Bristle Salon

Found Marilyn via Groupon and so glad I did. Was nervous about sugaring but she is a pro and makes you at ease the whole process. Her facials are fantastic! Give her a try!

Let me start off by saying I’ve been getting traditional Brazilian waxes for five years. But I had a friend recommend sugaring, so I bought a Groupon for 3 sugaring sessions with Marilyn. I’ve only had one session, but it was fantastic!
The pain level is slightly less, but what I love most is that I’m not red and irritated afterwards. Marilyn also does a great job of making sure I know how to take care of my skin and she clearly knows what she is doing. Highly recommended!

Marilyn is really nice and takes good care of her clients. I bought a groupon for 3 Brazilian sugarings, but without the groupon she only charges 40 $ which is super cheap! She even gives student discounts! She also makes the process easy to manage! It barely hurts. She told me she was a perfectionist and she proved that!
I’ve gone to 5 or so other places to get waxed and Marilyn is by far the best I’ve ever had. And it was sugaring which is a plus!
I would love to come back!
Not only is she very good at her job, she’s also a sweetheart. Someone definitely worth going to!

I had been going to my hairstylist Megan for years and she is the best but finally had to stop going to her after she switched to this salon. Over the year, they have messed up my appointments on a number of occasions. (Booking me twice in the same week; canceling an appointment and forgetting to write in the new date; etc) I am not sure why they have an answering machine if they don’t listen to the messages or relay them to their stylists.
I now go to East of Bali and have been told that they have other clients that left Bristles due to the same issues.

This review is for Marilyn, who was brought to me by the grace of god through a Groupon. The Groupon deal is an unbelievably good value on its own but after experiencing Marilyn’s waxing skills, I thought it was a goddamn steal. $ 44 for 3 sugaring Brazilians ($ 14.67 each).
I’ve tried 10~ other waxing places and Marilyn is definitely the most THOROUGH I’ve ever been to, along with being quite personable and accommodating. The salon itself is super cute and her room in the back is well-​decorated. The original price of her Brazilian sugaring is $ 40 (cheap already compared to other sugaring services which are not as thorough) and she gives a student discount price of $ 30. SO WORTH THE PRICE. First she does a quick, efficient wax, then takes tweezers and takes care of any stragglers/​ingrowns, and afterwards puts on some after-​care solution. I’m prone to ingrowns and Marilyn is a freakin pro at making them come out. I’ve seriously never seen anyone as good as her when it comes to this aspect.
She gives me great info on after-​care, battling ingrowns, and even directed me to an awesome thrift shop for Halloween costumes. So awesome!
I’ve made appointments with her by both phone and text, and while she doesn’t always pick up, she does always responds to my voicemails by giving me a text/​call back. Don’t be afraid to leave her a voicemail if you miss her! She will definitely listen to it and get back to you. MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH HER NOW.

I got a Brazilian sugar wax by Marylin and it was amazing! I’ve been getting waxed about 7 years and this was the least painful. She was very nice and had some nice music and scented candles. I was shocked at how fast it was. She said she was a perfectionist and she was right! She got every single little hair! I will deff be back to see her.

I have been seeing Ellen as my hairstylist for almost a year now. This girl is TRULY TALENTED. She’s young, personable and makes her job seem effortless. Everyone is hesitant to switch up their usual stylist, but no need to worry! She is great at what she does and I would send even the pickiest person to her. She makes ALL of her clients feel special and I have never seen anyone not completely happy with her work.
Bristle Salon is one of Encinitas’ gems. Everyone who works there has a smile on their face and is happy to help you. As soon as you walk in the door you feel relaxed. There’s no sense of judgement or negative vibes. Check out their boutique area of cute and trendy accessories too!

Marilyn is the best at Brazililan waxes. She was honest with me that it was going to hurt since it was my first time ever waxing. She was patient and caring with me. She’d distract me and make me breathe when she was going to pull. She made the experience as relaxed as she could plus she made me feel comfortable. Thank you Marilyn and I’ll see you soon :) :)

This review is for Marilyn and her waxing skills. She was by far, the BEST waxer I’ve had and while, I’ve only really had three other experiences both recent & past, I would HIGHLY recommend her.
Granted, the girls at the front could be a bit friendlier but they weren’t bad. They offered me a drink upon arrival and they just told me to have a seat but Marilyn was great! I had bought a groupon for a sugar wax and she said she was a perfectionist and you know what, she was super effective, super comfortable to work with and she got the job done as best as possible.
I would be absolutely be back. Not only did she take her time, walk me through Some recommended after steps– she was just great overall. I will be back :)
Plus the shop is super cute too. They sell jewelry and hair products, of course.

I go to Deanne for my hair and she is amazing. She does color like no one I have every been to before. I always look like a movie star when I leave her chair. Not only do they have wonderful stylists there, but they also have an amazing Esthetician. Marilyn is wonderful. I had my first full wax and it was virtually painless. Marilyn uses sugaring and she took all the trauma out of the experience. She is also having a sale the month of December half off Bikini waxes/​Brazilian. I would recommend this salon to all my friends and family, go see them today!

I just got my hair cut today for the first time by Sheri. She did a wonderful job. She was very sweet and truly listened to what I wanted with my hair. I will be continuing to go to her. I got an appointment for the next day. I love this place. I used to go to super cuts, but I would much rather spend the money on a someone who knows what they are doing. I will be recommending her to my friends.

I love seeing Claire for my facials each month! She is so good at what she does. She is thorough, a perfectionist, really wanting her clients to love the treatment as well as the results. The treatment room is relaxing & stylishly decorated. The table is cozy. I appreciate that her skincare products are on the natural side, high quality products without all the crazy chemicals.
I leave feeling beautiful, even without my makeup on ;) That means a lot!

I love Bristle! If you go ask for Caitlin– she’s the best and does an amazing job on my hair, everyone thinks I get it done in LA. This salon is adorable and they do high quality work. Caitlin will take amazing care of your hair and recommend the right product specifically for your hair to make it feel amazing!

Megan is amazing! She has been my hair stylist for years and now that I live out of state I only get my hair done once a year… when I fly to California to see Megan! I tell her how I want my hair cut and colored and she executes it fabulously. Not only is she talented, she is a sweetheart! Highly recommend everyone to see her!

Dearest Claire and Ladies of Bristle Salon,
Thanks to each of you for contributing your services toward the generous gift basket that was featured in a successful fundraiser in honor of Aaron Loy at the 3^rd Corner restaurant in Encinitas. Aaron has recently begun to use prosthesis and is taking his initial steps toward mobility and returning back to school at UC Santa Barbara.
We are so grateful that we know through Claire, Bristle Salon, is entrenched in the Encinitas community and provides support to many fundraising efforts. Aaron Loy is an amazing Encinitas native and so deserving of all our support.
From personal experience, I have recently tried both a facial from Claire and a hair trim from Caitlin and was so happy that Bristle is right around the corner. Everyone was so pleasant and accommodating.
We felt confident that anyone who received your gift basket was in for a real treat!
Lucky Them!
Thank you again for supporting Aaron Loy.
Debralee Loke & Lisa Kofler

Sheri is unbelievable!!! She made me look A-​MA-​ZING!!! Love her! Go see her! She is wonderful!!!

I bought a package of 3 facials from Groupon.
The first 2 experiences were fine. I had to reschedule my 3^rd appointment due to work, and was told that they are wrapping up Groupon appointments by the end of May. When I first asked about when I needed to schedule all the 3 facials by, they said that as long as I scheduled the first one before the expiration date I would be OK. Apparently sometime before then and now, it’s changed. Plus, their availability all of the sudden is extremely limited. I don’t know how to fit it into my schedule anymore. I wonder if they purposely do that so that people with these packages can’t use their last appointment. Not cool.
I actually really enjoyed my first experience there if you see my review from Dec 2012. I am pretty disappointed with this place now and would not recommend it to others.

My regular guy went and got himself into a bad auto accident. So I called here and got an appointment within the hour. Helen cut my hair, she did a very good job (my wife says it looks better than my guy has been doing for the last 30 years).
So now I’m stuck. My regular guy is back to work, so loyalty will probably win but not without some regret on my behalf.
And they gave me a $ 10 discount without me even asking!

So, my stylist, Shari, is at this salon after doing a little Texas stint, and trying out some Solana Beach Salons in the past few years. I have followed her arround, and OMG it has been worth it.
Bristle is kind of tucked away in the heart of Encinitas, but very east to find, thanks to their directions/​pictures!
I am so glad the salon actually called me to tell me that Shari has joined them, and to call them soon to get in.
Shari is extremely professional, down to earth, fun to talk with, and most of all, does a great hair job!!! I have long brunette/​dark hair (Indian) and she knows my hair in and out. You CANNOT say that about alot of stylist with Brunette hair, trust me! She has gorgeous blond hair herself, so I can tell you she knows Blond/​brown/​dark.
She got out the grays, and put some highlights in the hair.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, and can’t believe I did my own coloring for a year while waiting for her to come back from Texas!
You will love her work, and keep coming back, I swear!

I had to write an update for this place. Over the past few months since this salon opened, it has really come into its own. The jewelry selection is wonderful and fairly priced, the atmosphere is excellent, and the decorations are just beautiful.
As always, Claire remains the best esthetician that anyone could ever hope for. Her waxing services and facials continue to be amazing, and I am so lucky to be one of her clients. I just sent my mom there for a facial for her birthday as a gift, and she was so thrilled with the amazing service that Claire provided.
Also, I just saw Caitlin for a haircut and highlight job and was absolutely blown away! She knew exactly what I wanted and was able to fix a poor job that another stylist had done on my hair. I was really impressed with her work and am so happy to have hair that I like again!
Overall, Bristle Salon is a team of friendly professionals who know what they’re doing. I love this place!