50th Avenue Salon

Still going to 50^th Ave. Salon years later and have no complaints. This is a very unpretentious place and the girls (and guy) are so friendly and nice. Give it a shot, you won’t regret it!

I purchased a Groupon with Mika and have been going to her ever since! She gives a fantastic cut every time with my very fine, straight hair! I’ve always been taken back within a few minutes of my appointment time too. I would definitely recommend Mika!

I’ve been seeing Shelby for about a year, maybe two, and she’s both consistent and creative. I really like the way that she handles my curly hair, and I’ve told everyone I know about her. Now she’s the family hairstylist!

My first haircut and 50^th Avenue today with Connie. I have long hair and I like it cut with many layers that are blended very thoroughly, which seems to be a tall order for some stylists. Connie listened, checked in with me throughout the cut, & I’m happy with the result. Connie has straight hair herself, but she knew what to do with wavy/​curly locks, too. Thanks!

I had bought a living social for this place and had not heard of it before, but reviews amd their website made it sound great. When I walked in I was immediately greeted by someone, who showed me where to hang my coat and asked if I would like anything to drink. She said it would just be a few minutes. Soon after that, Mika came over and took me to a chair. She was super sweet. It was nice that the hair washing sinks where built right in to the hair cutting area, no need to walk over to some place else. Mika gave me a nice little head massage too while washinh my hair. The cut was quick and she did a great job and knew exactly what I wantez. She was fun to talk to, too. I also really enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of the place, it used to be a house and it still has that feel. I will definitely be back to get a haircut with Mika again!

Great owner great hair style, and color. Everyone is over the top friendly and you feel at ease and comfortable the whole time you are there. Too many time do people ask who does your hair… love it!

I went here because of a Groupon, and after 6 years in Portland, finally have found a solid stylist. Mika is incredible. She has done whatever she had to do to get my hair the way I want it AND in a style and color that is flattering and looks good.

Not so much friendliness here.
Went here for the first time for a haircut since I saw them on Groupon. The blond girl who cut my hair asked me what I wanted and then went to work with total silence the whole time. I am just about 45 years old and this is the first time ever I’ve had a stylist not try to engage me in the getting-​to-​know-​you sort of light chat they are synonymous for or «can I get you a drink» or anything. Felt like I was at a library and she was doing me a favor by having her handle my hair. The cut was fine be fair though.

I purchased a Groupon also and made an appt. with Kristen Soda Chapman. My appt. was in December of 2012. Kristen did a great job on my haircut and styled it perfectly! I just made my next appt. with her and am glad I discovered her with my Groupon.

I purchased a Groupon for this salon after reading the Unilocal reviews, as I have never been to this salon. I had a great experience. The salon is pretty old school. It’s located inside a converted house, and they also offer other services such as mani-​pedis, massage, etc.
Kristen Soda was my stylist, and she gave me just what I asked for… an ultra low maintenance, modern hairstyle, taking into account my crazy, coarse, graying, wavy hair that has its own ideas. I gave her creative license with it after she checked out the texture and flow, and she created a great style. I also appreciate that she did some extra shaping after my hair was dried.
Will be back to see her in a few weeks.

This review is solely based on the nail tech. Maggie. She is AMAZING! I’ve been going to her for years now and she never disappoints. She can do anything and works hard on fitting you into her packed schedule.

I went here for a perm, and it was over twice as expensive as what they had listed on their website (she didn’t tell me how much it was going to be till *after* she was done with my hair). The website says $ 50 for a perm, and I ended up paying $ 120 before tip. Plus, to make matters worse, the curls were also much smaller/​tigher than I asked for. The lady who did my hair (Loretta) was really friendly, and it was nice that my toddler was allowed to hang around and play with some toys they had while I was getting it done, but ultimately I was really disappointed.

This place is great!
I’m new to the area and Unilocaled for the nearest salon when I woke up with a dread lock. I have been putting off a much needed trim because I had a really traumatic haircut a few years back and I had finally gotten it to a normal length… and I am a nursing student with no job and bills bills bills. I called and they got me in within the hour on a Friday morning. I had read really great things about the wax lady too so I decided to splurge and get a little brow action too.
When I got there I was approached immediately by a really nice lady. She walked me back to my new stylist, Cari. She shampooed my hair and while the conditioner soaked in she cleaned up my brows. My head got a little cold waiting but I’m a fan of letting the conditioner soak. The cut was quick and she knew just what to do. Before I knew it my hair was blown out and styled and my brows were looking really good.
For 45 bucks this place had great service. Cari listened to my concerns and didn’t snip anything until I explained how I wanted it done.
The salon itself is a little on the old side. It’s an old little house (I think?) that’s been converted, but don’t let that deter you. The service it great! And the little old lady getting a perm next to you is just as sweet!
Major bonus: it’s right next door to a parking lot loaded with food trucks… But that’s a whole other review.

I checked this place out again, this time for a massage, and they again did not disappoint.
They have the option of table or chair massages, and I opted for the cheaper and quicker chair massage, specifically because my biggest issue was with my upper back and shoulders. Erin listened to what I needed work on and was great at turning my feedback into a custom massage that targeted exactly what I wanted.
She also used wonderfully smelling essential oils (choice of peppermint, lavender, or lemongrass).
My only complaint is that for the chair massage, you sit right at the entrance to the salon, as if the masseuse may double as a greeter when new customers arrive. It would have been nicer to have a quite room to receive the massage rather than having the chatter of the salon in the background. BUT, it was a damn good massage either way, and this is the only way I could have seen making it any better.

I found «Judy Wax» from another review and after taking a hair hiatus for several years I was ready to rip the big one. I was pleasantly surprised to find all my criteria met; cheap, clean, quick, and comfortable. There was also the added bonus the Judy was a philosophizing therapist. I love meeting new amazing people and wax or not it is nice to share conversation with an inspiring person. I highly recommend this spot for a way to treat yourself to that ever luxurious brazilian.

Very glad that I went to Judy for my back wax. She was very professional, and used «hard wax» on my neck which was a big improvement over the standard wax. I also found the value to be better than any other place I have been. She has a ton of knowledge, and I definitely recommend her for all your waxing needs.

I’ve only been to 50^th Ave Salon once, but have been going to Cari Lee, a new stylist there, for the past 4 years. She is the first hairstylist I have repeatedly gone to with no regrets. She is versatile and really listens to what you want. I always leave happy. I have had friends start going to her, along with my mother in law. I am a low maintenance kind of person and she always respects that. She even did my hair for my wedding (along with the wedding party). So yeah, I like Cari and I like this salon too. It is laid back (not pretentious) has good prices and is next to a food cart pod.
Bonus: She’s fun to talk to and she waxes brows.

I’ve been going here for over a year.
Enjoyed…I love «Judy Wax», as I call her. She is not only a bright ray of sunshine in my day, but her brazilian waxes can’t be beat. Her prices are very reasonable and she is super knowledgeable about all things related to hair removal, especially for those of us with stubborn hair! Her «boudoir» space upstairs, is luxurious and calming — just the place I want to go for all my aesthetic needs.
I also go here for my haircuts from Katie. Katie’s prices are awesome and the attention she gives to each client is amazing. Even though I don’t change my hair a lot, she always pays attention to what I ask and gives her all to my minor changes. I don’t color my hair, but I’ve watched her at work and I’ve seen the results — pure color artistry. You’d be in good hands getting big or small changes in hair color here. When I start going gray, she is who I am going to.
Disliked…there is nothing I dislike about this salon. However, I am not a big fan of the situation going on next door with the new food cart pod. It seems that all the vendors are taking up all the street and alley parking next to the salon, rather than parking a few blocks away for customers. Hopefully, they’ll get this ironed out, but in the meantime allow yourself a few extra minutes to park and walk.

Went here today for my first haircut since my «usual» (ha, I’ve been there once) place couldn’t fit me in.
This place is a 5-​minute bike ride from my house so I was hoping to like it!
I called, made an appointment with Dawn, the owner. The phone call was very informal (right up my alley, since I am awful on the phone). This place is on my commute so I saw the sign that said, «Walk-​Ins Welcome» but I was still in my yucky work clothes. I called when I got home. I was like, «I was hoping to get my hair cut today,» and she’s like, «How far away are you?» I’m like, «Uhhh 5 minutes or so…» So she’s like, «Okay, hold on…» (no hold button, muffled) «CAN ANYONE DO A CUT IN LIKE 5 MINUTES?», then she was like, «Okay, Dawn can do it in a half hour.» So I showed up (via bike, HUZZAH!) and she immediately (!) took me to a chair. When have you EVER had a stylist take you DIRECTLY to the chair, AS SOON AS YOU WALKED IN? I had pictures from my last cut to show her how I basically wanted it. She said she understood my pictures and got to snippin’. lots of razor-​age was involved. We chatted pretty easily. The place was pretty busy.
She made a restaurant recommendation. She made styling recommendations for my hair. I was a pretty happy camper.
They have this little deal where if you write a review of them (I’m sure it has to be positive?), you get a free trial-​sized item on your next visit. So that’s neat. I’m just doing what I already do!
She made a shampoo recommendation (Paul Mitchell Shampoo 2, for oily hair) and I ended up buying it because I genuinely wanted to try it. I saw the same shampoo at Fred’s today and it was more expensive there, so go 50^th Ave Salon for keepin’ it real.
She was professional, thorough, friendly, capable and never faltered. I didn’t feel rushed. At one point, she had to go «rinse» someone else. I wasn’t in any hurry, so I was fine with that but I guess I would say don’t come here if you’re in a time crunch. Be willing to work with them. I came in at probably 5 – 10 to my appt and left about 40 minutes later.
Everyone in there (customers and employees) had great hair. Everyone seemed relaxed, quiet. It wasn’t a pretentious salon where you feel like you are not fitting in. It wasn’t an edgy place, no strange music. I would feel comfortable going with my mom or my best friend. They have an aesthetician for waxing and someone who does nails.
My cut looks great. I think I told her a little too short on my bangs (my fault) so I’m not 100% happy but that’s my own doing. She did what I asked without any trouble and I would return again. It’s totally in my neighborhood and more affordable than the last place I was going to!
So, in short, TL;DR, go see Dawn. She’ll treat you right!

I went to 50^th Ave Salon because I moved to Sellwood and Bare is just an annoying drive. So, I went into this place with no information whatsoever aside from what was on their website. You hope that it will turn out okay because you do end up spending a fair amount of cash, and the things that they do there are readily apparent to society on the outside. That can always be a scary thing. But, I’ll be the first to tell you that there was nothing scary about my experience here at 50^th Ave Salon.
My hair appointment was with Connie. She did a pretty good job — there was a small amount of difference in the left side of my hair than the right… but overall, it was pretty good. But the color was perfect, and I’m big on the right color. I don’t like anything too dark, or too light — and since I color my hair all the time, she had to work with that as well. I really haven’t liked a color more than the one that Connie gave me. Connie also hung out and chatted with me while I was waiting for the color. This wasn’t necessary since I did bring a book — but having a fun conversation is better than a book any day.
Next I went to visit with Judy for a leg and bikini wax. They were both as painless as could be, and she was a joy to talk to. It’s nice to have someone that is a little older (by older, I mean not 20-​something) because I feel like I have more to talk to her about. Sometimes when I get the young pups, I don’t really know what to say. And it’s a long process, so it’s always nice to have someone that can hold a good conversation AND do a good job! Judy does both of these things perfectly! I have been to a few people here in Portland, and Judy is the best so far.
Overall great experience… and one that will have to repeat the next time I need to make myself pretty.