Mane Attraction

Gone here for years. Leslie is a pro! Grant the owner did my hair for my wedding. They rock.

I went to see Dustin on the recommendation of a friend after a particularly bad series of stylists left me with damaged hair that was colored much too dark and cut in a manner that I was unable to manage myself. Dustin went over absolutely everything with me, including exactly what my expectations were. He proceeded to cut and color my hair beautifully. I can not express the level of confidence I have now compared to what it was prior to my visit, he is talented, professional, and considerate.

All I wanted was some curls for a night out. I was told it would take 45 mins, after 1.5 hours and 4 attempts I had to leave. Nice people but they can’t do hair.

I really loved my cut I received from Nancy a few months back.
Went last week for a balayage. My hair was already in the ombré realm so it was just understood that we’d be bringing the color up higher. I’m super appreciative that Marvin was conscious of the integrity of my hair and the strain the lightening would cause. However, the technique used to achieve the look I wanted was a huge disappointment. I walked out with highlights. The color he achieved was really nice and I was impressed. However when I got home and inspected further the obvious streaks with my dark brown hair made it look washed out. I called the next day letting him know that I thought I would see more blonde especially through the bottom half of my hair.
So he says to come back in a few days. I do. He says that he will just charge me for partial highlights and give me a complimentary cut. Uh, ok? I am not confrontational whatsoever, and am really bad with negotiations. So stupid me I simply agree. Besides, I figure this time I’m actually going to get what I originally had anticipated. What he did was time consuming, as he pieced through and lightened the dark hair being careful as to not re dye my already blonde spots. These strands came out orange and brassy. But still the bottom of my hair is dark. His «complimentary cut» was a few swipes of the razor. I couldn’t believe him when he was so happy with the results. I love his personality. But I will not be going back. I can’t believe I paid nearly $ 300 for hair that I hate. My fault I know.

NO CONSULTATION
I honestly hate writing reviews, but this one deserves it. I went to Mane Attraction because of the high reviews, low pricing, and proximity to my apartment. But be warned — its worth spending the extra $$$ elsewhere.
I absolutely hate my haircut that I had with Stesha. I asked for a trim and got 2.5 inches cut off. I told her I liked layers and now have a single length… so uninspired. I asked for my hair to hit right below my shoulders and ended up above my shoulders, which looks terrible for my face.
During the haircut, there was absolutely no consolidation or checking in with me to check if I was okay with the length. There was a brief consolidation before hand but because Stesha was so shy, it was hard to know if she was really listening to me.
When I was in the studio, it was absolutely quiet. I had never experienced such a low energy salon, very odd. Will not be back!

Dustin is amazing! He has given me such wonderful haircuts! Perfectly shaped and easy to manage. I wish I could take him to Arizona with me!

For the first salon I tried since moving to SF a few months ago, I think I have found a keeper!
I scheduled a haircut with Stesha (who is not listed on their website as far as I can tell, but should be!) for my short, straight hair to get the same cut I’d been getting variations of for years from the same stylist over in New England. So that meant that in this appointment, I was pretty particular about what I was looking for, even though I don’t have a particularly complicated cut.
All that being said, I think I gave Stesha more specifics than I have ever given a stylist before, and she NAILED IT! She listened patiently and really got what I was trying to explain. I am so impressed!
Additionally, the salon is in a great location, the hair wash was very comfortable, and the salon has a nice, relaxed vibe to it. The cost was great for the service, as well! I will definitely be back!

This is the third hair salon I’ve tried since moving to San Francisco, and third time’s a charm. For starters, the premises is clean, modern, spacious and well-​organized. You get to lie almost horizontal when having your hair washed, and the water jet is super strong. They use good products, and don’t try to sell them to you afterwards.
Dustin took on the challenge of my pink-​hair-​and-​allergic-​to-​bleach combo with calm confidence. Other hairdressers have taken hours to get it done, asking me nervously what previous hairdressers have done, misjudging quantities, forgetting where my parting is, etc. Dustin knew what he was doing, and, gloriously, concentrated on his work rather than making inane small talk. I’m not antisocial, but if I’m in the salon for three hours, I prefer to bring a book!
Overall this place is very professional and reasonably priced. I’m relieved to have found a hairdresser this side of the pond, so I don’t keep having to go back to England every few months!

Just came back from my latest haircut with Leslie and I feel like a whole new person. When I first moved to San Francisco several years ago, I was in desperate need of an (emergency) haircut due to an oven accident. A good friend recommended Leslie at Mane Attraction. I was pretty nervous to try a new stylist since I had been going to the same stylist in New Orleans for 10 years. Turns out I had nothing to fear. She turned my oven crisped mane into a thing of beauty and has continued to keep me stylish since!
Leslie really listens to what you would like in a hair cut. I usually bring in a picture because I have no idea how to describe hair… layers? choppy? less of it? She also takes into account whether the cut you want will actually look good with your hair type and thickness. She considers how much work you will put into styling it (grad student=very little), what it will look like when it grows out so you get the longest life out of your cut (again grad student=busy/broke), what it looks like before applying products, and when I style my hair the next day it actually looks like the same cut I got in the salon! I hate it when stylists blow dry your hair, straighten it, put it 5 different products in and it looks gorgeous… knowing that I don’t have the skill or time to EVER make it look that way again!
The atmosphere in the salon is so chill. Everyone is friendly and it’s never crowded or hectic. In addition to being an awesome stylist, Leslie is super sweet and so easy to talk to. I have recommended Leslie to friends (Alissa S.) and they have been extremely happy with their cuts.
I want to give Leslie the biggest compliment that I can give to a stylist, I trust her 100% with my hair and you should too!

I thought I would try Mane Attraction because I am new to the Cole Valley area, it was convenient, and had pretty good ratings. Unfortunately, they booked over my appointment with a color appointment and never called me to reschedule or let me know I had been bumped. I went into the salon thinking I was going to get a cut but there was clearly no room for me. They gave me a card so that I could reschedule. I can’t justify trying again. My friends go to Rubio and Raven and they have even better reviews, hoping to have better luck there.

Last time I saw Dustin and he took my multi-​colored blonde, pink, blue, and purple hair and gave me a natural red wine looking color.
This time I saw Marvin and asked to get as close to my natural brown hair color as possible, which I might add was an extremely tall order. I had totally realistic expectations coming in thinking he’d tell me I’d be lucky if I could even go back to red, but Marvin took my pink and orange hair and gave me this beautiful brown, which is extremely close to my natural hair color, only better.
The stylists at Mane Attraction totally know what they’re doing and are reasonably priced. Every time I’ve come in I brought both Dustin and Marvin big challenges and they were able to give me better than I expected.
I totally recommend and will absolutely be back!

I chose Mane Attraction for it’s close proximity to my home. Being new to SF meant trying the salon without a recommendation or knowing what to expect. Since then, I would not want to go anywhere else to get my hair done.
I’ve seen Dustin and Grant with regularity and I have been impressed with the results every time. Even when my hair has not been ‘to the shop’ in 10 weeks, it still looks beautiful. Then I had Grant chop my long locks to shoulder length and the result was just what I wanted.
These are top-​notch hair stylist with out the pretension of a swanky hair salon. I would recommend them many times over.

Leslie was amazing! Trustworthy, professional, incredibly experienced and skilled, and absolutely worth $ 65 for a wash and cut (before tip).
I was a first-​time client and am a graduate student, so I am on an extremely tight budget and hadn’t gotten a decent haircut in five months — I NEEDED this cut to be GOOD to justify eating PB&J for a week to afford it. I had been feeling very blah career-​wise and personal-​wise, and boy, did this haircut make me feel pretty and sophisticated!
My hair was long and curly (loose-​ish, wild curls), and very fine – lots of breakage. I wanted to change styles completely to short hair (above the shoulders). I told Leslie I have only had THREE hair stylists in my entire 27-​year old life and had NEVER cut my hair shorter than my shoulders –no pressure, right?
Leslie NAILED IT. I am not a savvy-​salon goer, fairly low maintenance with my looks, yet also particular/​picky about my hair, and Leslie managed all of this, no problem. She trimmed and layered my hair just so, in a way that I felt matched exactly with what I had haphazardly described to her, taking into account all of my demands (low maintenance styling, can pull it back for work, etc). And best of all, it LOOKS great, too. It all seemed so simple (and no wonder – Leslie told me that she has worked at Mane Attraction since 1989!), yet it made me so happy. Thanks, Leslie! Highly recommend her. I will be returning in a couple months with my pennies saved for a trim.

Stesha was great – I was a first-​time client and I explained to her the problems I have with my hair (it’s flat, it’s not interesting, etc.). I wanted to do something different, but wasn’t sure what. Stesha was able to gauge from my personality and style that going asymmetrical would probably not be my best option, and gave some on-​point suggestions for what we could do instead. She did a beautiful job on the cut, picking something that would flatter my face and work with my hair type. She recommended products and even gave me a few samples to try out, which was above and beyond. New to town and very happy that I now have a go-​to hair salon! Added bonus: rates were very reasonable (yay!) AND I was able to get an appointment on a Saturday when I only called in this morning. Very pleased!

I’ve been to Mane Attraction three times, twice have I seen Dustin. He’s amazing! The first time I saw him I had long grown out hair and was ready for a change. I was ready to go short but was a little nervous. I put my my trust in Dustin and he assured me that it would turn out great, and it did! He gave me a longer bob. Throughout my cut, I felt well taken care of and pampered. I just went back to Dustin to cut off a little more!
The salon itself is beautiful. Super trendy and modern looking with really cool fixtures. Mane Attraction prides itself in using Bumble and Bumble products, which I love!
So far, my experiences at this salon have been pretty awesome. Would definitely recommend coming here!

My hairdresser moved. So after a search, I decided to try Dustin at Mane Attraction. I went into the salon two weeks ago and booked my appt. for cut and color. I arrived on time for my appt today, and Dustin told me I’d be seeing someone named Marvin, as he needed to see one of his long term clients, instead of me.
How unprofessional. Nobody even called me to ask if the switch would be ok. Needless to say I left. I don’t know Marvin– but this is not a business I need to give my business to.

My review is for Marvin. My hair is thick but not curly, and somewhat wavy in a non-​uniform way. If it’s cut too short, it gets super frizzy, so the thinning shears method will only backfire with my «fluffiness.» I told Marvin that what I wanted was medium length hair that could be worn up or down without having to take a flat iron to it. I didn’t want some overly layered look either. While that sounds simple enough, there have been so many stylists before him who have failed (leaving me with a day to day choice of flat iron or ponytail).
Marvin intuitively knew how to give me the hair that fit my lifestyle, and I am so thankful to have found him. I have seen him 3 times so far. His haircuts last, and they grow out nicely. He finds me magazines to look at while he does his thing, and even though we don’t have much to talk about (I’m mostly out of touch with the latest news in pop culture), we have a comfortable amount of pleasant conversation.

I’d been coming to Nancy for years except for last year when I tried another hair stylist. I returned to Nancy because I missed her subtle and stylish haircuts. I was looking more stodgy and middle-​aged with my boring bob. My hair needed Nancy’s magic touch. So glad I’m back with Nancy at Mane Attraction!

Stesha’s cuts are fun, creative, and make you feel great! She has gotten me to mix it up for the first time in years. I completely trust her sense of style and her aesthetic… way ahead of whatever’s trendy. The salon is super fun too… great vibe, fun music, free samples. I can’t wait for my next cut!

I moved into the Cole Valley neighborhood in Jan. 2013, and have been going to Mane Attraction ever since. Honestly, I picked this place because it is walking distance from my house and I am so glad I did!
It sounds simple, but finding someone that can give you great color, is such a relief. I have to go in about every 4 – 6 weeks to get my roots (i.e. grey hair) covered. Dustin does a great job giving me a wonderful, shiny, natural looking color.
Just remember, you need to come with cash or a check, no cards accepted. If you’re looking for consistent color, I can say Dustin is your guy. Thanks Dustin!