Strut Salon

I’m half Japanese, half Puerto Rican and as a result have thick, coarse, wavy hair, which happens to be Arnold’s specialty.
Other stylists want to razor cut, over layer and reduce the «bulk» causing frizz and split ends on my kind of hair. I was relieved Arnold already knew this. He brought out the curl in my hair and cut it so I could wear it straight or wavy without it looking so heavy.
In addition, Arnold spent a couple hours on my hair and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit/​cut. Arnold is a warm, uplifting spirit and joy to be around. I found «my guy».

This review has taken far too long for me to write!
Emelia is a goddess of styling and she will set you right for a very reasonable price. She is not afraid of my difficult hair and gets excited at the prospect of a challenge. Beautiful work on several different cuts, colors, and styles. Last time she spent five hours bleaching the under layer of my hair and dyeing it green, yellow, and purple. Well over a month later, the colors are almost as vivid as the day she put them in. Incredible. I’ve been stopped on the street by other stylists wanting to know who did my hair.
On top of that, she’s v. funny and cool.

I got a great haircut from Bridget here! Clean fade and really friendly service. Highly recommend!

I’ve been getting my hair gussied up by Bridget for a little over a year now and I couldn’t be happier! On top of a great cut every time she is creative and splendid with vivid colors! Bridget takes the time to communicate and really know what you want before chopping or bleaching away, something I really appreciate after experiences elsewhere. She’s also great at styling and will tell you how the products she’s using work and show you how to do it yourself. I’m so happy to have finally found my stylist and strut salon, yay!

I’ve been getting my haircut at various barbershops over the years in Portland and finally found a stylist that understands the language of my hair. Bridget made me feel comfortable in the already welcoming salon setting and worked with me to achieve the ideal cut. Give Strut a call and ask for Bridget, she’s wonderful.

I’ve gotten my hair dyed red here twice both times it came out just how I wanted it! Perfection

Bridget is the most awesome hairstylist! She’s got razzmatazz and a lightning bolt of a personality! She’s slangs those scissors and gives you the cut you’ve needed your whole life. This gal can do it all! I’ll never see anyone else! She’s also great to talk to while she fluffs your locks! I give the salon 5 stars and Bridget gets 10!!!

Since moving to Portland I have only had Bridget Clancy muss my hair, and it has been a dream every time!
She’s a very skilled professional with a knack for entertaining the client. I trust her completely with clippers, razors, and scissors. Her knowledge of extreme colors and product lines is impressive and she ALWAYS talks you through her steps, providing suggestions and opinions based on first hand experiences.

Bridget C. is awesome! She helped to fix a previous cut that was a bit off the mark and chatted with me about timetables for coloring my hair once it grows out a bit more. She’s also very funny and easy to talk to. I will be back and will definitely refer folks!

Thank you to Bridget C. for my SUPER cute cut! She spent a generous amount of time consulting with me first to ensure I got the style I wanted. And her input was spot on. Highly recommend this stylist and salon!

This is a review of my experience, not the quality of the professionals necessarily.

Get your hair done by Bridget C. Need I say more?
I have been going through several haircuts trying to find one that gives my hair volume, is low-​fuss, and looks awesome styled. She nailed it! I like that Bridget listens to you and says back to you what you tell her to make sure you really understand.
She also knows a lot about product and works with all kinds of hair types, too. She even showed me a hair dryer trick to keep my hair curled during the day! I like the salon because it’s conveniently located and there is parking in the lot nearby. Parking can make or break my salon trip.
I was running a little late and Bridget was not upset. I had an appointment for a cut and style. I received a wonderful scalp massage with my shampoo and educated about some new hair products. My cut was very thorough and didn’t take long. My hair looks so great dried and styled I am in love!
Please check out this salon and make an appointment with Bridget!

Oh my word, I cannot thank Emelia enough for saving my hair! She seriously worked wonders on my thick, coarse, and dry asian hair.
After months and months of surfin’ the web comparing prices of different salons and reading reviews on the best spots in town to get an ombré done, I finally found Emelia at Strut Salon. From the very first moment we were introduced to the end of my appointment, she was absolutely the sweetest. Emelia was honest and caring from the get-​go, and really took the time to listen to my hair wants and needs, and reflected very carefully on what to do before actually diving in. From the way she spoke and contemplated all the different types of techniques that could be done to my hair to achieve the look that I wanted, I knew she took her work seriously. At one point before starting she even told me that the ombré color I envisioned may not be achievable due to all these different colors already in my hair from other stylists and box dye, so I was definitely prepared for the worst and a bit saddened, but I was thankful that she was straightforward with me and being honest. Emelia somehow managed though to make the impossible possible and in some way or form, she worked her hair magic, and I truly could not be happier with the end result. She offered to even clean up my hair cut since the last lady I went to didn’t do a great job.
Being a new client to the salon, booking an appointment online was so quick and easy! Their website is user-​friendly and provides a great amount of information. Once you’ve decided on a stylist and service, you have options of days and times to book an appointment. And once you’ve scheduled an appointment they send you verification messages and reminders which is pretty cool. If all else fails, you can always contact them via telephone, email, instagram, facebook, etc. — so no excuses on not being able to book. Parking is in the neighborhood which can be tough because of the lack of spots, BUT you can park in the parking lot right in front of cricket — I believe they share. For new clients especially — describing a little about what you want and what type of hair you have in the comments portion of the online booking really helps them out.
So for all you ladies and gents out there, especially for the asian ladies who need some TLC on their locks, go to Strut and book with Emelia! You really will not regret it. And if you can’t book with her, the rest of the stylists are awesome too. Plus if go you can check out Emelia’s amazing artwork in the front of the salon as well as in the back where they wash your hair — I seriously could not stop staring at the wall art she did :)

Had a haircut with Emelia and she was great! She’s so personable and really listens to what you are looking for. She offered multiple suggestions on what type of cut would work for my face shape and had great tips to share. She did not at all try to sell any products at the end of my visit. It was a great experience and I’d recommend Emelia to anyone!

Strut Salon started my vacation perfectly. Emelia did an amazing cut and color on my hair. I was nervous about using a day of my vacation to get my hair done but my hair looked fabulous throughout the trip and while I was there I got great tips from their clients about Portland. She did peekaboo reds that gave my hair depth and didn’t look to overdone. She was quick with the whole process and was super fun to chat with. I have thick hair and a lot of it and she combined a layered cut with the color perfectly. I will be taking a trip from SF to Portland again soon! I highly recommend Emelia!

Bridget is my go-​to girl. As a matter of fact, I have sent a ton of friends to her, because she always nails it, at exactly what I want done with my hair. She’s great with cuts, and color, and makes sure you are satisfied with the outcome. Definitely the best stylist I’ve had since I moved to Portland 7 years ago!

I almost never write reviews on here, but I made myself do it so that I could talk about how ridiculously amazing Emilia is. When I moved to Portland I read all the Unilocal reviews and thought she sounded cool and so I basically went to her and was like, I need help being a girl. My hair looks mostly ok if I just wake up and let it do its thing, which is a blessing and a curse because now I’m an adult and I don’t even know how to blowdry my hair. I have youtubed the shit out of every styling tool out there, but I’m still so lazy/​intimidated that I just don’t even try. Anyway I’ve confessed all this to my hairdressers before and they always say «ooh I’ll teach you some tricks at the end» and then they do some crazy magic with a curling wand and I walk out with every hair product in the store and still no idea what I’m doing.
Emilia was like, well, why don’t you bring in what you have at home and I’ll give you a lesson with your next cut? So I did, and she did, and I have good hair for the first time EVER!!! She’s super patient, and a great teacher, and she has me practice the stuff she teaches me so that I can do it myself at home. She’s even helping me through the awkward phase where I’m growing out my sidecut and it doesn’t look mullet-​y at ALL! Seriously. Love her.

I learned about Emelia while doing some research online for stylists who do balayage color. I saw some of her work online and read the rave reviews. I emailed Emelia with what I was thinking for my hair and she promptly responded. Today I had my appointment and could not be MORE pleased. Emelia is an artist, literally. You will see her paintings at the salon! She took her time talking to me about the color and cut I wanted. We figured out the color that would compliment my natural color for the balayage and it came out FANTASTIC! I can’t stop looking at it. I brought in a photo of the hair color I had in mind and she nailed it! I recommend Emelia to anyone who is looking for a stylist in Portland. She’s super talented and very sweet too! Thanks Emelia! Look forward to seeing you again!

Emelia is wonderful at what she does. I would highly recommend going to see her if you want someone who listens to your ideas and can pull it all together for you. As indecisive as I am, she totally made it work, and for the first time in a long time I love my hair!

For my birthday, I got a whole new look by Arnold. Sir Arnold has been great. He specializes in textured hair. He has done wonders. Added color highlights that compliment my skin, gives good thermal conditioning, trim and style. My hair feels healthy and stays in place for two weeks even three! I receive complements from friends and family. People tell me I look like Halle Berry. Before, I use to be uncomfortable about getting my hair cut, but Arnold has reassured me and I feel confident which each style he gives me. Arnold is a visual hair stylist. He can style my hair any way I want as long as I have a picture for him to look. Arnold takes pride in his work and will work extra hard to make you feel good and confident when leaving the salon. Definitely check Sir Arnold out!