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

Randolph clients already know the drive to Washington Street is one of the shortest ones on this list — roughly 10 to 15 minutes from most parts of town — which is probably why so many of you have already found us. Kimberly Messing Hair Design has held down 533 Washington Street in Braintree since 1986, and in that time we've built a team of nine specialists covering color, precision cutting, balayage, extensions, alternative hair, and tinting and waxing, led by a board-certified master colorist who still works the floor.

Voted Best Salon in Braintree | 38+ Years on Washington Street

Kim Messing Built This Salon on One Idea: Listen First

Kim opened her first chair in 1986. Nearly forty years, several team expansions, and a full buildout of specialist stylists later, the founding idea hasn't budged: every client gets a real conversation before anything happens to their hair, and nobody leaves feeling like a number. Clients who've been with Kim for ten, twenty, or thirty-plus years will tell you that's not a slogan, it's just how the place runs.

Kim is a board-certified color specialist, a credential fewer than 5% of working colorists ever pursue. It demands advanced testing in formulation, color theory, correction, and continuing education that most owners stop chasing after their first decade. Kim is closing in on her fourth. She's also Hot Heads certified for tape-in extensions and trains regularly with Goldwell, Redken, Keratin Complex, and Olaplex, because hair chemistry keeps evolving and she doesn't intend to fall behind it. Inside the salon, Kim mentors. Every stylist on the floor has trained with her or alongside her, which is why the standard holds no matter whose chair you sit in.

Kimberly Messing Hair Design
533 Washington Street, Braintree, MA 02184
Phone: 781-817-5077
Email: hello@kimberlymessinghairdesign.com

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 your appointment online

Why Randolph Keeps Sending Us Clients

A short drive is only worth taking if what's on the other end is actually different. Here's what Randolph clients tell us they found here that they weren't finding closer to home.

Nine specialists, not one generalist stretched thin. Most neighborhood salons run on one strong stylist and a rotating bench of newer hires. This one doesn't. Jackie owns color and topper work. Maureen handles foiling and cutting. Janet is the resident color-correction authority. Emma leads contemporary cuts and vivid color. Each chair belongs to someone who picked a lane and went deep in it, so you're matched to a specialist, not whoever happens to be free.

An eco-conscious operation, not a marketing line. Kim runs this business with genuine attention to its environmental footprint, and it shapes day-to-day decisions here, not just the language on a website. For clients who weigh where their money goes, that matters.

A room built for an honest conversation. Walk in and the pace slows down. Consultations happen before anything else, they're thorough, and nobody's rushing you toward the chair. That's kept people coming back for the better part of four decades, Randolph clients included.

Services at Kimberly Messing Hair Design

Every service on this menu is handled by someone who specializes in it, and every appointment opens with an actual conversation about what you want, how you live, and what your hair can realistically do.

Hair Cut — see full details

  • Barber's Cut / Kid's Cut — $35, clean, low-maintenance, sharp.
  • Short Haircut — $44, bold and precise, easy to keep up.
  • Medium Haircut — $66, shape and movement without sacrificing versatility.
  • Long Haircut — $88, shaping and trimming that keeps length healthy.
  • Extra-Long Haircut — $110, built to preserve length while cleaning up split ends.
  • Shampoo and Cut — $50, a refresh that leaves hair more manageable.
  • Shampoo, Cut, and Blowdry — $60, walk out styled and ready for whatever's next.
  • Shampoo and Blowdry — $35, smooth and frizz-free.
  • Perm — $105, lasting texture and volume.

Hair Color — see full details

Color here isn't a fixed formula pulled off a shelf. It's built around your skin tone, your hair's history, and how you actually live, with New England's seasonal swings factored in so results hold through both August humidity and February dryness.

  • Single Process Color — $75, rich, even color with depth.
  • Double Process Color — $120, a bigger transformation: lift, then tone.
  • Partial Foil — $148, dimension where you want it most.
  • Full Foil — $185, bold, multi-dimensional color throughout.
  • Balayage — $220, hand-painted color that grows out gracefully. One of the most requested services in the salon.
  • Custom Foil Add-On — $22, targeted brightness, placed with intention.
  • Color Balance — $37, correction for faded or uneven tone.
  • Up-Do — $100, long-lasting styling for events.

Alternative Hair and Toppers (priced upon consultation) — Jackie leads this work: private, unhurried consultations and expert fittings for clients navigating thinning or volume loss, handled with full discretion. Learn more.

Hair Extensions (priced upon consultation) — Kim personally handles extension work, matching and applying for length and volume that reads as natural, not obviously added. Clients travel from across the region specifically for this. Learn more.

Tinting and Waxing — see full details

  • Eyebrow Wax — $20, shaped to flatter your features.
  • Brow Tint — $20, fuller-looking arches without a daily makeup routine.
  • Lip/Chin Wax — $25, gentle waxing, smooth results.

Meet Your Style Team

Kim Messing — Owner and master colorist, 38+ years, opened the salon in 1986.

Jackie Shaughnessy — Senior stylist, curly-hair cutting specialist, 38 years, also leads topper consultations.

Maureen Lamie — Master stylist, foiling and balayage specialist, 25+ years.

Janet Layden — Color correction specialist and dimensional colorist.

Laura Blaikie — Blonding specialist, uses Olaplex and K18 through every lightening service.

Alicia Hayward — DevaCurl certified curl specialist.

Emma Browning — Contemporary cuts and vivid fashion color, uses Pulp Riot.

Judy — Senior stylist and blowout specialist, 25+ years.

Kat — Texture and updo specialist, salon assistant.

What It's Actually Like to Visit From Randolph

We're located in Braintree, close enough to the Blue Hills Reservation area that plenty of Randolph clients treat the trip over as barely a detour — roughly 10 to 15 minutes for most of you, depending on which part of town you're starting from and how Route 28 or Washington Street is moving that day. It's genuinely one of the easiest drives on our whole service list.

Once you're here, the pace changes. We don't rush consultations, and we don't double-book you into someone else's color processing time. Your stylist stays with you from the first conversation through the final blowdry, which is a meaningfully different experience from a fast-turnaround salon visit. This salon has been open since 1986, through several decades of hair trends, and the fact that it's still Kim running it, still on Washington Street, tends to say more than any marketing we could put on this page.

We hear from a lot of Randolph clients that the short drive was actually the deciding factor the first time they booked — it was close enough that trying us out didn't feel like a real commitment, and then the consultation and the finished result were what turned a one-off visit into a standing appointment. That pattern repeats often enough that it's worth mentioning directly: the geography makes it easy to say yes the first time, and the work is what makes people come back a second and third time.

What Our Clients Are Saying

Real, verified Google reviews from Kimberly Messing Hair Design clients.

★★★★★ 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)

★★★★★ Laureen Browning — "I had another wonderful experience at Kimberly Messing Hair Design and highly recommend visiting! My stylist, Emma B., provided a thorough consultation and valuable guidance for my color, cut and blowout, I couldn't have been more pleased w/ the results! Shout out to the..." (Verified Google review)

★★★★★ Danielle Salvinski — "Im so glad I found this salon. I wish I could give more stars! Props to the owner for having such an amazing team!" (Verified Google review)

Read more reviews on Google

The Full Team Behind Your Hair: Nine Specialists, 180+ Combined Years

Most salons run on one or two strong stylists and a rotation of newer talent filling out the rest of the floor. This one is built differently: every chair belongs to a specialist with real depth in one specific discipline. Book here and you're matched to exactly the specialist your hair needs.

Kim Messing, Owner and Master Colorist — Kim opened this salon in 1986 and has spent 38-plus years studying how pigment actually behaves on real hair, not textbook hair. She's one of a small number of board-certified color specialists in Massachusetts, a designation that requires advanced testing across formulation, theory, correction, and ongoing education. Where most colorists reach for a preset formula, Kim mixes from scratch, weighing your underlying tone, porosity, water quality, lifestyle, and how you want your hair to behave between visits. She's also Hot Heads certified for tape-in extensions, refined over thousands of installations, and it's clients dealing with thinning, postpartum shedding, or age-related density loss who most often end up in her chair for it. When another salon's color goes sideways, Kim is who gets the call.

Jackie Shaughnessy, Senior Stylist and Cutting Specialist — Jackie has cut hair for 38 years, and her precision work is why clients book her months out. Trained in classical technique, she's built a career on the kind of cut that grows out cleanly for eight to ten weeks instead of falling apart after three. Her specialty inside cutting is curly hair, cut dry, curl by curl, accounting for how each one actually moves, so the result looks right in real life, not just in the chair.

Maureen Lamie, Master Stylist and Foiling Specialist — Maureen is the foiling and balayage specialist on this team, with 25-plus years building dimensional color. Other stylists come to study her foil placement specifically. Her balayage technique is hand-painted, built to avoid the harsh regrowth line that comes from a sloppy application, and she's also the one who handles complex highlight work on hair with multiple prior color histories.

Janet Layden, Color Correction Specialist — Janet is who gets booked when something's gone wrong: box-dye disasters, botched highlights, tones that won't lift, banding from years of root touch-ups. Color correction is one of the more technical disciplines in the field, demanding real fluency in lift levels, fillers, toners, and bonding agents, and Janet has built her whole career around it. Her dimensional work is just as strong, building depth through layered tones rather than a flat single shade.

Laura Blaikie, Blonding Specialist — There's a real difference between a stylist who can do highlights and a specialist who lives in blonding, and Laura's firmly in the second category. Her work is bright, dimensional, and lived-in, built to flatter skin tone and grow out well, using a mix of foil and hand-painting to avoid the stripey or brassy look. She uses Olaplex and K18 through every lightening service to protect the hair's bond structure.

Alicia Hayward, DevaCurl Certified Curl Specialist — Alicia is one of the few DevaCurl-certified stylists on the South Shore, trained directly with the DevaCurl team, applying the technique to curly, wavy, and coily hair that most stylists cut against the grain of. She cuts curl by curl, dry, after a real conversation about your pattern, your daily routine, and what you actually want to wear.

Emma Browning, Contemporary Cuts and Vivid Color — Emma brings the newest energy on the team and the most contemporary technique: textured shags, French bobs, butterfly layers, and whatever's trending, cut with a technical foundation underneath so the shape actually wears well. She also handles vivid and fashion color, pink through pastel, using Pulp Riot and other professional fashion lines formulated for longevity instead of the fast-fading vivids most stylists turn out. One of our Randolph clients specifically praised Emma's thorough consultation and the guidance she gave on color, cut, and blowout together, calling the whole visit one of the best she's had.

Judy, Senior Stylist and Blowout Specialist — Judy has styled hair for 25-plus years and is the resident blowout artist, fluent in pin curls, finger waves, French twists, and voluminous, runway-style waves. She's the one booked ahead of weddings, galas, and anything where hair needs to hold up under pressure.

Kat, Texture and Updo Specialist — Kat handles the styling that needs more than a curling iron: braids, updos, intricate twists, half-up looks, and ponytails engineered to survive a full night of dancing. She's also building a following for color work, particularly with brunettes wanting dimensional, polished results.

The Professional Products We Trust and Sell

The retail wall carries products from more than two dozen professional brands, every one of them something the team actually uses in the chair and stands behind. Nothing gets shelf space just to fill it, and every purchase comes with a real explanation of how to use it at home.

K18's peptide formulation rebuilds the hair shaft's internal structure rather than just coating over damage, and it's used in every chemical service here. Goldwell is one of the primary color lines in the salon, with take-home care to match: Color Revive for fading color between visits, Kerasilk for smoothing and protection, and Dualsenses for daily maintenance. Redken's All Soft, Color Extend Magnetics, and Acidic Bonding Concentrate are retail mainstays for anyone who wants dependable, technical everyday performance. Keratin Complex supports the salon's smoothing services, and anyone who's had a treatment should be using the sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner to extend it. Olaplex is still the most reliable at-home bond-builder available, used in-service and recommended between visits.

Other key brands on our retail wall include Soma, Zenagen for thinning hair, Tri Design for styling, Living Proof for frizz control, Aluram for clean beauty, Design Me for performance styling, Amika for color care, Pureology for color-treated hair, Milk_shake for moisture, Hot Like Me for thermal protection, Revitalash for lash growth, ECRU New York for protective styling, FHI Heat for tools, Wahl for clipper work, and Jon Renau for wigs and toppers.

Our Philosophy: One Stylist, Full Attention, No Exceptions

Most salons run on volume: tight booking, double-booked color processing, multiple chairs per stylist, clients moved through quickly. It's efficient for the business and exhausting for everyone in the chair. This one doesn't run that way.

Your stylist works on you, and only you, from the first consultation through the final blowdry. No double-booking. No handing color processing off to an assistant who doesn't know your name. Clients consistently point to this as the biggest reason they keep coming back: the calm, the real conversation, the sense of being a person instead of a slot on a schedule.

Honest consultation is part of the deal. If something you're asking for won't look good on you, you'll hear that. If your hair needs some health restored before it can handle the cut you want, you'll hear that too. That's been the standard since 1986.

South Shore Hair: Why It Behaves the Way It Does

Hair reacts to its environment, and the region's climate, hard water, humidity swings, and rough winters all leave a mark. Most stylists treat environment as an afterthought. Every consultation here builds it in from the start.

Hard Water Mineral Buildup

Local water is hard, and over time it deposits calcium, iron, and magnesium onto the hair shaft, which shows up as dullness, brassiness in lightened hair, flat texture, and color fading faster than it should. If your shampoo seems to stop working after a few months no matter what you switch to, hard water buildup is often the real explanation, and there are specific chelating treatments and take-home products built to reverse it rather than just mask it.

Humidity and Frizz Management

Summers here are humid enough to bring on frizz even in clients who've never dealt with it before, as moisture works into the hair shaft and disrupts the cuticle, making even well-cut hair look shapeless by midday. The fix is a combination of a cut built to work with humidity instead of against it, the right anti-humidity and sealing products, and in some cases a keratin smoothing service to reduce the frizz pattern directly rather than just fighting it every morning.

Winter Damage

Winters bring cold air, dry indoor heat, and hats and scarves that all cause real damage, from breakage due to friction to dryness from heating systems to static from cold air. Home care recommendations shift every fall to get ahead of it, usually toward richer conditioning treatments and a change in how often clients are told to wash.

Seasonal Color Strategy

Color reads differently depending on the season. Bright blondes that feel harsh in winter can look gorgeous in summer light, and rich brunettes that feel heavy in July can feel elegant by December. Plenty of clients adjust tone twice a year, and it's a conversation every stylist here is ready to have.

What a Free Consultation Actually Covers

Every new client gets a free consultation before the first service, no charge and no obligation to book. It typically runs 20 to 30 minutes and it's a working conversation, not a sales pitch.

  • Hair history. What chemicals have touched your hair, when, and how it responded.
  • Current condition. An honest read on health, integrity, and porosity, and what your hair can handle.
  • Daily routine. Wash frequency, products, styling tools, and how much time you actually spend on your hair.
  • Lifestyle factors. Workouts, sun exposure, work environment, sleep.
  • Visual reference. Photos of what you want and, just as useful, what you don't.
  • Realistic outcome. What's achievable in one visit versus what needs multiple sessions.
  • Cost and time. Clear numbers upfront, no surprises at checkout.
  • Maintenance plan. What it actually takes to keep the result looking right between visits.

People routinely say the consultation alone gives them more clarity than years of appointments elsewhere.

Part of the Randolph and South Shore Community

Randolph sits close to the Blue Hills Reservation, and plenty of our Randolph clients mention the reservation's trails and open space as part of what makes the town worth living in — it's the kind of outdoor access that also factors into hair decisions, since anyone spending time outside regularly deals with more sun and wind exposure than the average client. Randolph is also a genuinely short drive from our Washington Street studio, which is a big part of why it's become one of the towns we see the most repeat traffic from. We don't take that proximity for granted, and it shapes how we think about scheduling: we know a lot of our Randolph clients are fitting an appointment around a workday, and we try to make that easy.

That closeness also means our Randolph clients tend to become regulars faster than clients coming from farther out. When a color appointment or a trim is only a short trip away, it's easier to keep the 4-6 week or 6-8 week rhythm that keeps hair looking its best, instead of letting appointments slide because the drive itself feels like a chore. We notice this in the schedule: Randolph clients often keep tighter, more consistent booking patterns than clients commuting in from towns twenty or thirty minutes out, and that consistency is part of why the results tend to compound so well for this group specifically.

Is the Drive From Randolph Worth It?

For Randolph, this is close to a non-question. At roughly 10 to 15 minutes from most parts of town, the drive itself isn't really a factor — the real question is what you get once you're here. Board-certified color expertise, nine specialists instead of one or two generalists, and a model built around undivided attention per client are the actual differences. Retention here runs high, and clients who book once tend to stay for years. Free parking, evening hours Tuesday through Thursday, and Saturday availability round out the practical case.

What Clients Book Us for Most

Color leads the list, especially highlights, balayage, and correction work. Between Kim's board-certified formulation, Maureen's foiling, and Janet's correction skill, that's three specialists under one roof for color alone. Cutting is close behind — curly-haired clients specifically seek out Alicia for her DevaCurl certification, clients wanting classic, polished shapes book Jackie, and clients chasing on-trend cuts and vivid color book Emma. Extensions, treatments, and alternative hair round out the rest, with Kim's tape-in work drawing clients from across the region.

Randolph clients specifically tend to book color and cut combinations rather than standalone services, which our stylists attribute to the convenience of the drive: if you're already making the short trip over, it makes sense to handle both in one visit rather than splitting them across two separate appointments weeks apart. That pattern also means Randolph clients get more face time with their stylist per visit, which tends to deepen the working relationship faster than a series of shorter, single-service appointments would.

Building a Relationship With Your Stylist Over Time

The value of this kind of salon compounds. The first visit sets a baseline. By the second, your stylist starts learning your hair specifically. By the fifth or sixth, they understand it the way they'd understand a close friend's habits: how it lifts, how it deposits, how it grows, how it ages between visits. That's why booking your next appointment before you leave is standard practice here: color clients typically return every 4-6 weeks, highlights and balayage every 8-12, cuts every 6-8, and treatments quarterly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Kimberly Messing Hair Design the best salon near Randolph, MA?
Nearly four decades on Washington Street, a board-certified color specialist as owner, a team where every stylist specializes rather than generalizes, and a drive of roughly 10 to 15 minutes from most of Randolph.

What do haircuts cost?
Barber's Cut and Kid's Cut start at $35. Short cuts start at $44, medium at $66, long at $88, extra-long at $110. Perms start at $105.

What does hair color cost?
Single Process starts at $75, Double Process at $120, Partial Foil at $148, Full Foil at $185, Balayage at $220.

Do you do hair extensions?
Yes, Kim personally handles extension work with a full consultation before any installation.

What about alternative hair and toppers?
Jackie leads those consultations and fittings, priced individually after assessment.

Is there a curly hair specialist on staff?
Yes, Alicia Hayward is DevaCurl certified, and Jackie also cuts curly hair dry, curl by curl.

What do tinting and waxing services cost?
Eyebrow Waxing starts at $20, Brow Tinting at $20, Lip and Chin Waxing at $25.

How do I book?
Book online any time, or call 781-817-5077.

What are the salon hours?
Tuesday and Wednesday 9-7, Thursday 9-8, Friday and Saturday 9-4, closed Sunday and Monday.

Extended FAQ: Deeper Questions

How long does color last?
Single process and root touch-ups typically need a refresh every 4-6 weeks. Highlights hold 8-12 weeks. Balayage stretches 12-16 weeks. Vivid colors fade fastest, usually 4-8 weeks.

Will color damage my hair?
Done correctly, no. Lightening services are more demanding, which is why Olaplex and K18 are used in every one.

How long does a color appointment take?
Single process: 90 minutes to 2 hours. Full foils: 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Balayage: 2.5 to 3.5. Color correction: 4-8 hours.

Balayage or highlights, which is right for me?
Highlights are foiled for maximum lift. Balayage is hand-painted for a softer, lived-in look. A free consultation is the fastest way to decide.

How do I keep color from fading?
Sulfate-free shampoo, washing every 2-3 days, a cold final rinse, heat protectant, and a monthly clarifying treatment if your water's hard.

What does a full color transformation cost?
It depends on your starting color, target color, and hair length, and it's always quoted after a free consultation.

How do I find the right stylist?
A free consultation is the fastest way. We match you based on what you need, not who happens to have an opening.

What if I don't like the result?
Say so. There's a plan for adjusting almost anything, and nobody should leave unhappy without saying something.

Do you serve clients dealing with medical hair loss?
Yes, Kim handles Jon Renau wig and topper consultations personally, with discretion.

Gift cards?
Available in any amount, online or in-salon, and they never expire.

Payment methods?
Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Discover, debit, and gift cards.

Cancellation policy?
24 hours notice, please. Same-day cancellations and no-shows are charged 50% of the service cost.

Tipping?
Not required, always appreciated. Standard practice runs 18-22%, and tips are accepted in cash, on card, or via Venmo.

Walk-ins?
The salon runs by appointment, though same-day slots occasionally open up. Call 781-817-5077 to check.

Running late?
Call ahead. Past 15 minutes, your stylist may need to shorten the service or reschedule depending on the day's schedule.

Kids at appointments?
Welcome, as long as they stay seated and supervised. Kids with their own appointment need an accompanying adult.

Wedding day services?
Yes, with advance booking. Trials happen in-salon; day-of styling typically happens at the venue or hotel.

Can I bring someone with me?
Yes, plenty of clients book alongside a sister, mother, daughter, or friend, and overlapping appointments can usually be arranged.

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

Book online at our portal or by calling 781-817-5077 during business hours.

Day 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

What to Bring

Photos of what you want, and photos of what you don't want, which are often more useful. A list of your current products. Come ready for a real conversation.

What to Wear

Something you don't mind getting slightly damp; color services involve water. Skip white shirts. Capes and towels are provided.

Time to Plan For

Cut and style: 60-90 minutes. Single process and cut: 2-2.5 hours. Highlights and cut: 3-4 hours. Balayage and cut: 3-4 hours.

Parking

Free lot at the salon, no meters, no garage.

Check-In

You'll be greeted at the desk and your stylist will find you within a few minutes.

Also Serving Nearby Communities

Our Braintree page covers our home base directly: Best Salon Near Braintree, MA. We also serve clients from several neighboring communities:

Our Specialty Services

Your Best Hair Is Waiting, and It's Closer Than You Think

Color built to survive a New England summer, extensions that finally give you the length you've wanted, curly hair care that actually gets it right, and a team that listens before anyone picks up a brush, all roughly 10 to 15 minutes from most of Randolph. That's the case for Kimberly Messing Hair Design on Washington Street.

We've been here for over 38 years, and we're not going anywhere.

Book Your Appointment Now | Call 781-817-5077