MaduSalon

Never. Again. Worst customer service!
I used to go to Madu fairly regularly «back in the day» (2004ish-​2008), but the price for a haircut eventually became too steep and I moved to the East Bay, but I’ve been keeping Madu in my back pocket for special occasions (did have my hair done for my wedding at Madu in 2013, which is the last time I’ve been). I’m about to travel abroad for a month so I decided to return to Madu. Now, given the steep price increase, I called the Saturday before my Tuesday appointment to confirm the service I was receiving and how much it was going to cost so there would be no surprises at the register when I was done. The receptionist, Sam, initially gave me more information about my planned cut (A Devacut) than the person who originally booked my appointment, which was useful, but then proceeded to tell me there are three triers of pricing and my haircut could be be $ 135, $ 150 or $ 175 or above depending on the hair. Now, $ 135 for a haircut is outrageous, but I’m Black and finding a salon that cuts my hair is tricky so I decided to suck it up. But I wanted to be more confident that I would be in the $ 135 range instead of the $ 175 (which I refuse to pay for a haircut given my last two haircuts at a place on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland cost $ 45 each time).
This is where things started going down hill. Sam could not answer my question about how much it would cost with a straight answer and he then starts to ask more questions about my past experiences. I explain that it usually takes 2 hours in the salon (by the time I get done with the cut, wash, and inevitable 30 – 40 minutes under the dryer). I mentioned that my hair needs to be detangled. The word detangled set him off because suddenly everything changed. I hadn’t told him about the detangling! That’s entirely different! Detangling is likely to be $ 175. But he then backed off and said that my stylist really needed to look at my hair and make the call, which I said made sense. So I asked what would happen if I showed up on Tuesday for my appointment and my stylist told me it would cost $ 175 and I decided I didn’t want to pay that much and then opted out of the hair cut. Would I still be charged the cancellation fee (50% of the cost of the cut)? He said,“well, that’s a gray area.” A gray area?! I need to know if I’m going to be charged $ 67 for a haircut I won’t receive. He said he couldn’t tell me that. And then said it was up to the stylist because he «has his own system» independent of Madu and he ultimately decides how much he’s going to charge.
Seriously?! I’m trying to figure out how much it will cost to have a haircut. That’s it. The fact that I felt like I was trying to buy a car with a shady pricing system that changes drastically depending on the attitude and feeling of the stylist is not appropriate for a business. Especially if the difference is $ 135 or $ 175. I know San Francisco is now a playground for the rich, but come on!
Finally, I just couldn’t deal and said I was going to cancel my appointment. I kid you not, Sam says, «fine» and then in a huff and mid-​way through my sentence he HANGS UP ON ME! I was shocked. I called back. Sam had the nerve to insist, repeatedly, over and over and over again that I had said goodbye, which is why he hung up. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF ASKING A QUESTION! I don’t care what Sam THOUGHT he heard, but I did NOT say good-​bye and it’s utterly unprofessional to insist that a customer is wrong so adamantly and accusatorially. I finally said I needed to speak to a manger. He would not let that happen. He continued to tell me that I had been «hostile» and «angry» the moment I called (seriously, dude?) and if he had a tape recording he would… I don’t know what Sam would do because homeboy was in such hysterics at this point I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Finally, after having to yell over his hysteria, I said I didn’t need to talk to him anymore and I just needed to speak to a manger. He said there was no manager available. I asked who the manager was. I kid you not, he said, «you keep saying you know Marie, why don’t you call her?» HOW OLD IS THIS KID? I said, that would be fine, when is Marie going to b in? Like a child, he says, «I don’t know.» So, after I’ve asked to speak to a manager, he’s told me there is no manager available and that I need to call back. When I asked when I should call back when says he doesn’t know? So I say, «you don’t know when Marie will be in next?» He finally says, «Tuesday.» I ask what time. Again, he says I don’t know. I find all of this ridiculous and hard to believe. If a customer asks to speak to a manager you don’t reply with obtuse answers, claiming to have no idea when that manager will be available. Finally, he just admits she’ll be in at 10AM. Amazing how he was suddenly able to look at a schedule!
I hope I can trust Sam actually cancelled my appt. I will never be back. Madu can thank Sam for that. He provided such excellent customer service!

It’s an ABSOLUTE NO! Unless you like to be abused by arrogant celebrity hair stylists.
Making an appointment just to review my hair’s needs was an ordeal. Either they’re deluged with requests for appointments or it’s part of the haughty pretense of the place. I was told a 15 minute consult will cost $ 30 and agreed.
Finding parking the date of the appointment was an ordeal as well. If you go on the weekend, please allocate about 30 m to drive around the blocks for parking.
I met a stylist, and rather than look at my hair and its needs, she gave me a pushy sales speech about the fact that if I don’t buy their products in the store, she won’t cut my hair. I explained to her politely several times that I just need a haircut and am already using reliable products.
I then climbed the hierarchy and was introduced to the owner. She agreed that indeed, my curls are so good that I am not likely to be needing the special products sold on site. Her next available appointment was about 6 weeks from the date of my visit. She didn’t even bother to inspect my hair, or to listen to my particular needs and wishes. Mind you, I was to be charged $ 30 for this pre-​haircut encounter.
I ended up with the charge waived, since most of the time was dedicated to pushy sales or arrogance. I did make an appointment. After all, this is considered the best SF salon for curls.
Alas but the date of the appointment I was in bed with a terrible flu and high fever. I called ahead of time, as required, to cancel. I left a voicemail. I asked for a confirmation so that my credit card is not charged a fine. When I called again they said that my call wasn’t received.
After my flu ran its course I went online, found another hair dressing salon that specializes in curls. They returned the phone call right away. My appointment was for the next day. I was listened to, my concerns and wishes, heard and acted upon with professionalism and humbleness. And no one tried to sell me anything, let alone force me to buy it as a pre-​condition to have my hair cut.

I had such an amazing experience! I learned so much and I LOVE my deva cut!!!
Antonio was teaching me how to care for my hair the whole appointment. Even while I was under the dryer he had me watch a YouTube video on my phone of the proper way of washing and applying products.
I have two different textures of hair and every other stylist I had in the past made it seem like I could do something to change that. Antonio encouraged me to embrace the uniqueness of my hair and taught me how to care for each section so that it will look the same.
The best salon experience EVER!
The only con is the receptionist people (the guy and the girl) are not friendly at all. I felt like I was disturbing their conversation when I came to the desk to check in. When I paid for the AWESOME service I received from Antonio, the lady didn’t even make eye contact let alone greet me. She had so much potential to sell more deva products (I bought 2 bottles because Antonio suggested them). Interacting with her was the worst part of the experience because I was sooooo excited about my new cut and she was such a downer.
That totally didn’t overshadow my awesome cut! I already made another appointment for November.
You can only tip in CASH or a check (I haven’t used a check in YEARS).

I had the pleasure of getting my hair cut and styled by Antonio berducci ! Such an amazing stylist and his knowledge of curly hair made me super comfortable to be in his seat. I was so scared to cut my hair so man ppl have hacked it and have gotten scissor happy. And not too mention have cut my curly hair wet (terrible) but Antonio did an amazing job. Love love love it !!! @curlsarefun

I’m never going back to this salon again. I’ve been coming here for almost 3 years and today they cancel my appointment I made weeks ago for a blowout for an important event. I can’t believe the manager had the audacity to give me an attitude on the phone and being defensive. I’m the one who made the appt in advance! The least they could have done is find a girl to do my appt. Extremely unprofessional and very disappointing. I will NEVER go back to this plan again!!! And for you ladies out there — find another salons if you don’t want to be treated like crap like Madusalon.

My daughter had an amazing experience getting her hair cut with Latasha — the experience, the knowledge and the Deva cut were a 5 star experience!

Curly friends. Look no further than Madu. I’m SO happy with my haircut. Adrian is so kind and really talented with curly hair. I couldn’t stop smiling! I’ll be coming back!

I dig this place. They always treat my curls right. I have seen a lot of different stylists over the years here (Isabel, Sierra, Marie (the salon owner), Adrian) and I have always walked out happy.
For my last cut, I went to a different salon because I got a steep discount. I was told they could do a DevaCut but the cut was Deva-​esque and not truly Deva. Furthermore, the stylist hair shamed me! She commented because I have three different curl patterns that my hair wouldn’t look good unless I cut it a particular way or I permed it. I mentally noted that anytime I’ve had a cut at Madu, the stylists totally understand the curly struggle of different curl patterns and they’ve never tried to upsell me and the NEVER grimaced disdainfully at my hair texture. While the cut ended up good-​enough I was still displeased and thought, «Madu would have done me so much better!»
I went recently and Sierra cut my hair and she did a wonderful job! She was so warm and sweet and listened to what I wanted. She asked me how I felt about the cut as she was doing it, did I want it shorter? longer? She also offered suggestions but was not pushy. I really enjoyed the experience.
Although I can’t afford to go as much as want to have a my hair cut here, I am such a diehard fan of the work they do. They always do great cuts that grow out really well so it doesn’t even matter I can’t go as much as I wish I could for trims.

So I’m updating this review and adding another star because the owner was nice enough to call me and apologize for the terrible service I received. She asked what she could do to make this up to me. While I haven’t decided whether or not to go back, I do appreciate the apology and the effort. Kudos.

You ever have one of those days when you think you look all fly, then someone says, «oh man you look tired!» All of your party balloons just exploded mid-​air. That was me when I walked into MaduSalon. My hair was fresh and clean, blown dry by heaven’s breath, but it was far from fly. In fact, it was thirsting for moisture.
The techniques used in the salon can easily be replicated at home. My hair went from frizzy fly, to curly cute! From start to finish I was there for 3 hours. At the time my session seemed extreemly long, but once I began to see my cut take shape I understood why each curl (insert $ 140 price tag) made all the difference.
The stylists do not pressure you to purchase any of the Devacurl products. But you’d be a fool not too, especially if you just learned that everything you’d been doing to your hair was all wrong! Listen up.
By day 5 I was still receiving compliments on my hair. Not only are my curls fully restored, my daily routine is by far more manageable! Very happy with the experience and overall results. Every curly que needs at least one visit here.

I actually never visited the salon. I recently moved to the area and struggle to find a stylist. I call on Friday ³⁄₁₁ to request an appt, inquired if they normally style relaxed African American hair. The receptionist seems confused and kept repeating «we do curly hair», thanks not the question. Assumed the person I spoke to next was a stylist, I think she understood.
In the end for some reason they needed to call me back in an hour to book the appt, not sure if they don’t have a booking system. Still waiting on that phone call, 20 hours and counting. Thank you for the service Madu, incompetent much?

Growing up with curly hair is a difficult experience. It’s like the maximum difficulty level. Now turn those curls (the loose «Taylor Swift» ones your thinking of) into super tight ringlets and you have my hair situation. Imagine the feeling of jubilation I experienced when I happened upon Madu’s Unilocal page. Finally, a place that specialized in my hair… Wrong.
It was smooth sailing at first. Isabelle was cutting my coils to specification and had total mastery over her shears. Then, she asked if I intended to get a wash and I was like «Yah!» in that sound you make when you wonder why they had to ask. I soon realized that Isabelle had rough hands and a love for heat. She continuously doused my hair in hot water and over applied leave-​in products to my super thin hair strands. After being waterboarded I was dragged to the hair dryers to be baked. She left me in there for an hour. I normally only deep condition for 5 – 10 minutes and then wash out the products.
My hair was annihilated once Isabelle lifted the hooded dryer. It clearly had tooooo much product applied and was frizzy from all the heat. Isabelle helplessly attempted to continue cutting my ruined hair. She even picked apart ringlets that looked relatively fine.
I attempted to step in and remedy the situation after requesting for my hair to be washed out. Even my rescue attempts with «One Condition» and «B’Leave In» couldn’t resolve the issue. I came to the conclusion that my hair was close to death and this appointment was over.
So this is were most bad cuts end, (you know, at the ending) but this haircut had an epilogue. Upon stepping up to the counter I realized this horrible cut was not free. I guess the rationale is that you pay for your pain. I had an enlightening spit-​spat with Madu, the owner, and ultimately paid $ 75. She stated that I could walk out without paying as long as I wasn’t worried about karma. Another stylist called the police in an attempt to get me to leave. I am pretty sure the karma gods would have given no fucks if I left without paying and took some free products with me too.
I should have waited for the police to come. There’s definitely somebody on the squad that could have done my hair better… Maybe even in prison. My pictures speak the the truth.

I hadn’t seen sweet handsome Adrian in a minute and yet showing up today for a trim– it was as if no time had passed. I’ve been veering away from the curly style and leaning towards sharp lines, and more neoteric designs, which Adrian adapted to perfectly. There’s nothing he can’t do and isn’t able to work with. An hour later, we had caught up, embraced each other with blessings in the new year and my hair of course, was looking fresh once again. Seeing Adrian honestly is NEVER less than a wonderful experience. Everyone at the salon is kind and friendly as well. Oh. And there were complimentary sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day!

UPDATE: my credit card company successfully resolved the dispute, so I have changed the star rating from 1 to 2.
WARNING… they automatically booked a follow up appointment for me that I did not authorize. I am out of the country and did not want to make an expensive international call to fix their mistake.
I did NOT confirm the appointment. I emailed
twice and each time it was undeliverable. I emailed them on Facebook as well.
Today I saw a credit card charge for $ 62.50 and I initiated a dispute with my credit card company.

Edit: The owner called after I posted to apologize, which I very much appreciated. (So I’m raising my rating up to 4). I’ll try the salon again.
Extremely Disappointed. I had such high hopes for this place. I got the DevaCurl cut — which actually went great. Needed it and I could already tell the difference it was going to make by dry cutting individual curls.
But the style was just awful. Awful. I walked out of there with hair so heavy, it looked like I slept on it. You don’t put 6 pumps of ANYTHING on fine curls. Let alone 3 more pumps of something else PLUS leave in conditioner. I could feel the product on my hand after I ran my fingers in my scalp. No, Isabel, this doesn’t look good. I look like a shaggy dog with no volume. A mop.
Clearly I’m frustrated. I’m sitting there in the chair trying not to get upset for my $ 125 cut and attempt at a style. I can’t go out after this!!! I have to go home and wash it again to style it myself! Isabel is already hard at work on her other client, rationalizing my explanation for my heavy hair.
No attempt at making sure I’m happy before I leave. No attempt at even showing me the products I should probably buy to upsell me.
No attempt from the receptionist to see why I’m upset and don’t give a tip: «Have a great day!» she says.
Jerks.

I’ve been to MaduSalon a few times. My best experience by far was with Tasha (the others were just ok, but with her was so amazing that the place is getting 5 stars… without her they’d get a 2.5÷3)
But about Tasha. I wanted to do something dramatic with my hair, I was in a odd space and felt like a change. I wanted to have my hair pressed and chopped off to my chin.
An ok stylist is going to let you do anything to your hair and execute orders, a good stylist is going to warn you if it won’t look good, an amazing stylist is going to talk you out of being foolish and give you something amazing. Tasha is AMAZING. I usually wear my hair out and curly, not pressed. Pressed my natural hair was reaching the middle of my back but only appeared chin length while curly… Tasha cautioned me that if I cut my hair to a pressed chin length, curly it was going to look 2 inches long… did I really want that look? Really? …but 2 inches though girl… really? :-/​
No…I would have been so so sad.
So she did a fantastic job pressing my hair, we settled on a almost shoulder bob length and it was straight for about a week. The first time I washed my hair it was literally healthier than it had been for 6 months prior. I mean… that’s magic, she applied high heat to my hair (blow dry and then a flat iron) and my hair came out healthier than it had been in months. Plus she was a super sweet and friendly person without being gossipy or prying. Never pushed product but gave great recommendations. Love her and will be back to see her.
The other two stylists were just ok. One significantly overcharged me and ironically did the worst job… hair style didn’t last to my car. She also gossiped nonstop about the other stylists and clients, I didn’t like her and haven’t been back to the shop recently because of that experience. (My fault, should have stayed with Tasha).

I fucking can’t even leave my good review up.
I won’t be back. Ever.
First they mess up and cancel my appointment– AND raised the price on me. Then Cal messes up my hair.
Then Im given a corrective appt come in for that for the side SHAVE. Again, brought photos.
And while I REALLY wanted to be complimentary– I wasn’t supported in doing what I wanted. I had to be very firm, and withstand my stylist immediately telling me No, not to ask her to do that– etc etc. I felt very discouraged but I went ahead and did it anyway.
But it was never a side SHAVE, LIKE the Rihanna photo I brought in. It is not clean off– it is still an inch long. It gets messed up– I have to style and deal with it– exactly what I wanted to be free of.
The last time I came in to talk about this and pick up my jacket I left in the rush to beat the traffic out of the city at 2pm when my corrective appointment had been scheduled for 1pm and didn’t start until 15 – 20 minutes late– I would’ve liked to have had more time but since again I was just being fit in last minute she had to keep going away to her other client to let me «think about» what I wanted.
Now they tell me it will cost me even more to get this cut the way I want it in the FIRST PLACE which they NEVER succeeded at or delivered for me for my time, multiple sessions, and money, over $ 150, instead of the $ 120 I was originally going to pay!
Had to pay more, not get the appointments OR the cut I wanted in the first place and all in all big fucking hassel and regret.
I’m NOT COMING BACK AND PAYING MORE MONEY AFTER ALL IVE ALREADY SPENT AND THEY HAVENT EVEN GOT IT LOOKING GOOD THE WAY I WANT IT.
Unless I’m doing their exact styling technique and using their products it’s a frizzy mess still anyway and there are more layers I said to keep long that Cal cut above my shoulders.
I will be shaving this shit off and cleaning it up MYSELF for my photo shoot I have booked in January which this WONt be looking good for because it is too long already– and the other hair gets caught in it. Otherwise I’ll be going back to my old salon where I’ve never been terribly disappointed.
Want to charge me another fucking $ 25 (plus tip?! Plus my TIME) just to get it how it should be already.
Fucking SIDE SHAVE. How hard is it. It’s driving me crazy now already this fucking hair.
And once I take my photos and get this look I want captured — I no longer get to enjoy it long because I’m so fucking fed up and it’s been butchered so many times now I have to start over and I’ll be taking it completely off and getting a pixie cut.
Big scheduling hassle– expensive as fuck– for NOT GETTING WHAT I WANT NOT EVER! Fuck it! Never fucking coming back here! Not worth the HYPE!
This is me trying to be NICE down there previously and it’s fucking bullshit. I’m not happy. It’s never been what I wanted.
was given a corrective appt. and I decided with Isabel’s help to take my lemon of a chopped curl and turn it into some lemonade by going for the side shave I’ve been too chicken to try. Joseph was sweet & warm & welcoming when I came back this time.
I was on time to my 1pm corrective appt. She didn’t get started on me until fifteen minutes later.
Then when I ask for the side shave I’m so glad I was prepared for this because she flat out told me «no» and «don’t ask me to do that» and then left me alone! For another ten minutes to ‘think about it’ I was thinking about beating the commute traffic out of the city because it was already 1:30pm! I left my jacket had to make a return trip for that bc I always forget something in a rush, and since my time was wasted again– I had to rush to beat traffic out of there and I refused having my hair re-​washed and dried/​styled which it needed and I would’ve liked to have happen.
Well I regret ever coming to this place. Having my appointment AND hair messed up.
I’ve been growing it out for YEARS. It was down to my WAIST. Thick, long, curls.
Now I have to start completely over. I am sad to be losing the rest of my hair because I am so fed up with it.
That curl should never have been rushed and chopped so short.
It dictated where my side shave went, and it wasn’t far or deep enough of a part. My problem now is it doesn’t want to lie down flat that way. It should’ve started lower down and had it not been a correction of a fuck up or what I wanted in the first place it wouldn’t be that way.
I mean I can not even believe after all the time and money I spent that they never even had it looking good! I regret it.
If someone is going to fuck up my hair? It might as well be ME, for FREE! So I’m not giving my hard earned dollars to any more so called hair stylists that I could do a better job than! I’ll do it myself! At least then when it gets fucked up– hey! It didn’t cost me over $ 150. And more than one trip. When
ALL my hair– is going to be chopped completely off, and it would never be happening like this if my appointment and hair hadn’t been messed up

I have had two haircuts from MaduSalon. The first was was with Adrian and was awful. He was really gossipy and spoke poorly about his clients and I hated the haircut. But a few years later I decided to give them another try, with another stylist and the cut was pretty good. But after this last experience I will never go back.
I was charged for an appointment that I did not book. I originally tried to make an online appointment for Thursday, November 5^th at 7pm. I never received a confirmation for that appointment. At some point I emailed Madusalon to ask if the appointment was scheduled. I got a voicemail from someone saying that there had been a problem with the online booking system, and that my appointment had not been booked. He went on to say that there was an appointment available for 6:30 on Friday, and to call if I wanted it. I already had plans for Friday and was pretty busy that week, so I did not return the call to say that I wanted to book the appointment. To be clear, I never booked the appointment.
Last night around 7pm I received a voicemail that I was being charged for not showing up to the 6:30 pm appointment on Friday! I was being charged for an appointment that I did not make and that I did not confirm.
I called back and left a voicemail explaining that Madusalon is not authorized to charge me for an appointment that I did not make. I have not received a call back.
I checked my credit card statement this morning and saw that I was indeed charged $ 62.50. This charge was not authorized. I have already submitted a complaint to my credit card company.
Booking an appointment for me without my confirmation and then charging me for it when I didn’t show up is a shabby business practice. No thanks, not going back.

As a DevaCurl cultist I’ve long searched for a West Coast option that can take the place of my pilgrimages to Deva’s NYC salon. And in Isabel, I’ve found my West Coast curly hair goddess! She gave me a TERRIFIC cut — a great length (just a little longer than I got from my last Deva cut, which turns out to be a genius length for me) and gave me some great new pointers on how to care for my curls.
But what really impressed me is how meticulous she was in her cutting. She carefully separated out each curl and cut them one at a time, looking carefully to see where they fell. And she’s totally delightful herself, so I enjoyed the cut as much as the results.
I’ll definitely come back to see Isabel the next time I’m in San Francisco. I love my new cut!

I give MaduSalon 5 stars for my wonderful short curly haircut, the detail taken to teach me how to care for my hair, and their prompt and excellent customer service after my disastrous first haircut at Madu.
I originally booked a Deva cut with Antonio on a Monday afternoon. I was really looking forward to the experience as my hair was super long and curly, but unfortunately I walked out of Madu with a haircut that was nowhere near what he and I had discussed — it was still long and had barely any shape. I felt rushed out of the salon, even though there were no other clients waiting, and Antonio was the only stylist there that day. I was so disappointed that the next day I decided to call Madu and asked to speak with a manager to discuss having someone fix my hair. The manager Danielle called me back, and after I explained what had happened, she immediately took steps to rectify the situation. She booked me a redo with the owner, Marie-​Claire, for Friday.
My second time at Madu was a completely different experience. The salon was busy and full of clients, all with different kinds of curly hair. Marie-​Claire was welcoming, understanding, and completely agreed with me that the haircut I had received from Antonio was not a good cut, and did not do my hair justice. She gave me an absolutely fabulous short curly cut with lots of layers and shaping. It was, hands-​down, the best haircut experience of my life. I really appreciated that she took the time to listen to what I wanted to do with my hair, made my dream a reality, and then taught me how to re-​create this look by myself at home.
I absolutely recommend coming to Madu for your curly hair needs. My only tip is that you call to make your appointment, because then you can talk to the receptionist and figure out which hairstylist would be the best fit for you. If you make an appointment through their website, you do not have the option to pick a stylist. (This is how I ended up with Antonio!)

Had my first Deva Cut with Sasha (hope I’m spelling his name properly)! He was so gentle and patient when he was explaining what he think would look good on my hair. I was going for a major cut, about 8+ inches off! He recommended an asymmetrical cut in order to prevent a triangular shape from forming. Then he explained how to use each product to maximize the volume on my hair.
The length that he cut was perfect and the tutorial of how to style my hair after it dries was very helpful.
Madusalon also offers water and tea for their clients as they’re waiting! So nice of them :)