Vain is a wonderful salon. I have been going there quite a bit lately and can't say enough about how great the employees are there. They are all super nice and friendly. The front desk folks are top-notch. TT is the very best stylist there. She gives a great wash and is pretty handy with the scissors as well. I like that they have that toasty-warm pellet stove and a great selection of magazines to read while you wait. If anyone is looking for a great haircut, make your way down to Vain, warm-up next to the woodstove, drink some hot tea, and get yourself one great cut from some awesome pros (TT is my favorite).
This (long overdue) review is specifically for Kelly. I've been going to Kelly for going on 3 years now and have yet to have a bad cut. I've done as little as the free 4-week touch up trim to as much as lopping off close to 2 feet of hair. I have never, ever been unhappy. Why?
1) Because of her grow-outs. I probably only need to go see her 2, 3 times a year, tops. I had my hair bobbed in August. I went for the free trim in September. I haven't been in to see her yet and I STILL get asked regularly if I had my hair cut recently. Every stage that my hair grows out in is as equally great as the last.
2) I have a monstrous amount of thick, coarse black Korean hair with a wave on one side of my head that even Kelly says "I could keep cutting forever." Somehow, she preforms some black magic that makes it obey. Long hair or short, low maintenance has always my game and Kelly works with my hair with that in mind. It always lies just right, even though I rarely do more than towel-dry and throw some serum on the ends for the average workday. Go see Kelly, it'll be worth your while.
I usually get my hair cut in China (since Chinese hair stylists usually know how to cut Chinese hair pretty well) but decided to give VAIN a try based on the reviews on Yelp. Turned out to be the best haircut I've gotten on this side of the Pacific. I'd recommend reading the stylist profiles on their website. I saw Cassie and she was fabulous- GO NOW!
SADDEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE was when I had to say goodbye to Sarah B. at Vain Salon. I moved away from Seattle. I was heartbroken. If I could afford to fly to Seattle every 5 weeks to get my hair done by her, I would. (Those who know me well know that I am nowhere near joking when I say this.) Hair is ridiculously important to me; it's most likely a problem. It stresses me out everytime I move and need to find someone to cut my hair. When I first went to Vain 3 years ago, I saw Jen C for a while. She was sweet and amazing with those scissors, and I almost cried when she told me she had to leave on maternity leave (the 3rd stylist in a row for me that has left due to that circumstance. Odd.) She did, however, recommend that I see Sarah B. (Imagine hearts around this name.) I had recently had a lot of hair cut off before seeing Sarah (first cuts by Jen) and Sarah helped me turn this new 'do into perfection. She keeps my short short hair from looking masculine, and adds very refined texture. It's beautiful. And ohmygod, such reasonable prices. No cuts at Vain are more than $75, and Sarah's cuts cost $45 I believe. I didn't really pay attention to the price because it was SO worth it. It's really hard to find haircuts of such quality for that price; I was so spoiled. Needless to say, everyone who cares about their hair, appearance, respectability, etc., should go to Vain.
So I'm a hairstylist, and I do other people's hair and pamper them all day at my job. And I'm a little jealous of them I must say. Also I get my hair cut by other stylists at my salon. It's said to say, but they don't put too much time or effort into it since I'm not a paying customer, on top of being one of their co-workers. Needless to say I've not been the biggest fan of my hair for awhile.
So I was walking around Seattle one day and I walked up to VAIN. I've heard about the funky atmosphere and decided to try it out. I ended up getting my hair by Dez . Dez is amazing. She's seriously a goddess of hair. She's hands down the best listener, and did everything right. I will for sure be seeing Dez from now on. It's so worth it.
I've been to this salon a few years ago after having grown my hair out really long. I asked for a cut to my collar bone with long layers put in (pretty straighforward?). What I ended up with was a very BAD haircut. The layers were there but VERY chunky with no smooth transition. So I had this one fat layer below my chin, then another at the collarbone. She styled it a little funky at first so I left figuring I'd give it a try, wash it and see if maybe it was the styling that was off. Not the case.
Well, I came back for a "fix" and told her it was too chunky. So, she took a razor to it and thinned the bottom out to the point where I had whiskers shooting out of that top bulky layer! I left in tears and never returned. There may have been a language barrier -the stylist, who I believe left, didn't speak great english...but STILL, that's no excuse for the botched up cut she gave me -TWICE!
*2 stars because the woman at the desk was very pleasant.
I was so excited to visit this salon! Ive heard nothing but awesome things from everyone! I love the atmosphere. My hopes were put down when I went in to talk to a stylist. I was in the front checking out the merchandise with two other friends, 5 minutes had gone by and not a single look from anyone that worked there. :(. So not professional.
Really loved my visit to the salon. Great vibe/decor, reasonable prices for totally top-of-the-line cut, and fantastic stylist (Melanie - HIGHLY recommend). It was my first cut in Seattle, but I tried dozens of Salons in NYC (from John Barrett to Bumble and Bumble to aveda, etc) and Vain (and Melanie) has them all beat!
Loved my stylist. Loved the product and vibe. HATED that they cancelled on me and rescheduled not once but twice... Suspiciously both following holidays notorious for drinking 'til the wee hours... Willing to give the Ballard locale a try since that's my new stomping ground, but hoping I wont be cancelled on so my stylist can nurse a hangover.
based on 40 reviews
34 Comments
Vain is a wonderful salon. I have been going there quite a bit lately and can't say enough about how great the employees are there. They are all super nice and friendly. The front desk folks are top-notch. TT is the very best stylist there. She gives a great wash and is pretty handy with the scissors as well. I like that they have that toasty-warm pellet stove and a great selection of magazines to read while you wait. If anyone is looking for a great haircut, make your way down to Vain, warm-up next to the woodstove, drink some hot tea, and get yourself one great cut from some awesome pros (TT is my favorite).
This (long overdue) review is specifically for Kelly. I've been going to Kelly for going on 3 years now and have yet to have a bad cut. I've done as little as the free 4-week touch up trim to as much as lopping off close to 2 feet of hair. I have never, ever been unhappy. Why?
1) Because of her grow-outs. I probably only need to go see her 2, 3 times a year, tops. I had my hair bobbed in August. I went for the free trim in September. I haven't been in to see her yet and I STILL get asked regularly if I had my hair cut recently. Every stage that my hair grows out in is as equally great as the last.
2) I have a monstrous amount of thick, coarse black Korean hair with a wave on one side of my head that even Kelly says "I could keep cutting forever." Somehow, she preforms some black magic that makes it obey. Long hair or short, low maintenance has always my game and Kelly works with my hair with that in mind. It always lies just right, even though I rarely do more than towel-dry and throw some serum on the ends for the average workday. Go see Kelly, it'll be worth your while.
I usually get my hair cut in China (since Chinese hair stylists usually know how to cut Chinese hair pretty well) but decided to give VAIN a try based on the reviews on Yelp. Turned out to be the best haircut I've gotten on this side of the Pacific. I'd recommend reading the stylist profiles on their website. I saw Cassie and she was fabulous- GO NOW!
I've been going to Vain to see Bash now for over three years. The three best hair years of my life.
I also love that they offer a complimentary touch up trim withing 4 weeks of your hair cut! It is a great way to keep up your style.
SADDEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE was when I had to say goodbye to Sarah B. at Vain Salon. I moved away from Seattle. I was heartbroken. If I could afford to fly to Seattle every 5 weeks to get my hair done by her, I would. (Those who know me well know that I am nowhere near joking when I say this.)
Hair is ridiculously important to me; it's most likely a problem. It stresses me out everytime I move and need to find someone to cut my hair.
When I first went to Vain 3 years ago, I saw Jen C for a while. She was sweet and amazing with those scissors, and I almost cried when she told me she had to leave on maternity leave (the 3rd stylist in a row for me that has left due to that circumstance. Odd.) She did, however, recommend that I see Sarah B. (Imagine hearts around this name.)
I had recently had a lot of hair cut off before seeing Sarah (first cuts by Jen) and Sarah helped me turn this new 'do into perfection. She keeps my short short hair from looking masculine, and adds very refined texture. It's beautiful. And ohmygod, such reasonable prices. No cuts at Vain are more than $75, and Sarah's cuts cost $45 I believe. I didn't really pay attention to the price because it was SO worth it. It's really hard to find haircuts of such quality for that price; I was so spoiled.
Needless to say, everyone who cares about their hair, appearance, respectability, etc., should go to Vain.
So I'm a hairstylist, and I do other people's hair and pamper them all day at my job. And I'm a little jealous of them I must say. Also I get my hair cut by other stylists at my salon. It's said to say, but they don't put too much time or effort into it since I'm not a paying customer, on top of being one of their co-workers. Needless to say I've not been the biggest fan of my hair for awhile.
So I was walking around Seattle one day and I walked up to VAIN. I've heard about the funky atmosphere and decided to try it out. I ended up getting my hair by Dez . Dez is amazing. She's seriously a goddess of hair. She's hands down the best listener, and did everything right. I will for sure be seeing Dez from now on. It's so worth it.
I've been to this salon a few years ago after having grown my hair out really long. I asked for a cut to my collar bone with long layers put in (pretty straighforward?). What I ended up with was a very BAD haircut. The layers were there but VERY chunky with no smooth transition. So I had this one fat layer below my chin, then another at the collarbone. She styled it a little funky at first so I left figuring I'd give it a try, wash it and see if maybe it was the styling that was off. Not the case.
Well, I came back for a "fix" and told her it was too chunky. So, she took a razor to it and thinned the bottom out to the point where I had whiskers shooting out of that top bulky layer! I left in tears and never returned. There may have been a language barrier -the stylist, who I believe left, didn't speak great english...but STILL, that's no excuse for the botched up cut she gave me -TWICE!
*2 stars because the woman at the desk was very pleasant.
I was so excited to visit this salon! Ive heard nothing but awesome things from everyone! I love the atmosphere. My hopes were put down when I went in to talk to a stylist. I was in the front checking out the merchandise with two other friends, 5 minutes had gone by and not a single look from anyone that worked there. :(. So not professional.
Really loved my visit to the salon. Great vibe/decor, reasonable prices for totally top-of-the-line cut, and fantastic stylist (Melanie - HIGHLY recommend). It was my first cut in Seattle, but I tried dozens of Salons in NYC (from John Barrett to Bumble and Bumble to aveda, etc) and Vain (and Melanie) has them all beat!
Loved my stylist. Loved the product and vibe. HATED that they cancelled on me and rescheduled not once but twice... Suspiciously both following holidays notorious for drinking 'til the wee hours... Willing to give the Ballard locale a try since that's my new stomping ground, but hoping I wont be cancelled on so my stylist can nurse a hangover.