Best Hair Salon in Avon, MA | Kimberly Messing Hair Design

Most people don't need ten stylists to choose from. They need one they can trust completely, someone who remembers how their hair actually behaves, who tells them the truth in the mirror instead of what's easiest to say, and who's still there two years later when they call to book again. That's a harder thing to find than a fancy salon, and it's usually not something you find by shopping around from one place to the next.

If you're in Avon and tired of starting over with a new stylist every time your last one left, got booked solid, or just stopped being able to fit you in, Kimberly Messing Hair Design was built around solving exactly that problem. We're a short drive away in Braintree, and a good number of the people in our chairs on any given week come from quieter towns nearby, Avon included, because they wanted a stylist relationship that actually lasts.

There's nothing flashy about that goal. It just happens to be surprisingly rare. A lot of salons are built to keep a chair full today, this week, this month. This one was built, deliberately, to keep the same client coming back for years, which changes almost everything about how appointments are run, how consultations are handled, and how honest a stylist is willing to be with you.

Who We Are

Kim Messing opened this salon on Washington Street in 1986 and has been building it, one client relationship at a time, ever since. She's a board-certified colorist, a credential fewer than five percent of working colorists ever pursue, and after 38-plus years behind the chair she still mixes custom color formulas by hand rather than reaching for a preset recipe. She trains regularly in Goldwell, Redken, Keratin Complex, and Olaplex systems, holds Hot Heads certification for tape-in extensions, and personally takes on the hardest color-correction cases that come through the door. She also mentors every stylist who works here, which is part of why the team has stayed so consistent over the years.

Here's how to reach us and what to expect when you do:

  • Phone: 781-817-5077
  • Email: hello@kimberlymessinghairdesign.com
  • Address: 533 Washington Street, Braintree, MA 02184
  • Hours: Monday Closed | Tuesday 9:00am–7:00pm | Wednesday 9:00am–7:00pm | Thursday 9:00am–8:00pm | Friday 9:00am–4:00pm | Saturday 9:00am–4:00pm | Sunday Closed
  • Book online: Schedule your appointment
  • Follow along: Facebook and Instagram

Why Clients from Avon Keep Coming Back

Jackie Shaughnessy has been cutting hair for 38 years. She joined the salon early and has spent most of her career quietly becoming the person other stylists send their toughest curly-hair clients to. Jackie cuts dry, curl by curl, reading each section as it falls rather than forcing a shape onto hair that has its own ideas. It's slow work. It's also the reason clients with naturally curly or textured hair drive from all over the South Shore just to sit in her chair.

What makes Jackie's approach relevant to someone in Avon specifically is less about the technique and more about the pace. She doesn't rush a consultation, and she's built a specialty, Alternative Hair and Toppers, around clients who are dealing with thinning hair or volume loss and need a conversation that's private, patient, and free of any pressure to decide something on the spot. If you've ever felt hurried through a salon appointment or steered toward an upsell you didn't ask for, that's exactly the opposite of how Jackie runs her chair. A smaller town's whole rhythm tends to favor that kind of unhurried relationship over the churn of a high-volume salon, and it's part of why this particular way of doing things has held up for so long.

Clients who first come in for a topper consultation with Jackie often say the same thing afterward: nobody made them feel rushed, and nobody tried to talk them into more than they came in for. That's not an accident. It's a deliberate choice about how this salon operates, and it tends to matter more to someone who values a quiet, steady relationship over a flashy one.

Specialists, Not Generalists

Nine stylists here each focus on a specific lane rather than trying to be equally good at everything. That specialization means the person cutting your curls has done thousands of curly cuts, not a handful between straight-hair clients, and the person color-correcting a box-dye mishap has actually built a career around untangling exactly that kind of problem. When you book with us, you're not getting whoever happens to be free; you're getting matched to the person whose entire practice has been shaped around your specific hair concern.

Consultations That Aren't a Sales Pitch

Every new relationship starts with an honest look at your hair's history and condition, not a script designed to upsell you into a bigger service. If your hair needs to be strengthened before it can safely go lighter, you'll hear that plainly, along with a plan for getting there. We'd rather tell you something you didn't want to hear up front than deliver a result six weeks from now that neither of us is happy with.

One Stylist, Start to Finish

The person who consults with you is the person who does your color, your cut, or your treatment. Nobody hands you off partway through, and nobody is double-booked juggling three heads of foils at once. That continuity is part of why so many of our long-term clients say their hair has never looked more consistent, appointment to appointment, than it has since they started coming here.

Our Services

Hair Cut

Whether you want a simple trim or a full restyle, our cutting specialists tailor the shape to your hair's texture and how you actually live day to day. View the full cut menu.

  • Barber's Cut — $35
  • Kid's Cut — $35
  • Short Haircut — $44
  • Medium Haircut — $66
  • Long Haircut — $88
  • Extra-Long Haircut — $110
  • Shampoo + Cut — $50
  • Shampoo, Cut & Blowdry — $60
  • Shampoo + Blowdry — $35
  • Perm — $105

Hair Color

From a first single-process color to a full lightening transformation, our colorists formulate every shade by hand rather than pulling from a box. Explore color services.

  • Single Process — $75
  • Double Process — $120
  • Partial Foil — $148
  • Full Foil — $185
  • Balayage — $220
  • Custom Foil (add-on) — $22
  • Color Balance — $37
  • Up-Do — $100

Alternative Hair and Toppers

Jackie leads these consultations personally, in a quiet setting designed to feel more like a private conversation than a retail appointment. Pricing is set after we understand your specific needs. Learn about Alternative Hair and Toppers.

Hair Extensions

Kim personally oversees extension work, including Hot Heads tape-in application, matched to your natural color and density. Pricing is quoted after a consultation. Learn about hair extensions.

Tinting and Waxing

Quick finishing services, often booked alongside a cut or color appointment. View tinting and waxing services.

  • Eyebrow Wax — $20
  • Brow Tint — $20
  • Lip or Chin Wax — $25

Meet the Team

Nine specialists, each with their own focus, working under one roof at 533 Washington Street. See full team profiles.

  • Kim Messing — Owner and master colorist with 38-plus years of experience and board certification in color, the credential behind the salon's most complex work.
  • Jackie Shaughnessy — Senior stylist with 38 years behind the chair, known for dry curl-by-curl cutting and for leading our Alternative Hair and Toppers consultations.
  • Maureen Lamie — Master stylist specializing in foiling and hand-painted balayage, with more than 25 years mapping color to face shape and growth pattern.
  • Janet Layden — Our color correction specialist, fluent in lift levels, fillers, toners, and bonding agents for fixing what's gone wrong elsewhere.
  • Laura Blaikie — Blonding specialist who pairs foil and hand-painting with Olaplex and K18 to protect structure through every lightening service.
  • Alicia Hayward — DevaCurl-certified curl specialist, trained directly by the DevaCurl team, cutting curly and wavy hair dry.
  • Emma Browning — Contemporary cutting specialist for trend-forward shapes and vivid Pulp Riot color, newer to the team but trained to the same standard as everyone else.
  • Judy — Senior stylist and blowout specialist with 25 years of experience in polished updos and event styling.
  • Kat — Texture and updo specialist and salon assistant, known for braids, twists, and event-ready styles built to last all night.

What It's Actually Like to Visit

We should be upfront about the geography: Kimberly Messing Hair Design is located in Braintree, not in Avon itself. We serve clients from Avon and a number of other South Shore towns, and plenty of them make the trip regularly because there isn't a comparable depth of specialists closer to home. It's a short drive from Avon out to our Washington Street studio, and most clients tell us it stops feeling like a special trip after the first visit or two.

The salon has been in this same spot since 1986, which is long enough to have watched several generations of hair trends come and go, and long enough that the neighborhood has come to see it as a fixture rather than a newcomer. That kind of longevity isn't something a salon can manufacture with advertising. It comes from clients returning, telling a neighbor or a coworker, and that neighbor eventually becoming a regular too, which is a slower and more durable way to grow than any campaign.

New England hair has its own seasonal rhythm too, humid summers, salty coastal air for anyone near the water, dry winters that show up hard in fine or color-treated hair, and we build our recommendations around that reality rather than a generic routine that ignores where you actually live. A client coming in from Avon in February has a different set of hair concerns than the same client walking in during August, and a stylist who's been doing this locally for decades tends to notice that pattern well before it becomes a visible problem.

What Our Clients Are Saying

These are real, verified reviews from Google, shown exactly as they were written.

★★★★★ Kaitlyn Burns — "Can't say enough about my experience at this salon. From the moment I walked in the door I felt welcome and knew I was in the hands of experienced, talented, and friendly stylists. The decor alone is gorgeous and is the perfect atmosphere to relax with the certainty that..." (Verified Google review)

★★★★★ Renee — "Alicia Hayward is the absolute best! She has such a great eye for detail and really listens, which makes all the difference. She delivers flawless results every single time. I've moved all my hair services to her this past year—thank you, Alicia!" (Verified Google review)

★★★★★ Christine Conti — "Excellent customer service! Everyone is so friendly! SHOUT OUT to ALICIA Who's been doing my hair for a while now! SHE'S THE BEST!! Thank you! See you all again in 8 weeks!" (Verified Google review)

Read more reviews on Google

More About Our Team

The short bios above cover the basics. Here's a fuller picture of who you'd actually be working with.

Kim Messing has run this salon for four decades, and in that time she's built a reputation less on any single technique than on refusing to take shortcuts. Board certification in color isn't a requirement to call yourself a colorist, which is exactly why so few pursue it, but Kim did, and she still keeps up with ongoing education in Goldwell, Redken, Keratin Complex, and Olaplex rather than coasting on what she learned decades ago. She's the one clients get referred to when a color has gone sideways somewhere else, and she personally handles the salon's extension work.

Jackie Shaughnessy has spent 38 years learning that curly hair doesn't respond well to the same rules as straight hair, which is why she cuts every curl dry and section by section rather than cutting wet and hoping the curl pattern cooperates later. She also carries the emotional weight of the Alternative Hair and Toppers consultations, meeting with clients who are often anxious or self-conscious about thinning hair, and giving them a private, judgment-free space to talk through options. She still does color work as well, when a client needs both.

Maureen Lamie treats a foil placement like a piece of engineering, not just decoration. Before the first foil goes in, she's already thought through face shape, the direction hair naturally grows, and how the client actually wears their hair day to day. After 25-plus years, her balayage work is known for growing out softly instead of leaving a hard line at the regrowth.

Janet Layden is the person other stylists, and other salons, send their hardest problems to. Box-dye buildup, years of uneven root touch-ups that left visible banding, over-processed highlights, she reads the hair's history like a map and works backward to a healthy, even result using lift levels, fillers, toners, and bonding agents in combination.

Laura Blaikie specializes in the kind of blonde that looks bright without looking flat, using a blend of foil and hand-painting to build dimension. She runs Olaplex and K18 through every lightening service as standard practice, which matters most for clients moving from a naturally dark base to something significantly lighter.

Alicia Hayward trained directly with the DevaCurl team and is one of the few stylists on the South Shore carrying that certification. She takes real time to understand a client's curl pattern and daily routine before ever picking up shears, then cuts dry, curl by curl, the same patient method Jackie relies on.

Emma Browning is newer to the team, but she came in with strong technical training and has been mentored to the same bar as everyone else here. Her focus is on the cuts and colors that are trending right now, textured shags, French bobs, butterfly layers, along with vivid and fashion color using Pulp Riot formulas built to actually last.

Judy has 25 years of experience turning blowouts into something closer to an art form: pin curls, finger waves, French twists, the kind of voluminous waves you'd expect at a wedding or a gala. She's frequently the one booked for exactly those events, and she also does clean, low-maintenance cuts for clients who need something polished for work.

Kat keeps the floor moving and handles braids, updos, twists, and event-ready ponytails built to survive a full night out. She's steadily building her own client base for color work, particularly with brunettes, while also being the person who keeps everyone's day running smoothly.

Products We Use and Carry

We stock more than 200 products across roughly 28 professional lines, chosen because they solve specific problems rather than because they're trendy. K18 repairs bonds at the peptide level, which we lean on heavily during lightening services. Goldwell covers both color and care, including its Kerasilk and Dualsenses systems. Redken's All Soft, Color Extend Magnetics, and Acidic Bonding Concentrate lines show up constantly in color maintenance. Keratin Complex handles smoothing for frizz-prone hair, and Olaplex No.3, 4, and 5 reinforce bonds during and after chemical services.

Beyond those, we carry Soma, Zenagen for thinning hair, Tri Design, Living Proof for frizz control, Aluram's clean beauty line, Design Me, Amika, Pureology, Milk_shake, Hot Like Me, Revitalash, ECRU New York, FHI Heat tools, Wahl, and Jon Renau wigs and toppers for clients navigating medical hair loss.

Our Philosophy

Since 1986, this salon has run on a simple rule: one stylist works with you from consultation through finished result. Nobody double-books, and nobody hands your color off to an assistant who wasn't part of the conversation about what you actually wanted. That also means an honest consultation up front, one where you'll hear if a look isn't realistic yet, or if your hair needs to be strengthened before we go further, rather than being told what you want to hear just to book the service.

The Hair Science Behind Our Recommendations

Hard Water and Mineral Buildup

Calcium, iron, and magnesium in tap water settle into hair over time, dulling shine, pulling color toward brass, and speeding up fading. It happens gradually enough that most clients don't notice it as a single event, more as a slow sense that their color "just doesn't look as good as it used to," even though nothing about the formula changed. A periodic chelating treatment clears that mineral buildup so color and conditioning products can actually do their job again instead of sitting on top of a residue layer.

Humidity and Frizz

New England summers swell the hair cuticle, which is what turns a smooth blowout into frizz by midday, sometimes within an hour of leaving the salon if the humidity is high enough. The fix isn't just a product recommendation. It starts with cutting technique, since certain cuts hold their shape through humidity far better than others, then layers in the right anti-humidity products, and for some clients, a keratin smoothing service that changes how the hair responds to moisture in the air altogether.

Salt Air and Coastal Influence

Anyone spending time near the water knows salt air dries hair out and dulls color faster than usual, and the South Shore's coastal proximity means this affects a lot of our clients even if they don't live directly on the water. A steady moisture routine, UV-protective leave-ins, and a salt-clarifying shampoo help offset the effect, and we typically flag this during a summer consultation for anyone who mentions regular time at the beach.

Winter Damage

Dry indoor heat, static, and friction from hats and scarves all take a toll once the weather turns, and it tends to hit color-treated and fine hair hardest. We typically adjust a client's home care routine every fall, before the damage shows up rather than after, since a proactive shift in products is a lot easier to manage than repairing dry, brittle ends in February.

Seasonal Color Strategy

The same tone can read differently under winter light than it does in summer sun, which is why some clients choose to shift their color subtly twice a year rather than keeping one formula running year-round. A blonde that looked warm and golden in July can look flat under the gray light of a New England winter, so we'll sometimes suggest a small seasonal adjustment rather than waiting for a client to notice the mismatch on their own.

Your Free Consultation

Every new service starts with a free 20 to 30 minute consultation, no obligation attached. We'll talk through your hair's history, its current condition and porosity, your daily routine, and lifestyle factors like workouts, swimming, or sun exposure that affect how color and treatments hold up. Bring photos of looks you want and, just as usefully, looks you want to avoid, since a picture of what you don't like often communicates more than a description ever could.

We'll also walk through cost and time honestly before anything is booked, rather than surprising you with either once you're already in the chair. If a look you're describing would take two visits instead of one, or would mean stepping down your hair's health first, that's part of the conversation up front. You'll leave with a realistic sense of the outcome and a maintenance plan built around your actual routine, not a generic one handed to every client regardless of lifestyle.

Part of the Avon Community

Avon is a quiet, residential town on the South Shore, easy to reach off Route 24 and Route 128, and that quieter pace lines up naturally with how this salon prefers to operate. We're not trying to be the busiest storefront around; we're trying to be the place a small number of people trust completely, year after year. A number of our longtime clients live in towns just like Avon, and the honest answer to why they keep making the drive to Braintree is rarely anything dramatic. It's just that they found a stylist who does right by them, and they'd rather keep that than start over somewhere closer.

We don't claim any special ties to Avon beyond that. We're not located in town, and we won't pretend otherwise, but we've come to know a good number of Avon residents simply by doing steady, honest work for them appointment after appointment. That's a smaller claim than a lot of salons make, and it's one we can actually stand behind.

Is the Drive Worth It

We think so, and we'd rather make the honest case than oversell it. You're trading a slightly longer drive for board-certified color expertise, nine specialists instead of one or two generalists trying to cover everything, and undivided attention during your actual appointment. Clients tend to stay with us for years, sometimes decades, which says more than any marketing claim could.

Logistically, it tends to be simpler than people assume before their first visit. Parking is free right outside, so there's no meter to feed or garage to circle. With evening hours Tuesday through Thursday plus Saturday availability, fitting a visit around a workday from Avon is usually easier than people expect, and once a client has made the trip once or twice, it tends to just become part of their normal routine rather than something they have to plan around.

What Clients Book Us for Most

Color work leads the list by a wide margin, whether that's highlights, balayage, or a full correction, and we've built four specialists around exactly that demand: Kim for custom formulation and the hardest cases, Maureen for foiling, Janet for correction, and Laura for blonding. Cutting isn't far behind, split across Alicia for curly and DevaCurl work, Jackie for classic, polished shapes, Emma for on-trend styles, and Judy and Kat for event-day styling. Extensions, treatments, and alternative hair round things out, with Kim handling tape-ins and keratin smoothing and Jon Renau toppers available for clients dealing with thinning hair or medical hair loss.

Jackie's chair in particular tends to fill with two very different kinds of clients who end up sitting in the same waiting area: someone booking a precise curly cut, and someone booking a quiet first conversation about a topper. Both leave having been genuinely listened to, which is really the point of specializing at all. It's worth saying plainly that neither of those clients is treated as more of a priority than the other. A cut and a first topper consultation get the same unhurried attention, because the goal in both cases is the same: understand what the person actually needs before doing anything else.

Building a Relationship With Your Stylist Over Time

The value of sticking with one stylist compounds. Someone who's done your color four or five times understands exactly how your hair lifts, how fast it fades, and what maintenance routine actually works for you, in a way a new stylist can't replicate on a first visit no matter how skilled they are. Most of our clients settle into a rhythm: color touch-ups every 4 to 6 weeks, highlights or balayage every 8 to 12 weeks, cuts every 6 to 8 weeks, and treatments on a quarterly basis. Committing to one relationship, rather than salon-hopping for whichever appointment is available soonest, tends to produce better hair and a lot less guesswork.

Jackie's longest-standing clients are a good example of what that looks like after years, not months. She can often tell, just from how a client's hair is behaving that day, whether stress, a new medication, a change in season, or a shift in routine is behind it, and she adjusts the plan accordingly instead of running the same service regardless of what's actually going on. That kind of pattern recognition only comes from repetition, and it's part of why we'd rather earn a client for years than impress them once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this salon a good fit for someone in Avon who just wants a low-key, no-nonsense stylist relationship?
Yes. That's really who we're built for. We're not trying to be the trendiest spot in the region, we're trying to be the place you stop thinking about because your stylist just handles it right, appointment after appointment.

How long does color last before I need a touch-up?
Single-process color and root touch-ups typically need attention every 4 to 6 weeks, highlights every 8 to 12 weeks, and balayage every 12 to 16 weeks depending on how it was placed.

Will lightening my hair damage it?
A single-process color is gentle. Lightening services use Olaplex and K18 to protect the hair's structure throughout. Most serious damage we see actually comes from salon-hopping between different colorists or from box dye at home, not from a well-managed professional lightening service.

How long should I plan for my appointment?
A single-process color runs 90 minutes to 2 hours, a root touch-up 75 to 90 minutes, a partial foil 2 to 2.5 hours, a full foil 2.5 to 3.5 hours, balayage 2.5 to 3.5 hours, and color correction can run anywhere from 4 to 8 hours, sometimes split across two visits.

What's the difference between balayage and foil highlights?
Foil produces a brighter, more defined result. Balayage grows out more softly with an easier regrowth line. Your consultation is where we help you decide which fits your hair and your maintenance preferences.

How do I keep my color from fading?
Use a sulfate-free shampoo, wash every 2 to 3 days rather than daily, rinse with cool water, use a heat protectant, add a UV leave-in for sun exposure, rinse before swimming, and use a monthly clarifying treatment if you're dealing with hard water.

What will a full transformation cost?
That depends entirely on your starting color, your target color, and your hair's length, so we quote it after a free consultation rather than guessing over the phone.

How do I know which stylist is right for me?
The free consultation is designed to answer that. Tell us what you're looking for and we'll match you with the specialist whose focus fits.

Extended FAQ

What if I'm not happy with my result?
Speak up before you leave, or call us right after. We'll put together a plan to adjust it and make it right.

Can I bring a friend to my appointment?
Yes, we can often arrange overlapping appointments so you're not sitting alone waiting.

Do you handle hair loss related to medical treatment?
Kim personally handles Jon Renau wig and topper consultations for clients dealing with medical hair loss, discreetly and privately, and private parking is available for these visits.

Do you sell gift cards?
Yes, in any amount, and they never expire.

What payment methods do you accept?
Cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, debit cards, and gift cards.

What's your cancellation policy?
We ask for 24 hours' notice. Same-day cancellations or no-shows are charged 50% of the scheduled service.

Is tipping expected?
It's not required, but 18 to 22% is standard if you'd like to tip, and we accept it by cash, card, or Venmo.

Can I walk in without an appointment?
We operate by appointment. Call ahead and we'll check for same-day openings.

What happens if I'm running late?
Call ahead. If you're more than 15 minutes late, we may need to shorten the service or reschedule to keep the rest of the day on track.

Can I bring my kids with me?
Kids are welcome as long as they're seated and supervised. If your child has their own appointment, an adult needs to accompany them.

Do you do wedding hair?
Yes, with advance booking. Trials happen in the salon, and day-of styling is often done on location at the venue.

How do I book my first visit?
Online or by phone, though we generally recommend calling first so we can match you with the right specialist rather than guessing from an online form.

Do you use the same products you sell?
Yes. Everything on our retail shelves, from K18 to Olaplex to Living Proof, is the same product used during your service.

What if my hair has been colored somewhere else before?
Tell us honestly what's been done, including at-home color. It changes how we approach the service and helps us avoid an unwanted result.

Do I need to wash my hair before coming in?
For most color services, coming in with unwashed hair is actually preferable, since natural oils protect the scalp during processing. For cuts, either is fine. Your stylist will tell you if a particular service has a different preference.

Can I switch stylists if I want to try someone else on the team?
Yes. We'd rather you find the right fit within the salon than leave to find it elsewhere. Just let the front desk know and we'll help make the transition smooth for everyone involved.

Booking, Hours, and What to Expect on Your First Visit

You can book online through our booking page or by calling 781-817-5077. Our hours are Tuesday and Wednesday 9am to 7pm, Thursday 9am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 4pm, and we're closed Monday and Sunday.

For your first visit, bring photos of styles you like and, if you have them, photos of what you want to avoid, along with a list of the products you currently use and any questions you've been holding onto. Wear something you don't mind getting a little damp, and skip white if you can, though capes and towels are provided regardless. Plan for 60 to 90 minutes for a cut and style, 2 to 2.5 hours for a single-process color with a cut, 3 to 4 hours for highlights with a cut, and a variable amount of time for color correction depending on complexity.

Parking is free in our own lot, no meters or garage to deal with. When you arrive, you'll be greeted at the front desk and your stylist will find you within a few minutes so your consultation can start right away. There's no long intake form to fill out in the waiting area and no pressure to decide on retail purchases before you've even sat down. The whole first few minutes are meant to feel like a conversation, not a transaction, which tends to set the tone for the rest of the visit.

Also Serving Nearby Communities

Beyond Avon, we regularly welcome clients from these nearby South Shore communities:

Our Specialty Services

Ready When You Are

If what you're really after is one honest stylist relationship instead of another round of trial and error, we'd like the chance to be that for you. Reach out, tell us what's going on with your hair, and let's start with a straightforward, no-pressure consultation.

Book your appointment online or call us at 781-817-5077.