Halo Blow Dry Bars

This review is long overdue. I LOVE Halo of Burlingame! I’ve been getting blow outs there on occasion for a couple of years now. I have never been disappointed with the results. All of the stylist are great and the atmosphere and aesthetics are friendly, modern, and fresh.
I live in SF and I have many blow dry bars locally to choose from. I have tried them all but when I really want to look my best and need a quality blow dry that will last many days I don’t hesitate to make the trek to Burlingame to visit Halo.

I’ve had 2 blow outs at HALO in Burlingame coming from San Francisco and love how easy it is to find parking and I can do some shopping after. Each time my blow out lasted at least 4 days. I really like how they don’t put too much product so it never feels greasy when I leave and it just feels more professional than some of the other blow dry bars in the area. I will definitely be visiting next time I’m in the city.

I went in to get a my hair and makeup done for a party, and Halo did such a wonderful job I looked the best I ever have! For my hair they curled it and did a fabulous updo, and for makeup they found the perfect balance between glam and still looking natural. The people that helped me were so professional and kind, they were very accommodating of my requests and made me look exactly how I wanted. I also got my brows done, which is something I very rarely entrust to new people as my brows are very difficult to get looking perfect, but they did a great job! I would definitely go back here for my next event.

I made an appointment for hair and make up in preparations for my engagement pictures.
This was a last minute resort, and the one good thing that I have to say about this place is that they were easy about scheduling.
I contemplated between this place and dry bar and ultimately went with this one (after looking on Unilocal) for two reasons. (1) they had make up services in addition to hair services, and (2) dry bar had constant complaints about time issues.
Hair was very lack luster. I have long, thick, heavy Asian hair and i curl it on my own on a pretty regular basis. So i know it’s doable. I came here for a more voluminous and polished look. Well, what I got was basically what I could do at home on my own… If not, a tad bit worse.
Make up… Don’t even BOTHER getting it done here. Apparently only three of the girls that work there can do make up. I saw two of the three girls and was far from impressed. The girl that I was originally scheduled with started my make up and was coughing all over the place. So midway through my eyeshadow, she passed me off to another girl. I can respect the choice to not want to cough in one’s face while doing their make up, but being handed off made me feel unimportant as a customer. I asked for a natural look, but came out looking like she had done absolutely nothing. When my make up was finished, the girl that handed me off even asked the other girl, «did you put foundation on her?!» because it looked like she hadn’t done anything. (Luckily, Sephora is right down the street. I ran there in panic and desperation, almost in tears, asking them to help with my make up. The girl at Sephora pretty much scoffed at the fact that I had paid for the job/​lack of make up on my face. But she gladly helped remedy the situation. So if ever you’re in this situation, Sephora to the rescue! And IT WAS FREE!)
Long story short, don’t waste your time and money here. The services they offered were far from worth the $ 94 I paid (especially considering i immediately wiped off my make up and had it all redone). I could’ve done a better job doing it myself.
Two stars are for the fact that it was easy to schedule and that the girls were nice enough… maybe not great at what they do, but they were nice!
UPDATE!
(1) The owner was really nice when she read this review and gave me a full refund of what I paid for services and tip. I really appreciate that customer service.
(2) Here’s a photo comparing their work to what I could do at home. Rather disappointing that the difference isn’t stark!

I have been coming here for over 3 years. The customer service has really gone down hill over the last year. I just came home from an appointment that was disappointing. I will not be going back. $ 59 down the drain.
I noticed while the stylist was doing my hair she seemed to be in a bad mood– never a good sign when someone is working on your hair. She kept bumping my head with the straight iron, never apologized once. After she was done I can see my hair was frizzy and did not look smooth and shiny like it usually does. She went over my hair with the straight iron again in several areas very quickly. She said «it looks and feels smooth to me.» I tried to be polite and said «maybe it’s just my hair that is changing and is dry. It usually looks soft and silky.» She did not add any other product or fix it. I just wanted to get home and fix it myself– after paying $ 59. How lovely. I should have known better when she did not even offer coffee, water or tea, or greet me with a smile like all the other stylists do.
Please save your time, money and frustration. Skip this place.

I’ve been here several times. The whole experience is okay and my hair «style» looks nice.
I’ve seen other different stylists, but my favorite has got to be Samantha. She was the first one who did my hair and it looked amazing. I try to schedule her through their online appointments but she’s always booked. She is that good!
I had my hair recently done before the holidays and I was pleased with the way it turned out. I will return if I’m in the peninsula area. Otherwise I have a favorite place in SF.

Took my 13 year old daughter here before attending a big event. They did a great job on her hair! We loved it, only thing is the curls fell out with in an hour– such a disappoint for a $ 49 dollar treat for my daughter! I will save the money and curl myself next time. On a positive note the staff is super friendly!

I much prefer Dry Bar over Halo. At Halo, the blow dryer was extremely hot to the point that I felt that my scalp was burning. I had to ask for her to put it on a cooler setting. She also pulled on my hair so much that I felt that she was going to rip it out of my head. It was not a relaxing experience at all. Then to top it all off, the blow dry only lasted a few hours. The curls fell out and it just looked terrible. I just heard they also increased their prices to $ 49 which is higher than Dry Bar now. Definitely will not be coming back.

I live in Burlingame, Ca and use both Dry Bar and Halo. I get my hair done once a week, every week. Given the choice, I prefer Halo!!! And it’s cheaper…

I have been a client of Halo since they opened their doors in Palo Alto many moons ago. I love the concept of Blow-​Dry Bars, and I have found stylists at each Halo salon that I love, Samantha specifically at the Burlingame location. This review is not for a blowout, but for the reception, or what seems to be lack a thereof at the Burlingame location now. The past few times I’ve called for a reservation, no one answers the phone (and I’m calling during business hours). Once I left a message and never received a call back.
Since yesterday I’ve been trying to book an appointment, I only just now got through to someone on the phone with the hopes of coming in this afternoon. Of course, they have no availability. I was able to get an appointment at another salon in Burlingame so it’s okay, but I do think there needs to be more consistency with the reception desk.

Andy did a beautiful, long lasting blow dry. She listened to exactly what I wanted and it ended up being bouncy and she was quick too. Love the ambiance, service and the Rene Furterer products there too. You can’t go wrong with going to Andy!!! Love it!

Had a wonderful experience yesterday at Halo. I called early in the morning and was able to get an appointment with Vanessa. They were warm and welcoming and I was brought in immediately. She did a wonderful job shampooing my hair, I got goose bumps! I tend to have a sensitive head and have very thick long hair that can be a lot to manage but it didn’t seem to be an issue for Vanessa. We had pleasant conversations but to tell you the truth I was so relaxed getting my hair done I just ended up closing my eyes while she worked her wonders. Being as my hair is it did take a bit longer than 40 minutes. I was in no rush and I truly enjoyed my time. The finished product was and still is beautiful a day later! Thanks ladies! Look forward to see you all again soon.

Such a wonderful experience. Vanessa did an exceptional job on my hair AND makeup. My first experience with a dry bar. I book a surprise photo shoot for my husband and WOW! The results were more then expected, thanks for the referral Carma Hair Co of San Bruno.

The owner was prompt to leave a message publicly on the original review and offered a refund. I messaged back but never received a reply. So kind of not cool.
Having tried DryBar, I prefer DryBar. I have long hair (to the middle of my back) and I was not hurried out of the door. The service & environment are also much better.

My stylist, Janet, did a beautiful job with my hair — and I also ended up having my makeup done for $ 15 and I was thrilled with that.
I’m giving three stars because the service was mediocre. I arrived five minutes early for my appointment, and then the minute my appointment was supposed to start, a woman came in an hour late for her appointment (she contested that she was on time and the salon had booked the wrong time for her) and demanded to be helped right away. The woman was a complete jerk, and I felt sorry for the stylist who was acting as the receptionist, but still, the upshot was that my appointment (which I was early for) was fifteen minutes late. And I got no apology. I think the customer who shows up on-​time (early!) for an appointment should be served before someone who blasts in at the wrong time when the place is full.

My first time here at Halo was a pleasant experience.
I loved that I was able to book same day and online. I decided to get a blowout/​braiding for my engagement photos on Sunday.
Christina took great care of me. She fixed my hair up beautifully. My hair was sleek, soft and she braided my hair exactly like I asked. I have already seen proofs of some of our photos and I’m so glad because my hair looked perfect.
Also, the price is very reasonable. For the blowout and braiding, I paid $ 55. I got a discount, $ 5 off for checking in on Unilocal too! The staff was fantastic as well. Very friendly. The receptionist even called me to let me know there was an art/​wine festival on Burlingame Ave and to try and leave a tad bit earlier. I thought that was very considerate because I live in the East Bay and had no clue.
Thanks Halo for making my hair look awesome for my engagement photos and giving me such great service. I will definitely be coming back soon.

Samantha did a great job at my curls, i did not want anything too curly and she did light curl. When I arrived, she informed me that they had an issue with the water heating system and the water was ice cold. I had an event to go to, so had no choice but to get the ice cold hair wash. They took $ 5 off my total charge to make up for the cold water. Overall a good place to get your hair did! :)

I had an okay experience at this dry bar. I didn’t feel very welcomed when I walked in the door. My stylist didn’t introduce herself, nor did she offer me anything to drink.
My appointment was at 7:30am which is a plus considering I had a wedding to get to. I mentioned to the stylist I needed to add change to the meter by 8:00am, and she let me leave with a bunch of hair brushes in my hair. That was a first, considering other salons offered to help so you don’t ruin your hair (awkward).
My hair came out okay, I couldn’t see what was happening because my back was against the mirror the whole time.

My review is based on a visit that happened in 2012. I did the want to leave a review then, because the business was still new and I thought (and hoped) the appropriate changes and growth would occur in time. However, 2 years later I’m still seeing the same feedback from people who’ve had less than satisfactory experience like myself.
I work on the Avenue, and one of the Halo employees brought in some discount coupons. I had recently been to the Drybar on Santana Row and LOVED it. I expected Halo would be a similar experience. The website says that your blow-​dry included a shampoo and scalp massage.
I checked in, was taken to the chair where I explained what I wanted, then to the shampoo bowl. She washed my hair very quickly then asked me if I wanted conditioner. Like, who doesn’t want conditioner? She had her hands in my hair, so she had to know I NEEDED conditioner. She put the conditioner in, and immediately rinsed it out. No scalp massage.
We get back to the chair, she does my hair and it’s not what I wanted at all. So I told her what I wanted, she went over it again and had an attitude like she just created a masterpiece. All it did was make my hair a frizzy puff.
I was really upset, but there were several clients in there so I didn’t want to give any negative feedback in front of them. I went to the front to pay, and the receptionist /​manager could tell I wasn’t happy. I’m sure she could also tell me hair looked awful. She asked me to tell her what happened, and I explained the series of events. She seemed genuinely concerned and appalled, and comped my service.
Coming my service was great, it was given at that point. Once I got back to work and really looked at my hair, I was so happy I didn’t pay a dollar for that service. I was even more disturbed that there was a brand new Drybar a block away and I didn’t know!
The comped service was great, but I’ve never been back.
I actually emailed the owner because I wanted to talk to her about my visit and some ideas I had. I would love to manage this salon and whip it into shape by training and monitoring the staff and the customer service. She responded to my email by referring me to her manager, because she was on vacation. *sigh*
I would love to see this business do well. It’s a great concept and privately owned. I see her responding to all the negative comments by apologizing and comping services, rather than fixing the problems.
Best of luck

Probably wont come back. Little things would really improve the overall experience. I honestly think the owner should be aware and open to feedback.
The negatives that stood out were the greeting I received and overall customer service, the painful shampoo, and the lack of mirrors so you can’t see what your stylist is doing.
The receptionist could not have cared less. I was asked in a mumble «did you want something to drink?» The appropriate way to do this is to explain what you actually have. Do you have tea? Wine? Juice? What? I should not have to ask. It was so unwelcoming I just said water. Then another person handed me my water and the original receptionist could not even be bothered to instruct me to have a seat, or tell me how long the wait would be. Just awkward so I sat down. They weren’t busy. It was just me in the salon and one other lady who was almost finished.
Stylist was decent, my hair looked good after the appointment but the next day I had to put some bounce back onto it but since there was no mirror to see what she was doing I could not replicate it. I also had a Moroccan treatment and not a single person said my hair looked nice at work the next day, nobody could tell I had anything done.
The shampoo hurt, it was awful. I was really looking forward to a relaxing head massage but ended up wincing in pain and wanting it to be over.
Also the music was too loud and not professional.
I don’t want a free anything, just sharing my experience. I will try the competition next I guess.