The Loft

I was in town visiting my parents and was long overdue for a haircut. A friend of mine had recommended The Loft so I thought I would give it a shot.
I managed to get an appointment the same day with a wonderful stylist named Rachel who did an amazing job transforming the over grown mess I walked in with, into a fresh & clean look that I was more than happy to display (without my always present snapback hat) at a music festival over the weekend.
Overall I had very pleasant experience. With a friendly staff and very reasonable prices for the quality of work, if I’m ever in town and need a haircut, I would definitely go back to The Loft and Rachel again.

I wanted to get a haircut and balayage/​highlights/​color of some kind. I had never dyed my hair before so I did my research and Unilocaled salons in the IE, OC, and LA thoroughly, looking for the right combination of talent, location, and price. I found a groupon for the Loft — $ 99 for haircut combination (wash, cut, and blow-​dry) and balayage or ombré AND the Loft also had great reviews!
I called and mentioned I had a groupon, and was set up with an appointment the next day with Lesley. The Loft is cute and I love the décor. They offered me a drink when I got there for my appointment, which I appreciate.
Lesley herself was amazing!!! I have a lot of hair, and it was really thick. She took her time — I was there from 1:30 — 4:15 p.m. — to color, wash, cut, and style my hair. She listened to what I wanted and was meticulous about the color. She was very enthusiastic and upbeat, but didn’t talk your ear off. Finally, she never pushed me to buy a certain product and I never felt compelled to leave a tip even if I was using a groupon. Please check out her instagram at @stresleylesley or website at
to see her work for yourself. Lesley gets FIVE stars from me!!!
Docking one star because of the groupon confusion: If you buy the groupon, you apparently MUST book with Kathleen C. The groupon’s language sounds ambiguous — I thought it was a groupon for «the Loft by Kathleen C.», as in she owned the salon. The receptionist never said I had to book with a specific stylist, even though I told her over the phone that I purchased the groupon. Lesley herself called the groupon stylist the day of to clear up the confusion, but apparently the stylist was feeling unwell and did not return her call. Lesley said she would work it out with the stylist, since it would not make sense to cancel my appointment when I had already gotten there.
I got a call from Kathleen the next day telling me that I was supposed to book with her if I wanted to use the groupon. When I explained to her why I had been confused, she said «it said that on the groupon, right?», uncomfortably laughed it off, and asked me for my groupon voucher number even though I had already given it yesterday to a receptionist.
Obviously there’s miscommunication among the salon stylists/​receptionist