Finding a Beauty Salon in San Francisco

If you need a beauty salon, San Francisco is the place to be! San Francisco isn't just a popular tourist destination-it's also one of the coolest places on the planet. Known simply as "the city" by the locals, San Francisco has great neighborhoods, an endless supply of high-caliber restaurants, nightlife galore and awesome shopping. This city lives and breathes fashion. Stroll down Market Street during the lunch rush and you'll see an endless stream of well-dressed, well-coifed women (men, too!).

In a city as hair-apparent as San Francisco, it's easy to find a beauty salon that'll give you just the type of service you're looking for, whether it's a killer cut, a beautiful updo for your wedding day, drop-dead gorgeous hair color, or a poodle perm. Okay, the poodle perm has been out of style for quite some time, but if you needed one for some reason (Halloween perhaps?), I'll bet you could find a San Francisco hair stylist who'd be willing to give you what you wanted. After all, the customer is always right, and nowhere is this adage more adhered to than in the City by the Bay.

If you're just vacationing in San Francisco, and you unexpectedly have a hair calamity, don't panic. In a city this big and friendly, if you have an urgent need for a beauty salon, San Francisco stylists will come to your rescue. These hair gods and goddesses are used to dealing with the havoc wreaked by gale-force winds off the frigid bay waters, a sudden downpour or the horror of all hair mishaps, seagulls leaving their calling card.

If you recently moved to "the city" and want to find a top-notch beauty salon, San Francisco has thousands. You could just walk into the first one you see, but that hit-or-miss approach should only really be attempted by women who have either been blessed with an abundance of good karma, or the absence of a common sense gene. For the rest of us, by far the first choice for finding the right beauty salon, San Francisco or anywhere, is to ask friends for a referral.

No referral? No Worries!

How do you locate a salon that can give you a cutting-edge style, one that enhances your image to the max and turns heads as you explore your new city? First, you can (and should) look in the yellow pages under beauty salon. San Francisco phone books are huge, and they'll give you an idea of which salons offer the services you want. Take down the numbers of the shops whose ads appeal to you, but don't call them yet.

Go to where the people are

When I say people, I'm not talking about the tourists swarming Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory and such. Go where the locals hang out, like trendy cafes in North Beach, Castro Street and especially, the Financial District. The business people downtown place a high value on looking good, and most are well acquainted with the best salons. So take a walk, and when you see someone with a great hairstyle, put on a friendly face and approach them. If you compliment them, they'll probably give you the name of their beauty salon. San Francisco residents have a reputation for being a helpful lot.

Write down all the salon names given to you, and look for those mentioned twice. If a particular salon was mentioned three or more times, that's a sure sign you'll be putting your tresses in good hands. Cross reference this list with the names from the phone book to find good locations. You might also check see if any of the salons on your list have a website.

Most stylists provide a no-cost consultation to new customers who ask, so telephone your first choice beauty salon. San Francisco is a bustling city, so you might not be able to get in right away. If the time-frame doesn't suit you, keep calling.

Following this method, it might take some time to find the right beauty salon. San Francisco is teeming with great hair stylists however, so you're certain to find one that can give you a style that's a cut above the rest.