Hair Play and Joe Hamer Academy

I have been going to Amy for my extensions and Keritan straightener for more than 3 years. She is so good I followed her across town to a different salon. She does an amazing job and she always has good stories....that's important when you are sitting in the hair chair for a long time! more

I should preface this review by saying that it had been about ten years since I stepped foot inside a salon! That said, I was extremely nervous about my upcoming appointment with Fritz at Hair Play. However, as soon as I walked into the salon, I was put at ease. Theo was really sweet - he came immediately to offer me tea and get me ready for the appointment. Before he washed my hair, he and Fritz came over to talk to me about what I wanted to do with my hair. Now I should say - I have big - very big, very thick hair! I wasn't sure that Fritz would be able to do anything with it if he didn't straighten it, but I couldn't have been more wrong! After getting a superb wash from Theo, Fritz began working the SET through my hair. SET is AMAZING!!! It's technically a setting lotion but it should really just be called ""miracle in a bottle for ANY hair type"". My hair is so thick and big that most other things I've tried just sort of sit on top of my big hair, but SET worked magic! When Fritz was done, I could see that SET was holding my curl pattern really nicely and left my hair super soft and light. It wasn't sticky or crispy or greasy - just soft and smooth...All that said, I definitely recommend making a trip to go and see Fritz. If you have really thick hair and you thought nothing would work for you, try SET before you give up for good. It's a great detangler, great conditioner and just leaves your hair looking and smelling gorgeous! Thank you Theo, Thank you Fritz and Thank you SET:) Pros: The stylists, the service, the products! Cons: none. more

i dONt kNOW WhAt thE lAdy bElOW is tAlkiNG AbOUt BUt i hAVE GONE tO bOth hAiRPlAy lOCAtiONS & i ESPECiAlly likE thE jOE hAMER ACAdEMy ONE. i hAVE bEEN GOiNG fOR 8 yEARS NOW ANd thEy AlWAyS dO AN AMAZiNG jOb With My hAiR. i lOVE ANNMARiE ShE AlWAyS kNOWS EXACtly WhAt tO dO ANd WhAt lOOkS GOOd ON ME. MARty iS AlSO REAlly GOOd, bUt thEN AGAiN All thE StyliStS thERE ARE SO PROfESSiONAl ANd tAlENtEd ;D. i hAVE NEVER hAd A bAd EXPERiENCE thERE OR hAd SOMEONE bE RUdE tO ME...thE StAff, StyliStS, ANd ENViRONMENt ARE All SO fRiENdly ANd i hiGhly RECOMMENd it Pros: thEy ARE GOOd At EVERy thiNG thERE Cons: PARkiNG iS AlWAyS A littlE hARd tO fiNd more

Oh my god! When I called up and tried to make an appointment for hair cut, the girl who answered the phone was sooooo rude- NO customer service whatsoever. She hung up on me! Guess what, I cannot even get an appointment without any rudeness, so what should I expect for my hair cut?!!! BAAAD :( more

Annaleice thermal straightened my hair a year and a half ago and I cannot imagine going back to curly hair. Annaleice is fabulous to interact with and extremely conscientious. I did consultations with four professionals at different salons and Annaleice was the only one to do a test strand and to express caution regarding a particular aspect of my hair. In the end, I went with her and love the result. My hair is so much easier, does not change with the weather, and looks and feels better and healthier than it did when it was curly. No damage at all. more

I WENT TO HAIRPLAY LOOKING FOR A STYLIST THAT CAN WORK WITH NATURAL HAIR. I WAS RECOMMENDED TO SEE APRIL, I WAS VERY PLEASED. APRIL IS A VERY SWEET PERSON,SHE TOOK THE TIME TO DEEP CONDITION MY HAIR, SHE GAVE ME A BLOWDRY THAT WAS STRAIGHTER THAN I EVER HAD IT BEFORE,THEN PROCEEDS TO GIVE ME AN EVEN MORE STRAIGHT LOOK WITH THE FLATIRON.IF YOU HAVE NATURAL OR CURLY HAIR, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND APRIL, SHE'S GREAT Pros: GREAT COSTUMER SERVICE- GREAT PRODUCTS-SKILL Cons: I CANT AFFORD TO GO EVERYDAY more

I love Japanese hair straightening!! I have always struggled with my curly, frizzy hair and felt like there was no way to tame it. Thanks to this treatment my hair is silky, shiny and straight right out of the shower. It used to take me an hour to detangle, blowdry, flat iron, and apply products to feel confident about my hair. I'm still in shock that I don't have to struggle anymore. Analeice took such good care of me and I would recommend her to anyone. Thank you Analeice, you are my hero!!! Pros: professional, friendly, trustworthy Cons: nothing! more

Annaliece is amazing! I've been going to her for about 3 years and my hair is so easy to manage. I went from a curly fro to smooth, shiny, healthy straight hair! She is knowledgable, friendly and completely professional. I've tried other straightening treatments in the past, and this is the only thing that is LOW maintenance. Pros: efficient, friendly, knowledgable more

great haircut w/o the attitude or scene...If what your looking for is a haircut for a reasonable price and a warm and friendly staff this is the place for you. Best cut and color in a long long time. Mary Anne rules the school Pros: price, staff Cons: parking more

Update: I am sure that Damian is very good at extensions. However, if he offers you to have a hair integration system, run in the other direction. The integration system turned into a nightmare. It became a matted mess and caused small red welts on my scalp. I am in the process of trying to receive some reimbursement from the salon. I would never recommend this method. It cost a small forturne and for nothing!!!!!!!!!!! more

Thank you Citysearch for bringing me to Annaleice! She did an absolutely amazing job at straightening my hair. I've had it done a few times prior to finding her, and I can certainly tell the difference in the condition of my hair. She not only straightened it in record time, it looked the best it ever has since discovering this wonderful and amazing hair treatment! I am her client from this point forward! To top it off she's a real sweetheart! Pros: Best Hair Straightening!! Cons: Nothing! more

I read the reviews about Annaleice being the best at hair straightening and she is! My hair looks and feels amazing thanks to her expertise! Pros: professional, friendy,punctual more

I heard about Analiece through her Citysearch reviews and decided to give her a try. I am so glad I did! I've been getting my Japanese Straightening in L.A. and now that I live in San Francisco I was nervous about finding someone local. I went to a few consultations and was not impressed with the salons I interviewed. When I came upon Annaleice I was sold! She did an amazing job and was very professional. I'll definitely be going to her for my straightening touch-ups from now on! Pros: Friendly and Professional Cons: No Parking more

I recently got the most fabulous hair cut and side swept bangs. I got exactly what I wanted with honey highlights. more

After a bad decision to cut my hair short a few years ago, I have been forced to undergo this painful grow-out process... that is until I met Damian Sargent at Hair Play. I did extensive research on SF stylists offering hair extension services, but none came close to impressing me with the knowledge, professionalism and not-to-mention, the quality of hair that Damian was able to impress me with. Within the first 5 minutes of my consultation, I knew I was in the hands of a true extension specialist and I couldn't wait to make my appointment. After a few hours- my new lengthy locks of goddess hair gave me the spirit of a supermodel as well as extra time in the mornings to do things other than fuss with my ""hard-to-style 'cause it won't grow fast enough"" hair. The compliments I receive daily keep me smiling and certainly keep me thinking about my future appointments with Damian. I am forever grateful. Pros: Honest consultation, very skilled & experienced Cons: Parking more

I had some hair extensions put in about a week ago and I just can't get over how much I love them! I get compliments all day long. The quality of the hair is phenomenal...so silky smooth and natural looking. Damian matched my hair color perfectly. The process took about 3 hours but time just flew by since Damian is so fun to talk to. He really took the time to explain how to take care of my new extentions and how to make them last. Damian did an awesome job and I would recommend extensions from him to anybody. Pros: Skill, Service Cons: Parking more

It's hard to find salons that share your same aesthetic and vision. You want them to GET what you're saying. Hair Play GETS it. It's a chill atmosphere with highly skilled stylists. Especially if you have curly hair. I saw Marty for the first time and I'm really impressed with his knowledge and the cut I received. I won't go anywhere else now. Would recommend this spot to anyone. Pros: cool atmosphere, exactly right cuts Cons: price, but you get what you pay for (worth it!) more

After being recommended I was given service which was not what I had very specifically asked for and now I have unnatural streaky highlights that start far off my scalp and a less than flattering haircut. Disappointed does not even begin to cover how I feel about this experience. For that price, a customer should get precisely what they ask for, and if that is for some reason not possible, this should be conveyed before anything is done to their hair. Pros: great shampoo Cons: not on time, bad highlights more

Overall, this salon has a nice ambiance and friendly staff. However my haircut there a couple of months ago was one of the worst in memory. I specifically asked the stylist not to give me the ""mushroomy"" look and to not create too many layers. Upon blowdrying my hair and giving the final touches, the stylist could see that I wasn't happy and asked what was wrong. When I told her I didn't like the ""mushroom effect"" she went to town and started razoring off all different parts of my hair. What I was left with were way too short layers all around the crown of my head and a crushed self-esteem. more

We all know our limitations as women but I was determined to get the Jessica ""I am so hot"" Alba look with the help of Fritz's vision and Damian's styling techniques. Although, Jessica may still look hotter than me, I felt like I was walking the Red Carpet when I left the salon. My look was exactly what I communicated to Fritz and Damian and matched the images of the pictures I brought in but was even better than I could have imagined! They are a creative duo and Fritz leaves no room for imperfections. I left as a very happy client with the ""secret sauce"" in hands, so to speak, their product, SET which will give me that ""oh so glam look"" when I am styling my hair at home. Pros: they do not rush you more