Salon Bruce Stuart

I came here by way of Groupon and have to say I am SO GLAD I did! Lida is great! She listens to what you want and uses finesse throughout the entire process (from the shampoo, conditioning, cut and style). I love her private area in the back, it’s comfortable and charming.
She’s honest and up front. You can tell her what you want (and she’ll do it), but shell be honest about it (example: you want to dye your hair red. She can do it, but she’ll also let you know that you’ll probably be back every two weeks or so).
She did a hot scissor cut and it’s amazing! She also gave great tips on how I could take better care of my hair. Looks like I’ve found my new hairdresser!
Location.
Unilocal has The right address but if you map directions it’ll actually take the wrong area… So — if you search for The Animal Keeper, the salon is directly across the street (in the bldg that says ‘Dentist’). There’s ample parking in the back and the salon is upstairs.

You can go to the $ 10 barber and get a $ 10 cut. Or, you can go to Cyndi Jones at Salon Bruce Stuart, who does an excellent job on men’s hair at a reasonable price. Most stylists consider men’s hair an afterthought as it’s not nearly as lucrative as women’s hair. Cyndi takes her time and gives you a great look that lasts for a month or more. And, yes, I’m a real customer who started as a walk-​in and ended up a regular based on her skill and results.

Walked in the place and got greeted by the rude man in hiking boots and cargo shorts … When I asked how much is a hair cut he looked at me up-​n-​down. Then again and said .: ummmmm 60…
I felt like to run. Away … And I did

I see Angela at Salon Bruce Stuart anytime I’m in town… I had chemically damaged hair that broke off at the scalp in chunks due to a home relaxer, and a fear of hairdressers who go nuts with their scissors. Thanks to Angela, my hair made a full 180 degree turn around, and is back in healthy, shiny condition, and my natural curls and length are restored. Angela understands the texture of ethnic hair (my hair is fine and has tight ringlets), and it is finally growing like never before. She also gets my fear of getting a trim, since my hair was so slow to grow back. But not anymore! Now it’s growing like crazy! I wouldn’t trust my hair to anyone else!

I have to say nothing but good about Angela. She is the best deal happened to me of my Groupon purchase. I have been going to her since last year. NOBODY HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO CUT MY HAIR LIKE SHE DOES! My hair has gone healthier and no more split ends. She know what she is doing. I love that girl. She is Awesome!

Angela is really unprofessional. I bought a Groupon for 100 $ and she tried to make me pay 250 $ extra. Who doesn’t want to pay triple the advertised price? I refused to get my hair done by her and she literally yelled at me all hysterical. Talk about consumer service. This place is so sketchy.
Called Groupon right away and got reimbursed within minutes.
I went to another hairdresser instead across the street right in front of Starbucks.
Worst hairdresser experience ever.

Excellent customer service !!!

I have been coming here for the last few months for a hair color, highlight, and cut. Angela knows exactly what she is doing. I’m always happy with my hair, especially the color.

Thank you ALL for your helpful reviews! It is my pleasure to assist you with your hair care dreams and needs. I take pride in listening to your hair dreams!
Call for an appoint today!

This was my first time at this salon and it is also my last. I do not think they are worth coming back for a second visit.
I lived 2 mins away from this salon and was desperately in need of a haircut. I bought the voucher deal of $ 29.00 on Groupon. The $ 29 voucher included a designer haircut (a $ 60 value), conditioning treatment (a $ 20 value), blow-​dry, and style (an $ 80 total value). There were pros and cons during my visit.
Let’s start with the pros: I had appointment with Bruce. He was at the salon on time waiting for me to arrive. He washed my hair, put the conditioning treatment on me and placed me under the hair dryer for about 10 mins. When proceeding with the haircut, he listened attentively to what I wanted and made sure it was the right length before cutting my hair. The haircut came out nice and he showed me how to style my hair at home. He also knew how to handle a conversation with you and made you feel comfortable. Therefore, the haircut experience was pleasant.
Let’s finish with the cons: I came to the salon and asked him if he wanted to see my voucher before proceeding with the service. He replied that we could do that at the end. He did not say anything about the $ 20 extra fee for long hair until he finished my haircut. He waited until he finished my haircut and told me that I needed to pay extra $ 20 for long hair. My hair length was at the mid back. He said that «on the voucher it said that there was a fee for long hair and that the conditioning treatment he used on me was already $ 10 worth». First off, the advertisement on Groupon stated that the $ 29 haircut came with conditioning treatment so I did not understand why he told me that the conditioner he used on me costed him $ 10. Secondly, most salons only charged $ 10 extra for long hair (even the high-​end ones). Not to mention that I have been to high-​end, mid-​end, and low-​end salons in San Diego so I know the deal.
Do you know how extra fee works in most business? You go to Daphne and order a combo. You had to pay $ 2.00 extra if you want shrimp instead of chicken for your $ 9.00 combo meal. That was about 20% more ($ 2.00/ $ 9.00 = 20% extra).
With that being, let’s do the math. You go to Salon Bruce Stuart for a $ 29 haircut deal you bought on Groupon. Bruce asked you to pay him $ 20 extra fee for long hair. $ 20/​$ 29 = 68% extra. How can you consider it is an EXTRA fee when you have to pay 68% more for the original service cost ??? Excuse me, I have brain !!!
I understand that everything has it price. You want a decent haircut you have to pay the right price. Seriously, I would come back for the second time because of the decent haircut experience I had in the first place. However, the way this salon does business is not cool. You should have told the customer about the extra fee right from the beginning before you proceeded with the haircut. That is called being honest. You do not make up for the OVERPRICED extra fee by telling the customer that the conditioning treatment already costed $ 10. That was supposed to be included in the deal you advertised on Groupon.
I do not mind paying $ 50 or $ 55 for a haircut if it was a good one. In fact, I wanted to tip him around $ 15 or $ 20 because of the deal I got on Groupon. That came out to $ 44 -$ 49 (equivalent to what he made me pay) and he could have earned a customer for years because I live only 2 mins away from his salon. But he lacks of integrity and honesty. I do not do business with people who are not honest.
You do business so you have some kinds of strategies to get customers to come to your salon. In this case, it is the $ 29 deal on Groupon to get customers in. It is totally understandable. However, you should be honest enough to disclose the extra $ 20 OVERPRICED fee before proceeding the service. If you want a tip of $ 20 for a $ 29 haircut, let’s the customers decide for themselves how much tip they should give you instead of tricking them into tipping you by saying «$ 20 extra fee for long hair».
PS: You are a good hairstylist. You know how to cut hair and provide decent experience. However, there are hundreds of other stylists out there that can provide the exact same service??? Why would I want to do business with someone who is not very honest?

I’ve been coming here for over 1 yr and my stylist Angela is amazing! She always makes me look gorgeous! The salon is fun with lots of cool art and fun people. Feels like family when I’m here!

This dump that they try and pass off as a salon is a total joke. The owner Bruce is about the rudest person I’ve ever spoken with when trying to book an appointment there. He stuck me with some beauty school dropout for a cut and color, which I had to have corrected elsewhere. PLEASE don’t waste your money at this place, or more importantly your time!

Took a chance and bought the Groupon deal.
When I called to book the appointment and the man who answered was short and a little rude. He asked for my name and number and said I would be contacted and immediately hung up. Here’s a tip– don’t ever be short on the phone, specially if it’s a client… IT’S THE FIRST IMPRESSION AND A REFLECTION OF YOUR BUSINESS.
FYI if you use Google maps or Unilocal for directions it takes you to a shopping center across the street which made it very difficult to find. The person I spoke to on the phone was not very helpful and almost seemed annoyed with me. I had to call back twice before I finally found the place.
What killed if for me was that the hairstylist I had, Angela, was COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL! I’m all for ‘loving what you do’ but there is a line between having fun and being unprofessional and she definitely crossed it (like ten times!).
Not only was she late but she was also completely unprepared. It took her 15 minutes to pull herself together while I sat there and watched. She jokingly says «oh don’t worry this is just me every day, there is always someone here checking on me to make sure I’m here» — probably NOT the best thing to say to a new client. My advice to you would be THEN DON’T BOOK A 10 AM CLIENT. Tell me to come at 10:30 once you have your sh** together! (sorry but there are very few things that piss me off more than someone else wasting my time).
The haircut and partial highlights were average at best… there were a couple chunks that were over processed and you could barely see the rest of the highlights. It was nice of her to do a 30 second hair mask but didn’t make up for the terrible experience I had. I would have been more disappointed if I was paying full price for the results I had on the highlights but putting it in the context of a «Groupon deal» then I guess I got what I paid for.
The worst of it was having to sit in that chair for 2 hours and listen to the hairstylist talk ON AND ON AND ON about herself… Don’t worry I’ll spare you the details. I just have to say that a couple of her comments were QUITE OFFENSIVE.
Clearly, I’m not planning on going back but it’s not because of my hair. it’s because of the completely unprofessional behavior I witnessed during my appointment.

I suppose that’s what I get for getting my hair cut with a groupon. Never again. I made my appointment with Angela. Her «roommate» was eating when I walked in and was a little rude when she greeted me. She invited me to sit when Angela walked in. Introductions were made and we got right to it. I had a few pictures of the styles I liked and Angela immediately said I needed extensions and tried the entire appointment to sell me extensions. Maybe to help camouflage the $ 30 hair hack? I’m not sure but the sales pressure I could have done without.
While Angela was doing my consultation she mentioned that I go in the pool too much and began lecturing me on treating my hair better. She told me I had a fungus in my hair. I was so mortified I didn’t have the nerve to tell her I haven’t been in a swimming pool in years! She kept repeating that I had a fungus from Chlorine tried to sell meore products, on top of the extensions. I should have walked away then. I should not have let her cut my hair.
In the middle of the hair cut, her roommate walked out and Angela began to clean the room. Literally in the middle of my hair cut, she dropped what she was doing, swept the floor, put away products, moved styling standings, cleaned up the coffee bar, almost forgetting I was sitting in the chair in the middle of my hair cut!!!
When she finally finished the hair cut, it looked ok when I walked out. I asked for layers and told her I like the beach type waves, so of course she straightened it. Completely straight.
It’s been 2 weeks since my hair cut and the layers don’t blend, they are super choppy and uneven. My side swiped bangs stick out on my left side. Straight out. I mean straight out.
By far the worst hair cut, awful experience I’ve had since I was a kid and went to the haircut store. The Salon itself is extremely cute, clean and the guy cutting hair in the front room seemed very educated and professional. I would say I’ll take him next time, but I’m never going back!

I have been going to Brittany still, months after my first review and I am happier every time I see her. My hair is making a comeback and I could not have done it without her! I am in love with my current hair color and can’t wait until next month when I see her again!
Absolutely recommend her skills!!!

In love withe Angela’s work.
can’t say whether Angela is better or her work. Hmmmmm both :) Angela is one of the best person I have come across. On 7 December, 2013 got my hair cut done after long time as I had terrible experience last time 2 years back. This time I am happy and I am flaunting my hair. You are a Gem Angela, Thanks.

I’ve been really happy getting my hair cut and colored here. Bruce knows what he’s doing. Up to this point in my life, I’d only had my hair cut by my mother, who is also a senior stylist and cosmotology program instructor, but now lives in a different state. While it’s tough to pay more than ‘free’ for a haircut, going to Bruce has made it easier for me to swollow. You get what you pay for, unless you’re lucky enough like me to have had 33 years of free hair treatments/​cuts.
If you want to get a great cut from someone who obviously knows what their doing and is up to date on modern technique and trends, go see Bruce. I can’t speak for the other stylists, but personality wise, they all seemed nice and fun to conversate with.
When I’m ready to get my hair cut again, i’ll be going back here. Promises.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of having Brittany cut my hair! She is an absolute doll — sweet, attentive, funny and very talented! Awesome customer service, all charm and no product pushing or anything. I went in a little indecisive and unsure of what exactly I was going to do with my hair, but her consult was so helpful and I ended up LOVING my haircut. It’s what I’ve always pictured but never been able to achieve.
Went in with boring and straight long hair but came out with adorable layers and bangs! Everything has wonderful volume, shape and gorgeous movement, which is tough with my hair because it is so thick. This is why I’ve never been a fan of bangs (because they get heavy, lay on my forehead, get dirty faster and drive me insane). But she also razored out some of the weight and now everything is perfect. SO flattering to my face shape!
I also got full lowlights — was thinking of getting full color because I wanted it to be darker but once again Brittany’s expertise guided me in the right direction. It has so much dimension and is darker but not flat. I’m so glad I put my hair in her hands! It’s been a while since I was able to walk out of a salon with a bit of a strut and a confidence boost.
The rest of the salon is pretty spacious and cute even though it looks small and a tiny bit dingy from the outside. There were signs on the building, street, and even going up from the parking lot. I didn’t find it difficult to locate. Plenty of parking was available too (score!).
Admittedly, this salon was a bit more expensive than I am used to, but I know I got my money’s worth. I will have no problem making the 20−25+ minute drive again in the future, as well as paying a little more for the services and tipping as generously as I can on a college student’s budget, to this top notch stylist and single-​mama! Do yourself a favor and follow suit :)

Today was my first visit to the salon. I am VERY PLEASED with the haircut/​style that I received from Bruce. He listened to what I wanted the general style to be and heard what «challenges» I’ve had with my last haircut from a different salon. Additionally, I appreciated that he gave me his ideas on what would work best for my type of hair. I have really thick, course hair with one side having a «stubborn» wave to it.
It is very evident that Bruce really knows how to cut a high quality style. He texturized my hair really well and that is key to my being able to easily style my hair. Most stylists I’ve gone to are not able to texturize hair effectively.
In regards to negative reviews made about the salon building, I didn’t get that same feeling. To me, it was an open and bright floor plan. It had lots of windows with the view being of mature eucalyptus trees. The décor of the salon was «eclectic», which I happened to like and actually commented on.
I have scheduled my next appointment, as I know that Bruce provided a great service at a reasonable price. Thank you, Bruce.
NOTE: I do not have my own Unilocal account, so I used my husband’s account. So ignore the Unilocal picture, as the picture doesn’t match the review comments.

Got a groupon deal since my hair lady moved out of state and I was looking for someone new. Kinda Scary doing a groupon deal for hair but what the heck. The price was right. Angela did my cut and highlights and she is amazing!!! I am here to stay. The salon is in an old house and its quaint with a very open floor plan. It’s relaxing. I can bring my daughter and this is absolutely
priceless.
I have been getting blond highlights for 20 years so I know a good highlight job! Angela is amazing and you will not be disappointed!