Universal Cuts

My family and I are new to Vallejo, I called several time for an appointment and never received a return call as promised. I don’t know the quality of her work but her customer service is terrible. I would never go there as a result and would not recommend her to my many friends and family.

It is a shame that Alena will be closing at the end of the month. She is however moving and renting a space at Annie’s Hair and Nails at 2004 Columbus Park Way Benicia.

The first time I went in Alina made me feel right at home. She fit me in even though she was busy. She is easy to talk to and does a great job on my hair.

My wife has been looking for a good salon since we moved here over a year ago from florida. We or I should say she found this place and couldn’t say enough good things. I must say I am also very very happy with her hair my wife is gorgeous. My wife doesn’t have a Unilocal account so from her she HIGHLY recommends trying this salon you will be happy you did.

Alena is simply the best. She is sweet, personable and takes great care of my hair. Been coming here for ten years now and look forward to it every time. Her shampoo is a bit more but amazing!

Best Hair Stylist.
Genuine Lady, Great Stylist.
Prices are very reasonable, quality of hair cuts is definitely 5 Star.
Definitely recommend.
Be patient, don’t expect ultra chic saloon, you’ll be happy after hair cut.

Saw this salon here on Unilocal and since I am new to the area I was really excited to try it ! After two weeks of calling and trying to get an apt still no one has answered the phone! I have left multiple msgs and still nothing!!! Terrible way to run a business!

Haircuts are great, though you have to be very specific about what you want in order to get a good haircut (though I’ve found this to be true pretty much anywhere). Only real downside to this salon is that debit/​credit cards are not accepted.

Probably the best haircutting experience I’ve ever had. Ask for Alina. I’m very picky about my haircuts, and Alina was meticulous, and very friendly. She even taught me a thing or two about my hair! $ 15 for a men’s cut, and I would have paid $ 20. Definitely making this my new regular salon.

Very friendly staff, safe, and a great haircut. I couldn’t be happier!

I was skeptical about going to a salon because they usually charge an arm and a leg and give you attitude when you try to direct them on how you want your hair cut. At first, I was considering Super Cuts because I was familiar with them, and I knew they had somewhat cheap prices (I’m used to $ 8 haircuts back home), and my hair needed cut badly. So, I called and asked the price, and made my appt for an hour later.
I found the place easily, walked in, and was seen within five minutes. I opted for a wash and cut with blow-​dry, but then later added deep conditioning to my hair since it was in dire need of it. The best part was the wash where she not only washed my hair but massaged my scalp and used hot towels to relax the muscles. It was wonderful! I walked in with a headache, and by the time I sat up for my deep conditioning, it was gone. She also draped a blanket over me while I was getting my wash, which was also wonderful, but I’m not sure if that’s part of the plan or if it was because it was pretty cold in there.
After the deep conditioning, we moved onto my hair. I had given up on brushing it because it was knotting soooooo badly, so she really had to take her time brushing everything out, even after the deep conditioning. Once through the knots, she went to work with the face frame and the layers I asked for after I had about two inches removed. She blow dried it, and I was done. When I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t have been happier. I’ve had some bad experiences with both face frames and layers, and what she did was perfect. I was so happy, I recommended my roommate get his hair cut too, since he’d been asking me to do it for a few days.
In the end:
wash and cut with blow-​dry– $ 35
deep conditioning– $ 25 but used a coupon for five off she had
Men’s hair cut– $ 15
Men’s wash and cut– $ 25

Alena rocks! She is a real professional and takes a lot of pride in her work, she will not let you leave the salon with a hair out of place!
I’ve been going to Alena for a few years, she has never let me down. I wanted to try blonde and showed her a picture… she took my idea and tailored it to fit me :) It looked great and I got SOOO many compliments on the color job. Then this week, I decided I wanted to try short hair; she gave me a cut that really works for me and she really understood what I was asking for. I get SOOO many compliments on the cut. Now I’m trying to grow it back out: P But I know Alena will make it look right :)
I was never adventurous with hair cuts or color before going to Alena. Now I’m confident to try new styles & know that she’ll make me look great!

This review is long overdue. My husband and I have both been coming to Alena for over 5 years, and we are always happy with her work.
My husband is Filipino, and his hair can look a little «militant» if it’s not trimmed well; Alena always makes him extra handsome:) She had been able to recommend better product for him to use, and she makes him comfortable (not always easy for a female stylist with a male client).
I am white, and have the world’s straightest, finest hair. I’ve never been very adventurous with my ‘do, and Alena was always patient with me. She occasionally made suggestions, but never pressured me into anything. She’s helped me through growing out some highlights (ones I did before I met her), and through maintaining and eventually growing out a chin-​length inverted asymmetrical bob (not easily done).
10 months ago, with my whole head one long, shapeless length, I decided I was ready for a change: bangs. I went in to her with several pictures of styles I liked, and she talked me through all of them. She asked me what I wanted for my eventual look, and how much effort I wanted to put into my hair on a daily basis. She pointed out that a few of the pictures I had selected would not work for me, and explained why. I really appreciated her honesty; I do NOT need to be frustrated with my hair every morning! Between the two of us, we came to the perfect solution. Needless to say, given my 5 stars, I love my new look and plan to keep it, and Alena, for a long, long time.
On top of her great service, she is super friendly and personable. And, seriously, SOOOOO reasonably priced. She never pressures me to buy product, or to have a wash and style.
My only minor negative is that she does not accept credit cards; I rarely carry cash or a check book, so this is a tad annoying for me. But Alena is so great, and so well-​priced, the quick trip to the ATM before my appointment with her is totally worth it.

I saw all of the great reviews so, while driving from San Francisco to Sacramento, decided to stop and see if they had any walk in availability. Alena, who almost all the reviews seem to be about, is only available by appointment but there was another person, Susie, who was available for walk ins.
Susie explained that, although she knew Alena a long time (since beauty school), she was new to that location. Well, that sounded promising. So, I decided to go with Susie. After a thorough consultation, she gave me a hair cut and a dye that I was instantly ECSTATIC about. Susie drastically increased manageability and cut my hair in such a way that I could easily «get up and go» without any styling or style when I wanted to spend the extra time. Susie had brought me back to my natural color (as I had requested) with such accuracy that when my hair later grew out, the roots were difficult to see. It was probably one of the best hair cuts I’ve ever had (especially if judging from all the compliments I received) and made me feel oh so pretty! I quickly fell in love with my hair (and the stylist) and wanted to rave about her to everyone I knew. Since I have a policy to visit a service at least 2 times before Unilocaling, I waited for my next visit.
So I eagerly went back, enthusiastically telling Susie how much I loved the last haircut and how I felt it was one of the best haircuts I’ve ever had. Without a word, Susie began cutting my hair and within a few minutes, she was done. I was confused. My hair looked frizzy and seemed to be a completely different haircut then what I had before. I didn’t understand «If I loved the last haircut, why would she change it so drastically?» But, because Susie did such a great job with me the last time, I decided to trust her again this time, and quietly paid for the service along with a $ 10 tip, figuring I’d go home and wet my hair a bit to remove some of the frizz and see what it looks like as I get used to it.
But I never got used to it. In fact, I HATED it. My hair was chopped up with no real rhyme or reason. I had to put tons of product in my hair as well as run a hot iron through it every day just to tame the frizz. It was cut in such a way that it couldn’t help but poof out or in in all the wrong places. I couldn’t understand how a bad haircut could make me look like I had a bad, combed-​out poodle perm when my hair is actually straight with some waves. I actually had coworkers comment on my hair, asking me why I didn’t go back to the last place I went to. Because I have long hair and can normally easily disguise most imperfections in a haircut, I never appreciated how BAD a haircut could be until I had this one. When I went to another hairstylist to get it corrected, he asked me if I cut my own hair and said that he couldn’t figure out why my hair was chopped up so unevenly.
I wanted to be fair and give Susie ONE more try (sort of a tiebreaker between one of the best and THE worst haircut I’ve ever gotten) but I can’t subject my hair to that again — especially while still trying to grow out the mess she created last time. And, as a coworker once said, «the sign of a good stylist is consistency» and this place definitely didn’t fit the bill.

Finding a stylist that not only listens but also ” get’s” it is rare. I know because I’ve been looking for one for the last 10 years in this town. Finally I found one! Alena at Universal cuts is fantastic. She got it, did it and restored my faith in the profession. I ‘ll be a customer for life.

I don’t really trust too many people with my hair and she (Darlene/​Alena, I’m not too sure what her name was, but its the pretty lady in the purple in the main picture!) did a great job with layering my long hair just the way I like it-​a couple of times actually. I’m just a little late on my reviews. She’s also never in a rush and really takes her time. Price is very reasonable as well.

Alena is amazing! I started out as a student at Touro University several years ago and have been going to her ever since. Her friendliness and professionalism are rare and her convenient location is perfect for a student like me. She manages to tame my thick black hair and makes it feel right every time.
The thing that I really like is that you don’t feel like you are going somewhere and are just another customer. She takes a lot of care and has an amazing memory (she has remembered exactly how I have liked my hair ever since the first time that I’ve visited her). Also she is very personable and easy to talk to.
I’ve recommended her to my friends and roommates and they all enjoyed going to her as well. I’m just glad that a place like vallejo has a wonderful place that I can go to for haircuts.

I have been going to Alena for over a year now at Universal Cuts. I moved from Sonoma County about 5 years ago, and continued to travel there for hair cuts, colors, etc. until I found her… but no more! She is fabulous! I really can’t say enough. I am used to pricey haircuts and salons. I have to say that she has given me the best haircut I have ever had. She is so, so, so reasonably priced too. I take my entire family there now… my hubby and kids love her too… even my 2 year old lets her cut her hair. The extra time and care she takes massaging your scalp and head when she washes your hair. wonderful! What a find! Visit her soon… and support local business!

I rarely get my hair cut at a salon and its a scary experience for me and my pubey head (I’ve got curls that run wild). Luckily after checking out the Unilocal reviews I went to the right spot. My curls are under control and looking good!
Darlene was my stylist, not sure if that’s right word, but you get the idea. She did an amazing job paying attention to all sorts of details I never even knew about. She even textured my hair and it feels great. My hair looks good and now I feel good. I will definitely return!

I had a great experience here with Alena. This was my daughter’s second haircut ever (she’s almost four) and it went so well. Alena is so sweet and wants you to walk away happy. I’ll definitely be coming back again and again. :-)