Biggest haircut regret I’ve had in twenty something years of barbershops. Uneven and not remotely clean looking. I had my concerns but Rick assured me that with some shrinkage and combing it would be fine. I came to find out it would only highlight how bad he had jacked up. Fine, it was a little out of the box so I gave him a pass. Call him back the next day to let him know I wasn’t feeling it and ask if he could just chop it off. «Alright but I’m gonna have to charge you for another cut.» Really? I’m new to the area so maybe $ 20 cuts are the norm around here, but I feel like fixing a cut you just did for someone less than 24 hours ago is common decency if not smart business. And they’re closed on Mondays to top it off. I live barely a block away. They really had to go out of the way to lose my business and Rick managed to. The guys in front of me were getting standard low fades and whatnot and even still it was like he was just cutting their hair with no real edge up. $ 20! I can’t speak for the ladies but fellas avoid at all costs unless your age is in the single digits or closer to Obama’s.
Tatiana R.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Vienna, VA
Poor communication. Asked about hours of operation. Told Mon-Fri 0930 –1800. I called Monday 3 or 4 times. I called Thursday 3 o4 times. Both during hours of operation. Left messages. No return call. Another salon that doesn’t run it’s business like a business. Simple things. Hours of operation, return phone calls.
Jenny J.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Washington, DC
Location I love the location. I go to church, grocery shop, and hangout in the area. I love Old Town so it’s great to be able to get my son’s haircut in this area. Ambiance The ambiance is great, being a Mom taking a son to get his hair cut, I appreciate that there aren’t a ton of men just sitting around, just because, cursing and acting up. But I still get the sports talk. The shop is a great environment for children being serviced as well. And the shop has free wi-fi, always a plus. Service I started getting my son’s hair cut here and I moved to also getting my hair done. My son sees Ricky, he is a beast with the clippers. His cut always looks good and he is great dealing with children. I see Jermaine… can you say the bomb! I use to go all the way back to Chicago to get my hair done… I know it sounds crazy, but my stylist was awesome. Jermaine does a great job, so no need for me to make the trip to the Chi for my hair. I had a ton of compliments after having my hair done and it felt great.
LaTesha O.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Burke, VA
Another Level is a great place to relax and get your hair fixed the right way. When asked who is better it is hard to say because each Barber and Hairstylist comes with many years experience. Yvonne grooms my locs. I am new to the Another Level family however I am very pleased. When ever I get my hair done I feel like I should pose for a magazine cover. I get so many compliments on the streets. When I sit in her chair I know she will do a fabulous job. I can ask for any style she will do it or come very close. She also does my daughter’s hair. Even though I am at the end of my journey with my locs I am looking forward to Yvonne cutting them off and still keep me looking FABULOUS. Parking is not hard to find.
Paul T.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Arlington, VA
Very friendly and Professional folks! Everyone is down-to-earth and cool. I have been in some hood spots and Another Level is a breath of fresh air, they don’t allow any foolishness in their shop. The only have 2 barbers but the are both very good and they take their time and get you right!
Tameka M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Alexandria, VA
Gemenese is my current stylist and I am very pleased with her professionalism and knowledge of hair. She is VERY good with short hair and I have a very crazy wave pattern and she is able to really straighten it. I am now getting relaxers every 6 – 7 weeks instead of 4 weeks like I was getting at a previous salon. I would give it 5 stars but I took off 1 star due to sometimes having to wait to get in the chair. She has ALOT of clients so sometimes it can be difficult getting in but she manages. Everyone in the salon is nice and polite, as well as the barbershop. They cater mostly to professionals so you wont have to worry about any riff raff coming in and out.
Natalie D.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Washington, DC
I thought I had reviewed this place by now… To be fair, I give my natural hair experience here a 2.5(which I can’t round up to 3 stars because I don’t think«A-OK» is the right description). Here are the details… Location Good location. But you should know that it’s in a residential area(and right across from a rec center) so finding street parking can be tough. Also, if I recall correctly, the address on this Unilocal page is incorrect because it sends you to their old location from a few years ago. The salon has relocated another block or so up the street, closer to the public housing units. Just look for the freestanding brick building with that striped barbershop thing outside of it. Ambiance This is a barbershop and salon in one. I had misgivings about how that could possibly work, but it wasn’t bad. The barbershop has its own small section(which is kind of sectioned off with a low wall, I think) at the front left of the place. The rest of the place is a traditional salon. The guys in the barber shop all seemed clean and respectable and didn’t really interact with those in the salon. So it wasn’t an uncomfortable experience in any way. What ended up bothering me more was the salon, which catered mainly to relaxed and weaved women. Having 10+ strangers staring at your hair with a look of surprise, shock, befuddlement, or any other emotion when you walk in is not the environment I’m looking for. But I might even have been willing to over look that if it weren’t for… Service Each time I came I had an appointment that I had made weeks in advance. And each time I came it took FOREVERAND A DAY(!) to get my hair twisted. The stylist who did natural hair(Toisha, I think, but it’s pronounced«Tasha») was very nice, but I didn’t feel like my time was respected. The first time I had an appointment for X time, but Toisha called and asked if I could come an hour later because she was running behind with a previous client. I appreciated the heads-up and didn’t mind doing some shopping for an hour before I swung by. But even when I got there, I STILL had to wait a while(30 mins?) before I was shampooed. After that, she worked on two other clients before finally getting to me. I was not amused!!! Thinking that might have just been a freak occurrence, I made another appointment a few weeks later. This time I called before leaving my house to ask whether I should come at my actual appointment time or come later because things were backed up. I was told to come later. I wait an hour and a half or so before going over, but it didn’t really matter. Again, I sat around for 30 – 45 mins before getting brought to the shampoo bowl.(This time I had an inexperienced shampoo girl who wanted to comb through my kinks with a rattail comb. UMMMM — NO! I told her that she would need to use a wide-toothed comb and she told me that she would have to go ask Toisha about that. HUH??? So she and Toisha talked about it, and Toisha confirmed that she could use the wider comb. :sigh:) Anywho, I had an event to go to so I really had no choice but to wait around and get my hair twisted. Several hours later(I think I left there around 4 pm for my early morning appointment, if I remember correctly — no lie!), I left convinced that this was indeed my last time at Another Level. Again, I don’t have an issue with Toisha’s work, but I just can’t get with the spend-all-day-Saturday-in-the-hair-salon program. It’s a real shame though because this otherwise seems like a nice salon. People who knew each other were friendly and conversational with one another. It was clean. It’s laid out well. And it doesn’t involve me driving to DC. It doesn’t cater to natural hair, but Toisha is skilled enough that I could have dealt with it. But, simply put, I don’t have the kind of life that permits me to spend my one free day out of 60+ hour workweeks sitting in a salon chair. If I want to spend six hours doing my hair, I’ll just do it myself!
Alejandro G.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Francisco, CA
As of June 2011, the time of this post, Another Level is THE place to get cut. I have crazy thick Latin hair(being Hispanic) and it is hard to cut. Rick(and the other fella — don’t remember his name right now) gets it — he knows how to give a cut. He pays attention to detail and leaves my hair clean, even, sharp. It was a HUGE relief to find this place so soon after moving to DC area. Back in Seattle where I’m from, every place I went to left it uneven or off balance or just plain weird. But Not at Another Level — they get it right every time, AND the vibe is good. They are friendly but don’t try to talk your ear off unless you are actually trying to get into the convo. You can tell people know each other, and it’s ok to bring kids there too. They do really good cuts for the kids, or else the kids can hang in the waiting area, which is clear view when you’re getting your cut. They also do beard trim or straight razor shave, and all types of cuts. For the ladies the services are endless. 100% endorse.
Kevin J.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Alexandria, VA
Tried to go to this barber, and really it isn’t Another Level anymore. It is a different shoppe, that looks like it caters to women. Only one person working when I went in. Sorry, I’ll have to find a new barber in this town.
Clarence J.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Alexandria, VA
This is an outstanding barbershop.(I can’t speak to the hair salon part, other than that they always seem busy and filled with happy, chatting employees and customers.) Until a few years ago, Another Level was a quaint, small barbershop a couple blocks south of its current location. When it moved to the somewhat ‘fancier’ and larger new digs, it lost none of the small barbershop feel. Employees and customers are friendly, and the place is infused with warmth from the minute you walk in. Customers are a mix of locals and former locals who’ve moved far and wide but still return for the cuts. The two primary barbers, Rick and Corey, are both outstanding. Appointments do make things easier, particularly for busy times of day, but only rarely has it taken more than 30 minutes or so to get to a walk-in(which I always am, so I greatly appreciate this).
Char S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Alexandria, VA
I see Rick at Another Level to keep my short, natural hair looking feminine and sexy. He works by appointment mainly, but will do his best to fit you in when he can. Rick knows what’s he doing with those clippers and I am to the point where I don’t want anyone else messing with my hair but him. I’m picky about the ambiance of a barbershop. I don’t want to feel like I’m hanging out in some dude’s garage or some men’s locker room. Another Level is suitable for anyone, including children. It’s actually a shared space with a full-service hair salon. In addition to the 3 — 5 barbers they have 5 — 10 beuticians. The owner, Yvonne, grooms my child’s locks and does a great job every time. The shop is clean and nicely decorated. It also has clean restrooms which is SUCH a huge plus in my opinion. It would be nice if they had a private parking lot, but street parking is not too hard to come by. I’m new to the area and there are lots of long-time residents who frequent the shop, however I immediately felt at home.
