Givae Salon

I went to Givae on a friend’s advice after my salon closed. Saw Marine and she was super-​sweet — gave me a great cut as well as some really good advice about how to maintain my hair & deal with some of my regular hair nightmares, like a cowlick. Will definitely go back!

Groupon users BEWARE — I haven’t even gone in for service yet, and I’m already disappointed. I bought two Groupons — one for facial and one for hot stone massage. I had to leave three messages before someone called me back to schedule an appointment. Was told I couldn’t have both services on the same day, so have to come in on separate days. And, the soonest appointments were not for another month. Apparently, they only have one masseuse and one person doing facials. Moreover, the person on the phone (Sarai?) was less than apologetic. So much for customer service. Stay tuned for part 2 of this review.

Marine is amazing! She gave me a wonderful cut and color. I had long, unhealthy, uneven hair, and she listened really carefully about how not to cut too much and the V-​shape I wanted to end up with. Perfect execution. Then, the color. I asked for a purplish/​red hue for balayage, which came out great, although truthfully I didn’t fully appreciate it until after a day or so when I saw it more often in natural light. She also gave me awesome product recommendations to accentuate the color as much as I wanted for the occasion.

I came here for a color and cut a few weeks ago (I booked an appointment from 4:30 — 7:00). Holly was my stylist. My hair is dark blonde, and I wanted to go a bit lighter at the tips and get a long bob cut. The cut is actually pretty good, and I think Holly is probably a good stylist, but it seemed like she was getting a lot of pressure from the other people who worked there (maybe the owners) to rush once it got to be around 6:00. She had a bit of trouble bleaching my already light hair and kept suggesting that we might have to do a second round of bleach after the toner. After she rinsed out the bleach and did the toner, Holly and I both thought my hair still looked pretty yellow/​orange and stripy, but one of the other people there said it looked fine and that it was just the lighting. It felt like they were trying to push me out the door even though the color came out horrible. As Holly was finishing up, I pointed out one spot where it was very patchy, and she just quickly rubbed some more bleach on that spot and wiped it out after a few minutes. My hair turned out yellow and stripy. I think if she had been given enough time, Holly would have made it right, but the other people there wanted to close up and, instead, forced Holly to do an incomplete job. All together it cost $ 195, only for me to need to find someone else to do a color correction the next day. I already sent a few emails to the salon to try tell them how awful this experience was, but I haven’t gotten a response so I figured I should try to warn other people. If you’re looking for someone who is great with blonde hair, you should check out Allegra from Fig&Clover. She was able to book me a color correction appointment on super short notice and now the color looks amazing.

I had an amazing massage with Sarai last week. She picked up on a couple of issues that I hadn’t even known were present and just really fine-​tuned the massage according to my needs — the sign of a true and intuitive masseuse.
I can’t wait to go back and have already scheduled another appointment. Highly recommended!

Dan Chi gave me a great cut and highlights. She took great care and really paid attention to my preferences, making suggestions as well. She spent extra time adjusting the color afterwards, always checking in with me and making sure I was happy with it. The end result was even better than what I originally had in mind!

Seriously, Marine has officially given me the best haircut I have ever had. I get compliments everywhere I go from total strangers, all of the time!
I went in with a grown out asymmetrical bob, looking for a cut that would retain the length, but with fun, light layers. And from that generic description and her own assessment of my hair, she gave me exactly what I wanted. Plus she was super receptive and interacted with me during the process asking if I had any input I’d like to make. I’ve never had a hairdresser do that before, and it was so helpful. You could tell she cared just as much as I did that I left the salon feeling great about my hair.
Oh and her head massage while shampooing?! To die for.

Stopped in here last minute today needing a trim. Holly was just fabulous. She has a hip and friendly vibe and was a complete perfectionist about my hair. Had I planned ahead they have a ton of deals on message and facial care too. I’d definitely return.

Kabuki in SF has long been my go to for relaxation. They may have the amazing pools, steam room, & facilities, but Sarai beats out their masseuses hands down. Sarai has an intuitive, wise, & healing touch with expert amount of strength in applying pressure. And after, gave me tips on how to attend to troubled «crunchy» areas. Oooh if Givae had a steam room it would be OVER.

It has been a while since I have been completely in love with my hair. I have combination hair that ranges from completely flat to wavy and full of volume on any given day. Finding a hair stylist that gives me a haircut that looks good on all my hair’s different moods has proven to be difficult. I am also a fan of coloring my hair, but my hair grows extremely fast and have limited time to get to a salon. I need a colorist that can anticipate what my hair will look like with the color growing out.
I am absolutely in love with Marine! My hair looks amazing months after my visit. The cut works compliments all of my hair looks. And the color, man the color is amazing! Marine is the perfect balance of giving me the color I want, and preventing me from making a mistake I have to wear on my head for a while. This commitment phobe has no second thoughts of committing to this stylist.

I’ve only been there for waxing Susy is amazing. She is a great person and an amazing waxer — I moved to the bay area almost 3 years ago and it was so hard to find someone who REALLY knows how to wax — she does.

I have a good experience massage over here… The masseuse Sarai was great, she was professional all the time… Hope to come over again with her…
The people work here all of them are very professional and the massage the best even when I hate people touch my body… I guess need to be on trust, but here I feel like home…
Thank you Sarai for made my body feel like new again :-)

I have very thick, coarse and long Asian hair, and I’ve had a really difficult time finding stylists that know how to get my hair under control. Fortunately, there is Dan-​Chi, who gave me a fantastic cut and color a few weeks ago. I had her cut my bangs the same as hers, since she has her hair styled so nicely.
For eyebrow shaping, see Susie. She is incredibly talented and is a veteran Bay Area aesthetician. I am a little torn about even giving her a review because I’d kind of prefer to keep her a secret. I wouldn’t trust my brows to anyone else. :)

I haven’t written a Unilocal review in many years, but I just had such a bad experience I feel compelled to share to warn others.
Pregnant women: do not get a massage here! I got a Groupon for a one hour massage, maybe the Groupon should have been my first warning that the massages here are no good, but honestly the cost of a regular massage is outside my budget and I was so happy to see a Groupon for massage that included prenatal that I booked it right up.
There were red flags from the start and I wish I had just left but I kept thinking, ok, it’s already paid for, give it a chance… I’ve had a few prenatal massages in my life so I was expecting some sort of special set-​up. Normally there are special pillows allowing you to lie on your stomach, or at least a number of bolsters and pillows to help you be comfortable on your side. Here there were two thin bed pillows and I had to awkwardly hold my arm under my head to try to be comfortable.
I assumed (my fault) that in order to offer prenatal massage you must have some sort of training but that doesn’t seem to be true. The masseuse actually asked me to lie on my back (at 9 months pregnant!). Anyone who works with pregnant women knows that this is actually dangerous after 16 – 20 weeks. It’s the most basic rule. I’m so confused, am I the first prenatal client they have had? I also spent 90% of the time on my right side which made me pretty uncomfortable (it’s recommended to mainly lie on your left side when pregnant) but I didn’t say anything which is my fault.
All in all the massage experience was bad. The room was super bright and the masseuse never checked in with me on my comfort or how the pressure was or anything like that. I should have trusted my instincts and spoken up or left, but I think I give to much credit to people who are supposedly experts and I kept assuming she knew what she was doing even though she didn’t.
At least after a massage, even a not great one, you should expect to feel relaxed or at least to have had a nice back rub. I feel more uncomfortable than ever, my neck is in so much pain from being in this awkward uncomfortable position and not having proper support. When I left the service I texted my husband «just had the worst massage ever, I’m so disappointed I want to cry». I really hope they stop offering prenatal massage until they have proper training and set-​up :-(

So very disappointed! I chose Givae for the first time two weeks ago for color and accent foils and was given a quote which turned out to be $ 60 more at checkout ! The stylist was pleasant, but apparently left the color on too long since I left with dark brown hair, after asking for red, on the front and red on the ends in back. She also put in extra foils, without me realizing, and bumped up the cost. I found out when you ask for color, you are charged once for roots and again for ends. Beware!

Marine is amazing! My go to colorist from now on! Wanted red ombré that’d shine in the sun but look subtle in the shade (can’t do too bright at the office) and she did an awesome transition. I’ve had so many compliments in and out of the office. I am at the end of week one, washed it almost everyday and color still looks perfect same — which is unusual for the experiences I’ve had before with red. Besides doing a great job with my hair, her costumer service is on point. She brought someone from the spa to answer all my questions when I asked abt facials, and made sure someone knowledgable of skin products helped me when picking my cleanser and lotion during checkout. Anddd she made coffee for me when I complained abt being tired. Success story for being both spoiled and getting professional service well done :)

Holly is the best stylist! She gently nudged me in taking a risk with my bangs, which I hadn’t done in years, and I loved the result. I think with a seasoned stylist like her, I will be willing to try new hairstyles in the future.
Additionally, because this is an Aveda salon, all of their products are of excellent quality for both hair and skin. Aveda’s line tries to promote natural and limited-​chemical formulas that don’t leave your body stripped of natural oils or nourishment.

Just had a ridiculously amazing session here! I bought the Groupon for a massage and soon thereafter purchased one for a facial as well as a birthday treat to myself.
Sarai is an incredible massage therapist. She started off by asking me about my current back issues, and suggested different kinds of stretches and habits to ease the aches and pains. She consistently checked in with me throughout the massage to make sure the pressure wasn’t too tough, and she definitely knows her stuff – she could tell where my muscles were tense. She has a very gentle and comforting way of working while still effectively working out tension and tightness in the areas needed.
I saw Susie afterwards for the facial, and just let her do her thing. I’ve only had one other facial, which wasn’t the best experience – lots of painful extractions that actually didn’t seem to help later on. The Susie’s approach was vastly different – like Sarai, she was very gentle and used great-​smelling products which didn’t leave my face feeling sore at all. The facial massage at the end was so relaxing. She also did a few extractions but they were completely painless!
Would definitely come back.

I am writing a review for the massage therapist Sarai, I have not tried any other services at the salon.
She is very professional, caring, fun and I feel very comfortable and relaxed during my massage session!
I buy the 6 massages packages so the price is very good and she has a lot of flexibility for working people after 5 pm and even on Sundays!
Highly recommended!
It is always a pleasure to have a massage at Givae with Sarai!

I’ve been meaning to write a review for Givae and Devishi, my hair stylist, for months. It really does take some time to find your own hair stylist that you would go to more than once. I finally found that person and she’s in Oakland, a few blocks away from where I live! Givae Salon is conveniently located for me with decent amount of parking nearby (although you might not want to park at a metered spot if your appointment will be long). I first went to Givae Salon back in February for a sporadic short/​medium cut. I was nervous because I haven’t had a blunt and short cut in a while. I have a ton of thick hair and every hair stylist I go to would comment on that fact so it’s tough to have such a short haircut with it not looking too poofy. I put my trust in Devishi and I think she did a fabulous job!
Second visit was in mid-​June. I decided to get a natural, not too obvious, ombré look for the summer. There was a specific light brown shade I was trying to get but it was tough to get that outcome the first time since I’m Asian and Asians have a red tint in their hair and I was trying to get an ashy light brown. After the session, it didn’t come out the way I wanted it to because the top half of my hair wasn’t dark enough and the bottom wasn’t light enough. I came back later that week to get it colored a second time. After some patience, it came out exactly how I wanted it to. In between waiting around in the Salon, one of the masseuses offered me tea a few times, which was nice. Also offered me a massage on the chair but didn’t have time since I was called back to the hair station… bummer! Hopefully next time Nice clean salon in a nice neighborhood.
Now I need to schedule my next hair cut appointment…