Solari Salon & Spa

I recently received a manicure and a haircut at Solari. My fiancé had booked a manicure (they also managed to move my manicure appointment back a couple of hours on short notice so that was nice) for me for my birthday but I also needed a haircut. I walked in about an hour before my manicure and asked if they had room for a haircut walk-​in around the time of my manicure.
The receptionist was very pleasant and managed to find someone to do my hair directly after my nails. The haircut is what turned this into a 3 star (instead of a 2 star) review.
The haircut turned out well and the blow dry/​product my stylist used left me looking very sleek for birthday dinner that night. I’m still pleased with the cut even without the styling. She really listened to what I wanted and did a great job.
The manicure was much less successful. I ended up not too pleased with the color, but that’s my fault. What isn’t my fault is the fact that it’s been less than a week and I’m already having polish chips fall off the middle of the nail. Additionally the consistency of the coats the woman put on is lacking and, especially near the base of my nail, the veneer is thinner than everywhere else. Meanwhile, the woman who did the work was pleasant enough but didn’t really make me feel especially welcome.
Overall, I would be totally happy to get my hair cut here again but I’ll be going elsewhere for nails.

They were able to squeeze me in last minute. The service was great and I love my new cut.

I love this place! The staff is always friendly and welcoming. I recently had my hair cut and colored by Emma and she is awesome! She takes the time to listen to what you want and I absolutely love how my hair came out!
Bethany waxed my eyebrows and did such a nice job :) I’ll definitely be going back to see her again!
Thanks for another great experience ladies!

Out of towners here for Thanksgiving weekend. Super friendly, very informative. Lynne even went out of her way to recommend restaurants and call on our behalf to help make a reservation. Wow!

I recently got my hair cut here and I almost left in tears. I won’t say the hairdressers name but she told me she would cut my hair «half way between my chin and shoulders». When she was done chopping my hair it barely touched my chin. I felt so deceived. I thought she would cut an inch or 2. She cut my hair 4 – 5 inches… I want to hide away for 3 months and wear a hat. This salon is really expensive and I was soo disappointed.

I have been going to Solari for three years now and will never go anywhere else — I love it! The Solari team is incredibly friendly, compassionate, and talented. Ashley does does my hair and always knows what to do. My husband goes to Shannon and is hooked. We’re a Solari family!

Just moved to Portsmouth from Somerville, MA and I’ve been on the lookout for a new spa/​nail salon. I popped in one day to see if they could squeeze in a pedicure for sometime that same day. The woman at the desk didn’t seem to know how to use the reservation system and it took a while to figure out 1) if they could take me and 2) schedule the actual appointment. But it worked out and she got me in later that day (which was nice!).
I hung around downtown for a few hours until my appointment and as I was headed into the spa, I noticed a voicemail — it was the spa calling to ask me if I could come in «later that day». Well, I walked in and talked to the front desk person and she said «don’t worry — we’ll figure it out». Ok, thanks.
I went upstairs to wait for my appointment — took me in 10 mins later than scheduled and overall it was a mediocre pedicure. Barely 30 mins long and the polish job was pretty messy. All this for $ 55 — yep, $ 55 for 30 mins. Oh, and after I was done, the nail tech told me to go out to the chairs and wait. Never came back. No nail dryers either so took a while for polish to dry.
Now, my expectations are probably pretty high — I had this amazing place in Medford, MA that would give you a full aromatherapy pedi for $ 50 — and it was well over an hour with a nice leg massage. I’m desperately searching for something similar. I won’t be back here — for pedicures or anything else. And I love to partake of all kinds of spa services on a regular basis.

Meh Ive experienced better as far as deep tissue massages go

What a gem of a spot! My girlfriend got married several weekends ago and we all got prepped at Solari. The front desk staff service was fabulous– patient (with a gaggle of bridesmaids and family), and the make-​up artist (Michael) was wonderful. The bride wasn’t sure about her hair, and the stylist was quick to make a fix and make sure it was perfect. They even provided us with a cozy spot to hang upstairs while others were getting ready and put mother of the bride on a massage table with hot towels to relax! If I lived closer, it would be my go-​to spot! Thanks, Solari!

Will not be going back… ever! I went here for cut and color. My stylist, A…, put the color on my roots and then nonchalantly said she was going to put a toner on the remainder. I thought that would be included in the $ 105 cut/​color price, but nooooo, that turns out to be an additional $ 25! She never mentioned the additional charge so I was quite shocked when I paid my bill. As far as the haircut goes, my haircut was what I consider a «non-​haircut». All she did was cut a little off the back and thought she was done! When I mentioned I would like more of my hair cut (you know, like a little off all of them) she snipped a tiny bit off the front and called it good. All this for a grand total of $ 130 (plus a $ 15 tip which I know is not considered enough but I was so mad she is lucky she got anything). Absolutely the worst experience at a salon I have ever had in my life. I could have done better at a beauty school. For these exorbitant prices I expect much more than what I got. Never going near the place again.

Not impressed… I never let anyone but my regular hairdresser cut my hair, but, when I moved up here, I wanted to get a new ‘regular hairdresser’. There seemed to be some good reviews on here, so I gave Solari a try.
Literally the worst haircut I have ever had. I don’t remember the name of my hairdresser, but he kept chatting about how he had actually just started cutting hair recently and really liked it! Super… Just not impressed at all. I just drove back on down to MA to have my regular hairdresser do damage control.

I was just looking up the phone number on Unilocal and saw the negative reviews. My daughter and I have been going here for many months now since moving to the area. The service has always been accommodating from the minute we walk in the door. We see a stylist named Tam, and both her color work and cuts have been terrific — so good on my daughter, in fact, that I used her for me (super picky me!!). I have not tried the spa, though I will, and will report back on my findings when I do.

Several months ago, I decided to get my first massage ever. I decided to go with Solari because of their convenient location and pretty shop.
I arrived 10 minutes early, spent nearly 20 minutes waiting. The woman apologized for keeping me waiting, and took me to the room. When I got settled, the woman immediately put on the timer and asked what I was looking for and reminded me that I was only scheduled for a «relaxation massage» so no deep tissue stuff. I told her it was my first time, and that I get tight from sitting at a computer, but didn’t have any specific requests or limitations. She started and, when asked how the pressure was, I told her she could go harder.
It was over before I knew it. It felt nice, but I still felt tight. I got dressed and went to pay downstairs. The woman at the register looked up my info, and then asked me how much I wanted to tip. THis being my first massage, I didn’t know what was expected and asked how much people usually tip. She simply stated it depends, but usually «12 to 20 percent». OK. I left a $ 6 tip for a $ 55 30 minute service and left.
I was feeling ambivalent about my first massage experience, I didn’t feel any difference and it was awfully expensive. And that’s when I looked at my phone at checked the time… it was only a few minutes after my scheduled massage time. I looked at my receipt and saw that the transaction went through only two minutes after my massage was scheduled to have ended. So, given that we got started late, and that I spent at least a couple minutes getting dressed and paying… I came to the conclusion that I didn’t get my full 30 minutes worth. While I understand that it was probably just 5 minutes or so short, it still is disappointing because it cost nearly $ 2 a minute.
In less than a half an hour, I spent $ 60 and didn’t feel any different. It wasn’t worth it; will not go back.

I chose to try Solari because I really enjoy Aveda products, my experience makes me wish that Aveda gave more consideration the salons they tie their brand with.
I previously went to an Aveda salon in MA that was great. The only reason I left is because my stylist was offered a better job in Boston (a little too far for me to drive). So called on a Saturday and made an appointment for Monday at 3pm. There’s nothing that stands out about this interaction, it was pretty normal. I just remember being on the phone and trying to save it in my calendar. I had to ask the girl three times the name of the stylist… and each time i did I would follow it with «Monday at 3pm».
So, imagine my surprise when I get there Monday at 3pm and the girl behind the count tells me I don’t have an appointment… with a look that suggested I clearly had no clue what I was talking about. Maybe she thought I was lost, who knows. I don’t know if she was just waiting for me to accept this and leave, but I told her to check again because I had specifically made an appointment on Saturday for Monday.
She looks again and tells me sorry. She suggests that I could come back at 5:30, but that’s the best she could do. At this point, I’ve already had the longest day ever… I’m in no mood for bull. I was clearly annoyed and told her that this my first time at this salon and that at the other Aveda salon i went to I never had this problem. I told her I wasn’t very impressed and I turned to leave. She asked me to hold on a second.
She met outback with a stylist (presumably the stylist I was supposed to be with) and came back. She asked if I could come back at 3:15 and then she would be able to take me. I reluctantly said ok. She fed me some line about the person over the weekend who took the appointment and the trouble they’ve been having, personally not my problem.
So, I came back at 3:15. The girl behind the counter was on the phone and didn’t even make eye contact with me. The stylist was pretending I wasn’t even there. At this point I was ready to scream. Why is it that I called and made an appointment and yet I’m being treated like a nuisance? Is it really my fault this business doesn’t have it together enough to simply save an appointment? I waited 5 more minutes and walked out, still being completely ignored.
Solari Salon and Spa definitely did not add to my day, nor was I impressed with how they conducted themselves. I went from being a potential client to that «annoying customer» no one wanted to deal with. So beware first time goers, you could probably receive better customer service at Super Cuts and at least a reliable appointment.

Booked 4 manicures here before the Big Day for my bridesmaid, mother, mother-​in-​law and I. Actually, I booked 5, and then 3, and then 4, so I was on the phone with Solari quite a bit. My fault.
Generally, they are friendly and knowledgeable. They have a great downtown location, with the manicure stations on the 2^nd floor overlooking Market Street. The manicure I got wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it was fine, and it is staying pretty well. The cosmetician was pleasant and the color turned out perfect (not streaky or thick). I had nothing to do with payment so I can’t speak to whether I’d pay to come here on my own.
Minor complaints include the fact that they don’t have coffee, and the only tea they have is naturally super sweet. Also they try to advertise relaxation and calmness, but the conversations downstairs reverberate up the spiral staircase and make it difficult to just zone out. They also only have two manicure stations, so making a girls day is kind of difficult– someone will always be waiting.
Overall, though, they did what I hired them for, and with a smile.

Just returned from a girls’ spa day at Solari. Ten of us got treatments from manicures to massages and everything in between. Overall, everyone was very pleased with their service. This was my 2^nd visit to Solari. The first time I had a massage, which was fab and this time I had a facial. I felt like my esthetician was very knowledgable and she gave me some great tips. The staff at Solari were outstanding and very accommodating to our large group from 3 weeks ago when we booked our reservations through the end of our appointments. Thank you to Solari for a fabulous spa day!

I hate to criticize an establishment with friendly, professional staff, and Solari does have that going for it. But I just experienced the absolute worst eyebrow job of my life. Alarmingly bad. The outer third of one eyebrow is completely bald. The other eyebrow was saved only because I told the esthetician, «A», to stop. As it is, my brows are blonde and not thick. They need attention only to keep the shape nice and neat. I told «A» that I only wanted a trim, and no wax. We agreed that she would tweeze any «strays» but as she was gabbing on and on and on she went completely tweezer happy and took away the precious few hairs I had to begin with. She also trimmed them far too much. Afterward, she apologized profusely, which I do appreciate. I know that mistakes happen. She was a very, very nice person and I am guilt ridden writing a bad review, but when someone goes to a professional salon, she expects the professionals who work there to have been trained and to know what they are doing. «A» clearly has no idea what she is doing. My brows looked pretty nice before this appointment — they only needed a little trim!!! Now, they are horrible. Skimpy and poorly shaped. Trimmed nearly to the skin. One is noticeably wider than the other, but I can’t match them up or I will have two bald spots. I keep looking in the mirror in the hopes that I’m imagining it, but every time I look in the mirror I start to cry.
«A» knew I was upset. She said, «you could use a brow powder.» She even suggested that I try Latisse to help my brows grow back in. Well, A, I am indeed familiar with makeup, and I would not need to use Latisse had you not removed most of the hair from my brows. What sucks the most is that an esthetician of all people should know that once plucked, eyebrow hairs sometimes do not grow back. I’m concerned that I have permanent eyebrow baldness now. Regardless, it will take months for my brows to grow back in as they were before.
Kudos to the salon for comping not only my brow treatment, but my lash tint as well. They handled the mistake professionally. But I’m still very, very, very upset.

I have only ever been to Solari for a wax and have to say that, based upon my experience, I will not be going back. The woman was pleasant, but the room was tiny and stifling hot (in November). My biggest complaint, however, is that when I got home, I realized that there were patches of hair that the waxer had neglected to remove. I am not talking about a stray hair here and there, I literally had patches remaining. Also, the hair regrowth began only a week later, which would indicate to me that it was broken off by her method, rather than being removed from the root. Honestly, for the $ 75, I could have done a better job myself.

I just came back from Solari after a cut with Samantha, and it went great! Samantha is very friendly, and confident with the scissors. I asked for a scissor over comb men’s cut and she delivered. They also offer you a refreshing glass of tea during your cut, and gave me a couple samples of products to try out. I highly recommend the salon and Samantha in particular.

Tanya H. rocks my hair everytime! And Amara is massause extraordinaire! Love this place.