Expert hair stylist in Seattle for the clueless?

January 7, 2010 7:09 PM

Have you ever gone to a hairstylist, sat down, said "do whatever you want" and experienced a miracle? I need one of those in Seattle.

I'm looking for specific recommendations for a stylist in Seattle who is an expert in that "I need something, I don't know what, you do what you think looks good" method of hair cutting.

Not just someone who gives a great cut when you know what you want, but someone who you've experienced/heard is really good with doing something that complements your face/hair texture/styling capabilities, etc., when you're clueless as to what looks good on you. Someone with VISION! :)

Anywhere in Seattle is great, price is a consideration but not a deal-breaker (would love to be under $80, say).

posted by tristeza to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

Following a terrible break-up, I decided I needed a new haircut and wandered down the street from my house at the time to see Fay at CUTZ Wallingford. I sat in the chair, told her to do whatever she wanted even if it meant chopping everything off, and man, it was the best haircut I've ever had. Constant compliments from strangers did much for my broken heart, I tell you what. She chopped off about four inches from my already mediumish hair length, and added all these great flippy layers and texture that looked amazing with my face shape. I don't know if I just got extraordinarily lucky or if she's just amazing, but I think I paid about $70 when all was said and done, so at least I can verify that she's the sort of stylist who's worth $70 for a haircut.

(Sadly, I cannot afford her for the upkeep, and since my broken heart is healed up these days, I've gone back to ponytails every day. Ah, well.)
posted by adiabat at 7:18 PM on January 7, 2010

I've got one but can't help you, we're in Denver.
Good luck!
posted by bebrave! at 7:28 PM on January 7, 2010

My experience is that telling them "whatever you want" means "whatever's easiest and takes the least amount of time." Seriously, I'm in SF and I've been looking for a cutter for *years* who isn't codependent and who doesn't assume indecision means "stay conservative."
posted by rhizome at 7:30 PM on January 7, 2010

I liked a guy named Stephen at a salon in Capitol Hill, which I'm pretty sure was Salon Ciba, but it's been almost 8 years since I was there.
posted by leahwrenn at 7:42 PM on January 7, 2010

Ooh, ooh! I know one! Jenny Slay at Vain, downtown!

Jenny is my one true stylist. She understands my hair, and she understands that I am utterly, irretrievably stupid when it comes to doing any sort of daily styling or maintenance on my own. I always just sit down and tell her to do what she thinks is right, and she always come through magnificently.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 8:29 PM on January 7, 2010

My experience has been that if you pay $60 and up you will get a great cut. The stylists that charge more have more experience and better skills. I regularly go to stylists and say 'do what ever you like' and always leave happy and get lots and lots of compliments.
posted by sadtomato at 8:36 PM on January 7, 2010

rhizome - Jen at Glamarama. She's amazing. Seriously. I go there (short, bright blue and purple streaks), my mom goes there (medium length, grey covering color), my dad goes there (balding Jew-fro), my little brother goes there (emo-boy hipster hair), my best friend goes there (medium length, wacky highlights), my coworker goes there (short dykey hair). She's an old roller derby teammate of mine, and completely fantastic.

/sorry for the derail, OP
posted by mollymayhem at 8:47 PM on January 7, 2010

I just left Seattle this week and seriously almost cried at losing my phenomenal stylist. She is the only one in my life that I've ever gone to more than twice. It's not that I'm super picky, I've just never felt inspired by and in love with the magic a particular stylist worked until I found this girl. My hair is really fine and not a lot of people know what to do with that and *I* didn't know what to do with it. But Jenny did and I've never loved my hair so much as I have the last year.

She just opened her own Salon (she used to be at Babalouise), called Nola. There's also a great coffee shop next door, too. But really, go for the hair. Good luck wherever you go.
posted by diamondsky at 9:05 PM on January 7, 2010

Hair Syntony
posted by hortense at 9:06 PM on January 7, 2010

With the benefit of long experience, I now say "do what you want - but here are some ground rules." And then I make sure they know what things I really never want to see on my head - in my case, no bangs, no ends that flip up, no products required for styling.
Saves a LOT of painful experiences and I almost always get something I love.
posted by Billegible at 9:18 PM on January 7, 2010

Sean Bates (or any of the guys) at Fulcrum Salon on 5th Avenue downtown. Excellent salon. And Sean? He's exactly who you are looking for. Exactly. Meets all your requirements for a Hair Miracle. Plus, you'll want to be his best friend when you're done. Good luck and enjoy!
posted by theotheramy at 9:21 PM on January 7, 2010

I enjoyed my visit to Oohla's in Fremont. I showed up and asked my stylist to give me something flexible and simple, and she did an excellent job, giving me a cut that's grown out wonderfully. I talked with her about how I wanted to dye it a dark blue and maybe do a few wild things with it next summer, and she was excited, telling me about how she loves to do styles that are more tailored to a person's specific style and hair. She was very confident about checking out my hair's texture and asked me lots of questions, making sure to give me a cut I could maintain. I believe her name was Traci, and I need to go back! The prices were reasonable, under $50 for a cut and style with medium length hair, in a very comfortable, not fru-fru but still pleasant atmosphere.
posted by Mizu at 9:59 PM on January 7, 2010

Dang a couple of suggestions got nuked by the server hiccup - if you responded and happen to see this, please come back and tell me again! :)
posted by tristeza at 3:59 PM on January 9, 2010

I do this at Scream on Cap Hill.
posted by herbaliser at 4:17 PM on January 11, 2010