SUWA African Hair Braiding and Weaving — Local services in Houston

I’d like to start by saying the reason I came here was because my aunt used to frequent this braiding shop for years. She was a regular for many years and always had great things to say about their technique and service. So when I moved back to Houston and I needed to get braids, they were the first place I thought of going to. Unfortunately, it would seem they have gone down hill in recent years.

I originally made an appointment back in early April for 9 AM. When I arrived, I found that there were at least 10 other women waiting who also had an appointment for 9 AM and there were only about four stylist at the shop who were working on other clients. There was a woman there who was having to call several other stylist and ask them to come in to accommodate the appointments that had been scheduled. During the wait more women kept coming in for appointments they had at 9, 9:30 and 10. Eventually a couple of people started leaving due to the lack of service.

I wasn’t seen until 10:30 am. Ultimately the braids looked ok but they were not worth the wait or the money.

After about a month, I went in to get a retouch. I had been communicating with someone at the shop for at least a week about what day would be best for me to come in. I was told either Friday or Monday(Memorial Day) at 11am would be best. I let them know Monday would be best and asked if 11am would be ok. It was confirmed 2 times.

Once I arrived, I was told to be seated. After about five minutes, I was told by a woman sitting down that no one could do my hair and that there was no one available. This was after I had already taken down half of my hair. Keep in mind I’d already discussed that I wanted to come in for a touch up on that specific day for a specific hairstyle and was told that it would be fine . I even showed the woman my message communications and appointment and she did NOT care.

I asked her if I should come back later and she told me no. I asked her about the other location and she again said “no”. I asked her when it would be a good time to come back. She told me “I don’t know” and to just write my name down on a list with at least 8 other people on it. I asked her why is no one available to do my hair if I had already confirmed and been communicating with someone prior to my arrival. I was told that it was because certain people were late for their appointment and ended up arriving and now they don’t have anyone to do my hair.

There were no accommodations, in fact she really didn’t seem like she cared. She didn’t even attempt to reschedule me. She basically told me no one could do my hair and to just come at a different time.

This is the worst customer service experience I’ve ever experienced in my ENTIRE life. I will never be coming back here. Unfortunately, Suwa’s braiding salon has lost their reputation after so many years . What a disappointment. I can only wish the best of luck to anyone else coming in. Trust me it won’t be worth your stress or money. Save your money and take your business elsewhere. If I could give 0 stars I...

Went to SUWA for cornrows and I must say my hair looks marvelous, If you are seeking a glamorous salon with great customer service, you may want to pass this place up. But if you want your braids tight and stylish at a fair price, this is the place. I had my hair cornrowed in a bun and I was out in about 3 hours. So why 3 stars you are thinking, if I loved my hair so much?? I have not had my hair braided in a llllloooonnng time but after reading reviews and calling around I settled on SUWA. 1. I am a stickler for timeliness. If I take the time to schedule an appointment I like to be seen on time. Ok so my stylist was not on time, she was only 45 minutes late. I was greeted by an employee who asked what I would be doing and after seeing the photo gave me the price of my service. 2. Proper styling area - well let's just say that they pulled up a few chairs. They do have a few "stations" but most are makeshift. Your stylist will come in and find a space pull a chair from the back and go to work. 3. Cleanliness or lack there of - well let's just say I wouldn't use the restroom there. As the ladies braid, hair is just discarded on the floor and every so often someone will slide their foot across the floor and gather the hair and throw it away. 4. Communication - most of the ladies have a thick accent so you have to listen well. After finishing with my braids my stylist took in a back room and sat me in a chair facing the exit door. She then plugged in a coffee pot of some sort and asked me to lean back as she proceeded to dip the hair into the hot water. All I know is that I felt HHOOOTTT steam on my neck and I jumped and asked what are you doing? This is when she explained about dipping the braids in hot water. Then it was time to settle my bill, as I said in the beginning a employee came by and gave me the price of the style, what I did not know was that the hair was additional. So I was now given the full total with the hair included - another $12 no problem. Time to pay, so I pull out my credit card as I stand in front of the credit card machine - only to be told it doesn't work so I had to walk to CVS and use the ATM - another $3. So ladies or gents make sure you have cash for the service, don't expect to receive a bottle of water and make sure you use the bathroom before leaving home. The great thing is that you will have some banging braids for weeks to...

Updated Review: Shopper beware!! Owner buys reviews. After I posted the below review Suwa reached out to me in an attempt to rectify the situation. She was very understanding and apologetic. She appeared to be very interested in my experience and displayed a great willingness to make it right. When I described my hair and experience, she even knew who the two braiders were who did my hair and admitted that they did a rush job on my head. She offered me back $70 of the price is was overcharged for the sloppy work. She asked me to remove my review (the below review) and told me to contact her directly the next time that I wanted to get my hair braided/twisted. She said “This is my personal number, call me and make your appointment with me. I’ll make sure someone good does your hair”. She did send me the money and I did remove the review. I didn’t need my hair redone anytime soon (because I had just gotten it done). However, when I did reach out to her, directly as she stated, she treated me like I had done something terribly wrong. I texted multiple times only to be ignored. I finally decided to call. She all of a sudden didn’t know my name, who I was, why I was calling or where I got her number from. She said “this is my personal number and I don’t take appointments on the number”. Never will I ever spend money with this shop again. She was only concerned with how her business looks not with customer satisfaction.

Original review below: I’ve gone to this shop maybe 4-5 times now since moving to Houston. I agree that the prices are very inconsistent. I’ve gotten the same thing every time I come here. I either get knotless or Senegalese twists. Medium. Mid-back. The prices are always different. I’ve been charged anywhere from $220 - $270. The first few times the hairstyle was fine so I didn’t really care too much. But this time, my twists were not up to par. There are fly aways all over my head. Like when they go up and down the braids/twists with the scissors to clip the excess hair… I can attest she did do that. However, there are still fly aways. And also, many of my twists are sloppy and you can see where the extra hair was added to extend the length. I am not satisfied with this experience. I would ONLY consider coming here for knotless in the future. I’ve seen them do countless heads of flawless knotless braids. But I think I’m going to shop around for a shop with more...