Really terrific place. They make it so easy from beginning to end. I've been going there for 8 years and the one time I hated my haircut, they got me in the next morning to fix it. Plus the salon is a wonderful contributor to the community -- they have fundraisers and seem like they treat their employees well. While I've seen a few super rich-seeming clients in neighboring chairs, no one at the salon has a snooty vibe. Worth the money.
I've been going to Gary Manuel Salon for years and I've been seeing Kami since she was in beauty school! She always gives me a great haircut and I leave feeling good.
She is honest with me and suggests viable alternatives when I want to whack it all off...we all know that's not something I should do.
The scalp massages are awesome and she doesn't try selling me a ton of products {BONUS}
Kami is a straight up good stylist with a great sense of humor.
i have been going to this place for over a year. i started going on the monday opening when they have the new students doing the cuts. my main reason was getting a haircut at a top notch hair salon for only 15 bucks. i went with a student named angela and have stuck with her every since! she has been promoted to the phase three salon and is killing it! i will never have anyone touch my head other then her. she is excited about her job and passionate about her profession! keep up the great job angela and gary manuel with the new recruits!!!!!
Expensive but you get what you pay for! I've been seeing Heather there since 2005 and she really knows her way around a head of hair. Whether I wanted a green fauxhawk with pink sides or I needed her to fix an attempt on my part to cut my own hair she was all over it! Also she's a riot to shoot the shit with while she's doing her thing.
Right now I'm not living in Seattle but when I get back, Heather's pretty high on my list!
Firstly, go to Jeff. Secondly, I take it back, don't go to Jeff because then it'll be harder to get appointments with him! I first heard of this place via a write up on some of the best salons in Seattle in Seattle Mag back in 2009. Specifically, I heard of Jeff through that article, and his prowess with creating cool, unique, short cuts. Conveniently I was looking for just that at the time, so I called him up and next thing I know I'm getting my past-the-shoulders hair cut down to a long pixie! The cut turned out super cool, and a year later Jeff is still my go-to guy. Being an Aveda salon, you'll soon be converted to only their products as they all smell incredible. Besides all that, the place is warm and welcoming, stylish without being pretentious, friendly and cool. They also do awesome work with several environmentally-minded charities throughout the year, which just makes them even cooler.
This is a very professional, very well managed salon. I've been going there every three weeks for several months (hate the roots!) and everyone I've encountered has been friendly and very competent.
The person who has kept my roots at bay is Christopher Archiopoli. Christopher believes that getting your hair done is not like getting the oil changed on your car. It is a total experience, and he aims to make it a pleasant, calming, rejuvenating one. Not only that, his color work is spot on.
I cannot recommend Christopher and Gary Manuel Salon highly enough.
Gary Manuel salon isn't cheap - so if you don't want to spend much money on your hair, don't go here. However, it is great value. Yes, you may pay more than other places, but you'll probably get a result you're much happier with - and after all, you do wear your hair with every outfit.
I've tried Parker and Natalia and was really happy with both (and I am super picky). The first time I went to the salon, Parker really insisted on making sure my hair colour was EXACTLY right so they would have a record of it for next time. The other staff are also friendly and pleasant. Highly recommend.
My first impression was "Wow, it smells like chemicals in here."
This didn't bother me for long, however, because soon enough they were hanging up my coat, guiding me to the changing rooms (to put on my robe), and offering me a warm cup of tea to enjoy while I filled out my "new client" form. (Also, waiting area was not filled with the smell of chemicals the second time around.)
My stylist was Ashley and she gave me a nice head massage, cut, style for the day and gave me a great suggestion for an easy way to style my hair for those sad days where I have to handle it myself.
Several days or weeks after that first appointment I received a letter with a "How did we do?" survey from Gary Manuel Salon. Wow - I've never seen salons put this kind of effort into follow-up!
The second appointment went much the same, except that she didn't need to give me a new styling tip. She gave my hair some nice layers and styled it in such a way that made me wish she could just style my hair every day.
I enjoyed the conversation and the experience. She's very nice and (based on my experience) does a fine job remembering clients and previous conversations. That "continuing conversation" bit made me remember how wonderful it is to have a regular stylist. (I took a few college years away from being a "regular" anywhere.)
On the second appointment I also had an eyebrow wax. It was quick, easy, and low on pain. The gal that handled it (Amy??) introduced one interesting idea - she said she prefers to not wax above the brow because she likes to keep the natural arch. She'll clean it up and all that good stuff, but she prefers to not just rip it all out.
A few days after the second appointment I received a card from Ashley thanking me for coming in and wishing me happy holidays. She also included a neat little "Complimentary Cut by Ashley" card so I could gift a friend a free haircut to start the year off. (Expiration date was 12/31 and I got it in late November/early December). I like it!
I'm glad I chose to go for a couple of appointments instead of just one because it was the continuation of conversation and two good scalp-massage/cut/style experiences that made me think "I'll schedule my next appointment today."
I had purchased the Tippr voucher for 2 haircuts, using one back in July and one this past weekend. Natalia was my stylist for both cuts and I'm disappointed to admit that the whole experience was probably one of the worst I've had.
My cut in July involved chopping off about 8 inches of my super-thick, long hair. I was training for an athletic event and wanted something easy to manage for the summer. She listened to my story and proceeded to chop off the hair. Only, she didn't measure and went about 1-2 inches shorter than I had wanted. I have a round face, so the front of my hair SHOULD be lower than my chin. Simple rule, really. Nevertheless, I shrugged it off and figured it will grow back anyway.
Forward 5 months later to this past Saturday. My hair grows really, really fast, so it had already come down past my shoulders. I miss my mid-back-length hair in all its thick glory, so I told her from the get go that I wanted to continue growing out my hair, but wanted to just style the existing length a bit differently. I had seen an asymmetrical cut on Lauren Conrad, where the front layers touched her collarbone and the cut gently faded up towards the back. The back touched the bottom of her neck. I had meant to bring in a picture, but in my rush I forgot. I described the cut as much as I could to Natalia and she seemed to understand. I think I mentioned a few times how much I missed my long hair and how last time she cut it a bit too short. She nodded and smiled the whole time. Little did I know, the light was on, but no one was home.
She started cutting in the back and pretty much was talking the entire time, so I was distracted (probably my fault--I should have been paying more attention, but excuse me for trusting her!). I noticed she went pretty short up the nape of my neck, but again figured she knew what she was doing. She continued to talk and cut, and talk and cut. 10 minutes later, I checked in the mirror and to my horror, I had a chin-length bob. I had also aged about 15 years and all my gorgeous black hair was on the floor. My instinct was to cry, but I held it back and let her dry it out.
Needless to say, I was crushed to see a) all my hair cut off, and b) a cut that was probably the least flattering style I could possibly get. Again to reiterate, any stylist worth her scissors would know that chin length hair is NOT flattering on round faces, especially for women in their 20s. It makes you look rounder and older. My 15 year old brother could have told her hat.
So here I am today, hurt that I have to wait at least another 6-8 months before I regain some semblance of proper hair. I could have thrown a fit in the salon, but from past experience that doesn't get you anywhere. Instead of crying over spilled milk, I'm warning anyone out there that if you get your hair cut by Natalia, be sure to take a ruler and a picture of exactly what you want. She tends to get carried away, and as in my case, can end up with disastrous results. Don't get me wrong; she has the technical skills down pat. Her blending was flawless. But she really needs to be re-taught the "measure twice, cut once" lesson.
Love going to Gary Manuel. I went there originally from a Living Social Deal and have been there every 2 to 3 weeks ever since to see Karlie Baptie for either a cut or color. She really takes great care of me and I get compliments on my haircuts all the time.
I recommend this salon highly...great location with street parking usually available and every time I come in, I am greeted warmly. Sometimes salons like Gary Manuel can be intimidating but I find everyone that I have met there genuinely friendly and helpful.
based on 40 reviews
34 Comments
Really terrific place. They make it so easy from beginning to end. I've been going there for 8 years and the one time I hated my haircut, they got me in the next morning to fix it.
Plus the salon is a wonderful contributor to the community -- they have fundraisers and seem like they treat their employees well.
While I've seen a few super rich-seeming clients in neighboring chairs, no one at the salon has a snooty vibe. Worth the money.
I've been going to Gary Manuel Salon for years and I've been seeing Kami since she was in beauty school! She always gives me a great haircut and I leave feeling good.
She is honest with me and suggests viable alternatives when I want to whack it all off...we all know that's not something I should do.
The scalp massages are awesome and she doesn't try selling me a ton of products {BONUS}
Kami is a straight up good stylist with a great sense of humor.
i have been going to this place for over a year. i started going on the monday opening when they have the new students doing the cuts. my main reason was getting a haircut at a top notch hair salon for only 15 bucks. i went with a student named angela and have stuck with her every since! she has been promoted to the phase three salon and is killing it! i will never have anyone touch my head other then her. she is excited about her job and passionate about her profession! keep up the great job angela and gary manuel with the new recruits!!!!!
Expensive but you get what you pay for! I've been seeing Heather there since 2005 and she really knows her way around a head of hair. Whether I wanted a green fauxhawk with pink sides or I needed her to fix an attempt on my part to cut my own hair she was all over it! Also she's a riot to shoot the shit with while she's doing her thing.
Right now I'm not living in Seattle but when I get back, Heather's pretty high on my list!
Firstly, go to Jeff. Secondly, I take it back, don't go to Jeff because then it'll be harder to get appointments with him! I first heard of this place via a write up on some of the best salons in Seattle in Seattle Mag back in 2009. Specifically, I heard of Jeff through that article, and his prowess with creating cool, unique, short cuts. Conveniently I was looking for just that at the time, so I called him up and next thing I know I'm getting my past-the-shoulders hair cut down to a long pixie! The cut turned out super cool, and a year later Jeff is still my go-to guy. Being an Aveda salon, you'll soon be converted to only their products as they all smell incredible. Besides all that, the place is warm and welcoming, stylish without being pretentious, friendly and cool. They also do awesome work with several environmentally-minded charities throughout the year, which just makes them even cooler.
This is a very professional, very well managed salon. I've been going there every three weeks for several months (hate the roots!) and everyone I've encountered has been friendly and very competent.
The person who has kept my roots at bay is Christopher Archiopoli. Christopher believes that getting your hair done is not like getting the oil changed on your car. It is a total experience, and he aims to make it a pleasant, calming, rejuvenating one. Not only that, his color work is spot on.
I cannot recommend Christopher and Gary Manuel Salon highly enough.
Gary Manuel salon isn't cheap - so if you don't want to spend much money on your hair, don't go here. However, it is great value. Yes, you may pay more than other places, but you'll probably get a result you're much happier with - and after all, you do wear your hair with every outfit.
I've tried Parker and Natalia and was really happy with both (and I am super picky). The first time I went to the salon, Parker really insisted on making sure my hair colour was EXACTLY right so they would have a record of it for next time. The other staff are also friendly and pleasant. Highly recommend.
My first impression was "Wow, it smells like chemicals in here."
This didn't bother me for long, however, because soon enough they were hanging up my coat, guiding me to the changing rooms (to put on my robe), and offering me a warm cup of tea to enjoy while I filled out my "new client" form. (Also, waiting area was not filled with the smell of chemicals the second time around.)
My stylist was Ashley and she gave me a nice head massage, cut, style for the day and gave me a great suggestion for an easy way to style my hair for those sad days where I have to handle it myself.
Several days or weeks after that first appointment I received a letter with a "How did we do?" survey from Gary Manuel Salon. Wow - I've never seen salons put this kind of effort into follow-up!
The second appointment went much the same, except that she didn't need to give me a new styling tip. She gave my hair some nice layers and styled it in such a way that made me wish she could just style my hair every day.
I enjoyed the conversation and the experience. She's very nice and (based on my experience) does a fine job remembering clients and previous conversations. That "continuing conversation" bit made me remember how wonderful it is to have a regular stylist. (I took a few college years away from being a "regular" anywhere.)
On the second appointment I also had an eyebrow wax. It was quick, easy, and low on pain. The gal that handled it (Amy??) introduced one interesting idea - she said she prefers to not wax above the brow because she likes to keep the natural arch. She'll clean it up and all that good stuff, but she prefers to not just rip it all out.
A few days after the second appointment I received a card from Ashley thanking me for coming in and wishing me happy holidays. She also included a neat little "Complimentary Cut by Ashley" card so I could gift a friend a free haircut to start the year off. (Expiration date was 12/31 and I got it in late November/early December). I like it!
I'm glad I chose to go for a couple of appointments instead of just one because it was the continuation of conversation and two good scalp-massage/cut/style experiences that made me think "I'll schedule my next appointment today."
I had purchased the Tippr voucher for 2 haircuts, using one back in July and one this past weekend. Natalia was my stylist for both cuts and I'm disappointed to admit that the whole experience was probably one of the worst I've had.
My cut in July involved chopping off about 8 inches of my super-thick, long hair. I was training for an athletic event and wanted something easy to manage for the summer. She listened to my story and proceeded to chop off the hair. Only, she didn't measure and went about 1-2 inches shorter than I had wanted. I have a round face, so the front of my hair SHOULD be lower than my chin. Simple rule, really. Nevertheless, I shrugged it off and figured it will grow back anyway.
Forward 5 months later to this past Saturday. My hair grows really, really fast, so it had already come down past my shoulders. I miss my mid-back-length hair in all its thick glory, so I told her from the get go that I wanted to continue growing out my hair, but wanted to just style the existing length a bit differently. I had seen an asymmetrical cut on Lauren Conrad, where the front layers touched her collarbone and the cut gently faded up towards the back. The back touched the bottom of her neck. I had meant to bring in a picture, but in my rush I forgot. I described the cut as much as I could to Natalia and she seemed to understand. I think I mentioned a few times how much I missed my long hair and how last time she cut it a bit too short. She nodded and smiled the whole time. Little did I know, the light was on, but no one was home.
She started cutting in the back and pretty much was talking the entire time, so I was distracted (probably my fault--I should have been paying more attention, but excuse me for trusting her!). I noticed she went pretty short up the nape of my neck, but again figured she knew what she was doing. She continued to talk and cut, and talk and cut. 10 minutes later, I checked in the mirror and to my horror, I had a chin-length bob. I had also aged about 15 years and all my gorgeous black hair was on the floor. My instinct was to cry, but I held it back and let her dry it out.
Needless to say, I was crushed to see a) all my hair cut off, and b) a cut that was probably the least flattering style I could possibly get. Again to reiterate, any stylist worth her scissors would know that chin length hair is NOT flattering on round faces, especially for women in their 20s. It makes you look rounder and older. My 15 year old brother could have told her hat.
So here I am today, hurt that I have to wait at least another 6-8 months before I regain some semblance of proper hair. I could have thrown a fit in the salon, but from past experience that doesn't get you anywhere. Instead of crying over spilled milk, I'm warning anyone out there that if you get your hair cut by Natalia, be sure to take a ruler and a picture of exactly what you want. She tends to get carried away, and as in my case, can end up with disastrous results. Don't get me wrong; she has the technical skills down pat. Her blending was flawless. But she really needs to be re-taught the "measure twice, cut once" lesson.
Love going to Gary Manuel. I went there originally from a Living Social Deal and have been there every 2 to 3 weeks ever since to see Karlie Baptie for either a cut or color. She really takes great care of me and I get compliments on my haircuts all the time.
I recommend this salon highly...great location with street parking usually available and every time I come in, I am greeted warmly. Sometimes salons like Gary Manuel can be intimidating but I find everyone that I have met there genuinely friendly and helpful.