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

Walpole doesn't lack for salons, so when someone from town tells a friend about Kimberly Messing Hair Design, it's worth paying attention. We've held down 533 Washington Street in Braintree since 1986, and the reason clients keep making the trip over isn't proximity, it's the team: 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 herself.

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

An Owner Who Never Stopped Training

Kim Messing opened this salon in 1986 with one belief that has never budged since: a haircut or color service should start with an actual conversation, not a guess made in the first thirty seconds of an appointment. Board certification as a colorist is genuinely rare, fewer than 5% of working colorists ever complete the process, and Kim earned hers decades ago, then kept training anyway. She works regularly with Goldwell, Redken, Keratin Complex, and Olaplex to keep her formulation knowledge current, and she's Hot Heads certified for tape-in extensions, a certification she's put to use across thousands of applications.

What that adds up to, practically, is a salon where the standard doesn't depend on which stylist happens to be free that day. Every stylist here trained with Kim or under her direct supervision, and she still personally handles the most complex color corrections and extension consultations that come through the door. Clients who've been with her for decades describe the same thing in different words: she still shows up, still mentors, and still treats a new client's first visit with the same care she gave her very first client back in 1986.

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 Walpole Clients Make the Drive

Nobody drives past their own town's salons without a reason. Here's what we hear most often from Walpole clients about why Washington Street earned their business.

Real specialists, not one stylist trying to do everything. Alicia Hayward is DevaCurl certified. Laura Blaikie lives in blonding work specifically. Janet Layden built her career on color correction. When you book here, you're matched to whoever has actually specialized in what your hair needs, not whoever happens to have an opening that afternoon. Most neighborhood salons run on one strong stylist and a rotating bench of newer hires; this one runs on nine people who each picked a lane and went deep in it.

A genuinely unhurried consultation. Every new client gets a real, sit-down conversation before anything happens with scissors or color — hair history, current condition, daily routine, and what's realistic given where your hair actually is right now. It's free, and it's not a sales pitch.

An eco-conscious way of doing business. Kim has built genuine attention to environmental impact into daily operations here, not just into a line on the website. It shows up in how the salon buys, stores, and uses product, and for clients who care where their money goes, it's part of the calculation.

Services at Kimberly Messing Hair Design

Every service on this menu is handled by someone who specializes in it, and every appointment opens with a real 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 and low-maintenance.
  • Short Haircut — $44, precise shaping for cropped lengths.
  • Medium Haircut — $66, shape and movement without sacrificing versatility.
  • Long Haircut — $88, structure that holds as length grows.
  • Extra-Long Haircut — $110, built to preserve length while cleaning up ends.
  • Shampoo and Cut — $50, a refresh that leaves hair more manageable.
  • Shampoo, Cut, and Blowdry — $60, full finish, styled and ready.
  • Shampoo and Blowdry — $35, no cutting.
  • 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 from the start.

  • Single Process Color — $75, rich, even color with depth.
  • Double Process Color — $120, lift and tone for a bigger transformation.
  • 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.
  • 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 Shaughnessy leads private, unhurried consultations and expert fittings for clients navigating thinning or volume loss, with full discretion throughout. Learn more.

Hair Extensions (priced upon consultation) — Kim personally handles extension work, matching and applying for length and volume that reads as natural rather than obviously added. Learn more.

Tinting and Waxing — see full details

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

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 Walpole

We're upfront about geography: this salon is in Braintree, not Walpole. For our Walpole clients, that means a genuine drive rather than a quick hop, and we're not going to pretend otherwise or invent a drive time that doesn't hold up. What we can tell you honestly is that clients who've made the trip say it stopped feeling like a big deal after the first visit, because the appointment itself is different from what a lot of closer options offer. Consultations aren't rushed. You're not double-booked into someone else's color processing window. Your stylist stays with you start to finish.

This has been the operating model since 1986, not something adopted recently to chase a trend. The salon has grown from Kim working alone to a team of nine specialists, but the pace of an individual appointment hasn't changed, and that consistency is part of what makes clients from farther towns like Walpole decide the trip is worth repeating.

We've found that clients coming from a real distance tend to plan differently than clients who live around the corner, and that's fine with us. A lot of Walpole clients batch their visit with an errand or a day off, treating the appointment as a planned block of time rather than something squeezed in on a lunch break. If that's how your schedule works best, tell us when you book. We can plan a longer, more thorough appointment around a day you've already set aside, rather than trying to compress a full color and cut into a rushed hour.

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)

★★★★★ Lori Murphy — "I'm so very happy with the cut & color. Kim recommended Alicia to me. She was very careful to discuss & understand all of my hair needs before the process and during as I hadn't had my hair cut in a long time and was nervous. I felt so right at home ( only way better!) I..." (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

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 covering the rest of the floor. This one is built differently: every chair belongs to a specialist with real depth in one specific discipline.

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. Her board certification puts her among a small group of Massachusetts colorists who've completed that level of formal testing across formulation, theory, correction, and continuing education. She mixes color from scratch rather than pulling a preset formula, weighing underlying tone, porosity, water quality, and lifestyle. Her Hot Heads extension certification draws clients dealing with thinning or density loss specifically to her chair, and when another salon's color goes sideways, Kim is often who gets the call.

Jackie Shaughnessy, Senior Stylist and Cutting Specialist — Thirty-eight years in, Jackie's cuts are built to grow out cleanly for eight to ten weeks instead of falling apart after three. Her specialty is curly hair cut dry, curl by curl, which corrects for the years many curly clients spend getting cut wet and ending up with a shape that collapses the moment their pattern reasserts itself.

Maureen Lamie, Master Stylist and Foiling Specialist — With 25-plus years focused on foiling and balayage, Maureen maps face shape and growth pattern before a single foil goes in. Her hand-painted balayage technique is built to avoid a harsh regrowth line, and she also handles complex highlight work on hair with multiple prior color histories.

Janet Layden, Color Correction Specialist — Janet is who gets booked when a color has gone sideways somewhere else: box-dye disasters, uneven highlights, banding from years of root touch-ups. Color correction demands real technical fluency in lift levels, fillers, toners, and bonding agents, and it's the discipline she's built her career around.

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 is firmly in the second category. Her work is bright, dimensional, and lived-in, using a mix of foil and hand-painting with Olaplex and K18 running through every lightening service.

Alicia Hayward, DevaCurl Certified Curl Specialist — Alicia is one of the few DevaCurl-certified stylists on our team, trained directly with the DevaCurl organization, applying that technique to curly, wavy, and coily hair that most stylists cut against the grain of. Two of our Walpole clients specifically called her out by name: one credited Alicia with a careful, unhurried consultation before a cut she'd been putting off for a long time, and another has been seeing her for a while now and calls her simply "the best." If your curly or texture-prone hair history is a string of disappointing salon visits, Alicia tends to be the fix.

Emma Browning, Contemporary Cuts and Vivid Color — Emma brings the newest technical energy on the team, from textured shags and French bobs to butterfly layers, and she handles vivid and fashion color using Pulp Riot, formulated for longer-lasting results than typical fast-fading vivids.

Judy, Senior Stylist and Blowout Specialist — Twenty-five-plus years of styling experience, fluent in pin curls, finger waves, and voluminous event waves. Judy is booked ahead of weddings and galas because her work holds up under pressure.

Kat, Texture and Updo Specialist — Kat handles braids, updos, and intricate twists engineered to survive a full night of dancing, and she's steadily building her own following in dimensional brunette color.

The Products We Trust and Sell

Our retail wall carries products from more than two dozen professional brands, each one something the team actually uses in the chair and stands behind.

K18 rebuilds the hair shaft's internal structure at a peptide level and runs through nearly every chemical service we perform. Goldwell anchors much of our color work, backed at home by Color Revive, Kerasilk, and Dualsenses. Redken's All Soft, Color Extend Magnetics, and Acidic Bonding Concentrate lines are staples for damaged or color-treated hair. Keratin Complex supports our smoothing services with sulfate-free take-home care. Olaplex remains the most dependable at-home bond builder, used in-service and recommended between visits.

Beyond those five, we carry Soma, Zenagen for thinning hair, Tri Design, Living Proof, Aluram, Design Me, Amika, Pureology, Milk_shake, Hot Like Me, Revitalash, ECRU New York, FHI Heat, Wahl, and Jon Renau for wigs and toppers. Every product comes with real guidance from your stylist, not a shelf tag.

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 your hair, you'll hear that before we start, not after. The finished result has to be something both you and your stylist are proud of, and that's been the standard since 1986.

The Hair Science Behind What We Do

Hair reacts to its environment, and New England'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 across much of the region, and over time it deposits calcium, iron, and magnesium onto the hair shaft, showing 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, not a bad product choice. There are specific chelating treatments and take-home products built to reverse it rather than just mask it temporarily.

Humidity and Frizz Management

Summers bring humidity that swells the hair cuticle, and even clients who've never dealt with frizz before notice it during peak months, as moisture works its way into strands that were smooth an hour earlier. The fix is a combination of a cut built to work with humidity instead of against it, sealing products chosen for your specific hair type, and in some cases a keratin smoothing service to reduce the frizz pattern at the source.

Winter Damage

Winters bring cold air, dry indoor heat, and hats and scarves that all cause real damage — breakage from friction, dryness from heating systems, static from cold air. Home care recommendations shift every fall to get ahead of it.

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.
  • Daily routine. Wash frequency, products, and styling habits.
  • Lifestyle factors. Exercise, sun exposure, work environment, sleep.
  • Visual reference. Photos of what you want and what you don't.
  • Realistic outcome. What's achievable in one visit versus multiple.
  • Cost and time. Clear numbers upfront, no surprises at checkout.
  • Maintenance plan. What upkeep actually looks like between visits.

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

Serving Walpole and the Surrounding Area

Walpole is a quiet, residential town, the kind of place people choose specifically for its pace and its schools, and it sits in that stretch of Massachusetts that's neither fully MetroWest nor fully South Shore but shares character with both. We're not going to reach for landmarks or neighborhood names we haven't earned the right to claim, because that's exactly the kind of copy-paste local SEO trick that gives this whole industry a bad name. What we do know is why Walpole clients end up on our client list: they wanted a genuine specialist for a specific hair concern, whether that's color correction, curly cutting, or extensions, and they were willing to drive to get one rather than settle for a generalist closer to home.

That word-of-mouth pattern is really how most of our Walpole clientele has built up over the years. Someone gets a result they're genuinely happy with, mentions it to a friend or a coworker, and that friend eventually books their own consultation. We don't run heavy advertising into Walpole specifically; the client base there has grown the honest way, one satisfied appointment leading to the next referral, which is a slower way to build a business but a much more durable one.

Is the Drive From Walpole Worth It?

It's a fair question, since Walpole isn't next door. The honest answer is yes, for specific reasons rather than vague ones. Board-certified color expertise, nine specialists instead of one or two generalists, and a model built around undivided attention per client are genuinely hard to find within a short radius of anywhere. Retention here runs high, and clients who book once tend to stay for years. The logistics help too: free parking, evening hours Tuesday through Thursday, and Saturday availability for anyone working a standard week.

What Clients Book Us for Most

Color leads the list, especially blonding with Laura, correction work with Janet, and foiling and balayage with Maureen. Cutting is close behind — curly-haired clients specifically seek out Alicia for her DevaCurl certification and dry-cutting method, and it's worth noting that two of our Walpole reviews specifically call out Alicia by name for exactly this kind of work. Clients wanting classic, polished shapes book Jackie, and clients chasing on-trend cuts book Emma. Extensions, treatments, and alternative hair round out the rest, with Kim's tape-in work drawing clients from across the wider region.

Walpole clients in particular tend to book longer, combined appointments rather than quick single services, which lines up with the fact that they're already committing to a real drive. A color and cut together, or a full foil paired with a treatment, is a more efficient use of a trip than coming back twice in the same month, and our booking system is built to accommodate that kind of longer, combined visit without rushing any part of it.

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. One of our longtime clients put this well when she mentioned seeing Alicia "for a while now" and being ready to "see you all again in 8 weeks" — that's exactly the rhythm this kind of relationship settles into. 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 worth the drive from Walpole?
Nearly four decades on Washington Street, a board-certified color specialist as owner, and a team where every stylist specializes rather than generalizes.

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, handled with full discretion.

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. Booking ahead is smart for color, extensions, and curly hair work.

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

Do you work with every hair type?
Yes: fine, thick, curly, color-treated, all of it.

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 hours. Color correction: 4-8 hours, sometimes split across visits.

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

How do I keep color from fading?
Sulfate-free shampoo, washing every 2-3 days instead of daily, 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.

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.

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%, 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.

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

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, ideally with clear lighting and angles, 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 and occasional splashes. 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. Color correction: variable, sometimes split across sessions.

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. Consultations start right away.

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

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. That's the case for Kimberly Messing Hair Design on Washington Street, and it's why clients from Walpole keep making the drive.

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

Book Your Appointment Now | Call 781-817-5077