Ajuda Day Spa

Christina is great– she was fun to talk to and really took her time to both understand what I wanted and explain how to get there. My highlights came out a bit too light and she offered to have me come back to correct the color if I felt like I need to after a few days. She also didn’t nickel and dime me for length of hair, toner, etc like many other salons try to do if you’re using a voucher.
You’re definitely in the hands of a true professional with Christina– she takes the time to get it right and takes pride in her work– highly recommend!
Bonus perk– the salon has some chocolates and wine on hand to pass the time, and was playing great reggae while I was there :)

Arrived 15 mins early to check out the area. My apt was for 10 and on Unilocal it says they open at noon. So I called the number and spoke to Christina saying that they open depending on each stylist. She assured me she was going to be there and is in her way. 2 mins before 10 she arrived, right on time! She offered me something to drink once I got there. She took the time to discuss w me about my hair cut and color. I didn’t know if I wanted to go w violet or red, but the reds looked soo good I picked red. She’s an easy person to talk to and made the time fly by fast! The cut and color was perfect and I am completely happy with it! If you see this groupon still available then get it! You won’t be disappointed

Christine was my stylist and she did a wonderful job on my full sew-​in weave install she is very professional.

This review is long overdue. I absolutely love Jodi and Ajuda!
About a year ago, I was scouting out for a new hair stylist. My other guy was good, but I wanted to go wild and blonde. I noticed a gal at my building with an adorable pixie cut with great color. I talked to her about her salon Ajuda, read Unilocal reviews, and after about a month took the plunge.
First off, the spot is convenient, close to BART for not so local people, and has street parking all around. I’m always greeted at the door and asked if I’d like tea or wine– points on the relaxation factor! I go about once every two months and am always in love with my hair cut and color. I’m a pretty high strung and come in with a small album on my phone of aspects of hair cuts I like. Jodi takes a look at the album, listen to me, and will give great advice to make the haircut go from alright to fantastic! Atmosphere is fun, people are great, and get ready for a ton of compliments!

My fiancé went to this place to get her hair trimmed and styled and she came back with the biggest smile on her face. Her hair looked so much healthier and the styling was beautiful. Thank you Tina Ocasio.

my review is for cut, condition, & style w Tina Ocasio. thought i was gettin a good deal on lifebooker, but i get wht a paid for even worst. so few hrs b4 my appt, she calls to reschedule for an hour later. fine. 1 star for offering a drink,
told her i wanted to keep my long layered style the same just wanted it trimmed a couple inches. i expressed to her i did not like the razor like scissors on my hair & thts when she gave me big attitude! wtf? i shared w. her w. my experiences w. those type of scis. in the past tht it made my hair more tangled & she tried to convice me its bc my hair was really dry & thts why the tangles, not the scis. if i didnt want her to use them its my choice my hair. excuse me if im makin ur job more difficult. so she proceeds to cut my hair .w attitude. & combin my hair w. extra force prob. damagin it. i would hv got up n left but i hv an event to attend right after. so i ride it out.
to make a long story short, the scisor repair guy shows up to collect her dull & broken scis for repair. so THATS why she didnt wanna use her reg. scis. tht i suggested??! SMH .in the end she asked if she can use those razor scis on me anyway, my gosh if it means so much to u go ahead, I will just hv to get it fixed soon after.
so the styling was sub par could hv done a better flat iron job. hair cut was meh nothing to «selfie» about.
The worst part was tryin to redeem my voucher was a nightmare! i left my coupon in the car & she was not to comfortable w, the idea of lettin me step out to retrieve it. ive forgotten my voucher b4 at other places & it was no dilema for the other businesses to go in & pull it up on their computer. Problem was this place had no WiFi so i couldnt pull it up on my phone! an hr later she was able to get online to confirm my deal coupon. total waste of my time. All I can say is worst customer service EVER!!!
i surprised i even tipped her decent, bt thts just me. the other star was for the owner I believe, she was the only one tht seemed pleasant. Never ever again!

Redeemed my Groupon for haircut, blowdry, and one-​color process:
I’ll admit i was a little worried trying a new place… all i could think of was that bad, first haircut back in the day… ala Fantastic Sams. :(
Christina was friendly, customer service oriented (offering me something to drink), and good listener. She asked what i wanted, but it was hard to explain… of course, i would like to say ‘make me look like JLo’ but that wouldn’t help… then end up looking like a pekinese with my hair teased, and the top-​layer pulled back.
My attempt to describe: Long layers, face-​framing layers (shortest at the cheekbone), side-​swept bangs and shorter layers on top, with 1 inch off the length.
Desired result: volume at the top, with body and movement, cleaning up the layers.
End Product: exactly what i was hoping for! Christina took the time to blow dry my hair in sections which gave me the va-voom…and finished it off with a little curl with a curling iron (as my hair is pretty straight).
In all honesty, the finishing of the curling iron wasn’t exactly how i styled but when i got home, i played with it minimally and it styled perfectly! Good haircut test for me!
I would recommend Christina for cut. As for color… i don’t have many grays to cover so can’t give a true assessment on the «skunk factor». Would i return? Yes! Convenient to downtown and happy results.

It’s ironic that Ajuda Day Spa states on their website that «We know what a bad haircut can make you feel like.» Because I just had the worst hair salon experience of my life. And I’ve had quite a few.
When I think about how beautiful my hair was when I came in – how people on the street would stop me and tell me how gorgeous it was, how lucky I was — I want to cry. I was a damn fool to take the bait of a good deal on Groupon. If I could turn back the clock, I would.
The gory details: I had a cut and color with Christina. 5 hours later, after the owner of the salon had stepped in and tried to save what she had done, I still had crap for hair. At certain points, I looked like a veritable skunk with white roots and dark ends, and Christina was telling me to wait a couple of weeks (looking like that, I suppose) to see if the color settled a bit, and if it didn’t, that she would be happy to see me again. As I said, the owner stepped in when she heard that, and told Christina how to «fix» my hair. Tragically, three hair color treatments later, I still walked out with a notably orange head (and no, I wasn’t going for that). I also had uneven bangs, and a haircut ravaged by thinning shears that left me with a fluffy mess.
I went to my old salon today for a consultation, and the expert stylist there agreed with me that my hair was botched, and recommended (in addition to a new cut, which will mean shorter hair, which is so sad because before I went to Ajuda it was nearly to my waist and now it’s just past my shoulders in most places) a deep conditioning treatment once a week to help heal what the triple-​dying had done to my hair, and also, full-​head lowlights to attempt to not destroy my hair even further yet tone down the atrocious color.
Which means in addition to the money that i lost to Ajuda, and the hair that I lost, I now need to put out another $ 200 to have someone fix my hair. Now, admittedly, I might be able to go back to Ajuda to demand they fix it – but I don’t trust them. It would be one thing if it was just Christina, who admittedly is new. But the owner also tried to put things straight, and I still walked out looking like a mess.

Christina was great. She’s a great stylist and a good listener. I really like the wine, and the massage chair while getting my hair washed. This place really made me feel good after a long day at work.

I recently tried out a Groupon with Christina and was so impressed with her attention to my needs and her sweetness. I have naturally long, curly hair so she gave me awesome tips for doing it two ways: straight and curly. She also used awesome Vegan products on my hair which I then found on my own and I have been able to recreate the straight look! Thanks, I will definitely be going back.

Christina is a great hairstylist/​colorist! I moved to Oakland recently and needed to find a good hairstylist & luckily I found her! I went about 2 weeks ago, she listened to my needs, did a great cut and color, not to mention let me know of some great places to check out in the area :) I definitely recommend her for any of your hair needs!

I weekly Get My Hair Done With Christina, and Converse With The other stylest.
The Environment is Very pleasant n personal.
My Hair Was a mess After a Vacation To miami And Tina Brought my Hair Back to Life. I get Trims, wash, deep conditions, blow dry, and flat irons and Have never been Overcharged.
I Am Very Particular About My Hair And its Style, and All my Needs are Priority in This Salon.

I’ve been going to Jodi for haircuts since last year, and I have to say, she keeps my short bob hairstyle looking amazing. She takes the time to listen to what I want, has some serious talent, and makes sure that I get a great cut. Plus, Jodi’s really down to earth and you’ll leave there with a smile. I’m happy to say that I walk out of this salon feeling shiny every single time.

I love Christina Ocasio! Definitely book your next appointment here! Christina was very knowledgable about products and techniques. She not only suggested higher end quality products but also products that are as good for people on a budget. She also sent me home with some samples and pointers to help my color last longer. She made me feel very comfortable. Thanks!

Post braids removal after 6 scuba dives and 5 snorkel trips in Maui!

I had my partial highlights done by Christina and I definitely recommend her! She gave me the exact shade that I was looking for, and it turned out even better than I had hoped it would. I have been getting a lot of compliments, so if you are looking for a fantastic colorist, you should go to her.
I had such a great experience that it’s made me want to get highlights more often (I hadn’t in a while due to a so-​so experience somewhere else the last time). When I do, I plan on going to Christina again. She also gave me tips on how to maintain my color but never pushed any products to me, just wanted to help me out and gave me a few samples to test out, which I really appreciated.
The salon is cute too and the staff were all very welcoming and friendly (plus you get a drink of your choice and the shampoo chair is very relaxing-​almost like you’re getting a chair massage). Definitely check it out and book your appointment with Christina. Also, it’s only a few blocks away from the 12^th St. BART station in Oakland, so very convenient location.

Got my hair colored, trimmed & curled by Tina. She did an awesome job and brought life back to my hair… I will be back! :)

I have lived in the bay area for almost ten years. I have had a wretched time finding a stylist I liked and to whom I would return.
I saw the great Unilocal reviews and got in with Jodi. I took photos of what I wanted and she took that on and modified the look for my face and style. It turned out adorable! Two weeks later and I am still having so much fun with it. I made a followup appointment RIGHT THEN! I never do that.
I had a few days to think of why I really enjoyed my experience. It was more than my new do. I realized it’s because of Jodi, who she is. She’s intelligent, driven, successful. She brings that to the shop. Usually, I don’t want to talk to my stylist. I rarely find anything in common with them or the conversation is strained. I didn’t feel that way with Jodi. It just flowed.
My stylist before I moved was a long term friend before she opened her shop, so we had great conversations. I instantly felt that way with Jodi. I felt like I would enjoy grabbing a coffee with her and enjoying an afternoon. She’s lived a full life and has wonderful experiences, she conveys sincere interest in her clients. And you end up with an appropriately priced adorable hair style!!! Win, win, WIN!!!

Thanks to Ms. Elisha, I’m addicted to lashes!
Everyone here is very friendly and professional.
Elisha provides such great customer service.
My lashes are super curly and unruly, yet she is always able to
tame them and give me exactly the full natural look I like.
I love the bright-​eyed defined look. Ready to go right out of bed.
I was skeptical to travel out of The City, but Ajuda is such a quick easy BART ride.
Also, the neighborhood surrounding Ajuda is full of cute restaurants and
bars should you want to take your new lashes out on the town after your visit.
INSIDER TIP: Do not drink coffee/​tea on the day of your appointment,
the caffeine causes your eyes to twitch-​Who Knew?!
Check out Elisha’s blog to keep current with monthly specials on skincare, waxing and lash services:

A pleasant surprise with stunning photography on the walls.
Noticed a certain Unilocaler with amazingly refreshed eyes sans makeup, only to find out she had eyelash extensions at Ajuda. Very tastefully and precisely done.
The location is a charming hole in the wall in a vibrant neighborhood similar to Bernal Heights. At first glance you think it’s a tiny salon. The magic continues into the back of the property!