a WONDERFUL experience. Thanks for taking the time to create the perfect touch to make this weekend’s event such a memorable one!

I have been to Randolph Cree twice and have left with a nice haircut both times. Ana did a great job, and was very communicative and friendly. They are very helpful at the front desk, and make you feel welcome upon entering. The salons appearance is a bit outdated and the atmosphere is somewhat chaotic so its not the most relaxing of salons.
The only real disappointment that I had was that I was charged $ 80 for each haircut which I found to be about 20% overpriced in comparison to similar places in DC.
The location is very convenient, as it is less than a 5 minute walk from the Eastern Market Metro station.

I had an express Keratin done here with Stephen. He’s great and very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this salon. I plan to make this my go-​to salon for Keratin.
Plus they have chocolates at the front desk ;)

Tricia does a great job on my hair. She’s the first stylist I’ve been really enthusiastic about seeing. They’ve always been accommodating to my schedule, and it’s convenient to my house and the Metro.

Since my initial scheduling disaster with Randolph Cree I have been back 2 – 3 times and the service has been much better. Trisha as always, goes above and beyond to make sure my hair looks fabulous and I always walk out with a new trick to take back while styling my own hair.
The salon owner Evan made a point to visit me during my last appointment to make sure service had improved and I appreciate his dedication to customer satisfaction.

I have a friend that always looks fabulous. When I asked her where she gets her hair cut, and by whom, she passed on the name of Ana at Randolph Cree. By listening to my hair concerns, and of course with the example of my friend’s cut, Ana was able to give me the cut that suits me perfectly, it’s easy to style, and even looks fine when I wake up in the morning. Additionally, the metro runs close by and parking is available as well. I highly recommend Ana at Randolph Cree.

I got perm waves and my hair looks awesome. I would have given it an extra star but my hair stylist didn’t give me proper care instructions. I googled perm care and found out that I was doing stuff that I shouldn’t be doing. That was annoying but she was friendly and didn’t worry me about how it was taking a long time because I have so much hair and it caused us to stay half an hour after closing. I also got %15 off because it was my first time. The place is really nice but kind of hidden since it is on the second floor at eastern market, I had no idea it was there even though I work a block away. They have coffee but I wasn’t offered any.

Have been going to Ana at Randolph Cree for a couple of years now. She really knows hair and got me through the process of growing mine out. Based on what I have observed during my many visits, the stylists at Randolph Cree really listen to their clients and strive to deliver a great cut and enjoyable salon experience. The main improvement I would suggest is more relaxing music — something that makes it easy to let go of stress while being pampered. This is not the cheapest place, but you really do get what you pay for.

I just got my haircut and ran back home to write a review because I absolutely love the cut! (I only write Unilocal reviews when I’m extremely impressed).
Some background: I’m a CA transplant that’s been in DC for 4 years and I haven’t yet found a stylist I like. I am Latina and have very thick hair. I’ve gotten so used to getting terrible haircuts in DC and paying a lot of money for them so I expected this experience to be the same (everyone swears they can thin out hair but I’ve pretty much hated every haircut I’ve gotten in this town).
The experience: I called the salon an hour before they closed and asked if I could come in. They said yes, that they had one stylist — Coco/​KoKo (Nakomis is her full name) — that was available. I decided to take my chances and run over before they closed. I explained to Coco my hair experience in DC. She didn’t give me an attitude, didn’t try to rush me, didn’t judge me about my haircut paranoia in this town. I felt like she was truly listening to me. She gave me a dry cut and thinned out my hair so well! She’s also fast — did a good job at a good pace. She gave me good layers in the front but most importantly, she took a lot of weight off my hair without having it look bad.
I also want to add that I went to the salon in shorts and a campaign t-​shirt (VERY dressed down), and I still walked out looking like a rock star (I have done this before at other salons and stylists sometimes judge you by the way you look — meaning I’ve gotten boring haircuts).
First time clients also get a discount!

I am a regular customer at Randolph Cree. Even is an excellent colorist. I have naturally dark blonde hair (that has faded as I have gotten older), and he gives me very natural-​looking highlights. They grow out so well I only need to get highlights every three to four months.
I also get my hair cut here. The cuts are good and grow out well, but it’s not the best cut I’ve ever had. I think this has more to do with my descriptive ability than their cutting ability. My last cut was GREAT!

Lisa spent nearly 2.5 hours giving me a precise cut and dying my hair as close to my natural color as possible – not easy. She was sweet and asked tons of (relevant) questions. SO happy to have found her. I will go back.

My experience:
–I really feel like this salon set me up. I explained what I wanted over the phone and I don’t know if I was booked with a certain stylist because he was the only person open or because he was who the receptionist thought could handle my type of hair, but wow.
–I came into this salon super excited because the reviews were fairly good and it was close to my house. To give the salon some credit, it looks very nice and everyone seemed so happy walking out. So of course, I’m expecting the same type of service. I walked in with about 7 pictures of what I wanted – I wanted my hair cut around shoulder length and I wanted it to be «ombré»…as in I wanted my tips dyed blondish with my roots maintaining their dark color. I made that perfectly clear. I even showed him a picture of what I didn’t want. The stylist who did my hair kept telling me that in the salon world they call «ombré» highlights… that grow out. I RARELY go to salons… but I can name numerous people who get their hair dyed in this fashion… so I think it’s crazy that they even have a stylist who can’t ombré.
–The stylist also kept trying to find a common ground between what I wanted and what he wanted. Our consultation was like 15 – 20 min. long and he just wasn’t getting was I saying or… just wasn’t feeling my vision. He made it clear that if he bleached my hair, it would damage it. I’ve had my hair bleached before in the back so I know very well what it does to my hair. While I appreciate his concern, I GAVE HIM REFERENCES AND SPOKE VERY CLEARLY ABOUT WHAT I WANTED AND WHAT I DIDN’T WANT. I told him more than anything, I didn’t want to leave the salon the same way I came in. My hair is very long, almost black and has been this way for a long time.
–He showed me the color the «highlights» he was going to give me would be. I could tell when he was putting the color on my hair that he was tangling it in the process. My hair is thin and curly, I immediately knew this would be trouble.
–By the time the color was washed out, it was around closing time… I was the only customer left and had been there for almost two hours already. When he walked me back to the chair from the sink, I looked EXACTLY the same… you couldn’t even tell I had highlights. I was PISSED.
–Even worst, the blow-​out he proceeded to give me was BY FAR ONE OF THE WORST I’VE EVER HAD. He kept jerking my head around, so I just stopped him in the middle and told him I would just pay for what’s been done so far.
–The worst part about this whole thing is that I did a lot of research (clearly not enough) to find a salon to dye and cut my hair. Like I said my hair is super long and unprocessed. I now have these barely there highlights, which means when I decide to go somewhere to get what I actually asked for, the process will be harder and of course more expensive.
–Then, who I assume was the manager was called over after I stopped the stylist and I explained to him that it wasn’t what I asked for and he said I didn’t have to pay if I wasn’t happy (which I appreciated) but there wasn’t any solution offered, just me walking out the salon with unnecessarily processed hair.
I’m getting heated just thinking about these sad highlights. What makes me even more mad is that his chair was right next to the owner’s and he never once stepped in to try and save me. There was one female stylist who came over to try to find common ground (or explain to the stylist what I meant). He kept giving her the «look» when I looked at him in the mirror. You know the look you give someone you know very well when you’re over a situation or annoyed. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE on his end. I really should have never gotten to the point where he actually did my hair, but that is my fault completely.
I will say, despite me being stuck with the one hairdresser who couldn’t do my hair the way I asked or without pain, they have one of the most polite receptionists I’ve ever met. Kudos to her on a brighter note.

I recently posted a negative review of this salon because I was unhappy with my last cut there. The stylist had done a great job on my previous visit, so I was upset not only about the cut but about the lack of consistency. In fairness, however, anyone can have an off day (it doesn’t mean there’s a lack of talent), and communication is a two-​way street.
After reading my review, the salon owner contacted me right away to talk about the cut and to find a way to keep me as a customer — including offering a refund for the cut that I don’t like and having me see another stylist to fix it.
I have had a couple of terrible hair experiences at other salons in recent years. One salon had a two-​week window for fixes, which had to be done by the same stylist who made the mess in the first place (it worked out fine, actually, but I was pretty nervous about it!), and another refused to do anything without charging me for a whole new haircut. All of that’s to say that Randolph Cree goes above and beyond what’s industry standard in order to keep it’s clientele and to keep it’s clientele happy. Frankly, that’s pretty rare in any industry these days.
Hair is a really big deal, and a bad haircut can be traumatizing. Although I’m not pleased with my last cut there, it’s not crooked and I don’t look like a clown. (Ask me what I looked like after I walked out of the Aveda hair school and the answer will be different… turns out a $ 15 haircut really looks like a $ 15 haircut.)
For all of the owner’s generosity, the real reason I’m revising this review is because he listened to me at length, was empathetic, and wanted to help. No value can be put on that. Business owners everywhere should take a page out of this guy’s book.

This place is pricey but worth the money. I was the recipient of a terrible haircut 10 days before & this place fixed me up perfectly. I left there w my confidence back! I will definitely return in 6 – 8 weeks…

I really love this place! I went for the first time on my birthday about 5 years ago. I was really nervous because I had never been to a salon or paid for a haircut (my uncle is a stylist and has always lived really close to me so I’ve always gotten my hair cut in the kitchen). The stylist there could tell I was nervous and was very nice to me and eased me into the process.
I’ve been going there ever since! I usually see Ashley, but if she’s not available I’ll see Evan (one of the owners). They are both great and I’ve never come away disappointed.
My mom also goes and sees Evan.

This place is great! Yesterday, I needed a haircut and scoured Unilocal for advice. This was my first time at Randolph Cree and I will definitely be going back!
First of all, the space is beautiful. It has a very homey atmosphere and everyone I met there was kind and welcoming. As soon as I got there I felt like I could relax and trust them to do a great job.
Evan was my stylist and he did an A+ job in every way. He was kind, honest, and down-​to-​earth, as well as extremely knowledgeable. He asked me a lot of questions about my hair and my goals and made sure we were on the same page. Then I went to get my hair shampooed. My shampoo was done by Syriah and she was delightful. We had a great conversation and she did a very thorough wash with a neck massage at the end. I loved it! So relaxing.
My haircut with Evan took a while, but I could see that he was really trying to make it perfect. He had me stand up a couple times and face him so he could make sure all of the sides were even. He asked my advice along the way and was a great conversationalist. He put Moroccan oil in my hair and gave me a sample as I was leaving.
Looking at my hair today, I am still very impressed. My hair looks and feels great.
My haircut was $ 75 but I got 15% off because it was my first visit. I really think it was worth every bit. I did not have to stress about coming to a new salon. I was relaxed and happy the whole time I was there. Everyone was kind and genuine. I think that Randolph Cree really cares about their customers and wants them to have an amazing experience. I definitely did!

I got the worst haircut of my life here last month.
I just re-​read the reviews here — which had initially prompted me to make an appointment about a month ago — and I can’t help but feel like I went to a different salon.
My stylist gave me a cut I didn’t want — but I could have gotten over a well done cut that wasn’t what I had envisioned, chalking it up to bad communication.
But — the cut was sloppily done. The bottom was crooked, with the left side longer than the right. My bangs were also crooked. My layers were choppy in a way that created a «mullet» effect. Old men who can barely see came up to me at work to tell me my hair was «crooked» and friends and colleagues didn’t give me a polite «it looks fine» — instead they told me to find a new stylist ASAP.
Luckily I did — a new stylist at a different nearby salon spent a LOT of time trying to fix the mistakes I endured here. He actually apologized to me repeatedly because he felt so bad I had to look like that due to a terrible haircut.
I will NEVER go back here — hands down the worst cut of my life. I hope it was just a fluke and others have good experiences but as anyone who has ever had such a bad cut will know — I definitely cannot recommend this place.

I am a firm believer that a haircut is not something you should try to find for cheap (even though a little piece of me dies when it comes time to pay. Such is life).
Anyway, I moved to DC more than a year ago and was nervous about finding a new hair stylist. I picked Randolph Cree mostly out of proximity to where I was living at the time and could not have been more pleased with the outcome. I’ve only seen Michael, one of the owners, so I can’t vouch for the rest of the staff. Needless to say, he is amazing and always so professional. Before he picks up the scissors, we talk extensively about what I want and what he’s going to do. He has yet to disappoint. Plus, the salon is always clean, the employees are all incredibly nice and polite, and they have a great selection of products. Would recommend to anyone!
Also…props for the MOST AMAZING scalp massage of my life.

I’m going to go with a 2.5 on this. I really wanted to like this salon. They were super efficient and friendly with getting my sister and I appointments together. I made an appointment with one of the owners, Evan, because he got good reviews on here. When making my appointment via email I sent in a photo of what I wanted (which I had changed my mind on after sending). To his credit, when he sat me down in his chair, we had a lengthy discussion on what I wanted to do and the look I wanted to achieve. He was quite relieved to hear I had changed my mind over going lighter because he said that he didn’t have the time to do it and it would also leave my hair damaged. We settled on me going a more vibrant red and he went and asked another gentleman for the color formula to match another client with a similar cut/​color/​complexion to mine since it flatters that person very well. Alright cool. Color goes on, I sit. I marinate. I rinse. I tone. I get deep conditioned. I sit. I go back for my cut which was basically just trimming the ends and taking some of the bulk out of my sideswept bangs. He didn’t trim off too much (yay!) and the blow out was very nice. However, once done, I didn’t really notice too much difference in my color. Sure, it was a wee bit more red but it was more of an auburn. I was looking for more of red with a punch.
So, for my single process color + deep conditioner + cut and my sister’s single process color + blowdry it came to $ 325 with 15% off of each of our services. That’s pretty much what I expected pricewise but I was fairly underwhelmed. Maybe if I lived in Eastern Market I’d be more into the place but it’s not convenient for me to get to since I live in Southern Maryland and I don’t feel that it justifies a trip into DC.
I will say that Evan’s got GREAT taste in music, though!

I was glad to try this place. It is very conveniently located and a beautiful salon.
I liked my stylist, Marsha. She was friendly and approachable. Her assistant, Consuela, gave me an amazing (5 star plus) scalp massage/​shampoo. The products they use smell good and feel good.
My color — partial highlights — she did a lot with; using multiple colors she was able to make my hair look naturally radiant. They also were generous in calling it only partial when it was probably more like full highlights. That part gets a 5.
My cut could have been more creative. I assume it wasn’t very layered because of the fact that she was concerned about me wanting to grow it out. Still, I have had creative haircuts before while I was trying to grow it out, and I would have appreciated it if she used a razor or something to give my hair some more depth. I think there is a happy medium and she was a bit too conservative with my cut. That part gets a 3.
I will be trying them again, and hopefully she will try to do a bit more with my haircut to match the beautiful color.