James Joseph Studio

05/12/2008 Posted by luckynumber13

I went in to get a haircut 6 days before my wedding with Derek. I had never been in before, and he treated me very well. Not only was his advice on what length/style I should have for my hair, he also started talking to me about my wedding updo. I was getting married in NH and had given up on finding a stylist to do my hair the way I wanted it. Derek actually described the exact look I was going for without even asking, and then miraculously offered to come up to NH to do my hair the next weekend. When I went in for the trial, he stayed extra late to make sure it was the way I wanted it. My hair turned out absolutely gorgeous for the wedding. I haven't had much experience with the other stylists there, but Derek definitely went well above and beyond! When we were running out of time to get to the ceremony, his work didn't suffer, either. He is an exceptional stylist, and the salon itself is a great environment with many other friendly faces to greet you.

Pros: great haircut for a bargain price, service above what's expected

Cons: parking is difficult

04/11/2008 Posted by elizabuns

I had read a number of great reviews for Darlene, and she came highly recommended for curly hair (although I straighten mine), so when I scheduled my appointment I was excited to try a new hairstylist. Well, I must say that I was very disappointed--right from the start, Darlene made a few semi-rude comments about my hair (ie, I came in with my hair straight, and after it was shampooed and she saw how thick and wavy my hair is, she said "this should be fun," followed by "just joking." I don't think she was joking). Also because I chemically straighten my hair, she said as she was drying it, "oh, I expected it to be like horse hair, but it isn't." A compliment? Maybe. I also explained to her that although I know my ends are damaged (I had also just chemically straightened it a few days before which always leaves my ends REALLY dry, which is why I was getting my hair cut) that I am growing out my hair and only wanted a trim. She made her own decision about the length and told me AFTER she cut my hair that she cut an inch and a half off. This is not what I asked for. I found Darlene to be moderately friendly, but kind of harsh and a bit rude, and I'm happy that I didn't make any stops on my way home because I hadn't looked closely in a mirror before I left the salon--my face was covered in hair, as she hadn't bothered to brush it off. Maybe she was having a bad day, because so many of her other reviews are great, but I will not go back to her because I am really disappointed in my haircut, and did not like her customer service.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

04/06/2008 Posted by WritingGirl

James Joseph Studio on Newbury St. is a real find. I had been going to a well known Cambridge salon for 2 years, and was pretty happy with my stylist. But in October, the cut wasn't quite as good as the ones she had given me in the past. But, since anyone can have a bad day, I went back in January - but that visit was even worse. Instead of natural looking blond highlights (on my medium blond hair) as I had received in the past, I suddenly had stripes. Alternating bands of too-light blond, and coppery brownish red. It was awful! I let it grow out, but knew I needed a change. After a lot of research, I chose James Joseph Studio - similar pricing to my Cambridge salon, and good reviews. It was an excellent choice! I asked for an advanced stylist, middle of the pack experience/price wise, and got an appointment with Grant. Grant was amazing - he listened to my concerns, asked me what I wanted my hair to do, asked me my styling routine, etc. He didn't try and talk me into something I didn't want, and sympathized with my stripe problem. He exuded confidence without any hint of pretense. He obviously knows hair! He gave me a fantastic cut, medium - long layers that fell into place as if they had been precision cut using a computer. Best of all, however, was the color. While he couldn't undo all the stripes in one sitting (and told me that at the beginning so as not to set unrealistic expectations, which I really appreciated), they have definitely been diminished. My hair looks pretty again - lots of pretty and natural looking blond highlights. I can't wait to go to work tomorrow and start hearing the compliments! Everyone at JJ Studio was great, from the front desk staff, to the assistant (shampoo person), to Grant the magical stylist! I highly recommend Grant and JJ Studio.

Pros: Sleek & Stylish, Friendly, Skilled Stylists

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/18/2008 Posted by CatGrl

I went to the James Joseph Studion in Medford at Station Landing. I asked for a trim of dead ends but to keep the length even if it did not take all the split ends off. She cut off way too much. It was past the middle of my back, now it is just barely below my shoulders!!! She asked how I styled it on a daily basis. I usually Pony tail it or curl the ends..., Now I can't do either because it is so short. The top of a pony tail sticks straigh up making me look like someone from Whoville! The WORST $50 I have ever spent in my entire life. I cry every morning when I try to do my hair.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

02/21/2008 Posted by JN84

I recently went to james joseph studio on newbury street. I arrived on time and still had to sit for about 15 minutes before my stylist came over and told me that they were going to give me a complimentary conditioning treatment while i waited for her since she was apparently running about 30 minutes behind. i was seated in the shampoo room and a blonde and pink haired girl (who was kind but seemed annoyed and smelled strongly of cigarette smoke) shampooed me and put on this conditioning treatmed, put a plastic cap on my head and stuck me in a chair to wait 10 minutes before rinsing me. I finally meet with the stylist and she informs me that she doesn't think the cut that i explained to her will work for my hairtype and though i was annoyed i think she was probably correct. after much talking she did however manage to give me a fantastic layered cut that i absolutely loved! And it looks good even if i don't style it which is a major plus as a student. After i finished up with her she quickly had me out of her chair and had the next person in before i could blink. I went to the bathroom to change out of the robe they gave me and to get in another look at this fabulous cut before i leave. While waiting for the restroom I could hear stylists arguing in their backroom area and complaining about their clients. I was rather shocked at the language and how unprofessional they were. So in the end, although i left with a great cut i don't think i will be returning to james joseph. these people have a little too much attitude for my liking and i don't care to be one of the clients they discuss where they think they can't be heard.

01/21/2008 Posted by poster12345

I spent a considerable amount of time researching stylists/studios that are good with wavy/curly hair. My hair is thick, and part curly, part wavy, and part straight. (This is the natural texture, not a result of perms or anything.) Needless to say, it takes an extremely knowledgeable and patient stylist to figure out what to do with my hair. This is why I spent so much time fretting over where to go, but I'm so happy with my decision to go to James Joseph Studio and get a cut with Alex. First of all, Alex seems like a genuinely nice person, which is just a bonus given her styling expertise. When it came time for the cut, she asked a lot of questions about my hair and how I usually treat it. Though she sort of apologized for asking so many questions (it really wasn't that many), I was glad she was so concerned with giving me a cut suited to ME, and not just assuming my hair was like everyone else's. It was really evident that Alex knows hair -- knows how it works, knows how to treat it, etc. And her personal style is in line with mine -- when she went to give me a great curly/wavy style instead of the typical scrunch-and-frizz that stylist seems to favor with curly hair, I loved it. I mean, my hair has never looked so good. AND here's the great thing: I can do it myself!!! Alex talked me through the styling, showed me what to do, and kept it pretty minimal in terms of fuss. She didn't push a single product on me, but I did buy one that she used because it worked so well. One thing I also liked was that Alex explained a bit here and there about the way hair works -- sort of technical terms, but I liked hearing the information. All in all, I got a fantastic haircut from an excellent stylist -- she took a head of thick, multi-textured hair and knew how to cut it so it looked amazing, and also important, made sure it was something I could style myself. I'm looking forward to my next cut with her!

Pros: excellent value, great stylists, convenient location on Newbury

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/10/2008 Posted by slee84

A month ago, I decided to finally cut my hair. It was well below my shoulders. I had been keeping the hair that length for a really long time. Finally, I decided to get some layers from my usual stylist, who I had been going to for at least 4 years. I usually trusted her because my cuts were so simple! This time around, I told her that I wanted layers, and I left with a nightmare. It was awful! I didn't even recognize myself! After going home and looking in the mirror, I knew that I could not show up to work on Monday looking like I had taken a razor to my hair, drunk. Checking out salon recommendations around Boston, I found James Joseph on Newbury Street. The recommendations were pretty good. So I called and was scheduled with Derek. When I got to the salon, I was greeted by a mildly friendly front desk. They were kind of cold, but also very busy. I sat for about 5 minutes and then Derek came and introduced himself. I sat down and explained what happened and he was very attentive. He listened to everything I had to say and gave me his feedback. He was genuinely interested. So 45 minutes later, my hair was completely different and "fierce" as he put it. But I was amazed, really. It was sleek and chic. I was very happy. I recommend Derek highly and have done so to everyone at work!

Pros: great stylist, funky atmosphere

Cons: front desk staff

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/10/2008 Posted by linnytrap

I had scraggly, damaged hair from a color treatment done at a "mall salon" (i had asked for a toner, but what we suspect i got was full-on color to my gorgeously highlighted, albeit a bit brassy sections) Though a lot of my hair was long, most of the ends had a good four inches of damage. Some sections had what could only be described as "alfalfa sprouts". Somehow, Julie pulled it all together, evened it out, and gave me this totally versatile cut that goes from conservative to punk in 15 seconds. After a bumble treatment, my hair no longer resembles shredded wheat. Thank you Julie!

Pros: great price, perfect cut, Julie rocks, bumble and bumble!!, zero attitude

Cons: none :)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/04/2008 Posted by rittenhouse

I highly recommend this studio, with special accolades for stylist Grant Paquin. He was the fourth person I had cut my hair - after 20 years of long hair, chest length, and 3 nightmare cuts in the Boston areas "finest" salons - and he was absolutely fabulous. He talked with me while looking at my hair, before washing or touching it at all, for a long time, and listening to my wishes as well as giving me a great recommendation for how to fix it. It was almost unfixable at this point, as the last stylist had cut it so short, but he gave me professional beautiful lines around the back and sides, so it still looks beautiful as it is growing out. It has been a week now since Grant cut my hair, and it looks beautiful with clean lines. As soon as it is long enough for the cut I really want (a slight modification of the Anna Wintour bob, no bangs and a different angle) I will be back to see Grant. He is a perfectionist and I highly recommend him. The reason I chose James Joseph after my 3 disastrous cuts is because I went online to find the "Best of Boston" and saw his salon and studio - but more importantly - much more importantly - I saw that he had responded to comments on the websites. Especially his responses to customers who had not been completely satisfied - this sold me on going to this salon. I felt so bad about the other studios I went to, and did not feel that the owners would care or attempt to fix the uneven cuts I was given. After reading both glowing reviews and the considerate comments by the owner of James Joseph, I felt I could go to this salon with confidence. I'm so glad that I did. Please visit his studio - and ignore receptionists that are perhaps less kind and attentive than the stylists - for great service with professional and perfectionist attitudes. I cannot recommend Grant highly enough, in particular. Thanks a million!

Cons: Parking is hell, but this is typical for Newbury Street, not really a drawback

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/29/2007 Posted by pamigz

My hair was an absolute mess when I met Lindsey. I was afraid to let anyone touch my hair due to past experiences with other hair stylists. She listened to me and made me feel so at ease and told me don't worry you're going to love your hair when I'm finished. She was right! I loved my hair! I now live in New York, and have tried a few places, however, no one can seem to get my color or my highlights right, so I now travel to Boston to see Lindsey. Believe me, it's worth the trip!

Pros: fun atmosphere, confident and friendly staff

Cons: parking can be difficult