Salon Mario Russo

I have been coming to see Violet for over 10 years at the Newbury St. Salon and even though I have moved hours away I still make trips to Boston for Mario Russo because I won’t let anyone else do my hair. The customer service is great, and they always try to accommodate me, even if it is last minute. Violet gives the best blow outs, cuts and styling, Monica and Ini are amazing colorists, but you can’t go wrong with anyone there!

I had a very unfortunate mishap at another salon, where my request for a stylish lob (long bob) was executed into a chin-​length hack-​job (think bowl cut with blunt edges but longer in the back). I was so traumatized I never wanted to return there. Hence, I made an appointment at Salon Mario Russo after doing some research.
My stylist, Hunter, was able to correct the atrocity that had happened to my hair (without taking off more length per my request — except in the back where it was disturbingly longer). She asked how I styled my hair (I blow dry it to add volume and then use a flat iron at the ends — my hair likes to flare out) and she did this after my cut to make sure my hair looked the way I wanted it to based on my routine. My bowl cut was transformed into a sleek bob reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s/Katie Holmes’ sans bangs. Thanks Hunter! My only regret is that I didn’t come to Salon Mario Russo first!
Note: Cash (or check) only for tip! Also, the location is a little hidden — you’ll notice an unassuming door in between restaurants and other businesses. As soon as you enter 9 Newbury, you’ll need to take the elevators up to the salon. I believe Hunter typically works at the other Salon Mario Russo location (which was under construction at the time of my appointment last week).
I’ll be returning for my next cut and blowout!

I had made an appointment at another salon months in advance.
Due to the snow, I had to cancel my appointment at the other salon. My mom happened to have an appointment at Mario Russo the following day, so I called to see if they could squeeze me in at the last second.
I miraculously was able to make an appointment with Charlotte and Ini the next day!
Ini is an astoundingly talented colorist. She brought my dull, flat hair to a beautiful, summery blonde. She is so meticulous: she spent so much time making sure every little strand of hair was foiled, to give the color depth and make it look natural. Her attention to detail and dedication to giving me the most beautiful color of my life is incredible. Call and book an appointment with Ini NOW! You will love your hair!
Charlotte gave me a great cut. She and Ini both listened to what I wanted and I feel like I look even better than the photo I showed them of my ideal look. I wanted to cry when it was all done because I had never felt so beautiful.
Everyone was so accommodating and welcoming. I felt so pampered. Props to Michelle as well for always making my visits to Mario Russo very pleasant. You ladies all deserve raises.
It’s only been a week since I went in, but I have received countless compliments on my hair.
Thank you, Ini and Charlotte!

Ini and Hunter are the best team! Hunter gives the most fabulous cut and blowout. I wanted my hair highlighted (for the first time) and I was referred to Ini. Ini explained what would look nice in my hair and reviewed the entire process with me. She is a true artist and really understands color… Ini painted a caramel balayage in my brunette hair and ended up looking completely natural, as if it was from the sun! Exactly what I wanted. Hunter and Ini are incredibly talented, they take their time and listen to what the customer wants. I am already looking forward to my next cut & color!

I have been seeing Julie for over 10 years now. I have changed my color from a dark chocolate brown to completely platinum, and EVERYTHING in between. Without fail Julie has always managed to create beautiful healthy and vibrant styles that I love and always receive compliments on. My hair has never been damaged or compromised from changing the color. She always gives me suggestions on what to alter or what colors and tones are going to look the best with my coloring and face shape. Every time I leave the salon I feel beautiful and refreshed. I would never trust anyone else!

Excellent salon on Newberry Street. Jonathan Demar is fantastic for both color and cut. I would highly recommend an appointment with him. He is down to earth makes the appointment enjoyable. The front staff is fantastic and attentive to needs. Definitely a place to visit.

Maria Lisa is just the VERY BEST in Boston. Form the moment she greets you until the good bye she is such a delight. She is the best colorist I have ever experienced. She just has the magic touch! She works at the Newbury Street location as well as at Fan Pier so she is easy to reach from all areas of the city and surrounding areas. The staff is very friendly and the salon is beautiful.
I highly recommend Maria Lisa. You will not be disappointed!

How do you do less than one star? I saw this place in some magazine saying how wonderful it was. Not the case. The receptionist Rachel was completly rude. She hung up on me multiple times, and did not confirm the cancellation policy. She also failed to confirm my appointment because she didnt even make it. Her overall attitude was disreapectful and very poor, the fact that she hung up on me 2 times was outrageous. And when I did call, I was told by Jeffrey she was a «bright shining star» which was a complete lie because I could hear whispers on the recieving end, & his lies made it more0 uncomfortable for me. Just made me not want to go there period.

Jonathan Demar is a fabulous colorist! I always leave the salon looking beautiful and feeling refreshed. The results are consistently excellent. He works quickly and efficiently and is always on time! Jonathan is very professional but upbeat and fun. It’s truly a pleasure to spend a couple of hours with him. I often get compliments on his work.

It was my first time there! Monika took care of me. She did an amazing job. My hair was so bad before but for her I don’t think it matters. Give her whatever hair to make it look healthier and prettier. Even the rest of the people were very nice. If you go there I highly recommend Monika. She is an expert.

This salon is the BEST. Wonderful customer service, very attentive staff, and professional hairdressers who have been in the business for years. Monica is one of the best there. As a blonde, I always worry that a stylist is going to go too bright or too yellow but the color she does always comes out perfect! Highly recommended and worth the money.

Gio is by far and away the best hairdresser out there!!! I followed him from I Soci and I would follow him wherever he goes. He has an innate sense of what will work and he is always right. If Gio cuts your hair you will love it!

I can’t say enough good things about Salon Mario Russo. I’ve been going there for about a year now and absolutely adore Tatiana! I feel like she really understands my hair and I always leave loving the cut. An added bonus is that her cuts look even better in month 2 and 3. This isn’t to say that it doesn’t look good right after, but I prefer my hair to have a more grown out look. I also get it cut only 4 times a year so having it look good in month 3 is pretty important!
The only downside is the price. Junior stylists start at $ 70. However, since I only get my hair cut 4 times a year, I’m willing to pay $ 100, which is how much it usually costs between cuts, washes, styling and tip. Well worth it, however.
UPDATE
Tatiana has since left Mario Russo, though I think she’s coming back in a year or so. Anyway, before i left, her prices went up by $ 10. With her gone, I’m not exactly sure I’d recommend the place, which is why I’m dropping my review to 3 stars.

After a little over a year of living abroad and letting my hair run wild, I desperately needed a good stylist to rescue me! Jesse B. is a new stylist at Mario Russo and he did a great job of listening to me and executing the clean, layered look that I wanted. Would definitely recommend him!

Horrible, no good, very bad blowout. I came here with a girlfriend for a blow out at their blow dry bar before a wedding… we only rolled the dice because both Blo and Drybar would booked solid.
What a mistake.
I showed the woman who did my hair a pic of my dress and asked for a recommendation. She didn’t have one really, so I said well, what about a fancy ponytail or something similar since it’s windy out? She confirmed that would work with the dress and my hair and got to drying. I went about my business for a bit then looked up and saw a HOT mess on the side of my head. When I tried to tell her about the things I didn’t like and she tried to fix it, it just made it worse. Hair sticking up and just a yikes situation in general. Finally I had to stop her and say, «This clearly isn’t working. Can you please just take the ponytail out and give it some more volume?»
Her reply: «Your hair has too many layers for this hairstyle.»
LADY, you’re a freaking hairdresser at a swishy salon on Newbury Street. Are you telling me you didn’t know layered hair wouldn’t work like this before you started? JESUS.
Anyway, so she takes the hair down and looks and me and says, «well, what do you want me to do now?»
FOR REAL?!?
At that point I was already late to get home and get dressed/​do my make up and she clearly didn’t feel like fixing the hot mess on my head so I told her to just leave it and left.
NEVER AGAIN. Not only did she eff up my hair royally, she didn’t even try to fix it to make me happy.
Mario Russo, thanks for reminding me why I stopped going to Newbury Street salons in 2006.
**NOTE: There were a few great things about this salon that I want to mention; not even they however can save this star rating because the chick who did my hair was so horrible:
1. The receptionists were super friendly.
2. The salon uses Oribe products which I love.
3. The person who washed my hair was AMAZING. I loved her. I wish she was at my normal hair place in the South End (they don’t do blow outs or else, clearly, I would have gone there). **

If you are in search of a great haircut, look no further than Lance at Mario Russo. I was in desperate need of a haircut and had recently read that Improper Bostonian named him the Best Men’s Haircut in town. I decided to give him a try and I was NOT disappointed. Lance is incredibly charming and friendly and has a great sense of humor. He took his time in figuring out exactly what I wanted before diving in and putting his skills to work. He made sure that not a single stray hair was poking out and that everything was perfect before saying the cut was done. Best of all? I went out right after and not a single piece of cut hair could be found. Maybe it’s the little things in life, but I’m so used to getting a haircut where I have to go home and shower after otherwise those little strays will cause me to itch. It was a nice change. On top of the wonderful experience, I’ve had MANY compliments on my hair. I can see why he was named the best in Boston!

The rudest receptionist at any salon on Newbury Street, and that’s saying something – what a horrid woman! Never would go back – other good stylists on Newbury at salons where the unwelcoming Serlina is not at the front desk! Mario, if you read these reviews, find a more hospitable person to make a first impression.

I recently made a trip to this salon during one of their cutting classes. Being a hair model is one of my favorite things as the cuts are usually free and top notch. It is a longer process as your stylist checks in with the instructor, but it is totally worth it.
I had Yvette and received a graduated bob. She was absolutely fabulous. She told me the products she was using for shampoo/​condition. Gave an amazing scalp/​neck massage. During the cut consultation she explained exactly what she would be doing and where the length would be. During the cut she was friendly and didn’t complain when I kept moving my head. The blow dry/​flat iron was done quickly and it kept. My hair usually has a mind of its own and the blow out falls. I absolutely love my new cut and loved the attention I received from both her and her instructor.
The staff overall were friendly and the vibe in the salon was positive. I will definitely be a paying customer in the future. This salon and most on Newbury do their classes on Tuesdays. Look on Craigslist and you will find a stylist looking for a model. It really is an awesome opportunity if you’re on a budget/​want to try out a salon with no monetary risk.

I’ve been seeing Rossanne Lopez for over 7 year at Mario Russo. She is an amazing colorist and her cuts are superb. Rossanne has perfected getting my hair to the blond I love. It’s never brassy and she colors it so the grow out isn’t harsh. When she cuts my hair we go in with a plan and she always finds a way to get my personality to radiate. It is really important to her that your hair is healthy she won’t let you color it in a way that will damage it.
I saw her at her new salon today and I am beaming. I love my new cut color. You can find her now across the street at I SOCI Salon 8 Newbury St. Boston 617−867−9484
I can not say enough great things about Rossanne she is AWESOME!!!

I highly recommend «LEAH» at Salon Mario Russo for a FABULOUS CUT FOR LONG HAIR! I wasn’t sure what I wanted done, and she confidently made suggestions that worked well with my face. Her relaxed and social demeanor made her easy to talk to, so I had no problems speaking my mind, AND she didn’t seem to mind a bit when I asked her to ‘cut a little more to frame my face,’ after she was done cutting.
1. She was relaxed and social… no attitude.
2. She left plenty of time to cut my long hair AND blow it out.
3. BONUS: She shared hair & eyebrow tips with me.
I will definitely go back to LEAH, and suggest her to friends!