Hair With Class

I am a regular, even though I just get it all chopped off every 6 months or so. She is the best hairdresser I’ve had since moving to California. I show her a picture of my former self, and she does it perfect each time. You can’t beat her prices either. The conversation is great!

Summary: 5 stars for value in haircut — $ 15 for a very good men’s haircut. 4 stars overall though since my hairstyle demands and more importantly, my head deserves, greater precision. Carmelita is a great choice if you don’t want to shell out more for a haircut.
My haircutter was on vacation, so I decided to try Carmelita (she’s a one-​woman shop) based on her Unilocal reviews. Upon walking into the shop, I was a bit concerned as the place was in what looked like a perpetual state of disarray (visualize your single buddy’s apartment) and I feared that my head would ultimately reflect a similar aesthetic.
After a quick consult (I have a very standard, current haircut), Carmelita got to work. A one-​pass clipper cut on the side, a one-​pass scissor cut on the top, and some clean up clipper work on the nape and around the ears, and she was done. In spite of the speed, it looked pretty good albeit a bit crude and uneven in spots. On the other hand, my normal ($ 25) haircutter meticulously cuts [seemingly] each hair individually with specialized tools and goes back through each section 2 – 3 times. Just the taper on the sides requires 3 different clipper guards. The end product is a precise work of art that reflects the artistry of a craftsman.
Bottom line — a buddy of mine is thrilled to get a $ 5 dollar (yes, 5 bucks) haircut in Chinatown, and Carmelita trumps that easily by providing a very good haircut for $ 15, but my hairstyle demands, and my head deserves, greater precision, so I’ll stick with my $ 25 craftsman. For you guys that have a hairstyle that doesn’t require expert clipper work or one that’s generally more forgiving, give Carmelita a try.
PS — Carmelita, a simple once through cleaning, including organizing and throwing out detritus would go a long way to improve the shop’s ambiance.

Like many other female clients of hers, I’m a big fan of Carmelita! I have very straight Asian hair that I don’t do much to, but at the same time it’s hard to find a place that will do a good trim or cut at a decent price. I will admit I have a guy to do color, but with color and a cut it’s about $ 300+. He’s great and everything, but I needed a place to come for all my in between cuts and I’m happy I found Carmelita!
The shop isn’t fancy, but she’s very warm and welcoming. I got a trim and wanted to maintain my long bob which was grown out and desperately needed to be reshaped. She followed my directions and the photos exactly (not all hair dressers listen!)
I definitely recommend seeing her for cuts and look forward to becoming a regular customer of hers.

I don’t like snooty, uptight salons, and I don’t like to pay a fortune for a decent haircut. Thank you everyone, for posting all these great reviews so that I could find Carmelita. Carmelita is sweet, without a pretentious bone in her body. Her shop is also very cute, in a great location. And I cannot believe the low price she charged for a wash, cut, and blow dry. I absolutely love my haircut (I have long Asian hair, and she gave me side swept bangs and layers). I was nervous about getting bangs, but Carmelita has excellent cutting skills and good taste. She makes good suggestions, but ultimately listens and does what the customer wants. Definitely should make an appointment, as this is a one-​woman show, so no telling how long you will need to wait if you try a walk-​in.

I have been to Carmelita twice now, and just booked my third appointment. My hair is long, fine and stick straight, so it doesn’t require a lot of work and is pretty easy to cut and style. Because of this I have a hard time paying $ 75-​$ 100 for a haircut. I found Hair With Class on Unilocal and decided to give it a try since the prices seemed reasonable. I was so impressed. I brought a photo on my phone of the look I was going for (nothing crazy, just layers with side bangs) and Carmelita executed it perfectly. This salon is not fancy by any means, but it is a great place to go if you just want a basic haircut, without all of the frills, at an unbeatable price.

Solid haircut, really inexpensive ($ 30 for shampoo, cut, and blowdry!). The owner is really nice and consistently checks in to make sure you’re getting the cut you want. Pictures always help, but aren’t necessary.

Awesome awesome awesome!
Inexpensive and still classy. It is also in a great location. Take an appointment if you decide to get a haircut. Its quite busy.

Great quality haircut for an affordable price (20 bucks plus tip). Tip her well! She deserves it.
I have a pixy cut with long hair on top and short on the sides and she spends the time needed to make it look great. She has been cutting hair here for 21 years. Highly recommend.

I got my hair dyed and cut for $ 60! It was a wonderful cut and she was very attentive and friendly.

I came in today for a hair cut. I was a bit nervous cos I haven’t had any hair cut for about two years. my hair was getting too long so I decided it was about time.
I asked for trims and layers and and the whole time I was worried cos I’ve had a lot of bad hair cuts. they cut too much or something.
but when It was all done I was so pleasantly surprised.
It was beautifully done and it was only 25 $. I tipped her 5 $ but still 30 all together it was an awesome pricing! I will definitely be coming back when I need a hair cut again.

Hole in the wall salon! Carmelita is amazing and her prices are so cheap compared to other hair salons in the area. I am very weary of getting my hair done in knew places and very picky. It’s my hair and I care for it. I was in SF on vacation and felt like doing something different with my hair (only a dye) I went around to some of the salons in the area and everyone was quoting me $ 175 starting. I have long thick hair and I feel like they were really grasping onto that, which I understand because it’s a lot of work. Still, I was not going to pay $ 175 as a starting point for an all over color. Anyways, I walked in and Carmelita was very inviting and took me in as a walk in. She was much more affordable than the other places and my hair feels so healthy and not damaged at all! She took great care of me and didn’t mind squeezing me in the moment I walked in. I will definitely be coming back to Carmelita when I’m in the city and I am very happy with my hair.

Carmelita cut my hair on nob hill for $ 12 I didn’t know until the very end of course I was pleasantly surprised. In other words the best deal on nob hill, hands down.
yeah I just let the lady Carmelita just do her thing :)
Will definetly visit her soon again, very pleasant experience overall

Debatably one of the best hair cuts I’ve ever received. I would recommend this place time and time again. Not to mention the unbeatable price. Great experience.

I came here today to spruce up my boring hair. Saw the good reviews for Hair With Class and was very impressed with Carmelita’s fine work. Her rates were very affordable. My hair is longer and I got a hair trim that is beautiful and modern for $ 25. Also, I got my colored a gorgeous solid black color for $ 55,which is unheard of in San Francisco! Awesome pricing! .Carmelita did a very good job being very meticulous with my hair color and cut– she was so detailed! She is such a sweet and humble lady. I will most certainly be coming back. Thanks so much and God bless. My picture is the third picture posted under «photos «, so you could see her work

Carmelita is amazing and has an unbeatable location, tons of reservation availability (rare for a one-​man operation!), and great prices. I’ve gotten my hair cut with her for over a year and have yet to be even remotely disappointed. She’s chatty when you want to be, quiet when you’re tired after a long day of work, but no matter what, always pleasant and friendly. Love this place!

I have mixed feelings about this place. The owner is very sweet and professional, prices are on the low end, and the salon is kinda a hole in the wall type.
If you need something simple, and know exactly what you want, this could be very inexpensive way to get it.
But Carmelita is more of an old-​school hairdresser, rather than modern stylist.
When I was growing my hair and needed simple trims, I went to her (and once it was not very even), but when I need to shape and style what’s grown, I would go to a stylist.

SO GREAT to be able to get a solid $ 25 women’s haircut, especially when I get the same, easy cut every time. Here’s a breakdown:
1) salon: like others have said, the salon is not fancy – at all. It was a bit messy but hey, it made me feel more comfortable given the sweat slick that had formed on my lower back during the Muni ride over.
2) wash: the hair wash felt great! She didn’t go crazy on the massage, which was expected at this price point, but I love having my head touched and the shampoo was super sudsy.
3) cut: Carmelita gives you a ruler so you can measure exactly how much you want off. She mimicked the flow of my outgrown haircut so I looked almost exactly the same when I left, which was what I wanted. She’s a one-​woman show, so she did have to answer the phone a few times during the cut, but she kept all of the calls very short, and I didn’t care at all.
4) blow dry/​style: I appreciated that Carmelita didn’t pile a bunch of products into my hair – she only used one spray thing before she cut. She blew/​brushed my hair into a pretty style that looked like a better version of what I always wear.
So yeah, amazing deal. I’ll definitely be back!

Carmelita is amazing! If you’re looking for a high end salon, this place is not for you. It is not the cleanest and You may be waiting in your chair while she answers the phone, but Carmelita is so homey and her prices are very affordable.
She took time to listen to what I wanted and the end result turned out great. I HATE cutting my hair because stylists usually always end up chopping off more than I want, not Carmelita! She also makes adjustments at the very end to make sure you get what you want.

I asked for a trim to an A-​line haircut (short in the back and long in the front). I said I was growing out my hair, so I only wanted a trim. I ended up with a haircut looking like Marissa Mayer… the same length all the way around.
A really really nice Filipino lady runs this establishment, and I quite liked her, but there was just some information that was lost in translation. I guess I should’ve given her a picture of what I wanted.
I feel like her haircut was from the 90s… just very dated and not up to current trends. Prices were very reasonable though, and she only charged me $ 20 for washing and cutting shoulder length hair.

Since I moved to San Francisco two years ago I had had two haircuts professionally before Carmelita. I’m the kind of person that forgets my hair is a thing until my bangs are touching my lips and I appear to have some sort of mullet. The two haircuts were opposite ends of the price spectrum, $ 6 and $ 60 and both left something to be desired.
After a lot of talking back and forth I had decided that it was time to go blonde. Specifically, that as a twenty-​something year old nerdgirl living in San Francisco it was time to get a Luke Skywalker cut. Between building a costume for live saber choreography, etc, the haircut had to be nearly perfect.
I brought my computer in with quite a few pictures and angles of Luke Skywalker from Return of the Jedi. It wasn’t a rough guideline, «I’d like my hair shortish and layered and maybe sort of blondish,» it was a blueprint: «Make my hair look exactly like Mark Hamill.»
Carmelita looked over the pictures, said «yes I see what you want,» and had me put away the computer. Over the next two hours (I had to go from brunette to blonde) she didn’t reference the pictures again. She got the blonde colour spot-​on, exactly like the colour reference picture I had shown her. And the haircut couldn’t be more perfect. I’ve never had such an excellent haircut. I was a little bit nervous about how much it would cost me, but when she handed me my bill I was astounded by how little she was charging me for a cut and colour.
I couldn’t recommend Carmelita enough, she certainly lives up to her excellent reputation on Unilocal.And she definitely has a repeat customer in me!