Essence Salon — Local services in Honolulu

After years of going to different salons, I finally found a salon and stylist that I love and trust to deal with my hair, which is Esther at Essence Salon. The salon is located in town with a parking garage attached to it. Street parking is also available in front of the salon. Very convenient! You’re greeted by the cutest resident dog, Eerie, who keeps you company during your appointment. She definitely is one of the chillest dogs out there. It’s a very fun and friendly salon with everyone smiling and greeting you while walking from the chair to the wash and back to your chair.

I’ve gotten balayages and most recently, a color retouch and haircut. Im always complimented at work on how nice my hair looks thanks to a wonderful stylist. Esther’s love for this profession is apparent by her thorough explanations of what is being done to my hair in each step. Im never left in the dark or wondering if this style is the best choice or not. Also, I’m always asking her about trying new things and she’s always up for it, but also offers suggestions on what is best for my hair to be healthy. Esther is a wonderful business owner, ensuring that clients feel comfortable and that the salon is clean and organized. I would definitely recommend this salon to others because of the location, stylists,...

Makes me sad leaving this review but given the way things unfolded I feel it’s only right. I have been going to Kristina for about four years and she always did a full or half foil on me of highlights. This time around I went in to do a partial highlight and left the salon happy but about two days later my hair started changing color around the frame of my face. When I texted her about it asking if she could take a look at it. She told me to go find a new hair dresser and blocked my number. This left me very shocked and with not knowing what to do I went into the salon to ask the manager for her help. She was accommodating and told me that there has been some leaked foils on my hair and that’s why they were a different color than the rest of my hair. She offered to have someone else fix it but for another $300 after already paying $400. This then lead into me being unblocked by my hair dresser Kristina and all the blame somehow being put onto me. In all my years of getting my hair done I always felt comfortable coming to my hair dresser and expressing any concern of not being happy with the outcome and this is my first time ever having it back lash like this. She tried to blame it on a multitude of things of why things went down the way they did. I will not be coming...

I’ve been going to the owner Esther for almost 10 years for color services, haircuts and toners. And I wouldn’t continue to go unless I truly loved and was happy with what she did with my hair. She really takes the time to get to know you and your hair and it really translates to the level of professionalism and personalization she services you with during your appointment. She’ll also be honest and realistic about what you’re looking to get and how that fits and works into your lifestyle.

The salon is convenient for townies being located in Kakaako but also for people like me who live further and don’t like the stress of trying to find parking in town. (There’s an attached garage in which she can give you validation for.) Her chair is located near the front door next to the window so you can people and dog watch during the appointment. But honestly, talking with Esther won’t leave you bored. There’s always something fun or interesting for us to talk about and...