How to Choose a Hair Salon in Sandy, UT (From Someone Who Owns One)

There are 80+ salons in Salt Lake County. Here is exactly how I — a Sandy stylist — would shop for one if I were starting from scratch.

There are over 80 hair salons inside a 15-minute drive from Sandy, UT. They are not the same. Walking into the wrong one costs you between $35 and $250 plus weeks of grow-out.

I have been cutting and coloring hair in Salt Lake County for years. Here are the seven things I would actually look for if I were starting from scratch.

1. They actually consult before they cut

A great salon visit starts with five minutes of conversation, not five minutes of shampoo. The stylist should ask about your face shape, your texture, your styling routine, and what you have hated about previous cuts. If that conversation does not happen, you are about to get a generic version of someone else's haircut.

2. They have specialists, not generalists

Hair color is chemistry. Hair cutting is geometry. They are different skill sets. The best salons have stylists who lean toward one — a balayage specialist who paints freehand all day, or a precision cutter who can dry-cut a sharp bob blindfolded. Ask the front desk: 'who is your best balayage colorist?' or 'who does the most fades on your team?' before you book.

3. Their portfolio matches what you want

Every modern stylist has Instagram. Spend ten minutes on theirs before booking. Are they posting the kind of work you want? A stylist whose feed is all platinum blondes is not the right call for warm rich brunette dimension, even if they're talented.

4. They have honest reviews — including the imperfect ones

Salons with 4.9–5.0 ratings and 100+ reviews are usually safer than 5.0 with 12 reviews (which often means friends and family). Read the 4-star reviews — those are usually the most honest, and they tell you where the salon is good versus where it has rough edges.

5. The space tells you about the work

Walk in if you can. A salon that respects its space — clean stations, organized product, no clipper hair on the floor — is almost always a salon that respects the work. The opposite is also true.

6. They quote you a price before they pour color

Color and balayage prices vary because hair length and density vary. A real consultation ends with you knowing what your appointment costs before any chemical hits your head. A surprise $250 bill at the end of a $120-listed appointment is a sign of a salon that does not respect you as a customer.

7. They book online — and confirm with a real human

Online booking saves both of you time. But the day before, you should get a real text or email from a real person confirming the appointment, asking if you have any questions, and reminding you about parking. Automated-only confirmations often signal automated-only service.

A short list of red flags

• They do not ask any questions at the start of your appointment.
• They cannot tell you what brand of color or shampoo they use.
• They book color clients without consultations.
• They charge a flat rate for balayage regardless of hair length.
• Their Google reviews include the phrase 'they cut my hair completely different from what I asked'.

If you'd rather just stop researching

Love Thy Barber is a small studio inside Salon Lofts at 10965 State St #217 in Sandy. Sammy does both women's color and men's fades, books online, and consults at the start of every appointment. If that sounds like what you wanted from this whole article — book a chair below.