I'm from Portland Oregon, & during May & June while staying in DC, I was referred to Merlin by a friend. I've gone to the same stylist in Portland for years, and she's excellent, but my hair NEVER looks really good until I've styled it myself later. And, I have had pretty much the same haircut for ages. When I scheduled my appointment with Merliln, I'd hoped she could follow the cut I had, but I was really nervous! Wow! What a wonderful & fun surprise! I loved everything about my experience with Merlin. She made me feel totally at ease; she asked great questions e.g. what problems I'd had in the past with my hair, what I liked about past haircuts, & other questions I'd never been asked before by a stylist. It was great! And! I absolutely loved my haircut. It was different than anything I'd had before - a little edgy, but not too much, which is exactly what I wanted. I walked out the door at Tenleytown, & I knew my hair looked great, & it's been a great haircut ever since then (June 30). I have loved it, & my only issue is that I'm now back in Portland, & it's time for a haircut & Merlin isn't here! I'm not kidding when I say I am definitely procrastinating on scheduling with my old stylist (whom I love as a person); I'm seriously hoping Merlin might be thinking about a trip to Oregon soon.