Brilliant Salon & Spa

Chris has been cutting my hair for years and I couldn’t be happier! I’m one of those people who never has any idea what style I want, what would look good with my face shape, how to do my hair (so I need something low maintenance), or anything about hair in general other than how to live with it on my head. Luckily Chris takes care of everything.
He’s had the business for about 15 years and recently moved it a few spots down, still on the river though. This space has a better view and a lot more people watching! They have a huge selection of products, mostly Aveda if not all.
I’ve had several stylists over the years but none has been so consistent in knowing what I need before I do and giving me a cut I can deal with on my own. I’ve tried getting him to move in and do my hair daily but apparently that’s where the line is drawn. Too bad, he’s pretty fun to hang out with.

This Aveda location is great! I had an amazing cut with Jessica. She did an excellent job of listening to what I wanted and changing what I wasn’t happy about. I have very short curly hair and I wanted it cut so that I could get the most out of my curls. She did it perfectly! I’m new to Portland and she made me feel very welcome by telling me all the great spots to check out. I also got some great help from Silas on the new Chakra line that Aveda has. I would definitely recommend this place!

I’ve been growing out my natural color for over a year, and suddenly hit a point where I wanted to be done with that little project. I dropped in just to get a feel for the place, and to see if anyone there was willing to help me get my natural curls back in shape while playing up my emerging silver streaks. Jody was available, and we chatted about what I wanted, my hair’s curl and texture, and what my goals were once the grow-​out is completed. She gently convinced me not to go too extreme in one swoop, and feeling confident that I’d landed in the right place, I headed for her chair.
Long story short, Jody gave me the best haircut I’ve had in Portland, and quite possibly anywhere else in all my years of wrangling my curls. The tiny bit of color that’s left actually looks intentional, and blends in with my now mostly natural mix of dark brown and silver. I love it, and I literally get compliments on my hair every single day. That’s never happened before!
Thank you, Jody, for a wonderful experience and haircut, all served up in a beautiful salon with a river view, and at an affordable price. I’ve found my new happy hair place!

My eyebrows were absolutely butchered here. The aesthetician clearly has no idea what she is doing and she RUINED my eyebrows. I would never ever recommend people going to this salon.

Jody is truly a hair miracle worker! She is a color expert and always cuts and shapes my curly hair just right. Having moved from Dallas last year and having had several mishaps with the places I tried in Portland, I am so happy to have found Brilliant and Jody. Once Jody does your hair, you won’t want to go anywhere else. She’s always upbeat and fun to visit with while your there, too.

Such a great experience. Silas is an amazing stylist and he was totally game for my drastic change. Lots of hair cut and finally layered in perfect layers… The color is shiny and dark just like I wanted it. I don’t even want to talk about the disaster that lived on my head before. I was one of the last clients in the shop and the vibe was happy and fun. No snobs and you can tell they go out of their way to make you look great. By the end of my cut I told him to do what he thought would look best. And I’m SO glad I did. I highly suggest this wonderful salon and Silas is amazing and talented. Thanks again Silas!!! See you again soon!

Silas gave me the best haircut I have ever had!!! I’m kind of hard to please when it comes to my thick wavy-​ish hair. He really listened to my concerns and problems I have had with previous haircuts. BEST HAIRCUT EVER! And he’s hilarious!!!

I had a color treatment done and was not happy with the results. The stylist refused to redo my color without charging me again full price, which I could not afford. I wasted $ 100 and cried all day. My regular salon will waive the charge or redo my hair if I’m not happy. Very bad customer service.

Melissa did an excellent job on my hair! I found Melissa by searching reviews for an experienced colorist. She fixed a bad color job that I had received at another salon and I’m very happy! She really listens to you and asks the right questions to figure out what you really want and offered great advise for options to fix the problem I came in with. I highly recommend Melissa. She has a new loyal client in me! Thank you, Melissa!

I’m always traveling for work and I was in need of a hair cut. I thought Porland would probably be a good city to find a talented and up to date hair salon. I went onto Unilocal and looked up Hair Salon’s in Portland. Not knowing anything about the salon or the people who work there, I went strickly by the rating I found on line. I’m always nervous trying a new place, but to my surprise, Brilliant Salon, and Melissa who cut my hair, was the best find. The salon is located in a nice area by the river. It’s very comfortable and state of the art but not pretentous at all. I can honestly say that it is one of the best cuts I’ve ever had. Melissa is so personable and very professional. She asked all the right questions and listened to everything I said. She explained everything she would do to be sure we were on the same page. Now I just need to arrange to get back to Porltand more often so I can have her cut my hair again.

Melissa is awesome! I have been searching for a good aveda salon and hairdresser for over a year, since moving to Portland. I literally went to 5 different places before finding Melissa, and thank goodness I have. She is meticulous in delivering just what you want and also takes her time to teach you to style it just like she does. I learned the most awesome tricks to getting a bob lay flat and not follow the natural kinks my hair has — wow, what a difference!

Melissa is a skilled hair stylist. I love my cut and highlights.

After more than my fair share of bad salon experiences, I’ve finally found a salon I plan on sticking with!
Melissa is outstanding! She takes the time to listen to your concerns and actually takes the time to explain why she does things and what will work best with your type of hair. She is really passionate about what she does and proves that it’s really quite an art. Looking forward to seeing her for some highlights next time!

I was searching for an Aveda Salon in Portland and choose Chris at Brilliant Salon for a color /​cut. Had a great experience: Loved the color results and the cut. I’m trying to grow out layers, so didn’t need a significant cut, just re-​shaping. Chris is a great listener and used the right cutting techniques to revive my cut. Another plus is that they are open later in the evening than many salons, plus Saturdays. The Riverplace location is super convenient, accessible by the streetcar or bike, but parking is easy too. Finally, I appreciate that Chris has been with Aveda for many years — he’s clearly an expert about their products.

See Melissa!
I am new to Portland and was really nervous about changing hair stylists. I’m picky about my hair! :) I love the people who work here: down-​to-​earth, friendly, and professional. Their pricing is great and you get what you pay for, beautiful hair.
I see Melissa Messer, and she is going to be my hair stylist for as long as I can keep it that way. She listens patiently to what you need, and you can really tell she takes pride in her work. She will take that extra time to make everything «just right.» This is a really talented «artist,» not just a hair stylist.
She did an amazing job with my color and helping me suit it to both my taste and skin tone, etc. I later found out she does make-​up professionally, and she did both my hair and make-​up prior to a photo shoot. I was so impressed. :) I highly recommend her for both hair and make-​up for any event. She is such a pleasure to work with, and I felt like I had to leave a review for once on Unilocal,which I use a lot to find services I need.

Melissa is the best! I went to this salon for the first time last week and let me just say how relieved I was to be back in an Aveda salon. The product is the best of the best and I looked and felt like a new person again after my cut and color. Melissa is highly trained and worked for many years in a top notch Aveda salon in Chicago before moving to Portland. I’m glad to finally have someone I can trust to make my hair look awesome again. Can’t wait to go back!

Over the years I’ve bounced between a few different salons. I typically miss an appointment and move back to whomever is available first. Chris is not only very entertaining, but available on Saturdays! While I may forget an appointment here and there, he is always willing to rebook me.
I use him to cut my hair, nothing fancy, or extensions, weaves, coloring or waxing. Just a simple cut and I’m usually out within 45 minutes.
Friendly staff and open on Saturdays? Yes please, I’ll keep returning.

Having just moved to Portland I was very worried about finding a stylist who would be able to work well with curly hair and who has a very good knowledge of color. I hit the jackpot with my first try. Chris was amazing! He understood exactly what I was trying to accomplish and my hair style exceeded my expectations! My appointment started exactly when it was scheduled. The salon is immaculate and he didn’t try to shove product on me like a lot of salons are known to do. I highly recommend this salon. They are awesome!

I started going to Chris Fazzolari at Brilliant Salon when I moved to Portland in 2000 — 11 years ago! You know you’ve found a great thing when your relationship with your stylist lasts longer than your than your relationship with your (ex)husband and subsequent boyfriends! Seriously! It’s like I get an amazing color treatment and therapy and a glass of wine all at the same time — what a deal is THAT?!
Truly, and I hope I won’t get him in trouble for saying this, he was willing to use my former Redkin Shades magic combo on me when I first went there after moving from Michigan. I had had enough change and didn’t want to shift my hair formula and color as well! We long ago shifted into using Aveda products, but I really appreciate that it’s not one of those snooty Aveda salons where they must all wear black and be Aveda clones. They’ve got personality, heart, and unique style. I’d never see anyone else in Portland! My hair and life is happier & more brilliant because of Chris and Brilliant!

Went again to visit Jody again to get my hair redone and again I was very pleased with the results.
My hair tends to loose hair very quickly because of my curls and Jody went above and beyond to make sure that the color will stay. She really listens and gets to know you as a client and friend to make sure that you get the most out of your hair.
Go and visit her! You will be very happy!!!