Santiago Figueroa London - Soho ✂ — Local services in London

30/06/23 My appointment was with Evy for a full head balayage and haircut, and I took the time to explain what I wanted, even showing pictures for reference. He was very patient and listened to all my concerns, as I mentioned I'd had bad experiences before with hairdressers who didn't know how to work with curly hair.

Positives: Staff were lovely. I was running a little late and Eduardo was kind enough to accommodate me. I was offered coffee and snacks throughout, and Bea was kind enough to fetch me a juice from downstairs.

When I said I needed to leave as I had dinner plans (I had been there for 3.5 hours already, and was told it might take another 2-2.5 hours), the staff actively tried to find a solution. Manuel was able to step in and cut my hair and Edu re-did the toner when I wasn't happy with it, and dried my hair. I love the haircut Manuel gave me.

They also gave me a 10% discount on any Aveda products I wanted to buy, and were gracious enough to credit me with the leftover amount my mother-in-law had overpaid during her visit the day before.

Negatives: The bleach used was way too strong - my eyes were watering - and it was left on too long. (I also mentioned to Evy that my hair was being pulled way too much and asked if he could be a little gentler with it, as it was hurting me). My natural hair is black and when the foils were removed it was literally yellow, all the pigment had been stripped from it. Even after the toner was applied, it originally came out way too light and had to be redone to make it darker. Despite an Aveda hair mask being done, it felt extremely brittle and when it was styled and diffused dry it was still extremely hard and crunchy. I don't think the toner was fully washed out, as when I woke up the next morning, colour had stained my pillowcase and I had to re wash my hair.

Time management could also be better. When I arrived I asked Evy how long my appointment would take, and he told me it would be 3 to 3.5 hours (for a balayage, toner, hair mask, cut and rough dry). I confirmed this at the time of making my appointment as well, as I had dinner plans with my partner's parents and made an appointment for 1pm so that I would be done in time. However after 3.5 hours when I was still sat in the chair and the colour hadn't been finished yet, I still hadn't had the haircut, and was realising I definitely would not have time for a blow dry - Evy said it might take another 2 to 2.5 hours, and that he couldn't be sure. My hair is not very long, it sat just below my shoulders, and never when I've had my hair done before has it taken this long. If you start working on another client mid way, it is the hair dressers responsibility to budget their time, a client can't be expected to wait for hours on end until they're done.

It's now been a week since my appointment and while the colour is nice (still lighter than I'm happy with, and I'm sure given how much it was bleached, over time as the toner fades it's only going to look more yellow), my hair has honestly never felt more damaged. Every time I've had a balayage done before, my hair has only been lightened as much as it needs to be, before the toner is applied (I usually always go for a warm brown colour).

My hair was extremely healthy, I never applied any heat tools to it, and now no matter how much I try to condition or mask it, it remains rough and tangled which is so heartbreaking. I really wanted to love Santi's salon as I read so many positive reviews, but unfortunately I didn't have the best experience there. I've tried to write an honest review to provide feedback on how they can improve.

UPDATE 28/07/23 Santi called me after I left my initial review to see how they could improve, and offered to re-do my hair as a complimentary service. I went back and Santi personally looked at my hair, redoing the colour and blow drying it free of charge. I love the colour now. This is just what I wanted and I'm very happy with it! Really can't fault their service, so I've changed my rating to...

This review has been updated in mind of the salon’s latest response:

Santi’s feedback is a great reflection of the core of this salon…his attitude and principles are worthy of a career at the daily mail. Incredibly talented at generating a sheer volume of disinformation and nonsense thanks to his wild imagination.

I would ask:

What kind of a woman would want their hair ruined, and then post fake photos for a trivial amount of cash? Surely my time and years of having long hair is worth more than that!

If I’m financially motivated, why would I wait three months to post this review. Santi did not resolve anything until then. When I informed him of this, his reaction was excessive and terribly rude sending tons of inappropriate messages. He acts as if he has gone to the ends of the earth to commit to a bare minimum refund. Pretty sure other salons would do more and apologise for an experience that no one should deserve!

Let this be a caution to everyone else. Please do not support a heartless...

I had been reading all the reviews for this salon for quite some time. I noticed there were many positive ones, and I know sometimes that can seem too good to be true. So I decided to try it myself — and honestly, I was surprised in the best way. The service is outstanding, the salon itself is impeccable, and everyone there is just lovely, so kind and welcoming. Everything was also done very quickly and efficiently.

I think sometimes people leave bad reviews because they don’t allow themselves to fully enjoy the experience. I chose to give myself completely to it, and I’m glad I did — it was one of the best salon experiences I’ve ever had.

I truly recommend this place for both men’s and women’s services. My husband had a haircut and loved it, and my best friend came for a balayage and was amazed. So yes, I highly recommend this salon. Unfortunately, I didn’t take photos to share, but I hope my words help others see the excellence of this team. Thank you so much — I’ll...