The Junction Salon & Bar

Amazing how one bad experience can lose me forever. I have been getting my hair cut here for a year and the stylists have been great. Just got off the phone with a girl trying to make an appointment, in the past they have been extremely accommodating. Instead when trying to book an appointment on a Friday I was given an attitude. So goodbye forever Junction. I will tell everyone how terrible and rude your front desk girl is including the referrals I’ve sent you in the past.

I was thinking about giving this place 4 stars, but giving it 5 because my hair stylist is so knowledgeable and sweet. I went to see Christina Hardesty about two months ago at The Junction Salon & Bar. The first time I saw her was at her old salon right before my wedding. I loved my curly hair cut and was so happy to have found her at her new salon. She’s very knowledgeable with curly hair and soo friendly and sweet. I felt so comfortable talking with her and she will really listen to you and your concerns (curly hair problems).
I didn’t care for my most recent cut and was able to go back and get it tweaked. I’m still not as crazy about it as the first cut, but I still love Christina. I think her pricing may have also gone up from her past salon, but I’m not sure. Her new salon is also cool in that you can purchase an adult drink because they have a bar. I got a diet coke with grenadine. :p
I live near Southpoint so it’s not that long of a drive and I don’t have to go that often. If you have curly hair I would say to give her a try. She gives me dry hair cuts so it’s different from any other cut I’ve ever had.
If you want someone who knows what they’re doing, is friendly, and will also help you with how to care for your curly hair… GO SEE CHRISTINA HARDESTY!

Karla is the best!!! I truly love this salon. There were some issues related to a nail appointment that I had set up before going to see my husband graduate from basic training. Karla was able to solve everything and my nails turned out great. I have never experienced this phenomenal service anywhere else. Also Alexis did my hair and it turned out perfect!!! I will definitely be back, you can never go wrong with excellent customer service and a great hairstylist.

I had an appointment with Synquis and she was so amazing. And fun! She balayaged my hair and did this Olaplex treatment that made my hair literally feel stronger. I love the Junction salon so much but Synquis made me feel comfortable and welcome. She also gave me an amazing scalp massage. I highly recommend going to see her for your next color. Oh and did I mention I’m also a hairdresser? :) she’s fabulous.

I went in today to kick off my girls night with my friend by getting our nails done. While I was waiting to get my nails done the bartender made me a sour apple cocktail (my fav). Then Carlos took me back and did my nails. He was absolutely hilarious and he did an amazing job with my nails. Most definitely the best hair/​nail salon I’ve ever been too.

Visiting from out of town for the week and wanted to get a manicure. I found this special place through Unilocal and wasn’t disappointed. My Shellac manicure was great by Ashley, she took great attention to detail in making my nails beautiful! Enjoying an alcoholic beverage while having my nails done was a treat as well, have never had a bar in a salon before! Don’t forget to check Groupon before you make an appointment to see if they have a special for new guests! Love the renovated location in the old train depot! Will definitely be back when I return!

I visit Raleigh a few times a year but this is my first time to the Junction and it certainly won’t be the last! I got a groupon for a gel/​shellac manicure and cocktail and I had Maria, who was lovely. She helped me pick out my color (I eventually chose the one she had on, it was beautiful!), followed by great attention to detail, and light, friendly conversation.
The lady at the desk (perhaps the manager?) was very friendly as well, greeted us promptly and offered my friend (who wasn’t having anything done, just waiting for me) a drink as well as myself, and gave me a cute gift bag as it was my first time to the salon.
The ambience is wonderful, who can beat a renovated old train station for cool vibes, and we even hung out for a bit afterwards finishing our drinks. All in all a wonderful start to the day, definitely will visit the next time I’m in Raleigh!

So I chose this place based on Unilocal reviews and I have to say I was not disappointed. Jessica is my new forever stylist. She listened to what I wanted, made suggestions, and realistically laid out what we could do today and over time. Everything was explained to me up front and I felt like she was really trying to make sure that I got what I wanted.
On top of the supreme customer service, this place has a full service bar. I mean, really. The décor is pretty awesome, industrial but still cozy. It wasn’t very busy when I went in for my appointment at 10 but when I left around 12:30, business had really picked up. They offer online booking which is so convenient and they send you text reminders, which is perfect for someone like me.
I’ve already made my next appointment to go back, I bought some product but not because I felt pressured, and overall I was just extremely impressed. Great experience and a super friendly and knowledgable staff!

Maria is the best nail tech I have come across! She really cares about you and your nails.
She is super sweet too! She will tell you about the latest trends and try new colors on you!
Ask for her! I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Jessica! She is a rock star! Love my haircut. She spent so much time, fussing over every strand of hair, every cut of the scissors, and every detail to make sure my hair turned out just how I wanted. I am so incredibly satisfied and I can’t wait to go back to her again.

So I recently decided on a major change to my hair, cutting my shoulderblade length hair to a short cut. I chose the Junction because they had a groupon available (High end salon for less for a girl looking for a new salon? Hell yeah).
I booked my appointment for a cut and color and an eyebrow wax online (super easy, love that), and decided on a cut and color before I even walked in the door (I like to make my stylist’s life easy by knowing exactly what I want). I sat down in the girl’s chair and showed her the cut and color I wanted.
Well, my hair got cut. In a, what I consider, mom bob. Not the cut that I was looking for. It’s still cute, and my boyfriend loves it, so it has that going for it. It was probably my fault as I had the picture on my phone, and my phone died on me during the appointment (I’m a bad person, shoulda made sure my phone had a full charge, lol).
The color in the front was spot-​on to what I wanted, but it looks like it didn’t sit long enough on the back of my head, and looks more orange than the red I have in front and wanted.
The girl wasn’t very talkative and conversation felt forced and awkward. I ended up chatting to the girl and her clients beside us more than I talked to mine. (I also think I’ll definitely be back to see the other stylist)
Then I got my eyebrows done. My brows have a great shape naturally, and really just need a little cleaning. The bottom half of my brows were waxed and cleaned, but I had to finish the top when I got home. The $ 8 brow place I usually go to cleans both. And the middle wasn’t cleaned, either, so I had to finish it up myself. Not impressed with that.
My girl seemed like she was rushing the appointment to go out to party with a former co-​workers. After the hair part, I went up to the counter and overhead her asking what else she had left before she could leave, not knowing I had booked an eyebrow wax with her as well, and was standing right there. I know, I’m kinda a bitch for not telling her I had a brow appointment after my hair, but I like to do that to see if the stylist is trying to rush, and that was the impression I got from that comment. So it confirmed my suspicions, unfortunately.
TL;DR: I’ll probably be back, but to see a different stylist that I was more impressed with. Nice ambiance, online booking was a dream, reception was friendly and accommodating, the bar is a great touch. I just wish my stylist hadn’t rushed thru my appointment and my highlights were the same color all over. But at least I did what I set out to do, and that was find a new stylist. Just wasn’t the one I had an appointment with.

I used to go to the Junction and see Frank for my hair, but after he left I started going somewhere else. He always did a great job, but the haircut/​color was very expensive.
I’ve since been back for a gel manicure (using a groupon), and it was great. I got the manicure before a vacation, and it didn’t last as long as I would have hoped, but it looked really nice for the first few days. My groupon also included a drink, so I got a Moscow Mule (my favorite). It wasn’t the best I’ve had, and there were hair clippings stuck to the side of the cup. There weren’t any in the cup, so I wasn’t that concerned about it, but I’m not sure how hair got onto the dishes at the bar.

I’ve been going to the Junction Salon for over a year now. Once I moved to Raleigh in June 2014, I knew I had to take a leap of faith and find a stylist I could trust and that would make all my hair dreams come true. I so luckily found Jessica Barnard at Junction and I will not be looking elsewhere. She always gives me a style that is easy and exactly what I was looking for.
The salon is amazing itself. I only see great hair cuts exiting this salon! They also have a fun drink selection at really good prices (maybe I should just drink here from now on).
My mom came in once to get her nails done and she was also very pleased.
This place is awesome and I know personally if you book with Jessica you will not be disappointed!

This place does a great job with service and ambiance. They offered drinks which while on the expensive side are cool in a salon. Other salons I’ve been to did offer free drinks however understand that is not an option here because for the variety they offer they must have a liquor license. You cannot give away drinks with a liquor license. If you’re not down for an alcoholic beverage there is free tea and hot chocolate.
An example of the great service is a time I had a pedicure and the lady filed down to the flesh. When it didn’t heal in a few days I called to give them notice that the person may not have the skills for the job. There were other things off about that person too. They were apologetic and offered me free services. I do not believe I took advantage of the free services however the person was very shortly let go for similar things.
Their classification of hairstylists requires each one to pass rigorous testing. Megan F is a rising star and my go to.
While initially the prices seem high to me the quality offsets the number of services I have to get. I save time and stress keeping this as my regular spot.
Improvements I would suggest include doing something about the bathroom floors. They are slippery enough to be a safety concern. Watch your step!

I have been to Junction several times for haircuts and they have been satisfactory. I have even had a pedicure and it was fine as well. A few months ago when I was getting a haircut we discussed color options for the next appointment as I had left my hair dye free for 5 years.
It seemed we were on the same page and I showed pictures of what I wanted and again at the scheduled color appointment. After the color I thought it was ok and I get home and realized it was nothing like I asked for. I wanted a natural blonde look and they put highlights in that started 4 inches down. I called and they were very nice and asked that I come back to correct it.
It takes me 30 minutes to get there and another few hours sitting to wait on the color, so I was really hoping this time would be what I asked for. I showed the same pictures as the first two times and when finished my hair was tossed around on top and I think it looks closer to what I asked for.
Again, I get home and part my hair as normal and there are four or 5 brassy blonde highlights on top of my brown hair. At this point I feel defeated and embarrassed but decide to send an email of pictures of what my hair looks like and what I asked for. The manager called and was nice and suggested I come back to another stylist. She even mentioned the picture does not look like what I requested. I decline the offer to come back as I don’t think I want to risk damaging my hair more for something they were not able to do after two attempts. Now I have to go to another salon to fix this and spend more time and money. I do appreciate them trying to resolve the situation but the time and money I invested to have something that is nothing like I asked for is very disappointing and inconvenient.

I’ve waited about a week to see if I could make this haircut work, and to see if my negative feelings and experience would have a chance to subside… they haven’t.
This was by far the 2^nd WORST hair cut of my entire life. I’ve only cried one other time during a haircut, and that was when the stylist cut my bangs so short they were in the middle of my forehead… needless to say I was sporting my bangs clipped up for a solid 3 months.
Oh my hopes were high upon reading the reviews and entering the salon. It’s trendy and industrial-​chic, clean, and cozy. No doubt this would be a fun place to get your friends together for drinks and mani/​pedis. Alas, my haircut was… the…worst. My stylist had good intentions, but things started going awry after an entire hour had passed and we were still not nearly finished with the cut. We had settled on cutting no more than 4 inches (The length was midway down my back to start). She suggested thinning it out (which I will never do again), and we also decided to do some long-​side-​swept bangs with a clean swoop.
Here’s what I got instead:
1. My hair was cut way more than 4 inches… the shortest pieces (apart from the bangs, which are a mess on their own), measured as short as 8 INCHES off!!! WHAT?! I’m not normally sensitive about keeping the length, but when we agree on 4 inches off long hair and I end up with a good 50% of the hair stopping right below my ears, something has gone seriously wrong.
2. My bangs… ok. Long side-​swept bangs mean they should be LONG bangs, not above your eye brows… needless to say, that lovely clip I sported during my first hair cut has made a reappearance… damn you clip!
3. My stylist did not know HOW to do long side swept bangs. When she made her first attempt, they looked severely choppy and blunt. She admitted she didn’t know quite how to do them. OH BOY. She called over a fellow stylist who instructed her how to do it… all the while PRACTICING THE TECHNIQUE ON MY HAIR!!! Umm, hello? Please don’t PRACTICE anything on me… that’s when I started to get emotional. I don’t want to be anyone’s guinea pig. I understand everyone needs to learn, but no.
4. Upon conceding defeat, the other more experienced stylist finished my bangs. The bangs however, were already too short to begin with. They start out as short as above my eyebrows and taper longer. WHERE IS MY CLIP, AHHHH!
5. By the time my hair was done, it had been over 2 hours in the chair. I was scheduled for a mani and pedi afterwards, but who has that kind of time?!
The junction comped my bill… the end result was DECENT, but really I just wanted to get the heck outta there. Clearly they could see I was both emotionally and physically scarred from the experience. I would have gladly forked over money and then some for a decently good hair cut. Getting practiced on was the last straw — that just is not acceptable and I still can’t get over that, well and the crazy hair staring back at me in the mirror.
I will say that the other person I went with to Junction loved her haircut and she will likely be back. Just cross your fingers your stylist knows what she’s doing and hopefully you’ll be fine. Apparently long bangs are a crazy, obscure styling trend these days…

I’ve been meaning to write this for ages, because I am SO pleased with my new hair salon! I heavily rely on Unilocal reviews, so I feel like it’s only fair to give back.
A few years ago my stylist of 6 years moved to continue a fantastic career in NYC. I was happy for her career, but sad for my hair. After much debating, and a Unilocal coupon, I decided upon The Junction Salon & Bar where I had my first appointment with Alexis.
At this point I’ve had two hair cuts, two brow waxes, and a bang trim and it’s safe to say I’ve found my new hair stylist. After my stylist left I tried a few other places but they didn’t seem to work out mostly due to sub-​par hair cuts and awkward, forced conversation with stylists. Alexis is so personable and everything I want in a hair stylist. She’s young, trendy, and super easy to talk to. I love having someone that I can trust and give them a set of parameters, but allow them to make the decisions versus heavily depending upon a picture and hoping for the best. Now that I can have «fun hair» again, I can’t wait to see what Alexis will come up with!
I highly recommend The Junction Salon & Bar, as everyone I’ve had contact with has been super friendly and accommodating. If you’re looking for a new salon, definitely check them out!

I found this salon on instagram. I was searching for someone that knows how to color/​cut dark hair. Finding someone like this is often a challenge, as most people work with lighter hair. Being that I am of latino background, my hair is often thicker and darker than people with blonde/​brunette hair. This often impacts how hair color actually sets, this is why it’s very important that someone who is experienced with dark hair works on mine. For years I’ve gone to salons to dye my hair lighter, only to either leave with the same hair color with a *tint* or overly processed hair because my stylist overcompensated with bleach/​developer.
Thus, my hair has gone through a lot of damage. I found Marissa on Instagram and was following her work for a while before I decided to go in, I wanted to ensure she could color dark hair well.
I went in with drabby, dull hair that had been boxed colored with roots about two inches out! Yikes! Not a pretty sight. I had my hair color corrected, with the roots lighted and a customized ombré/​balayage with a toner.
As usual, I expected my hair to be orange like instead of blonde because of how dark it naturally is & because that’s always been my experience — but much to my surprise, it was the perfect shade (s) of blonde and brown. Marissa really knows about color!
In terms of the cut, I showed Marissa a picture of a trendy cut I wanted and she really listened. Even months after, I continue to get compliments on my COLOR & CUT. People are always asking where I go.
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I’ve been twice since my first experience and I’m never disappointed. Marissa always delivers, I live about an hour away, but I do not go anywhere else. If you’re looking for a color expert and someone that has experience with trendy/​cool cuts & hair of all shades go to her!
In terms of the atmosphere: Stylists are generally nice, some are more personable than others. Marissa makes an attempt to connect but I don’t feel forced to chit chat the whole time, on several occasions she will remember things I told her from months before which really makes the visit feel personalized.
In terms of cost: Expensive. Perhaps it’s because I always wait months in between or because I ask for a lot — but Marissa helps with discounts when she can, something I appreciate.
~ HIGHLY RECOMMEND ~

I went to the junction salon for a hair highlight and had a very satisfactory experience. I was greeted by friendly staff and given a welcome bag with some goodies! the location in the old train station has a lot of character and although the ceilings although are high I felt very comfortable cozy while there. The stylist listened to my detailed request and made it a point to explain what she was to do and how she was aware of my concerns and interests prior to working with my hair. she was easy to talk to and was happy about helping me, which made the experience pretty fun! I left with the hair I was striving for and will return when necessary!

Not very happy with my gel manicure. I bought a groupon. The manicurist rushed through my manicure and didn’t initiate cutting my cuticles, I had to ask. I’ve never had a manicure where my cuticles were not paid attention to.
Also, I thought I would get a little bit of a hand massage but got nothing. It’s been 5 days since my gel mani and my gel polish is already chipping from each side of a few nails.
I wanted to bring this up to the manager that night but was with a friend and on our way to dinner so didn’t want to make a scene. I don’t know if my manicure was rushed because I was a groupon customer but my experience will definitely keep me from coming here again.