iXia is beautifully situated in Albany in a cluster of restaurants near the fine arts cinema, "The Albany Twin". iXia's vintage building, newly restored, has high ceilings, polished floors, and a lovely period stairway used as an accent.Greeting us with a smile is Sonia, a sweet young woman with a pleasing and caring attitude, and who is is one of the finest hair-cutters in the East Bay. The camaraderie of the staff is evident, welcoming and relaxing all who enter. After five years as her customer at a prior venue, I can say that Sonia now has the lovely setting her skill deserves. Bravo! From Susan in Berkeley

Ixia is a beautifully appointed salon, and the owner Herve seems to know what he's doing. I got an appointment for a styling and ended up cutting my hair as well. What a pleasant experience, and what a haircut!

A fabulous hair salon on Solano Ave. has added Herve to their team of stylists. He is talented, caring, serious about pleasing his clients and his cuts are terrific! I won't go anywhere else! A fresh, clean and lovely salon. Mary

I'm from NYC and have extremely difficult hair made up of different types: some quite frizzy and others fine / limp, various kinds of ethnic, just a wild uneven mane. I've been getting okay cuts here in the East Bay, some better than others, but rarely looked great. Going to Herve was like returning to the best of the best: the very expensive, super-focused, artistic specialists who I occasionally got to experience back in NYC back when I could scrape the money together. Herve's prices are superlow, though, and he's HERE in modest quiet Albany... I went to Herve recently on a whim, had a cut and color, and walked out with my hair looking amazing, looking fabulous, looking better than it's looked maybe ever, in my entire life. He's a very nice guy, interesting, and he was kind to me during a moment when I was there when I wasn't feeling well. Moreover, he's an artist.... he deserves huge respect, and I hope the word spreads on his Keratin straightening and other services. He offers so many cool, new, and unusual services that alone distinguishes him. All for prices which are super-low even for our area. Getting your hair done by him is like winning the lottery, if you care about hair.

I've looked for an excellent hair salon for years, and I'm so glad I finally found it! Sonia is amazing, and I'm grateful that it's not too expensive here like it so often elsewhere.