Raina’s Hair Color Studio

I was looking for a new salon after a bad experience at a salon in Salem. I called several local spots in Swampscott and most were snobby and didn’t seem interested in new business. I called Raina and they squeezed me in the next morning. What a beautiful and friendly salon! Bright, cheery, clean and with a view of the ocean! Brittany is so personable and sweet, everyone was so nice and helpful and I was offered coffee as soon as I arrived! I will definitely come back and make this my new salon…:)

It is a beautiful salon and the staff are nice but they come off as less than authentic and money hungry. The front desk receptionist and assistants are genuine and welcoming but I personally feel like I got ripped off after my last visit. I have gotten much better service elsewhere at half of the price of what raina’s charges. I am not Unilocaling over money spent but of the terrible service I received. To go into detail, my stylist put less than 20 foils in my hair and charged me $ 220 dollars for a full foil. It was not timed and not specialized in any way, the highlights are terribly placed. The foils were rushed and not placed strategically as you would expect from a «master colorist». Coming into raina’s my hair was a mess and I understand that, but after paying over 350 dollars for the first visit, I assumed the second visit should have remedied it a little better than it did, it did not. No time or care was taken with my hAir and I felt like the stylist was just in a rush to get home.

I went here over the summer and it wasn’t bad. Salon was very cute and the service was great, I really felt that everyone cared but my hair did not come out the way I wanted to. I explained that I have thick Asian hair that has been processed with lots of colors and bleach before, so I just wanted a neutral chocolate brown but ended up with almost black hair. The stylist I had was very nice and accommodating but I think she should have used a lighter dye because dark colors absorbs more. Using dye that is the color on the label will not always be the color that comes out, especially with my difficult hair. She said it would fade but I don’t want to be paying a lot of money just to get black hair. It didn’t look bad but it was not what I wanted. I understand that hair will not always come out the way you want but the color was not close to what I hoped. The cut she gave me was great though, and she even offered to fix it within a week with some highlights. The highlights have now faded (it’s been 4 months) and my hair is still fairly black/​dark dark brown. I would consider coming back for a hair cut, maybe color but not likely

I have been going to Raina for years. I had gone through a very tough time in 2010, when a lot of my hair thinned out. I had been going to another, overly-​expensive salon (why charge me so much when I barely had any hair?!) and it looked awful. I came to Raina, and she made it look beautiful! I have been with her ever since. The salon is gorgeous — right on the water. Entire staff is friendly, talented and professional.

Friendly people, a beautiful, light-​filled studio, and Aveda products — all good. I have gone to both Brittany and Danielle; both are great. They are very good colorists, and there is an ease to making appointment. In other places, I have felt the stylists start to treat the experience of making appointments akin to scheduling an audience with the Pope. Not here; it’s not snooty or pretentious. And their ladies’ nights out are a good time.

I rarely post reviews, but this one was an absolute must! The salon is beautiful, clean and so relaxing. I was a first time client and went in for a full ombré, dark brown to blonde.
I had Brittany and she was amazing, she understood what I wanted and she got it correct the whole way. I have pretty long hair, but she was not phased by it, she just did her thing. She definitely knew what she was talking about and knew what she was doing. She’s the first person to get my hair the way I wanted, she was great.
Everyone was inviting and warm. I definitely plan to go back when I want to get my hair done again. Raina’s is the place to go to when you need your hair colored.

Hi, I am a 33 male living with Alopecia Areata. I have short hair. Anyone that is familiar with the disease (and refuses to go bald) understands the importance of a good CUT. The salon had a very laid back, unpretentious vibe to it. Luckily for me there was a stylist available who was experienced enough to take on the challenge. I described what I wanted, and the type of cut I needed in order to not expose bald spots and to keep the hair looking full. Im also a huge pain in the ass when it comes to my haircuts, so this girl deserves a medal. Danielle cut my hair with skill and technique using scissors only, carefully going through and THINKING before cutting. She is the only person that has cut my hair for the past 2 years. Better than any barber I’ve been too.

I was new to this Salon with high hopes. Sadly, it was not that great. My appointment was for cut and color. I left with a ton of color stained on my head and neck, but hadn’t noticed until I got home. I’m still trying to get it off. The staff was very «blah» when I first went in and carried throughout the appointment. Nobody smiling and I kind of felt like I was putting them out. The girl who did my hair was «ok» but not great. I don’t want to mention her name because I feel like that’s just mean. She hacked into the sides of my hair so much, so its very thin on the sides and thick in the back. Im just not happy at all with this salon an d will not be going back. I think there should be a manager there running things. And, if there was one there, you would never know it.

I am new to the area and have been a loyal Aveda hair and skincare client forever! I have been seeing Britney for my color and cuts for about 4 months now and always leave satisfied. Recently I decided to go for a new look-​cool ashy vs warm summer blonde. It was a challenge, but Britney worked hard to make it look like the photo I brought in to her. I left every happy, but after styling it myself at home, I had trouble pulling it back without seeing harsh lines of color. I spoke to Raina and she arranged a correction appt with Britney. Britney did a superb job! She consulted with Andrea both times which was also reassuring for such a big change. Britney made sure my hair was healthy and well conditioned. There was no charge for the correction which was even better!
The salon is decorated in a lovely way with mermaids and everything-​very tranquil! My only suggestion is that the salon gets an Aveda tea strainer — I always like this tea best and they never have a strainer so it isn’t available. Also, usually clients receive either a scalp or hand massage in Aveda salons and this only happens occasionally at this salon.
Britney is great!

I was very happy with my experience at Raina’s Hair Color Studio by the Sea. I was a client at a salon in Marblehead for years and have now switched over. My color and cut were done by Andrea and I couldn’t have left happier. Finding the perfect salon and colorist is a hard thing to come by — especially when you are forced to make a change due to your stylist leaving the salon you were accustomed to. This salon is right on the ocean with cute seaside décor, affordable prices, and is now my go to spot. Highly recommend.