Avoiding a hairy hot mess on the Hill

Raven

1213 Pine Street

Reviewed by Sam Kettering

I have a deeply involved relationship with my hair, by which I mean I touch it. A lot. During class I mimic the action of pulling my thick mane into a ponytail. While watching movies I sometimes begin to French braid it. On bad hair days, when I feel as though my tresses have reached Hermione Granger-esque levels of bushiness, I endlessly comb my fingers through it.

So when I submit to another person removing entire sections of my hair with scissors, it's sort of a big deal for me. Thankfully, the staff at Raven Barbershop couldn't have been more gregarious or welcoming.

Raven doesn't accept appointments, so the smiling receptionist had me sign in and told me I could wait on the bench for Dawn, the only stylist currently in, to finish with her current customer. Raven does allow customers to call up to 45 minutes in advance to put their name on the list. While waiting for my $21 style—buzz cuts cost $10 while bob to long hair costs $31—I perused the plethora of magazines and newspapers Raven offered its customers. I began with Vanity Fair, moved on to Playgirl, realized that Playgirl shows full-frontal male nudity and decided to jump to The Seattle Times. I waited for about 15 minutes before Dawn called me over to her chair, but they were a productive, educational, nudity-filled 15 minutes.

Within moments, Dawn put me at ease by simply listening—shorter in the back, touch up the layers, help it to frame my face. We agreed upon a game plan before she took me to wet my hair at the sink.

The haircut flew by, and at the end, I was really happy with how it turned out. Without toying with the length too much she made my hair look new.

I love running my fingers through the new layers. The next time I need a haircut, I will return to Raven. Thanks to a web schedule, I can even come back when I know Dawn will be working.

For those who want a quick in-and-out haircut, Raven might not be the best fit, but I'd also encourage those in search of a fabulous salon to pop in, pick up Vanity Fair or Playgirl, and wait for the next open chair.

Score: Experience 5, Value 4, Service 5, Haircut Happiness 5

14th Ave. Hair

1511 14th Avenue

Reviewed by MacKenzie Blake

I've been in a hair slump. No body, no style, no oomph, nothing. After some research, I decided to check out 14th Ave. Hair, where a cut runs $35 for women and $27 for men.

While they do take appointments, they also take walk-ins, so I decided to just pop in and see what the staff of two stylists could do for me.

When it was time for my trim, I sat down and read my stylist, Heather, a laundry list of hair conundrums. Most importantly, I have ridiculously thick hair. Not the kind of thick hair that is beautiful and flowing, but the kind that is a chore to deal with. I regularly have to get my hair thinned, layered and texturized just to keep it tamed. Unfazed, Heather got right to work.

I told her I wanted an inch off at most. Every other stylist I've ever asked for a trim took off at least three inches. Not Heather. She cut off between a quarter and half-inch.

The real test, however, was how she would handle my thick hair. Since my hair is fairly short, it tends to get bulky and flip in or out at the ends. Consequently, I end up looking like Jennifer Aniston circa 1996.

Instead of using thinning shears, which Heather thinks result in bad haircuts, she created several different layers to fight the bulkiness.

To top it all off, the trim took all of 50 minutes, which is a huge improvement from my last cut, which took four hours.

In addition to the cut itself, the salon environment and Heather's personality impressed me. The salon is in a little refurbished wristwatch shop and has all sorts of funky adornments, from gold-plated mirrors to fake wooden branches.

Heather fit right into this quirky atmosphere. Her wild hair made for a great conversation piece and she was more than willing to chat excitedly with me throughout the entire appointment.

By the end of the appointment, I was a changed woman. Heather has made a believer out of me and I plan to return to her for all subsequent hair doldrums I find myself caught up in.

MacKenzie may be reached at copy@su-spectator.com

Score: Experience 4, Value 4, Service 5, Haircut Happiness 5

Rudy's Barbershop

614 East Pine Street

Reviewed by Jordan Meyers

For those who think grooming should be as easy as one, two, three, Rudy's Barbershop on Pine Street offers inexpensive cuts with in-and-out service for anyone on a schedule. This walk-in salon promises to be a godsend for those trying to squeeze in a hair emergency between class and work. But don't let the traditional name fool you into thinking the stylists lack prowess with a pair of scissors — Rudy's hairdressers are as young and contemporary as they come.

A short 10 minute walk from campus, Rudy's guarantees you'll like the way you look, and coming from someone who stubbornly went to his same hometown hairdresser for five years, I offer a credible testament to that motto. Despite the fact that the most I ever let anyone chop off my mop is an inch (two, at best), you'd be surprised at the number of bad haircuts I've had.