Panda Room

It’s taken me days to even be able to write this constructively. I’m devastated by the cut given to my 18 month son this past weekend. I asked for a trim of the bangs and for it to be cleaned up. she proceeded to remove ALL his baby curls and gave him the most lop sided short cut imaginable. I’m sick over it. While you can say it’s hair and it will grow back we all know those baby curls don’t! I hope anyone reading this will make sure they are very careful when considering how their son or daughters hair is cut here. Ive only given this a star bc you have to give a star to comment. It’s deserves nothing.

We’ve been taking our son to Panda Room since he was about 8 months old. His hair is thick and grows really fast, so I’ve lost count of how many haircuts we’ve had in his old age of 3.5 (probably 20+?). We always request Kim, who is friendly as ever, and does such an expert job of trimming our son’s locks. If you are anything like me, when you find someone who does a consistently great job, you latch onto them for dear life. While we haven’t gone to any of the other stylists, I will say that I always see very satisfied customers. Always looking forward to spending a half hour or so at Panda Room. In fact, we are headed there again on Saturday. Keep up the great job, guys!

My 8-​yr old son has been here for the past 3 years. Since I’m not the one who takes him I can only comment on the actual results — the haircuts themselves.
Observations? Well approximately 1 in 5 cuts are well done — the remainder are a mixture of too short at the crown (sticking up), short all over with longer straight bangs up front, or an over-​ambitious run with the thinning shears…
Every cut looks different and even my son complains that often the stylist does not listen to him. I’ll never take him there, but then again his mom doesn’t ask either of us!

Our family loves the Panda Room! We live in SF and always make the drive to Corte Madera because this is such a great place and so worth going the extra mile for (literally). Until most recently, my 3-​year old son was a huge screamer who detested getting his hair cut and the «bedside manner» of the stylists at Panda Room is second to none. That makes all the difference in the world. They are sweet, understanding, and really good at what they do, delivering good haircuts to nervous/​scared toddlers (and their anxious parents) done quickly (Kimberly is our favorite stylist — she’s so good). Every haircut my son has done at the Panda Room been good — I’d recommend being specific as to what you want for your child. They have lollipops as rewards too — nice touch. As a fun side bonus, there is an excellent park just down the road from Panda Room. A lollipop and a great park after a haircut always make for a happy toddler. :)

Be careful going here. The day after my daughter had a haircut at the Panda Room, my daughter was itching like crazy and the second day her scalp was extremely red with the level of itchiness increasing. I had her checked on the third day and sure enough it was lice like I suspected. We had her treated for 2 weeks by a professional along with treatments at home. I will never ever go back to this salon. It was a nightmare!

Huge fan of the Panda Room! The staff here is incredibly talented, able to work with hair of all types and, perhaps equally important, children of all ages and personalities. Simple, straightforward style. Checks or cash, $ 23 and you leave smiling. If you’re really lucky, you also get a lollipop! Shout out to Kelly, our favorite stylist! Can’t tell you how delighted we are to be Panda Room customers!

We did a search for children’s hair cut places and this was one location that was closest to us.
It was my daughter’s first professional hair cut as I was able to do trims prior.
Making an appontment was easy, but the welcoming we got was horrible.
The hairdresser behind the desk had the worst attitude. My husband, daughter, 7lb yorkie (Dog), and I entered carrying my dog.
She stated to me «Oh dogs are not allowed, I am allergic and it is also illegal to bring dogs in here.» (She stated this with such attitude and plain rudeness I was so confused.)
I said no problem, I will wait outside.
She then said, well if you hold it the whole time bring it in. (As she rolled her eyes at me.)
So I said ok.
Then she said Yeah like last week this lady brought a dog in put it down and it peed.
Our actual hair stylist Naomi greeted us and she was so warm and embarrassed for us

I want to like it, I really do because my son loves this place, but have not had a good haircut, every time we leave and I just swear I will never give into my son’s pleas again to go back. It really is nothing more than a super cuts with toys. The gals who work there are so nice, they just do not know how to cut hair.

Horrible experience and we will never go back.
This was our second time to the Panda Room. The first time was not great, but not awful so we tried again. I wish we hadn’t.
The «stylist» was verty rude and unkind to my 2 year old son. He is scared of haircuts and was doing his best to sit still and not cry. She kept saying things like «If you squirm it will just take longer.» While this may be true, it does not make it easier for the 2 year old. She also stopped in the middle of the cut to answer the phone, and then again to help some people who walked in and wanted to make an appointment. There was another stylist working on an older child who could have done these tasks. Her diversions made what should have been a 10 minute experience last 20 minutes.
My son lost it at the end and started crying. The stylist offered him a lollypop without asking me if that was ok. She told me I was standing in her way (trying to distract my son with books and toys) even though I was standing exactly where she had told me to stand.
Then when we got home I found a scissor-​blade shaped cut on my son’s neck, just under his ear.
It is an afterthought that the haircut is not even good. It’s all jagged on top and scraggly around the neck and ears.
I wish I had just walked out. We will not go back. It’s worth the extra few minutes in the car to go up to children’s Hair club in Terra Linda. Eddie is fast and nice to kids.

My son loves getting his hair cut at Panda room. We found Xia, who just kills it with my son’s hair. The stylists are so skilled at cutting children’s hair, which makes such a big difference. His hair always looks awesome when he gets it cut (which grows like a weed).

We just took my two-​year-​old daughter for her first professional (non-​mommy administered) haircut. She is a very active and determined little girl who doesn’t love to have her hair combed, so she was NOT the easiest client in the salon. The stylist who cut her hair did a great job of sizing my daughter up and deciding the best approach for cutting her hair. The stylist advised me sitting in the chair and holding my daughter in my lap and she worked very quickly, trimming up long curls in the back and straightening and neatening up bangs in the front. It helped that she gave my daughter a huge lollipop, but still the stylist only had a few good minutes to work with and I think the results look great! The stylist was really patient when my daughter squirmed and she kept trying new things to distract her when my daughter would try to break free. Honestly, it was $ 23 well spent and we will definitely go back for the next haircut, which hopefully will be easier for all involved. The thing to keep in mind is that every child is different and these stylists have to deal with a lot of different kinds of kids. There was a three-​year-​old sitting in the chair next to us who sat there very seriously and calmly, so that stylist had 20 or 30 minutes to work with. Our poor stylist had about 5 to 7 minutes to work with — a much bigger challenge, but I would say she rose to the occasion!

My son is 2 years old and we have been bringing him here since his second haircut ever. After just having an «ok» experience with his first haircut at a different salon, we decided to give this place a shot and got very lucky to get the BEST hairdresser in the salon to cut my son’s hair. Her name is Naomi and she is amazing! my son clicked with her immediately as she has a wonderful energy about her that’s calming to children, not to mention she gives beautiful haircuts. She is only there a couple days a week and is always booked in advance and for good reason. I highly recommend giving this salon and specifically her a shot. It is a clean and friendly environment and they are always on time, which is very valuable when you have a feisty toddler! ;)

Pros-​I was able to get a sunday appointment and they did cut my sons hair.
Cons– The haircutter knew that it was my sons first time a Panda Room and second haircut. The three haircutters on staff were more concerned about talking amongst themselves than their little clients or the parent. The haircutter nicked my son and seemed very unconcerned or worried about it. His haircut was crooked.
I guess this place would be ok in a pinch for some people, but not for me.

We’ve been going here for a couple years now — taking both our boys for their haircuts and we LOVE Carolyn. I first thought cutting my kid’s hair would be impossible, but she is an absolute pro — making it fun for them and even for the parents too. I’ve always thought she does a terrific job. A lot of the reviews complain about rudeness and such… I’ve seen a touch of that at times (maybe a little lackluster in the overall customer service now and then), but people come in without appointments and they come in late and the place is very busy. Panda Room is just doing their best to accommodate everyone in a timely manner. Overall — I’d highly recommend. Panda Room haircuts have always been a totally positive, looked-​forward to event for us. And they make a big deal out of a child’s first haircut — polaroid, certificate, sweetness — the works. It’s a great place! Good play area too.

I keep giving this place another shot… and another… and another. I have to admit, they do seem to find a way to crowbar you in when you don’t have an appointment and that works really well for me. There is also a nice little play castle for the siblings to play in while waiting for their turn. There’s your two-​stars.
We have received ONE great set of haircuts in the 8 or so times we have been. The others have been mediocre variants of bowl-​esque (I call it the Frankenstein) non textured horribleness. The trick is to push the hair slightly to the side when you are done cutting (especially while it is still a bit wet); that way, it looks… decent. I provide direction and input at the start of the cut. I don’t just hope for the best.
Anyway, the last cut for my youngest was the final straw. For the next week, all I could do was apologize to him when I saw him. Classic Frankenstein with some sort of exploding chrysanthemum sprouting from the crown. I took him to Mil Vali with a sort-​of «please help fix this» look… the stylist was a bit shocked and confirmed they had cut his hair way too short at the very top resulting in the explosive flora look. She fixed up the bangs and did what she could with the top. We just need to wait for it to grow out now.
Panda Room… we are finished. Oh, and you Carolyn… never again.

Great place for a kids haircut, bring cash or check. Kids love the play area while they wait. Make an appointment this place can be busy.

We have been taking our, now 6 year old, son here since early on in his life and we absolutely love Carolyn. She is good and FAST, two qualities essential in a children’s hair dresser.

The Panda Room is awesome we are glad we listened to our friends advice. We just got back from our 18month olds boy’s first ever haircut and we had a great experience! Not only does he look cuter than he did before but the price was very reasonable. Kim our hairstylist used a variety of different strategies to keep our little one distracted and happy while getting a haircut.
We definitely recommend this place to anyone with kids. You even get a commemorative certificate with a picture and little snippet of hair :)

I was mixed about trying the Panda Room from the wide range of reviews. Since they had some positive reviews as well, I thought I would give it a try.
Unfortunately, we had a terrible experience at the Panda Room. My daughter was so excited to get her hair cut, but the stylist was so incredibly rude, we left within 5 minutes.
When we walked in, the place was completely empty. The stylist looked at the clock and then very rudely said she would take us. Then she asked for my daughter’s name. She didn’t hear me the first time, so she asked again. I began to spell it for her, and she snapped at me, «I know how to spell it!» (She actually spelled it wrong, but I didn’t say anything.) Her rudeness continued until finally I told her she was being very rude. She became very defensive saying that it was me not her. She then looked at me and said, «Are we going to do this or not?» I told her no and took my daughter out.
My daughter was very disappointed since she was looking forward to a haircut. She asked me what was going on. I told her we were leaving since the woman wasn’t being very nice. The stylist then yells at me, «Don’t tell her that!» Not only was she incredibly rude and defensive, she even had the nerve to tell me how I communicate with my daughter.
The worst part about this experience is the disappointment for my daughter. The owners really need to remember that they need to hire people who like their jobs, like interacting with the public and remember how getting a haircut is a special experience for kids.

My son’s haircut at Panda Room last month was quick, and expertly done. My son also enjoyed the fun play area at the Panda Room. The poor guy had a bad haircutting experience about a month before he went to the Panda Room at The Ranch in San Anselmo – I actually contacted the Board of Cosmetology because the barber at The Ranch cut my son’s neck and had a very dirty shop.
My son enjoyed his time at the Panda Room, so fortunately he was not scared of haircuts after The Ranch experience. The hair-​cutter at the Panda Room also fixed all of the bad layers that the barber at The Ranch had added to my son’s hair. My son has received so many compliments on his haircut from the Panda Room. We are trying the Panda Room in Novato soon too.