AlphaMale

Ha… I walked by today and they are closed. Jee, I wonder why. It looks like some kooks in SD are going to need to look for a new place to get there hair «styled».

Im a fan of any place i could have a good convo with a hot chick whilst sipping on a frosty bevy. The actual cut took a while but i’ve been told that my hair is a pain in the keester. Just go, it’s more than a haircut, it’s and experience.

Just had my haircut by Princess who is the BOMB
the place is classy, girls are great and service impecable!
Thanks Princess!

As part of my Christmas gift my oldest friend brought me in for a shave… First, the music made me feel like I was in some tinny bopper club with the new-​age RB playing too loud.
Next, the staff was unprofessional by focusing more on their internal banter than on providing an enjoyable experience and with only one «professional» on staff to shave was very inconvenient.
Next, the lady that was shaving me commented «I don’t know why men don’t get more nervous when I’m shaving their necks…» This did not set well with me.
Next, she asked why I wasn’t wearing something more casual than my usual business casual. Sorry if I’m overdressed for a shave lady…
Finally, she butchered me. My face had one decent cut under my lip and my chin and neck was pot marked with blood from smaller cuts. So rather than apologizing for a horrible shave she asked «do you normally have a hard time shaving.»
Rather than embarrass my friend, who knows my taste and that I would enjoy an old fashion shave, by complaining about all this we simply paid and left.
I don’t know about any of their other services but if your in the market for an old fashion shave in a refined setting this is NOT the place.

Unfortunately, I had a horrific experience here — they DO NOT cater to women and I was referred here by a spa that went out of business so I thought I’d check it out!
They did not greet me and the woman who did my facial had a bad attitude and I could NOT get comfortable.
After various messages to the owner, I never received a phone call back and really wanted to give them another chance to make up for my experience, but they would not allow such an opportunity since they chose to ignore me instead.
I do NOT recommend this place. Plus, there is metered parking, so it’s very inconvenient.
I HIGHLY recommend Indigo Hair and Spa in Hillcrest instead! Check ‘em out, very friendly staff and they have a parking lot.

My hair was recently longer than it has been in the last 10 years of my life. It was starting to get pretty darn shaggy so something needed to happen. After hearing about this place from others I was sold on checking it out for the shear fat that you get to watch Sportcenter and drink alcohol while getting styled.
This place was awesome! I’m probably the last person in San Diego who would ever really consider spending more than 20 bucks on a men’s haircut, but that’s not all your getting here.
Besides a great trim, they have a full bar and a TV to watch while getting cut. It was only about 10 am when I visited, but I decided that it was 5 oclock somewhere and went with a brew. When the cut was all done they took a hot towel and put it over my face for ultimate relaxation. I was very close to falling asleep.
It was 40 bones for a haircut, but comparatively I’d say it’s a better deal than most considering all of the amenities. They apparently do shaves here as well which I’ll have to put on my to-​do list for the future.
All in all, it was a great experience. I will visit again soon.

Can’t argue with starting the experience with a cocktail. They have a cozy nook with sundry periodicals and some TVs to relax with. The appointment times aren’t hard, but when you have a drink in hand, it’s no problem.
All the people who work here are super nice. Think Hooters, but with the girls wearing much more clothing.
The hot shave was pretty cool. It doesn’t feel good during, but I’ve never had such a smooth face. The haircut was a little rushed, but not too shabby.
The experience is not cheap, but I had 5 cocktails so that’s like $ 25 off the tab. Worth a try if you don’t mind the splurge.

What a great place. As a new guy in town I am glad to have found a place where I can get such a good haircut, and have a great experience at the same time. I got hooked up with Amanda (the redhead) there, and she did a great job on my hair, and I even got a beer and watched SportsCenter at the same time. Throw in the scalp massage, a warm towel treatment for your face and it’s an experience I look forward to every few weeks. Quit complaining about a $ 40.00 haircut, this ain’t no ordinary barber shop. My wife made me get my eyebrows waxed for a wedding we’re going to, and Crystal was awesome… didn’t hurt and my wife says it looks great.

Some ham & eggers would have you believe that this is an over priced haircut. Any discriminating gentleman knows that you get what you pay for. I will be a regular, and would recommend it to most.

Great place for a guy to get a haircut. Excellent stylists, friendly staff, and a great environment. I used to dread going to get my haircut, but now I can honestly say it’s something I look forward to. Highly recommended.

Kim rocks!
I’ve gone to a few places around town, none as nice, comfortable, or as good.
I was a walk-​in, no appointment, parked at Horton and walked over. The place is very nice inside, drinks are served, black leather waiting chairs are comfortable with three large LCDs showing a variety of channels. The wait was about 2 minutes, awesome!
Kim escorts me to her chair, and moves a table over for my drink, very accommodating, with a personal LCD TV, and hands me the remote control.
We discuss what I want done, and let her go to town. She snipped away for a good 15 minutes, shaping, texturing, etc. Then she lowers me down, (in the same electronic chair, no walking), for a shampoo, complete with warm towels over my face and eyes, and an awesome scalp massage that seemed to go on for nice long minutes, as I sink into a very, very relaxed state.
She removes the towel, and I ask if nap time is over… she says no. A conditioner is massaged in, then a scalp brush is used — she tells me it’s her fingernails, which I almost believed, it felt even better.
A rinse, and shaved the back of my neck nice and smooth, used a gentle aftershave, then styled up using some product, and asked me what I thought. Mirrors all around so no little hand mirror here. It looked great!
She has a great personality, very down to Earth, funny, and kept me smiling, both during the visit and afterwards with the compliments on my hair as well. It was $ 40 flat, and I gave her a $ 20 as a tip. Touch-​up cuts are just $ 20.
Kim is highly recommended. AlphaMale is highly recommended, too. ;-)
Tell them Downtown Rob sent you!

For some strange reason, my other review is missing from the site and I have no idea why. In any case, here’s the scoop in my opinion. I have been to Alpha male 3 times now so I think I have a pretty broad view of the experience. My first visit was not a good experience but it was all about the stylist who gave me a horrible haircut and just wasn’t friendly at all. The second and third times were very good experiences and I will definitely go back.
The ambience of the place is great, the concept is unique and it seems like they are finally starting to implement what they had in mind when they opened the place. The last two times I had my haircut there, it was done well and my stylists were not only adept but friendly. Getting a drink when you walk in the door is a nice touch and the tv’s and entire atmosphere are pretty cool.
I have read the reviews on here and I even spoke to the owner who figured out that I wrote a previous review. If someone is on the fence about trying out Alpha Male, I would recommend giving it a try. Like I said, the stylist is a HUGE factor of whether or not the experience and cut is a good one and I think they have some good ones there now. New businesses always have kinks to work out and I think they are well on their way to being an excellent option in downtown San Diego.
Now if I could only convince them to put a sign outside saying the name of the place!!! I can’t tell you how many people I have driven by their location on Front St., looked in the window and asked me, «What is the name of that place?» They have the Alpha Male symbol outside but a lot of people don’t know that symbol. You would have no clue what the name of the place is because it is not displayed anywhere outside I can see and it’s a shame because they get so much traffic outside the place that I guarantee they are losing business. Oh well… now that you know about it, I would definitely give them a shot.

worst haircut i’ve ever had, never will go their again, and the only reason i went was cause i had a give-​card. It is nice in the barbershop, but worst haircut ever, i have gotten haircuts from people who are just starting at haircut school whoa re far better.

This space is very cool looking… and the haircuts and all might be good, but DO NOT GET THE SHAVE! A prepubescent myopic freshman with Parkinson’s could do better. The shave misses complete swatches of hair on my face and neck, and resulted in 3 of the deepest «nicks» — more like gashes — I ever had from a shave, which didn’t even warrant a «sorry about that» from the highly incompetent barber (a man whose name I forgot but had just started at the salon the week before and claimed a decade of experience). Insult to injury — I thought the owner must have been joking when I paid and she said, «your shave looks good.» Seriously, the worst $ 40 I ever spent on myself

Nice people, but this is one of the bigger marketing gimmicks I’ve experienced in a while. Think Supercuts with a drink and TV. Very suspect as to the quality of the stylists. Like John P., I wanted to like this place but there’s no way I will trust my hair to AlphaMale again.

Ron, you sound like a bitter old man who isn’t open to change. I have gone to Alpha a couple times now to get my hair cut. I have found everyone there to be very personable, and even joke around with you a little.
The small plasmas allow you to watch whatever you want while getting your haircut and enjoying a nice cold beverage. I have used Sara the couple times I have gone and she is great! I have gotten multiple compliments on my hair after leaving the salon. It is definitely not your supercuts or anythign like that, but then again, who wants to get their hair butchered?

Went today for the first (and last) time because I needed a haircut badly, Lefty’s wasn’t open yet and I was in a hurry. Huge mistake. Yes, they have personal HDTV’s, bar service and private stations with heated plush black leather massage chairs. The girl who cut my hair was indeed cute and very pleasant. She was also absolutely skillless.
If pretension is your thing, you’ll love this place. However, if a good haircut is the object of your visit, seek service elsewhere. I suspect the amenities are provided in an attempt to draw your attention away from the fact that you are getting a horrible haircut. Trust me, she is no barber, and I suspect none of the other employees there are either. I’d put good money on her being no more than 4 weeks separated from a local Supercuts or some such abomination.
Even at the worst strip mall establishments that litter the San Diego area, I can’t remember a time in the last 13 years when I’ve asked a ‘stylist’ to try again. The cavern-​like lighting in there is so bad that upon completion of her first attempt I had to get out of the chair and nearly press my face to the mirror to see the damage. The dim décor isn’t to enhance the trendy ambiance, its to camouflage ineptitude. Mine is the easiest head of hair to cut on the planet, prototypical male. 1.5 on the sides, trim the top, straight back over the ears and block the back. It took her 3 tries and I still walked out looking worse than I did when I walked in. When I left it was past 11, and although Lefty’s was open, I couldn’t bring myself to sit in his chair and admit my guilt. I’m stuck with it for two weeks.
You want ambiance? Go to the Del. You want to be served by cute girls? There’s a Hooters right down the street. You want a quality haircut by a skilled, competent, professional barber? Go to Lefty’s. I should have taken the complimentary drink they offered upon my entry, it might have numbed the pain. Thank God I didn’t ask for a shave as well. I would likely be typing this from a hospital bed.
I do take solace in the fact that whoever owns that heap is paying a small fortune in overhead. Their only hope for survival is to prey upon unsuspecting tourists, or perhaps the mentally ill. Personally, I think they’re doomed. Good riddance.