Fringe Salon

i found amazing reviews about this salon and i have to be honest i feel lied to! lets start by saying i have never written a review nevermind a bad one about a place in my life,however if i can help someone avoid this i will... I have never been more disappointed in my life! if they worked as hard on the customers as they did their website maybe they would get a good review. Here's the thing my motto is ""it doesn't matter how much i need to pay as long as my hair comes out great"" easy enough right? NOPE all i wanted was a cut and some blond highlights. now i have been dying my hair for years i have gone from red to blond to black to brown back to blond. (surprisingly my hair is still in good condition) so i know it is a processes but its possible. the haircut came out fine even tho i had to say 3 times how i wanted the front no big deal tho i get it your cutting someones hair you don't want to go to short all at once. So on to the highlights they do a test strand but only use a 20 peroxide (Hi! my hair is red and brown you need at least a 30 peroxide if not a 40 to lift to blond) it takes 20 min and turns like a copper color so it clearly is working again it will take some time. then this John guy comes over and says "" well this isn't going to work your hair is to thin"" oh really John because last time i checked its because your girl straightened the crap out of it! that's why it looks thin i know my hair i see it all day its not thick but it sure in hell isn't close to thin. so next excuse from John "" well this can take all day"" ha ha OK so you are saying it can be done you just don't want to take time out of your EMPTY sched. to do it?? then their next offer ""how about black?"" YES WHEN I COME IN WANTING BLOND HIGHLIGHTS CLEARLY IF THAT CANT BE DONE I WANT BLACK?!?!?! so at that point i was like forget it I'm all set ill go somewhere who would like to do their job. before leaving i was offered a wash and blow dry ha ha yes because what i want to do is pay them $25.00 for doing nothing i came in for. i never been so upset in my life the fact that someone you are willing to hand over $200+ to with no problem acts the way they did. disgusting is all i could say. PS. i went to Aqua hair salon and are you ready for it? I'M BLOND! what a shock it could be done! more

John has been cutting and coloring my hair since the fall of 2002. The handful of times that I have had to subject my hair to anyone else has made me appreciate him even more. The guy is a master, and it is worth my hour-long drive to see him. I have very thick, coarse hair that he cuts into these gorgeous short 'dos that I never would have believed I could get away with. The cuts are so beautifully done that they can last forever and still hold their shape. I have followed him since he was in Boston and would follow him anywhere! more

I have been John Williams client since over 8 years now. When he was still working in Boston, I literally followed him from Salon to Salon. At this point, there is no one else I would allow to touch. Not only does he care about you as your client but he cares about your hair and will not give you a cut or treat your hair with color that will not suit your hair or face. I have long, thick, slightly wavy hair. 8 years ago my hair was completely fried from color and looked absolutely lifeless. Not only has he nursed my hair back to health and let me still be a blonde while I have naturally dark brown hair but he also cuts my hair in a way that allows me to manage it. He thins it out and applies layers that allows me to keep my hair very long and it still looks that I have a lot of volume. So I have absolutely no problem of trekking from Boston to Salem every 4-6 weeks to see him. All of his employees are fun, courteous, and absolute professionals. The entire experience is just a joy ride. Pros: Parking, Service, Value for Price more

i was thrilled when i found this 'newbury st' like salon so close to home. the 'curly hair lesson' and cut from john was very valuable and i could take the techniques and products home and make them work! more

Well, I didn't actually go there. I wanted a trim - ends cut, bangs trimmed -- growing out my hair, so just needed a good trim and polish. When i made the appointment the receptionist told me it was $75 for the first haircut ($65 thereafter). Yikes! I'm a young student, and don't get wrong - i don't like to cheap out when it comes to a getting my haircut - you often get what you pay for. But, i couldn't really see paying $75 plus a tip for a trim. It's not like i was going in for a makeover, or anything else at all. Just a trim. So, i guess i won't know what the fuss is about until they can offer their services at a more reasonable rate. Pros: Good reviews Cons: Expensive more

Whenever John at Fringe cuts or colors my hair I always love it. Without question. Whether it's long or short, blonde or red, I always leave happy. He listens to what you want, he takes into consideration how much work your are or are not willing to put into your style every morning. He always makes useful suggestions. \r \r Recently, I went from very long to very short hair. The style came out as a modified bob - longer in the front and shorter in the back. At first I was concerned - I did not think that I would like it to be longer in the front, but John reassured me that cutting the front length would be a mistake and to wait until we were done to see how I felt. It came out so perfect, I've already had 3 people at the office ask me who does my hair!\r \r I highly recommend this salon! Pros: Talented Staff, Great Atmosphere, Great Service more

day 3 of my fab cut and no frizz! it has been years since i found a service, john at fringe who could manage the mop. thanks! more

I love my hair!!! I have curly hair, and have never really had a haircut that allowed me to just leave it curly and go-I would either have to pinned back or up, or blowdry it straight. I loved my curl, but didn't have a cut that let me wear it. \r I was so excited about my hair that I paid and left without giving them a tip ( i drove back and took care of it! ) \r Thanks John! Your curl care tips have really proven to work! more

I found this place purely by accident while walking along the wharf and shopping when I saw the Deva-Curl brand in the window. I had ordered it online for my delicately curly hair, loved it, but never knew there was a place nearby that carried it. Lured in by the product, I found out that the salon had John, who was Deva-trained and specialized in curly hair, so I made an appointment. My first experience there was not a disappointment! John made my hair look great and he helped to coax out the curl in the middle of February! That haircut lasted me nearly a year before the split ends started. I went back the end of December and John cut my hair again, this time giving it a little more shape (and 'banglets) and once again made my hair look amazing. I cannot recommend this salon enough! The prices are excellent and the Staff is friendly and energetic. more

Where do I begin? Suffice to say, I have, for years, tried to keep the curls in my hair under control. John has shown me how to embrace the curliness of my hair and go with it! \r \r I was introduced to John and his salon through my daughter, who recently moved to Salem. I have to tell you, this was one of the best introductions I have ever had! John has styled my hair both curly and straight. Now that I have found that curly hair is easy to take care of, I keep it curly most of the time. Who knew that, at my age, I would be into a whole change of ""do""!\r \r I also need to mention that John, Liz and Adrianne work together like a well oiled machine. This is something of which they all should be proud. It is not easy, in a busy work environment, to sense the need to be and do without a word being said. What an accomplishment!\r \r I guess the best way to let anyone reading this know what a fantastic experience going to Fringe is is to mention that I live in Franklin and will wait to have my hair styled until I am going to be in Salem. The wait is worth it!\r \r more