The Chop Shop

I’ve been meaning to write this review for a while. My husband bought me a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure, which I used a month or so ago. The manicurist was easy to talk to and did a great job. It was a very social and comfortable atmosphere. I highly recommend!

I’ve made it through a few decades with zero makeup and hairstyling skills, so when my husband had a black tie work event, I outsourced it all. I pretty much just showed up with a picture of the dress that I was wearing, and told them I didn’t want anything overly unnatural or severe for either makeup or hair, and no updos. They did their best to respect that, and kept assuring me that they didn’t want me to feel uncomfortable at my event either. Otherwise, they just did what they do.
They chose well for me. I think my dress was pretty spectacular by itself; I got several compliments on it that night. But along with the makeup and hair, I became a semi-​center of attention, even though I was «just» one of the spouses of the honorees (spouses in this line of work tend to get… not ignored, but are certainly secondary, and sometimes invisible. Yet one of my husband’s bosses joked that he normally doesn’t swing by to talk to my husband, but felt the need to that night to introduce himself and his wife to me). That said, my hairstyle fell out a lot sooner than I think it should have; it didn’t last 3 hours into the event before unraveling. The particular style chosen made it okay, it just looked like a different style than the original, and a bit messier.
E-​mail response to questions is a bit spotty. Otherwise, really friendly and laidback people. Offered beverages while waiting. Everything finished on time. I had a good experience here, despite panicking a little when I met the makeup and hairstyle artists because one had a partially shaved head and another had blue hair. Nothing wrong with either, just that I’m totally the opposite of that, and you know how sometimes someone pushes their own sense of aesthetics on you and you end up being horrified by what they’ve done to you. Thankfully, that did not happen here.

I had a great experience at The Chop Shop — I’ve been shopping around salons in Baltimore for a while, and was looking for a change with my hair. I felt like Lisa really listened to what I wanted and was willing to have a discussion and make her own suggestions. She and all the staff were very friendly and concerned with making the customers comfortable. I loved my haircut, and felt like I got good advice on keeping it looking nice and styling it. A week later and I’m still admiring my hair in the mirror!

I used to go to Shannon (her husband works downstairs and cut’s my roommate’s hair) so I was super disappointed that she stopped cutting hair. Every time I saw Shannon, Lisa would be working on the other chair, and I have seen her do some amazing work. I know that she has a new stylist on staff now, I have have heard good things about her too.
The ambiance is awesome, and all the staff are super nice. I was offered a drink as soon as I walked in, and somebody took my coat and bag. They were also super accommodating when I said that I wanted to donate my hair, and they even agreed to mail it for me!
Lastly, the décor is amazing. I really like the atmosphere. The décor is edgy but feminine at the same time.

Took my daughter here for a very fashion-​forward cut, choppy and piecy and fun. Laney was patient, thoughtful, and very talented. My teenager is thrilled, and I am too. While I was there a woman who was more like me (um… a mature mom type!) was getting a cut/​style as well, and she was getting a haircut that was layered, classy and very well styled. This salon is able to manage both edgy and classic with aplomb. Thank you!!!

I am a curley girl critic and have searched many salons in the city. Lisa just opened in our neighborhood and decided after reading th glowing reviews to venture into the shop… she was great and received one of the best cuts ever. Many compliments at work today and the 5 year old next door thought I looked real cool. I will return. Thanks Lisa and to your wonderful staff.
Joanne

So I went today… and had the wonderful pleasure of meeting Shannon and let me tell u she was great!!! I left there feeling like a million bucks. She def no’s her stuff. I have wavy, curly, frizzy hair and i could never find anyone who could help me. She took the time to explain how to work with my hair and what i would need to get… which was a defuser for my hair-dryer…thats pretty much it!!! Who KNEW?! Just one small piece would save me!!! But SHE WAS GREAT!!! Did my cut… took the bulk out!!! DEF go to this salon and see her!!! And the salon itself is superrrr cool!!! Cool artwork too!!! :)
THANK U AGAIN SHANNON!!!
Heather

Got a great cut from Laney two weeks ago. I’m still getting compliments — from coworkers, friends, random people on the street. I’m not very good with styling and don’t like using a ton of product, and Laney walked me through it step-​by-​step. And it really only takes five minutes as promised! I’ll definitely be going back.

Lisa is amazing. In about 3 minutes, she understood things about my hair that no hairdresser has ever gotten/​commented upon. I typically have my hair cut short, in a pixie cut, but had grown it out to just above shoulder length. Sometimes these pixie cuts can actually start to look a bit dowdy, or masculine, or just get kind of puffy/​heavy on top of my head. Lisa completely understood how I wanted my hair to look, short, funky, flattering to my face shape, and how to get it there. She gave me possibly the best haircut I have ever had.

I came into The Chop Shop very skeptic because I’ve only had poor experiences in getting my hair done in Baltimore. I had to get my hair fixed from a bad hair cut a few weeks ago and also needed color. I am so happy that I found this place because they really are wonderful.
My appointment was with Shannon and she did such a fabulous job. It’s been several weeks and my hair still looks amazing. The salon is really cute and laid back, plus they offer delicious Zekes coffee. While being at the salon for 2 hours I saw that every person that got their hair done left looking great. Every employee there was super friendly and wonderful to talk to. The Chop Shop is my new salon and I couldn’t be happier :)

I’m very particular about who I let cut my hair. I’ve had some pretty traumatic experiences with stylists. That said, I love Lisa Hawks.
I’ve never had a bad experience at the Chop Shop. Lisa is warm and friendly, understands my fine, wavy hair texture (which is pretty hard to find in a stylist), and always does a top notch job.
And I love being offered a glass of wine regardless of the time of day, because really, who cares about a number on a clock? I’m coming here to relax and be taken care of, and that’s exactly what I get.
Lisa also does great color. I always walk out the door feeling like a million bucks.

This is the ONLY place I will go to get my hair done.
Lisa is wonderful. She does a great consultation and I always leave feeling great. Plus no one seems to mind when I roll in with my baby girl. The shampoo girl is amazing and after a rough day all I want to do it go in to get a great scalp massage.
The only downside is getting an appointment. Every time before I leave I set up my next appointment to make sure will be able to get in before my roots come in too much and I go from looking 30 to 50 with all of the grey.
Not only do I get a great look from the Chop Shop but I have a great time. It is great sitting around chatting with all the ladies.

Arika Casebolt gives the most amazing facials! I used to see her at Charm City Skin but followed her to Chop Shop where she has a spacious and comfortable space upstairs. She uses only organic products and I always feel relaxed and glowy after a session with her. If her skin know-​how wasn’t enough, she is pleasant and professional to boot. She really has a great personality, very warm and welcoming.
One last thing… she plays great music too, none of that New Age crap.

If you are looking for a bit of heaven on earth Arika Casebolt’s facial is IT! She is THE esthetician for the utmost care, professionalism and pampering. The products she uses are vegan, local and organic. The pumpkin product she used smelled good enough to eat. My skin felt and looked luminious, smooth and refreshed! It’s more than a facial it’s a relaxation experience!
Arika also does the best and most through Brazillian wax… it was almost painless. She puts you at ease and makes a potentially scary and painful service a breeze!
The Chop Shop staff is so nice and helpful, it’s an ease to make an appointment!

I came here in February actually, for a haircut and blow dry with Shannon. I had gone to someone else for a while (at another salon) and she had layered my hair WAY too much. Shannon noticed that and immediately started helping me grow out my layers. She even gave me a tip on giving volume to my hair without teasing it so I don’t damage my hair! I got a lot of compliments on my hair and will be going back to here in two weeks. The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because even though she did an amazing job, I still wanted more volume when she blow dried it.

Bill has moved out of the Chop Shop, and set up his own place downstairs. Guys looking for a haircut should head to the Blue Spark Barbershop. Way to go, Bill!

The push came to shove and my hair was a mess. I knew I needed a haircut fast. Originally, I called for Lisa because everyone’s reviews about her were so great. But, Lisa is a popular lady; the earlist I could fit in for Lisa was a week away. I decided I couldn’t wait that long and a thought of going back to my old hair designer crossed my mind but the receptionist –Sarah suggested that Shannon was also extremely talented and was available the next day, so I thought what the hell, let’s give it a try.
When I walked in, another receptionist greeted me by name and said she will let Shannon know. Shannon walked out within 5 minutes and greeted me and offered me tea/​beverage/​coffee. She also hung my coat for me. She then took me to the back and we started talking about what I want for my hair. She listened patiently and said «you have a beautiful hair; let’s get it back to how it should be.» It was magic since then.
She washed my hair with a minty smelling tea (?) shampoo — it smelled really good and lasted two days and one more wash. Then came the cutting; I think the entire consulting, cutting and blow-​drying took about an hour total and by the end I was really happy. I mentioned in the beginning that I liked my hair long and she managed to salvage as much hair as she could and it turned out to be longer than I expected so all was good.
Lisa also seemed very nice, in between her clients she came and said Hi and all that good stuff.
Bill, the barber, for all the men out there, seemed very popular as well. Bill, by the way, does not take appointments, you can just walk into the shop and go up stairs. My boyfriend, while waiting for me, said he saw at least 6 people that came in for Bill.
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at the Chop Shop and I will come again next time to Shannon for adding some color in my hair. We already talked about it, you see?
I paid $ 50. It wasn’t cheap but in my experience, any decent hair designer would minimally charge that much. I gave 5 stars because I think both Shannon and Lisa are very skilled, talented and caring people who made my hair shop experience very enjoyable. The shop itself is really cute with lots of light, friendly people and bright colored walls.
I left looking fabulous and feeling very happy that day. Of course, I got compliments all day long. :D

I feel kind of bad about writing this review, b/​c Lisa was so, so nice, but I think it’s probably important to offer a counterpoint to the massive 5 star ratings for this place, especially since it seems like ppl are talking about coming up from DC to try it?
First off, I really want to say that Lisa is, as everyone says, really amazing. I was instantly at home in her cutting chair, and felt perfectly comfortable in her salon. Maybe too comfortable, b/​c i let her talk me out of what i wanted: one streak of crazy purple, and into what she wanted: all crazy purple on the bottom and dark DARK brown on the top.
in the time i was there, about 3.5 hours or so, she saw about 4 other clients, and i mean, the results showed. there’s no way anyone could have given my hair the attention it needed in that scenario. my color was unbelievably uneven, and i had MAJOR major breakage. In fact, I had to go elsewhere for a color correction and it took 2 weeks to get me presentable and i had to chop off a GOOD 2 inches of (already short) hair.
The cut was a hot mess– full of cowlicks no matter how i parted it– couldn’t wear it strait, couldn’t wear it curly. the texture of my hair completely changed with all that bleaching… i mean, i knew bleaching my hair wasn’t «good» for it, but according to the salon that fixed it, it was done REALLY poorly. they actually gathered and gawked at how effed up my hair was. i also only wanted to bleach a section, not the whole underside… and i mean, my fault, i should have stood my ground.
I must admit, I did not go back to have her correct it and i have no doubt she would have been 100% amenable to that– she gave me no reason to think she wouldn’t be– i just, you know, didn’t want to risk it. Also, when you call, you get a message that says not to leave a message, and after 2 – 3 times of trying to call, i gave up.
Anyway, i would say, for a CUT, she’s probably a really good bet. But for COLOR, i really wouldn’t risk it. Anyone could have a bad day though, and this is just one opinion. But I mean, my hair fell out you guys. That’s not a sign of good things to come.

I have only great things to say about the Chop Shop. Thanks to Unilocal,I’ve found my new salon.
Everything about my experience was positive, starting with finding easy street parking (always a plus). My first stop was with Michelle, the esthetician. She immediately gained my trust as my new brow artist because she totally understood that I didn’t want them any thinner — just neatened. We also did a bikini wax, and I was impressed with her use of hard and soft wax. Highly recommended!
I had a haircut with Lisa, who I absolutely adored. She has such an effortless technique, both laid-​back and professional. I really appreciated that when I explained I was a student (i.e., on a budget) and asked for shampoo recommendations, she suggested some things to look for in drugstore brands. My hair looks fabulous.
Loved all of the staff there, everyone is friendly and down-​to-​earth. Simply stated, it’s no mystery that the Chop Shop is the top rated salon on Unilocal

Lisa Hawks, owner and salonstress of The Chop Shop in Lauraville, is the effin’ beesknees. This woman is God’s gift to hair, humor and style.
I walked into her salon after having my haircut for years and years at big name chain salons, and I was tentative about having this delightful hip mama have at my delicate locks. But I let her do it, because I was looking for a change and my best friend highly recommended her. I sat down in her chair, she offered me coffee, and my life has LITERALLY not been the same since.
Lisa Hawks calls herself the Beehive Queen of Baltimore, and I do not disagree. While my hair is too short for a beehive, a title that fancy and irreverent is a perfect way to describe the experience of a Chop Shop ‘do. She is absolutely hilarious, attentive and creates the best haircuts I’ve ever had. She is reasonably priced, has an organic and informal approach, and cuts your hair according to what it tells her, which is always perfectly suited to your face, your style and your attitude. It is as though the hair gods are guiding her scissors through my hair! I love this woman!
Get yer hair done at the Chop Shop and you’ll never go anywhere else again.