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RAVE: BUDGET CUTS SALON on California Ave.

Started 3 years ago by AlkiDebbie
Latest reply from AlkiDebbie

AlkiDebbie
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I have to give a huge RAVE to Tram at Budget Cuts Salon across the street from the Charlestown Cafe. She does my "granny" hair - gray, conservative cut, etc. Yet she also does my granddaughter's hair color, cut, style. Even though there is 50+ years between me and my granddaughter, we are both thrilled with our styles. And also Tram is just so NICE.
I must say ALL the staff at Budget Cuts is terrific. Their Grand opening was yesterday and I me and my granddaughter were one of the first in line. She has been my stylist for one year.
I love her new salon, it has a great feel and it is very clean. All of the stylists are really friendly. I think that Tram is really good at a large range of things from the conservative haircut to the fun and hip (I go through a lot of phases) I would recommend going there. Their prices are the best as it is but they now have a $10 haircut special for the month of October to celebrate their Grand opening. I am telling everyone that will listen. My nephew who works at Starbucks is due for a haircut and he is going to Budget Cuts on Monday.
I couldn't be happier for Tram!!

Posted 3 years ago #
Stake4001
Member Profile

Debbie, i want to echo what you said about Budget Cuts and Tram. i have been her loyal customer for years when she used to work at Supercuts on Jefferson Square. i was so pleasently surprised when i saw a huge picture of her on california ave advertising that she was now at Budget Cuts. i stopped by today and you are right the place looks and feels great. Tram and her staff made me feel so welcomed and she gave me a great haircut for which they charged me next to nothing and on top of that they game me a free bag of shampoo and conditioners. i had to give her a big tip to make up for how little i spend. Tram is awesome.

Posted 3 years ago #
wseamatt
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I couldn't agree more about the staff and Tram. She has cut my son's hair, and all of his friends from the elementary school. When I found out she was going to work at Budget Cuts, I told everyone I knew. The $10 hair cuts are great, but I would pay more without hesitation.

Posted 3 years ago #
KBM
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After hearing great things about Tram and the opening of Budget Cuts, my fiancé and I decided to stop in for their Grand Opening. We were so impressed with the staff, atmosphere and price that we’ll definitely become regulars. We had a chance to meet the owners – they were helping Tram out wherever they could, even if it meant sweeping floors or folding towels. It was really nice to see that Budget Cuts isn’t just another corporate franchise; the owners were really friendly and very excited to meet the people who live and work in the community.

I can honestly say that this is the first time in the last year or two that I’ve been happy with my haircut and is was by far the best experience that I’ve ever had at a hair salon. And of course, you can’t beat the price! I’d recommend Budget Cuts to anyone.

Posted 3 years ago #
JenV
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do they have good hair products there? I usually bought mine from her at Supercuts at Jefferson Square. Any time I can avoid the Jefferson Square parking lot is good.

Posted 3 years ago #
IBM
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I got a coupon in the mail from this place but the phone number was wrong. They are only a couple of blocks from where I live so it's good to know they are now open.

Posted 3 years ago #
BudgetCuts
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JenV, Our goal is to create a long-term relationship with you, our valued customers and friends. Because of this, we will never stock or recommend a product that we do not believe in, or that will not work best with your specific hair type. To keep your hair healthy and to replicate your in-salon style, we have found that it is best to have professional products for home-care. We carry the finest hair care and hair color products available. Our shelves are stocked with Redken, Paul Mitchell and all the nationally recognized salon products at 20% off for the month of October.

IBM, Please accept our apologies for the wrong phone #. Qwest gave us that number when we placed our order but when they came to install it they said the # had changed and they wouldn't give us the original no matter how much we begged or how many manager we spoke to. For the month of October we will honor all Valpak $10 coupons whether customers bring them or not. Walk-ins are encouraged but if you want to call to make sure your favorite stylist is in, our correct phone # is (206) 932-5954.

AlkiDebbie, Stake40001, wseamatt, and KBM, thank you so much for your kind words. It's good to hear we are on the right track in creating a pleasant, clean and relaxed environment where families feel welcome and get the best price possible while offering an unsurpassed level of quality that hopes to bond a special relationship with each and every customer.

Thank you West Seattle for your support and for the opportunity to offer you our services. Please let us know if there is anything we can do better. Our salon is committed to ALWAYS being the best value and quality for our guests.

Along with Tram, Casey, Vy, Xuan and Mary, we are all committed to continuous improvement.

Sincerely,
Michael

Posted 3 years ago #
saney
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i used to get my hair cut by tram at supercuts...i wondered where she went. very excited to find out she is just 4 blocks from my apt!

Posted 3 years ago #
AlkiDebbie
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By the way, my nephew went to Budget Cuts and he loves the haircut he got from Casey! : )

Posted 3 years ago #
Arbor Heights Guy
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After reading the Raves on Budget Cuts, I stopped in and got a cut from Tram. Very friendly, clean shop, and a decent cut. I ended up buying a couple of products from her,(how can you refuse that charming personality?). I had to bail out of Illusions, just can't pay that price for a haircut anymore. Rita was the best, and the personal service was second to none, I'll miss Illusions.

Posted 3 years ago #
Jerald
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Any more recent comments on this place? I'm thinking of trying it soon.

Posted 2 years ago #
hammy
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I went to Budget Cuts the first time this past weekend after I saw the coupon in a local flyer. I had a cut and color and the stylist ( I think it was Mary) did a great job. I used to go to Shanti which is great but I paid almost double the price for the same services. You won't get the free coffee/tea service or the same styling at the end but I found the customer service to be excellent and they were quite fast. My hair turned out really nice and I was so pleased.

Posted 2 years ago #
jk
Member Profile

Worst haircut EVER! It wasn't Tram, just FYI but whoever it was completely botched my son's hair, which is hard to do with a clippers. The only reason we went was b/c we thought Ralph's Place was closed and we needed a cut fast. After the cut, we drove by Ralph's, he was open and fixed it for FREE. We have been loyal Ralph's customers for seven years and only used Budget a few times. Never again. Go to Ralph's Place next to Zatz Bagels.

Posted 2 years ago #
guitarboy53
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I've been going to Budget Cuts once a month since they opened, and I have really enjoyed their cheap quick service! :)

Posted 2 years ago #
me on 28th Ave SW
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All four of us have gone there at one time or another (including teenaged boy and girl). We have not had a bad cut yet, and all four of us have very different styles. I have had my hair cut only by Mary, but the rest of the family goes with whoever is available.

Posted 2 years ago #
GoGo
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Tram RULES! She cuts and colors my hair and it always looks wonderful. Can't say enough about her, and I am so grateful for Budget Cuts right now since I can't afford my old stylist anymore.

Posted 2 years ago #
AmyO
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Yes! GoGo got me going to Tram and she is the best. Great cuts and foils! Very friendly staff.

Posted 2 years ago #
3dogslater
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I finally -finally found a great hair stylist in West Seattle and no longer need to travel to Magnolia to get my hair "did" I have tried a few of the other salons around West Seattle and was very disappointed for one reason or another mainly not listening to what I wanted. Tram is so sweet and amazing with hair. She is great at what she does and listens to my requests. I had a cut and color in and hour... My first impression was Tram is very dedicated to her profession and works very hard at what she does. Her staff is friendly too..Budget Cuts is my new Salon- I am happy to support the local business!

Posted 2 years ago #
jacqierose
Member Profile

Months ago, I started chemotherapy and anticipated losing my hair, so I decided to beat it to the punch by getting a buzz. Didn't want to do it myself, and didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I just dropped in to Budget Cuts, as I pass by there frequently. As luck would have it, Tram was available. I told her about starting chemo and she said, "leave it to me, I know just what to do." For the first time in a very long time, I totally surrendered to a stylist, since even if it looked crappy, it was going to fall out anyway, right? Without my asking, Tram buzzed the back and sides of my already fairly short style, but styled and left the top longer, and told me an all-over buzz was pretty drastic at the time. Long story short, I didn't lose my hair! At least not the majority of it. While noticeably thinner to me, no one else I know saw much difference, except for the cut, which was totally AWESOME. I've always been something of a hair "snob," wearing pretty cutting edge styles and paying through the nose at high-profile salons for the privilege. I can honestly say the way Tram cut the top of my hair was absolute perfection! It's taken many, many months for my slow-growing (due to chemo) hair to grow out enough to need another cut, but I just made an appointment for this afternoon, and can't wait to get a fresh new cut from Tram. Thank you Budget Cuts and Tram; you're a gift to West Seattle.

Posted 1 year ago #
lisatown
Member Profile

I'm happy to jump on the 'Tram Wagon' :D She did foils & a cut for me a couple of weeks ago and did a FANTASTIC job!! I have fine hair and lots of it! and she hung in there and did a wonderful/even color!

Just under $100 (before tip) but the same services (and not necessarily as good a job!) would have cost me 'at least' $150 most anywhere else. I'll certainly go back again!

Lisa

Posted 1 year ago #
CheriBerri
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Does anyone know is she takes lock's of love donations at her salon.... Im almost 35 weeks pregnant and looking to cut off my hair before the baby comes!

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
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i tried Tram.
this weekend i will pay $50 to have the 80s old lady haircut i got from her fixed:(

yes... i know she would fix it for free
but since she didn't listen the first time i won't risk a second cut.

it was basically a good cut.. but it wasn't the trim i had asked for... and she used a razor on my hair when i had asked her to use only scissors.

I walked out of there in shock... determined to make the best of it... but it gets worse as it grows out:(

perhaps i am just too picky
but i won't be going back

Posted 1 year ago #
WSB
Member Profile

CheriB - Don't know about Budget but longtime WSB sponsor Illusions Hair Design *does* participate in Locks of Love - scroll down this page
http://www.illusionshairdesign.com/Illusions_Hair_Design/Giving_Back.html
for the info. And good luck with the impending arrival!

Posted 1 year ago #
jissy
Member Profile

CheriBerri -- Totally off topic here, but I'm a mom of 2, 14 months apart & under 2 and gotta say I was going to do the same thing as you when I had my first thinking it would be easier but SOOO glad I didn't. Not sure how long your hair is but the long hair with a baby is so convenient b/c there's always that easy ponytail. I used to wash my hair every other day, now I even go 2 -3 days and b/c it's long I can get away with it. Think it would be way more maintenance with short, but that's just me.

In my baby world, my personal grooming time was the first thing to go -- although I make sure I get a shower EVERY DAY (Can't wake up without it), the washing hair thing is a luxury!

Posted 1 year ago #
CheriBerri
Member Profile

Thanks for letting me know that illusions participates... Jissy... My hair is well over 30 inches long and i cant get away without washing it everyday..... its so exhausting right now to wash it and style it for the day... i work at a job that it needs to be pulled back neatly everyday so i dont think cutting off enough to donate would really make that much of a difference to me lol

Posted 1 year ago #
jissy
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Then go for it! And enjoy!!!

(And kudos for donating to Locks of Love -- have always wanted to do that myself!)

Posted 1 year ago #
CheriBerri
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Thanks!! This will be my second time donating to locks of love, my first time was right after i graduated in 2003 i donated 13 inches!! i balled my eyes out lol!

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
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cheriberri..
i am not saying this to be unkind.. but you probably meant bawled your eyes out.. not balled... tho one could conceivably been the result of the other:)

i think you are too late to change it:(

Posted 1 year ago #
CheriBerri
Member Profile

oops mistakes happen

Posted 1 year ago #
lisatown
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Big Rave for Tram and Budget Cuts!! Tram for her skills! She 'topped up' my foils perfectly and at a great price! YAY!

Posted 1 year ago #
add
Member Profile

Just a note about Locks of Love - actually anyone can cut the hair for you as long as they follow the instructions outlined on the LOL website, and then you can mail it in yourself. That's what we did when my daughter donated her hair last winter. They will send you a sweet little certificate if you request one.
http://www.locksoflove.org/

PS - my husband and teenage son regularly go to Budget Cuts and love it (and my son ALWAYS resists getting his haircut but doesn't mind so much going there!).

Posted 1 year ago #
joanna
Member Profile

I am disappointed with the salon, the services, and the haircut. After reading raves about how friendly and great the staff and services were, I decided to walk in for a haircut. I was not greeted in a friendly manner but almost with a strange hostility -- was it because I asked for a haircut on a walk-in basis or what? -- I don't know. I was left sitting and waiting until one of the stylists came over and asked me if I was waiting for "something" ... I said I was a walk-in waiting for a haircut. The haircut which was to be a shoulder length cut turned out to be more of a long layered [?] bob-ish blunt cut; I'm still not sure what it is even though we discussed, at length, what I wanted. My back/polo shirt was saturated with water which the stylist tried to blow-dry and I got poked in the eye during the haircut session. Finally, how did a $14.95 become $16.95? I tipped but later as I walked into the street and the breeze hit my saturated back, I realized that I should not have. I should have turned around and walked out upon that first hostile impression/greeting [?] but I was tired after a 3-hour road trip.

Posted 1 year ago #
Sally L
Member Profile

Gee Joanna I feel bad about your visit because it is so different than the ones my family and most people i know say about Budget Cuts. I just love that salon!! The ladies that work there always seem so genuinely happy to see my family, and let me tell you my youngest boy is a bit of a handful. Mary is just so great with kids and it goes without saying that Tram, the Manager is simply a pro. I went there initially for the great deals on the kids cuts. Drug my husband in next (he isn't hard to please though) and he liked the cut he got.

I do know that the price went up a $1 from 13.95 a few months ago but I am sure the expense of being in that new building can't be cheap either. I will say this though, if you get a wash, it is a couple dollars more. I never get the kids washed but, now that Tram does my cuts and color, I pay $2 more for her to wash it.

The thing I love about this salon is the way it looks inside. It is always CLEAN, smells good and someone obviously cares about how the customer feels when in it yet, it doesn't seem all fluffy and stuffy. It reminds me of a nicer Hair Master / Super Cuts type place. I've never met the people that built or own it but I always see some tall blonde guy there and he is either the janitor or the owner. If he is the owner, then I applaud the fact that he is always sweeping or crawling around on his knees cleaning something and it shows!!!

I know everyone has bad days and experiences but, I bet if you called Tram or tried to reach the owner, they would bend over backwards to make it right. Keep it up Budget Cuts and thank you for having a salon that seems to care about the families that want quality but can't spend $40-$50 on a haircut.

Posted 1 year ago #
Hummingbird
Member Profile

I tried Budget Cuts' service(s) for the very first time few days ago and I was really impressed and pleased about my whole experience. The staff at the salon are one of the friendliest individual that I have encounter (in the business sector) for a while and it is refreshing to think that a place of business that offers reasonable price still exist even on the toughtest times in our economy. The appearance of the the place, both interior and exterior, is impeccable and spotless when it comes to cleanliness. The stylist named JP is very knowledgable about her craftmanship and made me involve with the whole proccess during my entire visit. Kudos to the staff of Budget Cuts!!!

Posted 1 year ago #
mightymo
Member Profile

I've gone to Budget Cuts a few times since I moved to West Seattle and I always get a good cut at a great price. One thing that I think needs improvement is that there's no sign-in sheet. If you don't take appointments and a lot of walk-in customers start piling up, this puts the responsibility of knowing whose turn is next on the customers. The last time I was there I couldn't remember for sure if the guy next to me had been there when I arrived 10 minutes earlier.

Posted 1 year ago #
cmramon99
Member Profile

I went into Budget Cuts this past Saturday and to my surprise Tram and Mary are not employees there anymore. I was extremely disappointed since I have been a client of both of these great stylists for over a year now. They are the best at what they do and always have been extremely professional. They are the prime example of what excellent customer service should be. To my understanding Tram personally purchased a salon and has asked Mary to come along to start up her business. They will be at Salon 41-Ten, 4110 California Ave SW, West Seattle, WA, 98116, at the corner of Dakota and California. I'm very excited to check out the new salon and encouraged others to join me. I am a loyal customer to these great stylists...they have been so good to my hair and to my whole family.

Posted 10 months ago #
hbrown99
Member Profile

Thank you thank you!!! For posting where Tram is going. So excited for her and Mary! That's great that she is getting her own place. She is a wonderful stylist!

Posted 10 months ago #
AlkiDebbie
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I love Budget Cuts. Lily and Na have been doing my hair for over a year now. Before they opened I had been to other salons in the area and I have not found one that has more talented stylists than this one. I have never had a bad haircut here. Everyone is so friendly and their prices are the best in West Seattle! The place is always clean and that's important to me. Met their manager Kristin the other day. Sweet as can be. She did a miracle on a ladies hair color while I was there. This woman looked like a different person when she was done. Try them out and you will not be disappointed!

Posted 9 months ago #