I have been going to Tony for over 10 years. I found him on a Sunday when I was sitting in church wishing I could find a place in NoVa that could cut hair like the "big city" salons. Well, I drove up and down 123 knowing that the only salons to be open were only hair cuttery, saw that his salon was open (on a Sunday). Stopped in and he seemed so current, metropolitan and knowledgeable, so I gave him a try. I was so happy and impressed with the haircut and his confidence and sensibility to my style and the way my hair works. I felt like I was in DC or New York. In the 10 years I've been going to Tony, there have been occasions where he was not on his game . However, I have found no one who cuts hair with such artistry as Tony. So I keep coming back. Yesterday, I went to see Tony and can say with genuine confidence and enthusiasm (and for the first time writing a review), he is 100% back!! Tony, keep following your passion! You have a gift.

After I had my hair done here, I was amazed at how much healthier my hair felt and looked. When I went back to work, my co-workers LOVED it. They wanted to go get the same stylist and were disappointed when I informed them I got it while I was out of town. Tony was great! I was completely satisfied with the level of attention I received - he wasn't overly chatty and annoying but not awkwardly quiet either. The perfect level of professionalism I would expect from a stylist.

If I were to rate Salon Tony on the basis of how my hair looked when I left, it would be an unqualified 5, but there is more to a salon experience than just what you look like when you leave. The salon is on the small end, but it is nice, if a bit untidy. I was there at the end of the day, so I can make some allowances when it comes to hair on the floor, etc., but I did not get the impression that hygienic practices were the top priority. The round brush used on my hair was full of someone else's hair when it was used on me, and a comb used on me was quickly rinsed in the shampoo sink and then hastily wiped on a towel. Tony did my hair. He was very personable, and he clearly knew what he was doing. It looked great when I left, and I have seldom been so happy with a new style. Now for the deal-breaker: he had an annoying habit of leaving me mid-style without a word of explanation and running off to some other part of the salon to talk to someone or do I know not what back in the hair coloring area. This happened to both me and the other hair patron while I was there. To me, it happened at least 3 times. One time he was gone so long that an employee took pity on us and called him back over to the hair styling area, where he finished the style on the other patron and then came over to me. Another time, he walked off and left the round brush hanging in the back of my hair. I sat for at least 3-4 minutes, wondering when he would return and seriously contemplating just pulling the brush out of my hair and leaving with the style unfinished. About half of the time that he actually spent working on my hair, he was talking business with some of the employees. The end result was that the feeling that my visit was "me time" was almost completely ruined. I'm a stay-at-home mom, and my "me time" is precious, and while I don't require pampering, I do want to feel that I am a priority when I am at a salon. Even a few words of explanation when he ran off (and maybe the offer of a magazine) would have gone a LONG way! My final complaint is that when I asked what he was doing while styling my hair, he told me that I would never be able to reproduce the look at home and that he had no interest in teaching customers how to do their own hair. While that is probably true, and I wasn't sure if he was joking, part of the idea behind getting a new cut is learning how to do my own hair in a fun new way. Instead, I have this fabulous new "do" for one night, and after this, I am on my own entirely. On the plus side, this disinterest in teaching me to do my own hair meant that they didn't push products. I plan to go back once more because I have another LivingSocial deal paid for, and I really hope to have a better experience the next time. At this point, I would not pay full-price for the level of service I received. I really, really want to like Salon Tony. I simply feel they could do a much better job of making patrons feel important and well-served.