Odango! Hair Studio

I haven’t gotten a haircut in more than a year, and this was my first time getting my hair cut in Portland. I got an appointment here very quickly, within a week and a half. A few days before my appointment, I realized I double booked myself and asked if I could come earlier in the day, and they fit me in no problem.
Anna did my hair and she was super nice. She was very personable, funny, and professional. She gave me good tips to maintain my bleached hair and offered to make adjustments if I needed them. A week later, I visited her again to have my hair thinned more than it was before at no extra charge.
I would highly recommend this shop because it is clean, friendly, modern, and reasonably priced. I look forward to seeing Anna again in a few months to get my hair trimmed again.

great service

I have been to my fair share of salons, and by far this one is the best. I came to Yoko last year with black hair (when I had asked for dirty blonde at a previous salon) and she fixed it right to where I wanted it.
The atmosphere is awesome, the customer service is of the charts, the prices a reasonable, and the styling is incredible.
I haven’t gone to another place since, and highly recommend this salon to anyone.

Don’t know why it took me so long to write a review. The staff are all wonderful, I’ve never been to a more welcoming and unique salon as Odango. Ann (the owner) is as awesome as it gets, she’s one of my favorite all time person, it’s always a great conversion and amazing experience every time. My hair didn’t turn out like we had hoped the first time, she didn’t charge me and made sure I can come back and get it redone, my hair turned out even better than I had expected. Ann’s been in the industry for years and knows all the little tricks and nicks that other stylists don’t, I was very impressed.

This place is great! Katie did my hair this past weekend, & it did not turn out the best. However! I came in today for a redo & I am very, very pleased with the results. The color is so much better than before, & I love the cut. They’re extremely friendly & sweet, & did not charge me for the redo which was incredibly considerate. I will continue to see Katie, & recommend them to anyone looking for great atmosphere & customer service!

I first walked in to Odango back in 2011, sat in Anna’s chair and have never looked elsewhere! She’s great! Great energy! Great conversation! Great hair stylist! I have since moved away from the neighborhood, but that matters not. I still make the trek to Odango because Anna and the rest of the girls are worth the drive!

I love this place! Anna is a goddess of hair. I go in, not exactly sure what I want, and come out perfect every time. I highly recomend Odango and Anna.

I absolutely adore this salon. The service was fantastic; accommodating, sincere and efficient. My cut was to die for; she was attentive, focused and creative but still checked in with me to make sure I was getting what I wanted. The conversation was comfortable and she completely settled into a topic that I was well versed in. The atmosphere was inviting and pretty well decorated.
Customer service — Check
Stylist Skills — Check
Conversation — Check
Atmosphere — Check
Affordable ($ 40) — Check
I am so happy to have found a salon that I can commit to. Enough said.

Just received a haircut from Ann, my first visit to Odango. I found a free hour and did a drop-​in appointment. Everything was excellent, form the atmosphere to the haircut. A lovely, relaxed environment with friendly people and good banter. I will recommend this place to others and will most certainly come back.

I’ve been a regular at Odango for years and figured it’s finally time to share my experience publicly. (I recommend them privately all the time.) The place is friendly and welcoming, totally «real» and not the least bit stuffy or pretentious. Very appropriate for SE Portland without being a Portlandia stereotype (though they did film there!).
The stylists are all highly competent, professional, and personable. Ann has been cutting my hair for years, and she cuts my wife’s hair too. We are both really happy with our hair, and Ann has a way of giving hair advice that is patient and gentle. She’ll win you over eventually and she’s usually right.
I’ve heard Ann say that her job is «talking» and she’s really good at making you feel comfortable – interesting questions and always very respectful of different views, like a conversation I’d enjoy at a party. I’ve found the same when chatting with the other stylists, too. None of the stylists take themselves too seriously – though I feel that they take their work and their customers very seriously.
Down sides? They know hair, they are fun and friendly and the prices are fair. For me they are a great fit. Perhaps for someone who really wants a luxurious spa-​like experience this might not be the right place. But if you care about your hair, your wallet, and the people you spend your time with, give them a try.

I felt it was important to write a response given the owners response to the poor service I received seemed to miss the mark.
I enjoy banter back and forth. I enjoy chit chat. My mom and I eagerly listened about Katie’s new love interest. This is great, women enjoy sharing and talking. We enjoyed all of that. My point is if Katie wanted to have a politically charged conversation with my mom then during my moms haircut was NOT the place to do it. If Katie was genuinely interested in what my mom had to say about the healthcare bill and what healthcare means to her because she works for a healthcare organization then do what «friends» do, go to coffee, a drink or dinner. If the politically charged conversation would have happened at a more appropriate time and on neutral ground then it would have been far less of an issue. It would have been inappropriate to discuss it at the salon, but when your in the middle of a haircut, your kinda stuck and forced to go along with the «small talk».
Our family has been deeply touched by the healthcare issue. My mom feels very passionately about the issue because someone she loves has been hurt. If Katie and my mom were really «friends», Katie would have realized she was being offensive AND hurting my moms feelings. Politics is not a neutral issue. People having equal access to healthcare isn’t a politically neutral issue. My problem with Katie is she lacks the emotional maturity to figure out when it’s best to just keep your opinion to yourself in a business exchange unless your %100 positive your not running the money out the door. Katie needs to learn that politics are not a good topic unless you really our friends. What friend expects you to pay 30 something for a haircut while you are insulted and then also wants a tip? Please explain to me how any of this makes sense to you as a business owner. I genuinely hope Katie learns from this, as far as the business owner, don’t make excuses for her, she was in the wrong, she never ever should have asked my mom what she thought about «obamacare»? Which is a politically charged statement to begin with because only the right wing conservatives refer to it as «obamacare». Your shop is on Woodstock in southeast Portland, you might have some people who share that sentiment but a lot who do not. It’s best not to use politically charged words as a hairstylist especially if during the conversation it becomes obvious you get most of your «information» from fox news. There are no excuses for Katie’s behavior, she was wrong. She over stepped and was not using tact and compassion. If she wanted to act like a «therapist» that means listening to your client, talk about what your clients like to talk about when their there, if you want to go have girl time than make a coffee/​drink or dinner date. This common sense and decency 101, sad that I have to write this for both Katie and her «business owner». No excuses!!!

I have thick short hair with evil cowlics. I like to have a funky style that frames my face, hides the cowlics and doesn’t make my head look like a bran muffin. You’d be surprised, but I have been looking for a good hair stylist since I left LA in 2006! No one is ever consistent.
I decided to give Odango! a try, because they had good reviews and were close to my house. Anna is my stylist and she is a saint. She nails it every time and even makes notes on what she did so the next time I go in, we’re not starting from scratch.
Great people, great work and excellent value. Glad I found them. You will be too.

got my hair cut here yesterday with Katie and she did a great job! we had great conversation and she really took the time and effort to make sure i liked my cut and style. plus the place is a great bright place on dreary days! right as i walked in, i was offered tea or coffee, a magazine, and a comfy chair since I arrived a little early. i have definitely found a new salon since i’ve moved to the area and will be coming back! if you’re looking for a great priced and great stylist, come to odango!

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! And Ann, the owner, is one of my favorite people in all of Portland, and we met because I needed a hair cut.
They do a great job with hair… but I go there because they are fun, funny, intelligent people who love to talk about all kinds of stuff. I have never laughed so much when getting my hair cut, and I have never learned so much.
If you’re the kind of person who likes a fresh take on the «barbershop» of yesterday, where people would share gossip, ideas, and have a good time, you’ll love Odango!
If you’re easily offended, it may not be the place for you.
To be clear, it’s not like they’re wandering around naked dropping F-​bombs or something, but we talk about education, technology, politics, housing prices, traffic (so sometimes I end up dropping a few F-​bombs), you name it.
I have had too many awkward social situations at stylists to count. I can’t imagine one here.
GooooooooooOOOOOOdango! (yes…I am a male cheerleader).

I’ve went to 2 other good hairstylists with kind of the same description of a cut, while I ended up liking what I got, neither was exactly like what I described. When I walked in to Odango after making a late appointment with Lysa, after showing her 3 pics of different things I wanted (these bangs/​this length/​etc.) she pretty much knew right away what I was describing & after about 45mins I had the short, messy layered look the other stylists seemed to shy away from.
The price was a bit more than I was expecting at $ 40 for a wash/​cut/​style but the end result was totally worth it, I didn’t feel like I had to touch it up myself when I got home like I normally do. Lysa was also very sweet & personable, she has had a lot of experience before working at this studio & it shows. I would defiantly recommend this place to someone a bit more specific or picky, & not just looking for a cheap quick cut.

I just saw the Portlandia episode with the salon in it — way to go, ladies!

Went and saw Katie Knutsen today. I have been going to her for a few years and she has mainly worked at Aveda places. I loved the salon, it feels nice and quirky without being stuck up and uncomfortable. Prices are reasonable and the service was paced well (relaxing, but I didn’t feel like I was there forever). I am kind of impossible to cut hair for, but Katie always knows just what I am talking about and was really willing to take the time that was needed to make sure I had exactly what I wanted. Really a non-​threatening stylist that wants you to have the best haircut for you.
Products were all really nice and different (I hadn’t really heard of them before, but by the end of my appointment I was in love).
I would highly recommend going to this small and un-​pretentious salon for a little pampering and a quality hair cut!

Odango rocks! You will be pleased— professionals that are friendly and care. Ann is the creator of this warm and cheery hair studio and it reflects her enthusiasm and joy. Am grateful to Unilocal– led me here

This place is great! I had Anna and she was great!
I’m 21, and have only cut my hair once in my life 9 years ago and it was a horrible experience. I hated how my hair looked and it wasn’t anything like I said I wanted. I cried and didn’t want to leave the house.
So I haven’t cut my hair since, just trimmed it. But I’ve been getting board with how it looked– long and flat, and I don’t like how big my forehead is. So I decided to have some bangs cut as a small start to trusting having people do something drastic to it. But I didn’t know who to go to and who would do a good job… until I came to Unilocal!I looked for a place that had a high rating and made a leap of faith.
I have to thank you Unilocalpers, cause you are who pointed me in the right direction. Anna was very nice, and took it slow and didn’t over-​cut or anything. She was great and made sure I was happy with it when I left.
I will definitely be going back to her to get my bangs trimmed and at some point maybe something more! :)
I would have given 5 stars but I only had bangs cut so it wasn’t anything too big or involved.

Odango is fabulous! I have wild, curly hair and I’ve worn it long for years. Nervous about making a change, I made an appointment with Ann, Odango’s owner. She took the time to help me figure out what to do with my hair, and then put so much care and genuine excitement into it that I felt like it mattered as much to her as to me whether my hair turned out just-​right or not. She was cautious treading into the unknown — how my curly hair would behave once cut, and how short to cut it, etc. — and started small, cutting and diffusing my hair and then shortening it up some more after she could see how it would fall. Her technique was wonderful, and my hair looks and feels great! I’m totally thrilled. Also, the rates at Odango are really good, especially considering the quality of attention and service.
Another thing: talking to your stylist throughout your appointment can easily become a tedious chore, even for social types like myself. But Ann is lovely, and talking to her was a total delight.
I highly recommend this salon to anyone, especially if you’re looking to make a style decision!