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Salon Bilancio
Salon Bilancio

Salon Bilancio

Hair salon in San Rafael, CA

Rated 4.5 out of 5 (15 on Google Maps) (opens in a new tab)

Nina Pelfini founded Salon Bilancio in San Rafael in 2008, and the salon has taught guests and stylists as work is done since it opened. The name means balance. The salon sits in downtown San Rafael and serves clients from Marin County and the wider Bay Area. The salon describes itself as a luxury extension salon and as Marin County's premier extension salon.

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About

Nina Pelfini founded Salon Bilancio in San Rafael in 2008, and the salon has taught guests and stylists as work is done since it opened. The name means balance. The salon sits in downtown San Rafael and serves clients from Marin County and the wider Bay Area. The salon describes itself as a luxury extension salon and as Marin County's premier extension salon.

Visits are by appointment, Tuesday through Saturday. Color, cuts and blowouts are booked by calling or texting 415-460-6300. Extensions begin with an online application, followed by an in-person consultation where a stylist writes a quote covering extensions, color, cut and styling. There is no published price list because each quote depends on how much extension hair is needed, the length, and any custom color.

Extensions here are placed with the NBR method, which uses 100% human Remy hair. Full rows are threaded onto beads on a string and stitched into a track, with no glue or tape, so the beads stay out of sight whether the hair is worn straight, curled or pulled back. Taking them out takes around five minutes. Color, cut and installation all happen in a single visit of roughly three to four hours, which finishes with a photo shoot. Re-tightening is recommended every six to eight weeks, and with good care, according to the salon, the hair is meant to last four to six months. NBR needs hair that reaches at least the shoulders. For fine or thinning hair, the salon places full rows with fewer contact points, again without glue or tape. The shade is matched during the consultation using REMY hair, and the color match is finished at installation.

Color services include dimensional blonding, which takes about three to four hours, a lived-in brunette color at about two to three hours, gray blending at about 90 minutes, and gloss and tone at about an hour. Corrective color is priced after a consultation. Color is done with Aveda plant-based products. Reshaping and cutting takes about an hour, and a blowout and style takes about 45 minutes.

Teaching is central to a visit. Color education is included, so guests are shown what was done and what to use at home. Cuts are explained as they happen, including how to style at home. Client forms include a home maintenance plan for extensions. Clients are asked to bring up to three inspiration photos and their color history, and they sign salon policies before their appointment. The salon also hires assistant stylists on an apprenticeship track, open to those who are licensed or in beauty school, and offers a shadow day on the floor before a prospective assistant commits.

Works toward a balanced look by considering face shape, skin coloring and personality.

Services

Final prices may vary.

Dimensional blonding, lived-in brunette, gray blending, gloss and tone, corrective color, custom color, color education and extension color matching.

  • Color education Price at booking
  • Corrective Color Price at booking
  • Custom color Price at booking
  • Dimensional Blonding Price at booking
  • Extension Color Match Price at booking
  • Gloss and Tone Price at booking
  • Gray Blending Price at booking
  • Lived-in Brunette Price at booking

Reshaping and cutting, with each cut explained so guests can style at home.

  • Reshaping and Cutting Price at booking

NBR hand-tied hair extensions, installed with bead and string attachment and sewn into tracks.

  • NBR Hair Extensions Price at booking

Aveda hair color, extensions for thin hair, and haircuts and reshaping.

  • Aveda Hair Color Price at booking
  • Extensions for Thin Hair Price at booking
  • Haircuts and Reshaping Price at booking

Blowouts and styling appointments.

  • Blowout and Style Price at booking

Photos

  • Wavy red hair result against a grey backdrop
  • Stylist brushing a guest's blonde hair in a salon chair
  • Wavy red hair result against a grey backdrop
  • Stylist foiling a guest's hair at the color station
  • Seven women walking together under an arcade
  • Four staff seated in salon chairs against a white wall
  • Nina applying color with a red tint brush
  • Nina spraying hairspray on a guest's bangs
  • Five smiling women with long wavy hair in the salon
  • Team of stylists with long blonde hair holding an American flag on a lawn
  • Balayage blonde extensions styled in loose waves on a client
  • Long blonde waves after an extension install

Meet the team

Team members listed on their website. Individual roles, credentials, and current employment have not been independently verified.salonbilancio.com (opens in a new tab)

Highlights
  • NBR hand-tied extensions with no glue or tape
  • Full-row extensions with minimal contact points for fine or thinning hair
  • Teaching visits where color and cuts are explained so guests can maintain them at home
  • Aveda plant-based color
  • Custom written quote at the in-person consultation
  • Photo shoot included at the end of NBR appointments
Good for
  • Fine or thinning hair
  • Shoulder-length or longer hair for extensions
  • One-appointment extension installs
  • Clients who want to learn home color and styling care
  • Marin County and Bay Area clients
Treats
  • Thinning hair
  • Hair length and volume
  • Gray coverage
  • Color correction
  • Brunette color upkeep
  • Styling at home
Techniques
  • Bead and string attachment
  • Sewn-in tracks
  • Hand-tied NBR rows
  • REMY hair color matching
  • Dimensional blonding
  • Gloss and tone
  • Gray blending
  • Lived-in brunette color
  • Blowout and styling

Products & treatments

  • Aveda
  • Iles Formula
  • Oribe
  • R and Co
  • Kitsch
  • REMY hand-tied hair by NBR

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