The Cosmo Factory Salon

I’m way overdue for this review since I’ve been coming here for about 3 – 4 years, but better late than never I guess! During college, I got all my haircuts here (from trims to fringe to cutting off a foot of hair), and I was never disappointed. Sure, they take longer than a normal salon would, but it’s also a fraction of the cost (which is super important when you’re a poor college student) and a fun experience. The students are super professional and friendly, and the atmosphere is fun and exciting with lots going on. The owner, James, is hilarious and *so* nice. It’s really clear that they care about their clients, and it’s clear that their students are getting a stellar education.
For the past 6 months or so I’ve been getting my hair colored here (blonde and then silvery violet), and I’m totally thrilled with the quality of their work. They really take the time to figure out what you want and what dyes will work best for you (they require a pre-​color consultation appointment), and it shows in the final product. My last color was done by Gina about 3 weeks ago, and I’m still getting compliments. I also got my hair cut & styled by Jessica today, and she did an awesome job! I seriously can’t recommend this place enough

The manicure was a joke. The polish was many years old, never dried, and even stained my sheets. The smell of it was nauseating for 3 days. No topcoat in shop. She didn’t even know how to file. I was overcharged; they claimed they needed to update their website.
They cut my facial short by 15 minutes. It is advertised as 60 minutes and mine was only 45. This is because she had me fill out a ridiculously long questionnaire and they never said to come in early.
My haircut was good, no complaint there.
The service wasn’t cheap either. I asked for a partial refund by phone; they never called back after multiple calls; they offered no remedies when I finally reached them. Theresa claimed I was late, which was a total lie.
Avoid this shop. Not worth the time sink, aggravation, and inferior services.

JR is the best. He took my hair from being completely dry and damaged to a new state of healthy. He knows what he is doing and is very friendly. He even made sure my daughters were comfortable while waiting for me. I will be going back for future salon needs. I recommend The Cosmo Factory.

While the student who was cutting my hair was a sweetheart the teacher who helped her spent 20 minutes insulting the current state of my hair as I had cut it myself a year prior and it was lopsided. I have never felt more uncomfortable in my entire life and the experience has turned me off to salons altogether. It’s been over a year since this incident and I still cringe every time I think about it. Unprofessional and downright mean!

Let me first say that my partner & I had been trying to go to the Cosmo Factory as much as we could. We were loyal. Until the day James, the owner, made our hairstylist cry by being so mean to her. He was rude, abusive, & just totally cruel & unprofessional, & this trainee stylist wasn’t making anything from her work, he was. Also, fair warning, you get what you pay for, & the Cosmo Factory is full of students. My lover & I decided we could no longer support this abusive behavior. Also, everyone there smokes cigarettes right outside the salon. Great for your health & skin– not!

I love coming here! Hair cut on a budget :) however the student who cut my hair last week kinda left one side longer than the other! But I’m not super upset; I just called and scheduled another appt for them to fix it today and big shoutout to Tim! He was awesome, he fixed the problematic areas and double checked to make sure both sides matched. I highly appreciate it and left happy!

I just got my haircut here and it was really nice. The atmosphere and cool music were both quite nice and homy. It took longer than a regular haircut but that didn’t matter because, Tim, the guy who cut my hair was very chatty, a good quality of all good hairdressers. I love my new hair!

Patti was amazing. She asked me what I wanted for my hairstyle and delivered. She is dedicated to this profession and is a true gem. I can’t wait to go back.

We hired Santa Cruz Cosmo Factory for our Moms & Daughters Retreat. They served 250 moms and daughters. I wish I had a million stars to give these guys. They are an amazing group of students who are extremely talented and great with costumer service. James the owner is a dream to work with and very professional. They truly made our event amazing, all the moms and daughters raved about these guys. Our theme was western and every student came dressed up to fit the theme of the retreat. They did hair and make up all day. Every guest walked away with a huge smile on their face because they made everyone feel beautiful and special. If you are looking to get into hair and make up go here because these students are going places! IF you want to put on a killer retreat hire these guys because they rock! Thanks again Cosmo Factory we hope to have you guys back EVERY year for our Moms & Daughters Retreat :).

My visit was the first time I’ve had a haircut in Santa Cruz since moving from Los Angeles, it was also my first time having my hair cut by a beauty school student. My experience was wonderful and insightful, it was a learning experience for all parties involved.
Upon entering everyone was warm and friendly and it was a short wait from door to barber chair. The owner/​founder James had given Steve (the student) some pointers before cutting my hair. Precious (another student? senior student? teacher even?) had also made visits here and there to ensure I was receiving the best hair cut possible. Steve was great, sociable, and very professional, everything you’d want in a hair stylist. Any concerns I had, he addressed. Any concerns he may have had, he consulted with me and his seniors. After everything was over I learned much about how to get my hair cut and how to style my hair, I only hope that I offered a good learning experience to Steve as well.
Would definitely recommend to anyone, especially another college student like myself.
In summary:
–Made an appointment. (I believe you have to.)
–Friendly staff.
–Great service.
–Learned much about my own hair.
–Affordable (Quality of experience exponentially outshines the price I paid.)
–Came in at ~11:30 AM, left around ~12:30 PM

Fantastic experience! Came in with a horrible self cut bob and they (Nicole) transformed it into a beautiful A line. I was seen immediately, and she was extremely polite and attentive. The atmosphere is really cool and I loved how it didn’t feel stuffy at all, very open. They had a really groovy Pandora station playing which I then added to my own app because it was so good! My stylist and everyone I interacted with were very kind and warm, it was so nice to be treated well by a hair stylist for once! The owner was really funny and sweet and apparently has bitchin taste in music. I didn’t know what to expect with a $ 12 student haircut, but boy was I pleasantly surprised! Overall I would say it was one of the best hair experiences ever, and I’ll definitely be back!

This is the first hair cut I’ve gotten in approximately 9 months, and Kayla did a wonderful job. She was very professional and personable, and she didn’t hesitate to consult with her instructors if she was unsure of something. And, I really appreciated that she, and her instructor, checked in with me at every step of the process to make sure they were doing things the way I wanted. It’s true that there is a lot going on while you’re there — there are classes happening, people chatting, phones ringing, etc. — but I think that adds to the atmosphere. It’s fun! And, because of all the activity, there isn’t a ton of pressure to make chit-​chat with your stylist (although with Kayla, that wasn’t a challenge).

I came in a few days ago not knowing what to do with my hair. Ricky helped me figure out something that ended up fantastic. He asked his teacher for advice and went about the process with lots of attention, care, and courtesy. Great service! I would describe the environment as having an industrial grungy feel since its in a warehouse. There’s art on the wall, a lively group of students and I was happy to pay a tip in the end.

I went in today for the first time and had an awesome experience. I was seen in about five minutes and had Bree as my stylist. I had five inches cut off my hair so I was kind of nervous at first but Bree was awesome and listened to everything I said. I ended up with an awesome 12 dollar hair cut that looked nothing less than salon quality. The only thing, like mentioned before in the other reviews, is it does take a bit longer than a usual haircut but thats to be expected. Totally worth it for the price. I highly recommend this place!

I’ve been going to the Cosmo Factory for around 5 years for my quick, easy hair cuts. I’ve never left with a bad doo, so that’s awesome! Plus the cuts are extremely affordable, around $ 13 total for a hair wash + condition and the haircut. The only negative thing I’d have to say about the Cosmon Factory is that some of the staff can be a bit unprofessional. Many of them are wandering around the store and doing their own hair and makeup, gossiping, and just goofing around. It’s a cool upbeat environment though, just a heads up! …I overheard a gossip session about a girl who found her false eyelash on her one night stand’s butt cheek after a crazy night! Apparently she plucked it off and glued it right back on

Gorgeous haircut by Reane! Nice atmosphere, not stuffy like most salons.

I had my hair cut back home into a bob my my hairdresser. That was in the end of December and it had come time to cut it so I can grow it long for my sisters wedding next year, it was all sorts of awkward choppy layers since I hadn’t gotten it trimmed.
I called two minutes after they opened and asked what their availability was for walk ins that same day, they had a lot and 12pm worked best for me. I walked in at 11:57am and was checked in and said I could have a seat. Receptionist was friendly.
I was greeted with a handshake by Alyssa who would be cutting my hair, after the drape was placed she asked what i wanted, then combed my hair and called over the instructor for the consultation. The instructor was very professional, asking Alyssa exactly what she was going to do and how to make sure what I wanted would happen. Everything was good to go.
The shampoo and conditioning is marvelous, the scalp massage was so good I was so relaxed I was getting sleepy.
The cutting began and Alyssa was very meticulous and careful with her work, took about half an hour to 40 minutes, longer than most places but to be expected for a cosmetology school. She asked the instructor Annita to come take a loook, Anita corrected a few minor stray hairs then gave her the go ahead to dry and do the finishing touches. I walked out happy with the trim and ready to grow out my hair,
The only bad thing I would say is that they lose power when too many people are using the blowdryers at once, but that’s nothing we can’t laugh about. Alyssa was very friendly, talkative when I wanted to chat and otherwise focused on her work.
A good place, I would go again in a heartbeat. Perhaps I’ll treat myself to a facial next payday.

It’s a school. Sometimes you get an A student, and then you get a really terrific haircut for $ 12. Usually you get the B– student, or sometimes… worse, but usually a senior staff member will recognize warning signs and come help them out. The key to this place is to be assertive if something’s not going right, or at least ask questions if it seems weird. Double-​check repeatedly with your stylist to make sure their interpretation of that magazine picture your waved at them is the same as your interpretation.
Also, nearly impossible to get an appointment. They will never answer their phone or voicemail, business hours or no. You have to just physically visit and hope.

After reading so many positive reviews, I wanted to check out the Cosmo Factory — who wouldn’t want to check out a 4.5 star/​cheap hair salon!
Boy was I wrong! I don’t do Unilocal reviews but my awful hair cut warranted the publicity for people to read. Firstly, note that I have very long pin-​straight hair that is about 3 inches above my waist line. I simply asked for 2 inches off — long and medium length layers. Practically a trim!
My stylist looked like she couldn’t even take care of her own hair (short black hair with fried yellow tips that looked like a bird’s nest) — please dress the part of your role! Haven’t you heard about the self-​fulfilling prophesy — fake it till you make it?
She started off taking 2 inches, and then cutting more and more. She realized midway that the layers were uneven and not blended so she continued cutting and then stopped and realized what she has done. She asked another student for help and she came and did the best she can to make my hair even without cutting off more.
End result — 6 inches cut off and slightly jagged and uneven.
DO NOT COME HERE. The positive reviews most likely came from students that were more experienced and most likely graduated and went their own ways. The student turn-​over and price is not worth the risk… I much rather pay $ 80 for a trim knowing that it would legitimately be a trim.

I can’t stop staring in the mirror!
One of the best salon experiences I have ever had in my life.
I went in with serious damage from a friend cutting my hair and left The Cosmo Factory with the perfect hair cut/​hair color from James and Anita (Anita was great too! great personality, amazing talent).
James was perfection: personable, charismatic and most importantly he’s phenomenal at what he does. He really took the time to talk to me about what I wanted, the options and what would look best on me. Lovely/​talented person overall, he even had me laughing the entire time, while still being extremely professional.
Summary:
Go there!
They really know what they are doing and even better? extremely affordable!