Steel Blade Men's Salon - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Eric Archer

*edit* adding pic of the non U shape side for reference. Closer to what I asked for but still not well executed.

TLDR: Most overpriced, terrible hair cut possible.

I just moved here from Arizona and was excited to see what a professional haircut experience would be like over here in Albuquerque. I did a quick google search and this place seemed like a no brainer. Went inside to schedule the appointment and the atmosphere and receptionist were excellent. I had a high level of confidence I was going to get exactly what I was looking for here. The price for a haircut and bread trim was $87 before tax and tip. I figured for that price, I was going to be getting a truly quality experience.

Unfortunately, that's where the good experience ends.

I came back for my appointment, was sat down in the barber chair swiftly, and started talking about how I'd like it cut. I don't like using product, and told them I like to keep it a bit long on top with kind of a messy look, and leave some volume on the sides near the top still. Then we talked about the beard, and I said just shape it and remove a little.

She completely ignored what I requested for the haircut and did a standard cookie cutter 'clean' looking cut that was poorly executed. She removed all the volume on the upper sides and worse, left a big U shaped dent (for lack of better verbiage, see pic) right where I'd like to keep a bit of length. It's a haircut I'll be forced to use product to make the cut look alright until it grows back and I try again. The length at the front of my hair line is also inconsistent with a larger bulk of hair left on the side with the U dent.

The beard trim...
Beards are pretty important to the men who like to grow them long and full, as it's a part of our identity. I came in with a just below my neck in length, and very full. I asked for a trim and a shape. The most basic level of shaping a beard, is to start below the chin and make a straight cut at the desired length. Then, you trim down the sides trying to match the angle of a strong jawline. What did I get? She went from fading in my side burns, to immediately turning the cutter upside down and running it straight down my face immediately removing all volume and fullness to my beard. Then, she ignored all potential jawline, and rounded out my beard to a horrendous shape, and because all my volume was removed, especially near the mandible, I can't even fix it at home. It looks like a short, dollar store Sami Zayn beard. And the area at the mandible was actually cut into the neck so it doesn't even align with the rest of it (hard to capture be see pic to see the difference in length. All the fullness in my beard is gone and I am left to rock a terrible beard til it grows back, or shave off the rest of my 7 months of growth she ruined.

The beard experience was a 0/10 and the haircut was a Sports Clip equivalent 2/10 that I could have spent $25 on instead of the $115 out the door price. I'll never be back here.

P.S. this was about a 20-30 min experience, with no razor clean up on the cheeks and neck included with the crazy expensive beard trim, and they did offer me a "cold" towel that was just a towel ran under tap water in the cold setting. She had to make it herself because apparently the actual cold towels were frozen together. The only pampering part of the experience (which you expect at a place like this) was the tool she used to condition my hair after felt nice but it was too little pressure and too short a time to be an intentional part of thr experience, so I presume it was just to make the wash easier or not get soap under her nails?

Chris Oschwald

All I can say is wow! Thank you Celeste for the awesome cut and beard combo. I will be back for sure. She nailed it!

Jareth Maine

Had a great experience and got a haircut I love. Nikole was able to guide me through the parts of my haircut I wasn’t quite sure on and it turned out phenomenal. My beard also looks the best it ever has. She gave me great tips on what I should do maintenance wise for my hair and beard as well. Booked my next appointment as soon as I could.

Rat Vomit

I absolutely loved my haircut! She did an amazing job and cut it exactly the way I wanted. Her skill, attention to detail, and professionalism was also appreciated. I look forward to seeing her again.

Joey

During my first appointment, I arrived late after visiting the gym, which made me feel somewhat uncomfortable. I attempted to engage in conversation with my barber, Nikole, but found her to be rather reserved and unresponsive. Despite this, I remained respectful throughout the appointment and left with an okay haircut. Hoping for a more positive experience during my next visit, I scheduled another appointment with Nikole. However, on the day of the appointment, I received a text from the salon about an hour before my scheduled time, stating that I needed to reschedule because "Nikole felt uncomfortable having me as a client."

This experience was unprecedented for me, and I felt quite distressed by the situation. I strive to maintain professionalism and engage in polite conversation, even in awkward situations. Receiving a text notifying me of my rescheduling due to making someone uncomfortable was disheartening, especially because the response from Steel Blade was callous.

As a result of this experience, I do not plan to return to Steel Blade. I am also surprised that there haven't been more reviews addressing this issue with the barber and staff, as it felt as though I was being treated unfairly for simply seeking a service that was quite costly.

To your response: Many people use different names for online privacy, and this shouldn’t undermine the validity of their feedback. Instead of deflecting, it would have been more constructive to focus on the concerns I raised about the service, which were real and specific. I hope you take this as an opportunity to genuinely improve your customer experience rather than casting doubt on valid reviews and sounding disingenuous.

Nora Manzanares

I have not had a bad experience at Steel Blade, ever. I am a repeat customer and just enjoy the atmosphere and people there. Nicole cuts my hair and is an amazing artist. Can be a bit expensive, but finding someone who does a good short haircut for women can be difficult. Worth it to me.

Fred Sanchez

First Time For Me At Steel Blade.
"NINA" Was My Stylist. Not Only Is She A Gifted Professional In Her Craft But Also,
A Refreshingly, Genuinely, Good Person.
What A Great Experience! I Am Looking Forward To My Next Visit.

Matthew Lopez

Great service, welcoming environment and friendly employees. Mateo was recommended by a friend and I was not disappointed! He is now my go to stylist! Received many compliments on the haircut, thank you Mateo!