Stem Salon — Attraction in Walnut Creek

I’ve been a loyal client at Stem Salon for years, consistently booking with stylist Sonja and always tipping generously. But the salon’s booking system has become confusing and unreliable, and the way they manage miscommunications has caused me real financial and emotional distress.

Most recently, I attempted to reschedule an appointment well in advance because my extensions were falling out prematurely and I urgently needed them fixed. Despite no confirmation link and no actual service rendered, I was told I had “missed” the appointment and was required to pay another full deposit of $515—with no refund option. This was on top of a previous appointment I had to forfeit due to their rigid 15-minute late policy, even after explaining that my childcare fell through and both my child and I were sick.

Sonja, while previously supportive, has crossed boundaries by pressing for personal details unrelated to services. I’ve left appointments feeling emotionally drained—not cared for. The salon also seems to make assumptions about a client’s financial situation in a way that feels inappropriate and invasive.

The salon manager, Loren (the “Director of Development”), was extremely unprofessional when I tried to resolve the issue by phone. Rather than offering any empathy or assistance, I was met with blame, defensiveness, and ultimately hung up on. I later received an email stating I would be refused service if I showed up for the original appointment—and that I was no longer welcome to book there.

Stem Salon’s policies seem inconsistent and applied retroactively, with little room for real-world context or respectful dialogue. Even with good faith communication, I was repeatedly dismissed and charged more money. There’s a pattern of demanding full deposits, refusing refunds, and penalizing clients even when no services have been performed.

Fair warning: if you book here, get everything in writing. Be cautious about oversharing personal information, and prepare for policies that may feel arbitrary and unforgiving. What used to feel like a trusted and professional experience now feels exploitative. They will try to unjustly enrich themselves at the client's expense.

Sidenote: I’ve been getting highlights and money pieces for years with no issues, and the last time I had a service from them in April, my hair got completely fried off. I think lightener was used on top of what was already highlighted and she let it break off...

I just moved to the area from LA and was looking for a new hair salon. I trim my hair every 3 months and have had healthy long natural hair for years. I've gone to the same stylist for quite some time, but when unavailable I have tried another stylist if schedules didn't permit. Unfortunately, since the move I had to try someone else. I went to Ana for my first trim and all was good. I returned to Ana after several months and asked for long layers with curtain bangs since I wanted a little more body for styling my hair with curls. I left with a mullet and most remarkable, an uneven cut. I have attached photos for reference. When contacting the salon to remedy the issue they were combative and stated "it depends how your hair is parted and the stylist discussed this with you prior to leaving." First, we never had this conversation. Secondly, the photos are with my hair in a center part, where symmetry should be evident. I was super uneasy leaving the salon bc so much was cut off, but tried to reassure myself maybe it was just a big change from traditional long hair with little/no layers. I didn't even style my hair for 2 weeks bc even unstyled it looked terrible. To confirm my suspicions, I finally straightened my hair yesterday and it's a complete nightmare. Listen things happen, I understand, but the worst part about this was how the situation was handled. Christina gave me a call back after reviewing my photos and never took accountability, making me feel unreasonable. She kept reiterating an imaginary conversation that never happened between Ana and I, and all that needed to be done was "some blending and taking out heaviness." Point blank the cut is uneven and terrible. They offered me a free cut in the future, but I would never return here based on how the situation was handled. I will be flying back to LA to my stylist cut off more inches of my hair to remedy the issue and no refund was offered to reimburse me having to...

*Editing this original review, because Elizabeth, the owner of the salon reached out to me very quickly and worked with me towards a fair resolution. I was taken advantage of by my stylist, Alicia, of 4 years, unintentionally likely, who took the time I paid for, as a trauma dump for her own personal life. I have to note, my mom was formerly a client of Alicia’s too, and had to fire her a couple years ago for this same issue of over sharing and under delivering. I know there is grey area when it comes to client relationships, but standing over your client while they are processing in the bowl, making them feel trapped, while you defend your ex husbands abuse to your child as “Christianity” and the 10 Commandments, to someone who is very traumatized by the church and battling infertility, and then my hair comes out looking fried, over-processed and striped, I just can’t not stand up for myself. And I will amend my accusation of the salon not offering health care, I was told that by my stylist, among plenty more, which is wildly unprofessional. Unfortunately, I will not be going back to this salon, but I hope this is helpful to anyone who feels like they have been put in an uncomfortable situation and didn’t have the courage to advocate for themselves.

Original review: My stylist is great, but can spiral down the trauma dump/ judgy Christian preaching path. Also, why do you not offer health insurance to your employees?????? The booking system is a mess, and the receptionists leave much to be desired. Also, the overall vibe of the salon seems to be declining, the attire and overall aesthetic feels trashy, uneducated and out of touch. I’ve been a client for over 4 years, but the way the salon is changing, it gives beauty school in Stockton and not a classy, credible Bay...