The Loft Hair Design & Skincare

For over 5 years I have been a regular client of The Loft Hair Design. I started off as a client when their salon was initially located in Escondido, and when they announced their move, I followed The Loft to their temporary Vista location and then followed them once more when they moved to their current salon in Carlsbad. Despite the fact that with each move it created more of an inconvenience for me, I have continued to stay loyal to this salon.
Every time I visit this salon it is not for just a simple haircut or trim; I always try to schedule an appointment with my stylist every 2 – 3 months for a haircut/​trim PLUS a full or partial weave and color. In addition to the hair services, I almost always purchase hair products such as shampoo and conditioner, or products that my hairstylist recommends for my hair needs. Bottom line, for the past 5 years, I spend hundreds of dollars for hair services and products each time I visit.
On Friday (05÷06÷16), I have a CONFIRMED appointment with The Loft for a hair extension consultation and additional services. I have never had hair extensions before but my hair stylist highly recommended hair extensions since I am getting married in 3 months and want to look my very best the day of my wedding.
With my appointment approaching and not knowing a thing about hair extensions, especially costs, I decided to call The Loft today (05÷03÷16) to obtain a ball park estimate for budgeting purposes.
When I called, I was unfortunate enough to speak with Malinda Crickmore. From the start of our conversation Malinda would not let me get a word in. I was only able to state that I had an appointment on Friday before she would cut me off every time I tried to explain the reason for my call. I simply wanted a ballpark estimate so I knew what to expect and to allow me to budget the rest of the costs associated with my wedding.
Malinda was rude and extremely unprofessional. All Malinda could focus on was claiming she could not find my appointment scheduled for Friday (almost as if she thought I was lying), she wouldn’t give me a chance to explain anything. When I was finally able to get a word in, she spoke to me with attitude and had no care to listen to what I had to say. Once I stated that she was not answering my question, it immediately became obvious Malinda was offended because the tone in her voice changed and all she could say was «I do not know». She reminded me of a child.
I then asked to speak to someone else, so «Mal» passed the phone to Juli. Unlike «Mal», Juli was incredibly helpful and answered my question without hesitation. She understood that I just wanted an approximate range. She was great.
I did not know it at the time but, «Mal», is The Loft’s «Customer Relations Manager». What an absolute joke. In the 5+ years I have been coming to The Loft, I have never been treated that way. On the Salon’s website, her Bio states: «Mal is our Customer Relations Manager leading the entire front desk team in making our guests feel comfortable and at home. She will go above and beyond to brighten any client’s day.»
HA! What a JOKE! «Mal» has a negative attitude and is incapable of answering even a simple phone call so I find it highly unlikely that she goes «above and beyond» for any client. She’s childish and I really am astonished that she holds this position at The Loft.
Unfortunately, after being an extremely loyal client for over 5+ years, I find myself at a crossroad, contemplating if I should find a new salon. I have been a very loyal client, I continued to go to The Loft even when they changed locations, but Malinda’s attitude is unacceptable and she should not be holding a management position at The Loft. She is the type of person that The Loft does not need and sadly, if she is answering the phones and speaking to people the way she did with me, I strongly believe that she is turning business away. She has a horrible attitude and she really does a great job at making long-​term clients feel like their business doesn’t matter.

I learned from my experience here that I need to always forewarn the receptionist when making my appointment that I have long (midback), curly/​wavy, thick hair. Because the lady who did my hair kept on pointing out how much hair I had, you could tell she did not have much experience with my hair type and seemed frazzled. I know I have a lot of hair, but its rude to keep pointing it out just like pointing out that someone has thin hair or flat hair. It wasn’t the best customer service. As for the quality of the color: my «subtle ombré» ended up being bright, almost a bleached color, luckily the top portion was tolerable and honey like in color and I got use to it, but the deeper layers are really bright bleached strains, again this was probably because of how much hair I had that she didn’t use enough of the base. I wish I requested someone that had more experience with my hair type. With this being said the salon is stylish, the front staff is friendly, they give you a little head massage (who can resist) and you can tell that they try to go all out on customer service. Unfortunately I didn’t receive this from the hair stylist. I went to this salon because of a Groupon I had found. And it took me a couple of months to feel stable enough to write an honest and fair review.

I haven’t been in a few months unfortunately. Working out of state has made it difficult to make an appointment. The staff is very friendly and courteous; However, Angela is my number one! She always seems like a best friend to me. Whenever I’m sitting in her chair, we talk about anything and everything! She made my hair look fabulous just in time for my wedding! I remember almost giving her a heart attack when I told her I wanted four inches taken off. Glad she talked me out of that one! Now that my schedule is steady once again I will be returning to get my color touched up! Even if it means driving up to Carlsbad from Chula Vista. IT’S SO WORTH IT!

I have been seeing Jared at the Loft Hair Design for over 13 years! I love the salon, it has a great atmosphere and I especially love the little sensory treatment they offer as a courtesy to their clients! As for Jared, he is my one and only! He always has my hair looking fresh and bright, and even more important it looks natural! People are usually surprised to find out I color my hair and then go on to complain about how they have tried to achieve the look that I have but always end up disappointed. He does the best blonde ever! I also love that the salon as a whole works hard to continue their education in their field, if you saw something on the cover of a magazine someone at The Loft can give you that look!!!

Desiree is so friendly and did a wonderful job giving me a new look! It’s amazing what a great hair cut can do for you!

I think I finally found «my Salon» super cute inside, all the staff were so nice. Kristin was great, from my complementary neck massage to the totally new look she gave me. I love it. Listened, and shared product and different looks so I can go home and do it myself… oh, and upon paying I was handed a thank u note and samples… how nice was that!!! Thanks Loft… and ask for Kristin… she will rock your hair!!!

I come here for my usual haircuts and love it, but I just had my first wax here and wanted to leave a review of that experience. I’m changing to the Loft for all of my waxing as well. Their esthetician was friendly, efficient, and needed almost no double pulls or continual pulling for larger broken wax areas, which can be uncomfortable after your adrenaline has worn off for that first «rip». The whole appointment was pretty quick. I told her I liked the wax better than any other I’ve tried, as I’ve been Brazilian waxing for about a year and a half. Apparently it’s more expensive but there’s definitely a noticeable quality difference.

This is the nicest salon I’ve been to. The atmosphere is very fancy and clean and the employees all look very professional. Taylor B. did my hair and I am absolutely in love with it! She took her time and asked me several times if I was happy with the final product and she offered to change it if I wasn’t satisfied but that wasn’t an issue! You can tell that they care about you and they aren’t just rushing you out of there. Did I mention that they serve Stone on draft or wine while you are getting pampered? Doesn’t get much better than that.

I will never cheat on The Loft ever again. I used to be a client at their old salon in Escondido, and about a year ago, I found out the girl that used to do my hair there did not work there anymore. So, I went to another salon briefly, and while they were decent enough, I’m happy to say my tresses are back in the talented hands of the stylists at The Loft. Why did I ever leave?
I stumbled upon Tiffany Townsend’s instagram a few months ago, and convinced my sister to try her out while she was staying with me. I went with her to her appointment, saw her in action, and told myself I needed to book an appointment with her as soon as I got the chance. Not only did she make my sister’s hair look AMAZING, but I just had my appointment today and I feel like a million bucks! Tiffany is truly a talented stylist, and has a keen ability to make her clients feel comfortable throughout the whole appointment. I plan on going back to her in a couple of months to get some color… she mentioned she did balayage on herself, and it looks amazing! She was great at giving advice for at-​home styling, and was honest regarding what products would work best in my hair. I also appreciated the fact that she wasn’t pushy at all in terms of selling products… I felt that way at my last salon sometimes, so it was nice not feeling obligated at the end of my appointment. BUT, I will definitely be returning to buy some products in the future… Bumble and Bumble and Unite… good stuff!
The new location is actually closer to where I live, which I’m excited about! The interior is sleek and modern, and everyone there is so warm and welcoming. Also loved the free sensory experience! (who can say no to a free head/​neck massage with essential oils!) I’m excited to have The Loft back in my life again, and I’m so happy to have found Tiffany! Check out her instagram to see for yourself! She’s amazing! hairby_​tiffanytownsend :)

I wasn’t a fan. Overpriced and I did not love my results. The blonde balayage I wanted came out super bright brassy blonde. I’m surprised she sent me home that way, without a toner to soften the brassy color. To their credit, you can come back in within two weeks to get the results you wanted — but I chose to go elsewhere to have my hair fixed — and I’m happy I did. I found a salon that was a better fit for me. The Loft wasn’t my vibe.

Everyone thinks I’m crazy for driving 3 hours from LA to Temecula to get my hair done, but I assure you it is worth it to see Ashley. I’ve been going to Ashley since I was 16 (8 years) and I’ve never had such an amazing hair stylist. She’s been with me through bobs, bangs, blue hair, red hair, platinum blonde, and ombré. She can fix any box color (my teen years were pretty interesting) and will tell you if something you see online won’t look good on you. Her honesty and professionalism are only overshadowed by her outgoing, warm, bubbly personality. Ashley Ryan is the best person to have on the other side of the shears.

Sarah Elizabeth Grant is an amazing hair stylist
Jared Bernstein Rocks!
Brandy is da bomb

do not go to this salon!!! i bought a voucher thinking this was a regular salon that does good business. i went in for highlights which should have been anywhere from $ 145-​$ 165. i was there for 6+hours which has never happened to me before (it usually takes 3 hours at the most to do my hair) the girl was unexperienced, had to consult other stylist to get the right color for my hair and also had to add extra developer to my whole head after i had already been there for 5 hours. when i was done they charged me $ 240.00!!! the only answer i got was that they used extra product on my hair!!! completely insane!!! thats $ 100 more than i have ever paid to get my hair done and i used to live in the upper east side in new york city. do yourself yourself a favor and go somewhere else unless you are willing to pay extra $ 100 for a mediocre service thats going to take twice as long!

I was a new client to this salon, and I will definitely be returning!
I booked an appointment with Tiffany through a referral from a friend and reading other great reviews on her work. I came in with super thick and damaged hair with uneven layers and not much shape/​style (from a different salon). From the get-​go, Tiffany was extremely attentive and communicated with me throughout the whole process about what she was doing to my hair, which totally made me feel like I was in good hands. I’m usually paranoid when it comes to haircuts, especially as a new client, but I did not feel that way at all during this haircut. She also educated me on ways to keep my hair healthy and what to use/​not use with my hair texture. By the end of the appointment, I had a super cute, stylish and healthy cut and I felt so much more confident about my hair! Tiffany did an amazing job and I could not have been happier!
Upon leaving the salon, the girls in the front also hooked it up with some samples and coupons for being a first-​time client. I’ll definitely be coming back to this salon in the future!

If you want awesome brows Morgan is your girl! I was super pleased with my experience here and am so happy to finally have a good esthetician that I trust!

I love this place, it was my first time coming here but since the moment I walked in everyone was very friendly and welcoming. They offer you complimentary beverages and let you know about the salon and their services. They also offer a complimentary sensory experience before your service, which is nice. Dawn was awesome, she did a great job cutting my hair. I’m always very hesitant when going from long to short hair, but I absolutely loved how my hair turned out. Dawn was very friendly, easy to talk to, and also talked me through each of the steps in cutting my hair. I definitely recommend Dawn and the salon based on the great experience that I had.

I saw them at their new location and I am impressed! I usually don’t get my hair cut more than twice a year but they are giving me a reason to go every six weeks! Because I was a new customer, they started me off with a neck massage. The stylist and the stylists assistant was out of this world nice! The customer service was amazing! My hair is difficult, long, and THICK! They lightened my load but kept the length, I feel like a new woman!

Shawna is an expert at hair, tireless and very exacting. She keeps an excellent staff who know everything about hair. They have an amazing colorist who does the best blonde ever.

I have been getting my hair done by Ashley M for the past 5 years. I have followed her to two different salons and I am so happy I have! She is the only person I trust with my hair and it always turns out amazing! She is always full of energy and has a great attitude! Go see her!

Desiree worked her magic again. I have been going to her since she was apprenticing and I was the model for her basic bob test. She was great then and has just gotten more amazing at her work!

The best! Amazing haircut from Megan, brow and lash tint from Morgan. Friendly atmosphere, pretty fair prices, and free wine. Whaaaaaaat? Yes!

I love this place! The employees are so attentive and they are all so talented. I have been going to Mercedes Shelton for about a year and a half. I’m a natural platinum blonde and I decided I wanted to be a vibrant red head. The color she got me to was exactly what I wanted. I was literally complimented on it everyday. I decided last month I wanted to go back to my natural color. She NAILED IT! I thought it would take months or years to get back to blonde. Our first go around she got me to a beautiful strawberry blonde. Our second go around I’m almost back to my natural color. She is so talented I can’t even express it in words. I would NEVER go to anyone else. Go see Mercedes. Do it and do it now!

The Loft is a fabulous salon experience! Brandi did a great job with my cut and color. She talked to me about it through every step, to ensure I was happy with what she was creating for me … and I am!
I love the sensory experience they offer complimentary before your service.
There is a great team of professionals here, and they offer a full range of services: hair, skin, and makeup.
Highly recommend!

I’ve been a customer at The Loft for over 17 years and not going anywhere else. I will follow them to their new location, because it’s a great team. I just did a Spring time update with the new color trend escaille (aka tortoise shell) — check out Jessica Beal’s new highlights. LOVE mine! Thanks Shawna xoxo.

I loved getting my hair done here! I went platinum blonde! Ashley did such an amazing job! She was so friendly and fun to work with.