I'm not one to be gushy but I can't say enough about Cranium, the owner - Kelly or her staff.

I'll start with uber chic for the salon - the design of the salon is pure perfection and belongs on the website "The Cool Hunter".

The salon is beautiful and the experience surreal. Why? Because the service is 5-star, the ambience is warm and relaxing while the staff are friendly and REAL.

My Cranium story started a few weeks ago when I landed on their doorstep in a pretty distressed state with a hairdressing horror story - a colour gone wrong from another salon.

Although Kelly was busy she stopped what she was doing to speak with me and never made me feel like I was imposing on her time, as you do in many of the other big name salons.

Ever the professional and quite matter-of-fact, Kelly consoled my extremely distressed state, and after a brief consultation she proposed a no frills action plan that left me feeling relieved and reassured that I was in the best hands possible.

It has taken a couple of weeks to fix my hairdressing problem created by another salon, but that's exactly what Kelly and her staff did - true to their word and their plan.

In terms of cost and value for money - what can I say. The cost to fix my hair was clearly communicated with no hidden surprises, so for the the first time in my life I was able to relax and enjoy my hairdressing experience and not spend my time focussed on what the bill was going to be at the end.

With value for money - Kelly and the salon exceeded and continue to exceed my expectations. I feel like they actually hear me - they listen to me - and discuss with me clearly how I want to look and if that is possible or the best solution and why.

When I leave Cranium I am so relaxed, I always feel like I have been in a magical world where time stands still. My hair always looks and feels so beautiful and best of all no surprises - and that makes me feel every time like money well spent!

I thoroughly recommend Cranium!!!

I found a better salon the staff are amazing and friends and it is 2/3rds the price you pay at Cranium. I found this salon after I had terrible service at Cranium and got told one price before starting my hair and then a different amount when they were finished which was more expensive. I will never go to Cranium again- anyone wanting fab colour should go to Colour Only they are fab I just had my hair all highlighted and was so cheap!

I have been to Cranium a few times, I had only recently moved to the area and was not sure which hairdressers were good. This place looked nice and so I thought I would go there. Unfortunately as nice as this salon looks the service is terrible. The staff are not at all good with customer service, and they certainly do not try to look after their regulars. I went to have my colour done- I have foils and the price they charge is ridiculous. It is so expensive that you could have it done somewhere else 3 times over before reaching the price they gave me. I realised they had added in a treatment on top without asking me, I did not request this. They give you a price but as the comment before states- they do not show you what you are actually paying for. I have been paying far too much and will never go there again. I also had to wait about 30 minutes before I was seen to even though I made an appointment, it's not good enough. The manager clearly does not care about keeping clients or teaching her staff anything about customer service. I would suggest going to a different salon.

I have been to Cranium 6 times; and I decided to register on Rayv to warn people about this salon.

I tried this salon when I was desperate to find someone able to do my color without ending up with itchy scalp for a month (I have sensitive scalp) but still have a color that will cover my hair properly. And Cranium has been great for that, so I continued to go, afraid to end-up with itchy scalp again If I would go somewhere else.

These are some of the reasons why I don't recommend this salon:

The salon itself looks great, but passed this, the service is terrible. The hairdressers/colorists are changing all the time, so you never know with who will end-up looking after you, nor their level.

On my 4th appointment, I am having my hair colored and cut, I wait for 45minutes before they look after me. The cut (which is my simple normal square cut) is awful, many hairs are too long or too short, they try to arrange it with the brushing, but still...I told the girl, it's late so she told me that I can come back anytime in the week-end. Saturday morning, wet my hair, the variation in length is obvious, I come-back, I wait 1 hour and finally the manager tells me that I should take another appointment for the end of the day, I can't but she did not offer any alternative, no refund, no rebates for next time. So I come back home, and ask a friend to cut the obvious long pieces of hair along my neck…
After this time, I don’t get my hair cut anymore.
The girl who did it is not working there anymore, like all the ones I had before.

Last week, my 6th appointment.
Her hands smell cold smoke as she just got back from her break. She start washing my hair, but rubs only on the side, so there’s still plenty of color on my hair when she started applying the treatment. 2 minutes later (for a 45$ treatment) she rinse my hair, spend 5 minutes talking to her friend, do quickly the 2nd shampoo but takes time to put water on my face.

The main reason why I don't like Cranium: the price policy. Not that it is expensive but I had always a different price, and there is no price list to understand what you pay for.
6 times, 6 different prices
2 month ago, I pay 222$. Last week, I finally see a price list on the counter, very complex, you can see that price depends on hairdresser level, the kind of color you want, and a number from 1 to 4 (???)
I seat, explain what I want:as usual, color my root only, she comes back to me: it’s 198$, ok it's cheaper. At the moment of paying I see on their document next to my name: 108$ color + 45$ brushing + 45$ treatment. I did not ask for a treatment and the price of this has never been announced to me, and the 108$ does not correspond to anything on the price list. I decide just to leave, I don’t want to argue, I hate the way the manager (tight lips, long dark straight hair, not moving away form her IMac) talks to the clients and the hairdressers.

I found another salon also using same color product, I won't come-back and I don't recommend.

I had booked an appointment at Cranium last weekend and arrived just on time, slightly flustered as I thought I was going to be late.

A lovely girl showed me to a seat in front of a mirror and said that someone would be with me shortly. I waited ten minutes and then stood up to get myself a magazine to read from the reception desk. I then waited another ten minutes with no one offering me a drink or acknowledging that I was even there. What's more, my hairdresser finished up on the customer she was with and then moved on to someone completely new.

At that point I walked out and to find somewhere else to go. I tried Toni and Guy on Sydney Road but they were fully booked but they recommended a smaller place just round the corner - can't remember the name of it but I will definately be going back there again! Nicola did my hair and she did an amazing job - it was just as good as they could have done in Cranium and for 2/3 of the price,

I am no snob when it comes to this sort of thing but when you pay so much money for a hair colour and cut it's nice to be treated warmly or even just be acknowledged. When I remember the hairdressers I ended up going to I will post!

This is THE best hair salon on the northern beaches.
the only con is that it's expensive, but it's worth it! If you'd like an experience rather than just a hair cut this is the place to go.
The whole place has a great vibe, but even with all the extras - these people DELIVER! The haircuts and colours I have had done here are the best I've ever had. It feels like they are open all the time, 24/7 so it's easy to find a time to go.

The whole experience starts with a beverage of your choice including cappuccino or champagne, and perhaps a timtam! They spend time talking to you about what you want, and actually listen. The chairs at the basin have optional vibrating massage settings The products smell divine, and do their job too. They have technicians who do your colour and someone different who styles/cuts it for you, so you can be confident you are receiving excellent service.
Can't wait to try out their beauty services.