Salon Tru Santa Monica

I was looking for a new person to color my dark brown hair and was reading through Unilocal reviews when I stumbled upon Salon Tru and some reviews on Massimo and how great he is with brown hair, so I made an appointment with him. My biggest gripe of having my hair colored is that it always pulls red. Even at the fanciest salons they can’t seem to get that right, so I was thrilled to see that Massimo really understood my concern and now my hair is a beautiful chocolate brown with no red! I am so happy to have found him! He also happens to be really cool to talk to and really good at hair cuts, which I went back for a couple days later. Love him!

Such an amazing experience. Jean was my hair stylist and she did my hair perfect. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted but I knew I wanted a balayage. At first I was a little nervous but when the color came out it was so pretty! Felt like she knew exactly what I needed for my hair and she was so nice! Definitely coming back for more!

Where to start…
SHORT VERSION
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These guys «get» it.
LONGER VERSION
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PART 1: The mark of an good service provider, regardless of industry, is expectation management. With Tru Salon, they try to do this. And if anything does go amiss — life happens — if you’re comfortable enough to let them know what expectation they didn’t meet, they will make it right. The folks who run Tru know a reputation is only as good as the most recent customer’s experience.
So they will do their part to make you look great, and if you do yours as the client and say what is/isn’t working for you, good things will happen. (But if you sulk and don’t give feedback, don’t expect their best work product. That’s just common sense.)
PART 2: The mark of a excellent stylist is precision. Many can give a short-​hair cut that will look good for 2 weeks, few can cut hair that looks good for 4 weeks. Many can give a cut that looks good with product in it; fewer can give a cut that still «works» right out of the shower.
When I went to Tru, it was to «fix» a recent cut in which another stylist had gone too short. That meant I was giving my Tru stylist (Jackie) much less flexibility than customary. (eg: Instead of giving her a whole head of hair to work with — a whole pallet of colors — I walked in with hair of inconsistent length — and basically asked, «Can you make something out of this?»)
Jackie was able to not only salvage my haircut, but turn it into one which no one would know what it had looked like 45′ earlier. My cut is precise, natural and comfortable. I feel good and confident. (And have even had one unsolicited compliment on the street!)
So with the above mind, yes, I’m looking forward to returning to Tru and again sitting in Jackie’s chair.
And I had nothing but positive interactions with the Tru staff.

I had the worst experience ever! I don’t think the lady who cut my hair knew what she was doing, and the worst part is not even fixable. Very disappointing!

I have been following this Facialist Nicole Hirschman around for years wherever she is working and I’m thrilled she is now in my hood! She is INCREDIBLE! You will not believe how amazing your skin will look when she is finished with you. I wish I could give her ten stars because she deserves them. Do yourself s favor and book an appointment as soon as you can! Man I wish I could come every month — I love her!!! Salon Tru needs to add skin care to their categories so they can do their customers a service of finding her!

Love love love Salon Tru! Ericka does my hair and she’s amazing always mixes up the perfect color for me! She’s down to earth and really concentrates on her work. Have been seeing her since she was an assistant at the salon and she has been just a pleasure to have as my stylist!
Salon Tru is always a great experience, the staff is so friendly and they always offer you something to drink, multiple times in case you get thirsty mid appointment. The owner Michael is often there and he’s so supportive of his staff and always remembers me by name! Will always be a Salon Tru customer.

Cory asked the right questions and much more important he actually listened to what I had to say. I grew up in a family of hair dresser and am kind of spoiled when it comes to my hair cut. I moved to La about 5 years ago and have been salon hopping ever since. Until I met Corey. I liked my first cut but thought maybe it’s a coincidence, the second was even better, just got my third hair cut and absolutely love it again. So now I thought it’s time to wore a review. Great
Cut, super professional and really nice guy. I’ll be back

This review is somewhat about the salon, but mostly about Brittney.
Salon Tru is lovely. Everything is clean, people are nice, service is great — everything one would expect from an upscale place (and actually, their prices are really reasonable for a nice salon).
And then there’s Brittney. When I lived in Chicago, it took me two years to find someone good to cut my hair. It only took me three months to find Brittney and she’s absolutely amazing.
I get a fantastic haircut each and every time. I have some occasionally tricky hair, and she tames it with aplomb. You can also come back for a touch-​up a few weeks after to make sure the unruly parts are staying in line until the next cut.
On top of being a wizard with the scissors, she’s also really nice, interesting, and fun to talk to. Which is pretty important when you sit in a chair with someone for an hour a month.
Bottom line: If you’re ready to move on up from Great Clips and get a spectacular (and consistent) haircut, with someone really cool, go book an appointment with Brittney. You will not be disappointed.

Maybe not so typical in LA, but I’ve always been the typical guy that thinks its absurd to pay anything more than 15 bucks for a mens haircut. Never got great results, but I could live with it and saving the dough was nice.
I had a huge event coming up last week and it had been over a month since my last cut. I wanted something a step up from the norm so I looked up salons in Santa Monica and I’m stoked I found Salon Tru!
Got a killer cut from a really nice hair stylist (forgot her name but will add it as soon as I remember) She didn’t just ask me what I wanted, but also had great advice and opinions on what would look best for me. I really felt like I was in the hands of an expert and she gave me an awesome cut, a more modern style than I would have ever known to have asked for but made all the difference.
Great customer service from the phone to the front desk to the stylists themselves. Discounts if you work in Santa Monica too! Dig it, and well worth paying more than supercuts.

Without a doubt the best hair related experience I have ever had. Brittney has got to be one of the most kind people out there. Even my man bun didn’t throw her. She whisked it off with the dexterity and finesse of a master. All while making me feel incredibly at peace. Tasty tea and good music. Rarely have I looked forward to getting my haircut, but I can honestly say that I do now.

IMPORTANT REVIEW UPDATE
Brittany is still a legend. I think I grew a 6 pack upon leaving. Level of detail game strong. Pinterest picture game on point. BROttanys still got it. Go see her.

Love this place and Brittney is Awesome!
I was looking for a place close to where I live with convenient parking. I saw the great reviews for Salon Tru and kept seeing Brittney mentioned in the reviews. I booked an appointment with her about 3 months ago and I must admit, I was skeptical about seeing someone new for a haircut but I’m glad I did. Guys go see her! She truly cares about her clients and asks a lot of questions which I can appreciate because she wants to get it right. In addition, I really love her suggestions about styling and so does my wife. My hair looks great! The salon is top notch as well.

I wanted to be fair and update my review… as three weeks passed and my short haircut grew, it became more and more what I had wanted when I first went in. It’s hard to read not only someone’s mind, but how their hair behaves on the first meeting. Jean did a great job and the cut has held it’s shape very well… a problem for short hair when you don’t want to get a haircut every four weeks because you’ve grown to look like your pup.
I’ll be back and look forward to seeing Jean again in a few weeks to keep the stylish cut that became fabulous.

GREAT FACIALS!
I haven’t been here for a hair cut, but I go to see Nicole Hirschman for facials.
I’ve been seeing Nicole for over a year and a half now, and she’s done absolute WONDERS on my skin. Before I met Nicole, I had been going from dermatologist to dermatologist (for 10+ years) for breakouts and redness. After my first facial with Nicole, I knew that she was my answer. Her facials are completely customized to whatever your skin needs are. She does it all — microdermabrasion, oxygen treatments, peels, extractions, etc. She tailors each session to what’s happening with your skin. She even suggested a few diet changes (such as reducing my dairy intake). In a couple short months, I noticed significant improvement in my skin, mainly even skin tone and reduced breakouts.
On top of being the best at what she does, she has a huge heart and cares so much about her clients. I could go on and on about how great she is!

Loved it!
I came in today for a color touch up and blow dry with Ericka Zamora. It was my first time and i gotta be honest it was a great experience overall.
Staff: very friendly and professional… everyone i spoke to offered me drinks cappuccino coffee water etc.
Salon: clean modern décor, very clean salon & restrooms
The colorist/​stylist Ericka: awesome! She listened to my concerns and did everything i wanted exactly as i wanted it lol. She was very precise with her technique and the results came out exactly as i wanted (a very light blonde without the brassiness)
I will definitely return to her again. She gave me a delicious scalp massage too while shampooing my hair!
Parking: i parked at the 4^th street parking structure but its even better to park at the library Parking structure right across the street (entry on 7^th) first 30 min free and $ 1 hour after that

I have been going to Brittany for a year and half now, (can’t believe I haven’t written a review yet!) From the first moment you walk in, she really takes her time with the consultation to make sure you’re both on the same page. My hair wasn’t cut or colored the way I liked it at all, (neither did she) but since seeing Brittany, I can honestly say that my hair is healthier, longer and I am finally where I want to be with the color! She is honest, upfront and really makes sure that you don’t leave the salon unless you are absolutely and completely happy with her service. Brittany you saved my hair and you’re a sweetheart! I am a loyal client now :)
My hair is long, processed and can easily get frizzy just for a reference.

Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the nice lady who cut my hair (and the end result was alright), but it was the SLOWEST, most ignorant haircut I ever received in my entire life.
It was a simple man’s haircut, I asked her to take away like half the length of what was currently there all over.
I had to repeat that about 5 – 6 times during the roughly 1,5 HOURS I was sitting there, while she was walking around me, snipping quarter-​inches of a few bundles of my hair here and there, then just looking at it, snipping a little more, looking at it again, maybe brushing through it or adding a bit of water… It was painful to watch. no matter what I said, I think it didn’t make sense to her.
After 80,90 minutes in there I just wanted to leave, not with the haircut I asked for, but at least something.
To top it all off, they charged almost $ 60 for it, which was including a discount (!!!) and no tip yet. It felt like a bad joke.
Obviously my first and last time at this place, at least some other people here at better experiences.

I have an overt fear of visiting a new salon– it’s easily as bad as going to the dentist for other people. There are very few salons (less than 5!) I’ve ever felt comfortable setting foot into– and in Santa Monica, it’s the one and only Salon Tru.
I went in on a Sunday morning for a trim, layer, and style with the odd request that it hold for at least 6 hours because my engagement photo shoot wasn’t until much later in the day. I was given an honest opinion about everything. I couldn’t have asked for more.
In the wise words of The Terminator, «I’ll be back!»

Let me start with letting you all know that Massimo is fantastic, FAN.TAS.TIC. Like seriously. No joke.
I have wasted so much money at Salon DNA, Alexander’s Salon giving them a try a bunch of times thinking they’d fix their mistakes. But sucks that nothing much has changed, my hair color remained looking brassy copper/​yellow. I decided to go light ashy brown color. And Massimo did exactly what I wanted. He is professional, awesome and filled with years of hair stylist experience. My hair is gorgeous now yall! It looks so natural and healthy. Overall the salon is pretty sweet. Thank you Massimo.

I decided to try this place out because a lady had approached me with an irresistible salon package. I was kind of hesitant to purchase, but I’m glad I did! This salon is located near Third Street Promenade, super close to Philz Coffee. You can street park or park in the nearby parking lots.
As soon as I got in, it was VIP treatment from then on. Amazing customer service. They offered me a drink while I waited, but I didn’t have to wait long. I was introduced to Jackie, and she was the sweetest. Very down to earth and has a lot of experience! She gave my hair a wash, cut, and a blow out. I couldn’t tell what my hair cut looked like since she curled it and made it look super nice, but when I washed out the curls, she didn’t really thin the bottom so it looks a little clumpy. Besides that, I loved all the products that they used. Everything smelled wonderful. And in the middle of my cut, I was offered some sparkling wine. which I gladly accepted!
I had a very relaxing time and I’m looking forward to going there again.
TAKEAWAYS
+ Get ready to get pampered!
+ 20% off for SM employees