CODE Salon

Olivia is the best and the only person I trust in the whole bay area with my highlights. I’m blonde, so I’m very cautious when it comes to picking a stylist. She’s a master at making blonde highlights look natural, allowing them to last longer. So for blondes looking for a new stylist, ask for Olivia!

After moving to the city, I was on a hunt for a new hair stylist to cut my long, thick hair. I found CODE Salon thru Unilocal and read only good things about the salon. I’m very picky to who cuts my hair and I heard a lot of raving reviews about TJ, so I figured to give him a shot. When I first got my haircut from TJ, he was so sweet and he listened to exactly what I wanted for my haircut. He also gave a few suggestions products to style and improve the health of my hair. TJ is an amazing and talented hair stylist. If you’re looking to get a haircut at CODE Salon, I highly recommend TJ :).
*BONUS TIP: This salon is open on Sundays! Perfect for those with busy work week schedules

Amanda is the best when it comes to wax services. I am very picky when it comes to my brows and she is not only exceptional at what she does, she is the nicest person. I look forward to every visit. And the salon in general is very professional. I highly recommend Amanda and Code!

Louise is the BEST! I don’t trust anyone with my hair after so many terrible haircuts but Louise is skilled enough to handle my enormous mane. The salon is also super stylish, cool and easily located right opposite whole foods in SOMA, San Francisco. The only downside is the price but in my opinion is worth it.

I found this salon on Unilocal three years ago and have been super happy with it from day one. Courtney and Celena are amazing! Not only are they great at their jobs but they are a true pleasure to be around which is important when you are sitting around for 3 – 4 hours getting a color & cut. I always feel beautiful when I leave the salon. I basically get the same color and cut every time. Sometimes a little lighter. Sometimes a few extra layers. I could be a bit more adventurous but at this point I know what works and more importantly, what doesn’t. Although I’m not trying lots of new things my girls always make me look fresh and gorgeous. I try to not wash my hair for days because I love that fresh from the salon look. Although they do such a good job that I’m able to maintain my look with little trouble. You know it’s a good cut & color when you are getting complements on your hair and it’s been 7 weeks since your last appointment. Other places I’ve gone to I’d start to look like a cave women after the first four weeks.
Everyone that works there is super friendly. They know me and my little shih tzu, Horatio and make both of us feel very special. I think that is really important and it is the reason I will continue to come here for years to come!

This review is for the amazingly talented Mylisa!
I’ll be blunt — I’m a complete eyebrow snob.
I have serious trust issues with my eyebrows after someone drastically overplucked them once when I was in my teens. I’ve spent more $$$ on my eyebrows at times than on my haircuts. I would rather not get my eyebrows done for months than risk going to a wrong place. Yep, that’s the height of my paranoia.
Generally, I steer clear of salons and tend to go to places that are soley dedicated to eyebrows. But after having tried other high-​end eyebrow places in SF (hint: Blink Eyebrows) with lukewarm results, I finally caved in to see Mylisa at Code Salon. I couldn’t be happier for trusting the Unilocal reviews!
In one word — GORGEOUS. Mylisa sculpts a shape that is artistically made for you! She really takes the time to understand the kind of shape you want and especially what you DON’T want. This lady will not give you a stenciled shape, or veer off course from what you really want. She is a total brow goddess — all this comes from someone who is chronically never 100% satisfied with her eyebrow shape (until now!)
Mylisa has been consistently amazing the last three times I’ve been there. Her demeanor is super warm, very professional, very friendly, and she has a knack for remembering the conversations you had at each session (I’m sure she makes a note of it in her journal; it just shows her attentiveness).
Every time I get my eyebrows done, someone random will compliment me on them. The first time Mylisa did my brows, I went to a very, very high brow (^_​~) med spa estheticican a week later to get a facial which also included a brow shaping (which I requested her to kindly skip). This esthetician wanted to know who did my brows so she could refer HER clients to Mylisa for eyebrows. She could not stop lavishing praise on Mylisa’s work of art. ^_​^
Lastly, I’ve honestly paid 4x before (in New York) for the kind of results Mylisa delivers. She’s ridiculously affordable at only $ 22. Don’t wait, go book an appointment now!

I got a haircut here about a year ago when I moved to San Francisco from Austin. Honestly, it was nothing special. I needed another haircut literally 3 weeks later because it was such a crappy cut. Barely anything was taken off, there was no movement, and it was overall an underwhelming experience. I have straight dark blonde/​blonde hair that will typically dry well on it’s own with a good cut.
I guess I’m giving it two stars because the head massage was nice and it’s a pretty salon? Meh. I don’t get what all the hype is about with this salon, especially when one of their highest rated stylist is the one who cut my hair. I expected better and was pretty disappointed.

I went into the salon yesterday to get my brows touched up & tinted with Mylissa! She is amazing and my brows came out perfectly! I have bold brows & love them and she perfectly understood that and shaped them accordingly! Go see Mylissa for any brow /​facial /​makeup needs!

Even though I’ve lived in SF for over two years now, I’ve refused to go to anyone other than my go-​to stylist in LA, because I didn’t have any memorable/​great experiences at the few salons I had tried in SF (e.g. Patrick Evan Salon). It’s been ~5 months since my last haircut, and the next time I’ll be in LA is Thanksgiving, so I finally decided to give SF another shot and asked my girlfriends for recommendations – SO happy that one of them recommended CODE Salon!
(Master) Stylist: Selena
I basically came to the appointment and told Selena I wanted a change (I’ve had pretty much the same long haircut for the past few years), and to do whatever she thought was best. She worked her magic and chopped off ~7−8 inches of my hair (not gonna lie, I hyperventilated/​freaked out a bit after the pre-​shampoo cut). I would never have thought to ask for this length/​style, but it’s a lot fresher/​more playful, and I couldn’t be happier! My friends/​family love it as well. The products they use here are also great and not too greasy/don’t weigh my hair down, as many salon products do.
Note that since Selena is a «master stylist,» her haircuts cost $ 140. Worth it IMO, but the price tag is quite steep.
Will definitely be back in a few weeks for partial balayage!
Bonus points: CODE is right across the street from Whole Foods, aka my happy place.

I just got my haircut yesterday with Tj Pintacura. Bottom line is I got an amazing haircut and felt totally comfortable in his hands.
I am growing my hair out from a super short pixie cut to waist length. It’s about shoulder length now and had layers that were growing into some sort of mullet-​looking situation. Tj explained ahead of time really thoroughly what he was going to do and why — how he’d work over the course of a few haircuts to cut down to the a-​line I was looking for, without cutting off too much immediately. I want to be able to put my hair up in a ponytail, and he evened it out perfectly with just enough left to pull it back.
I immediately see and feel such a difference after my haircut. My super thick hair is appropriately thinned out so it has a nice bounce and the shorter pieces in front frame my face really perfectly. I’ll definitely come in for the complimentary trim in a month to keep those looking like they do in between haircuts.
Finally, my preferred style of interacting with my hairstylist is to chat at the beginning but then kind of zone out and relax quietly for the rest of the haircut. It’s tricky for me to find that balance of someone I easily chat with but then who doesn’t try to keep the convo going the whole time. Tj was so ideal in that sense — I loved getting acquainted in the beginning and then he let me drift off into my own world for the rest, without needing to chit chat.
Obviously psyched to come back. :)

Yes. Yes. Yes.
The place looks brand new and is 5 years old; I don’t really get it. I have my hair cut done here ever since I moved to the city about a year ago. They always take good care of you with a massage, mint towels, etc. yes! I usually go here, and than grab food at Whole Foods next door afterwards. Happy times!

CODE Salon is my go to for my haircut. I highly recommend Erika Hawkins. She’s amazing and knows exactly what she’s doing. I was concerned about cutting my hair shorter in fear that I wouldn’t be able to style it as well, but she took the time to show me different ways to style my hair. She wanted to make sure that I still loved my hair on my own even when I wasn’t in the salon with her doing it for me. She’s a sweetheart and the salon itself is really great. They have different stylists at different price points so this place can be more affordable if you need be. I consider myself really picky when it comes to hair stylist, but there’s nowhere else I would go in San Francisco for a good haircut.

EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED!!!
I came in to dye my hair and was expecting to have an edgy, super cute purple hair but instead, ended up with bright red on top of my head, looking like a soccer mom with a midlife crisis, all for a chunky $ 110.
I was offered to come back tomorrow to get an «adjustment» but that means I have to come up with some kind of cover for work tonight and not sleep when I get home in the morning so I can drive 30mins (each way) to get my color fixed. Such an inconvenience.
I just hope it turns out well tomorrow. I was told this colorist was good. Had I known better, I would’ve asked for Olivia. Everyone seems to love her. SIGH.

Amazing keratin complex treatment by TJ. He is so awesome and I don’t trust anyone in San Francisco to cut my hair but him. I’ve had this service done twice, but I can say that this was the best as my hair was flat ironed in a very detailed manner and cut to reflect the new shiny hair that I’ve always wanted. In addition, this service cuts drying time and styling time. It is so much easier to take care of in humid weather and if I want to straighten my hair, it takes 10 minutes. Would highly recommend TJ for cut and keratin services.

CODE Salon is an amazing salon! Olivia is a color queen! This is a long over due review as I have been going to CODE for over 2 years, always with Olivia, of course! She is an amazing colorist who makes you feel comfortable and ensures she has captured your ideas of what you want or if you don’t know what you want she helps you come up
with something great.
I have received balyage, all over colors, root touch ups, and full highlights with Olivia and every time she out does herself and exceeds my expectations fully!
As far as the salon goes itself, it has such a great atmosphere. I have moved away from San Francisco but still stay faithful, as it is the only salon I trust and Olivia is the only colorist I will go to!
I also got my brows waxed and tinted from Mylissa and was so impressed-​my brows had never looked so good.
I 100% recommend CODE salon and color by Olivia!!!

I have been debating on a trip to CODE for over a year now.
I finally decided to make the drive out yesterday, I am very happy I did!
TJ is great. He’s cute! Love his hair, he has some serious cutting skills.
I was offered a head & neck massage before my relaxing wash! The beds clients lay on (instead of chairs) are genious! All the products used on me were phenomenal and smelled wonderful. Wash, cut, and blow dry for $ 45? Well that’s a steal.
I will most definitely be returning. I would recommend CODE to a fellow friend.

I made an appointment a full month in advance, wanting a full hair dye and cut, with eyebrow tint and wax. As I arrived (20 minutes early), I thought everything would go smoothly, but they made me wait a full hour just to get seated with a loud and always energetic Amanda.
I was very unhappy with the results of my eyebrows; my dark eyebrows were tinted and waxed for $ 70, and came out the same color, and none of my tiny hairs were plucked! She had offered some tea which was probably the best part of my trip there.
For the hair, I scheduled a full hair dye and cut and I told the stylist I had previously dyed my hair four years before, and she told me I would have to cut all of that hair off, which took me about 10 minutes to think it over, but I decided I’ll do it, and cut off my long locks! She said that our time was up though, because she had another client coming in soon, even though I set up a full hair dye which usually takes up a full day!
So my appointment was screwed up somehow and I spent a two hour drive for the salon (with supposedly 5 stars) just for an eyebrow wax and bad tint? Nope! My stylist said she was sorry and scheduled me with a Gia, for just a haircut, which I waited another two hours for!!! Gia gave a nice neck massage, shampooed and conditioned my hair, then styled and cut my hair how I usually liked it but she talked way too much and kept talking to me, asking me about my personal private life, and overly advertising the AVEDA products. Like, I get it, you want more commission, but I just wanted to listen to my music and sip my lovely minty tea.
The salon sent their apologies with a phone call asking if I’d like to reschedule, but from my first experience, I’ll have to say, «hell no!» First impressions are everything, and I honestly don’t see how this salon is 5 stars.
This salon sucks.

I love Code! I’ve been going to this Salon for two years now and I am totally in love with my stylist Erika, as well as the other staff. I recommend Code to all of my friends for hair and skin treatments. Code also caries the sustainable hair products by Davines, which I love and think are some of the best products out there.
I visit code about every 2 – 3 weeks, alternating haircut and neck-​trim which is complementary, and always look forward to being there. It has a great energy and pace about it no matter busy or on a quieter day. You can tell that these people are passionate about what they do and it really stands out in my mind as a place I want to continue to visit as the years go on.

I would rather the stylist had focused on my hair rather than massaging my neck twice — once during the wash and once before cut.
I wasn’t really impressed with outcome and asked for more layers. The stylist looked at the time and said «Oh, I allotted one hour with you and time is up. I have another client now.»
What?!
So I’m left with a not so nice hair cut because you didn’t make time?
I never expected such a response but am glad the stylist didn’t take the scissors and leave me with a complete mess. At least I can pull my hair back in a ponytail.
My friends commented that normally I have a really cute cut. I know. My hair is easy to cut and I like styling it. But here I’m left with no style whatsoever. It was cut straight across above the shoulders and is not laying right, which I saw when I was there, asked to have fixed and was told there was no more time.
I can’t wait for it to grow out and to go to another salon. I’m not sure I’ll try out another one in SF. I’ve been to 6 highly rated stylists in SF and haven’t been impressed with any of them. Stylists in San Jose (like Keara Frost) are far better and give really trendy & cute cuts, oddly enough. And they are less expensive.
I paid $ 140 ($ 115 plus tip) for something at Code that my 10 year old niece could have done. On top of that I bought a $ 35 heat protecting spray that smells so strong I threw it out.
All I want is a cute style. Before trying out salons in SF I had just that. My hair isn’t hard to cut.
And the search goes on…
(Like other reviewers I wasn’t offered anything to drink when I arrived. I had been walking around the city all day and was thirsty like a dog. The stylist gave me water but that was 15 – 20 minutes after I got there. I really like this stylist’s personality so I’m not going to name who it is. Send me a message if you really want to know. And, I appreciate the messages I’m getting from people about this salon and hairstylists in general. We will find a good stylist some day!)

I had a hair appointment with Erica a few months back and she has probably miscalculated the waviness of my hair, which resulted in some really blunt, bad layers. I could see she was going the wrong way based on the tools she used and how she used them (hey, i know my hair and what doesn’t work on it but she did not listen). I was very sad, almost in tears at the end of the haircut and made it clear it’s not what I wanted. She told me to go home to get used it and that I will like it in the end. I left in tears and their team actually saw it. I find that a very bad customer service on their end.
I called back to complain and indeed they wanted to help out, but talking with a colleague of mine from work, and finding out that 3 weeks before she had a similar experience at the same salon, I refused to get this fixed with them again. They were willing to help, I mist give them that at least.