Hair Salon Near Me on Highland Park's Figueroa Street: Freija Collective

Freija Collective runs seven days a week, 10 am to 6 pm, and seats clients by appointment only. For anyone typing hair salon near me in Northeast LA, Freija Collective at 5538 N Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90042 sits on Highland Park's main commercial strip, a short walk from the Metro A Line. Every long or short haircut includes a consultation, a wash and a blow-dry style. Guests are offered loose-leaf tea or natural wine on arrival.

Owner Katharine Boss, listed on the team page as Owner + Cutting Specialist and called Kat in client reviews, built her early career around Fashion Week before moving back to Los Angeles, her hometown, and settling in Highland Park. Rue Magazine's home tour of the salon quotes her on why she opened it: salons in LA lacked the calm environment that most of us long for when receiving beauty services.

That brief shaped the business. Freija Collective is not only a hair salon. Its menu pairs cutting and color with two estheticians, Dani Burlile and Brigette Moreau, who each run their own facial menu. The salon's press page cites Modern Luxury's Best of the City Los Angeles 2025 list, which named it Best Hair Salon in East Los Angeles, and a Hairdressr roundup of the best hair salons in Highland Park.

The interior was designed by Brooke Spreckman of Design Hutch, with woodwork by Logan Douangsitthi. Check-in happens at a reception desk clad in neutral Zellige tile, under a watercolor by the painter Kim McCarty. An arched wall displays the retail shelf, and the cutting floor has leather chairs set against walls finished in Portola Paints Roman Clay plaster. Boss told Rue the textures and colors were chosen to literally bring your blood pressure down.

Color clients sit in a separate room with floor-to-ceiling windows, the brightest spot for judging a blonde. The shampoo area mixes Zellige with glass blocks, and the bathroom has a large-scale photograph of Cher. Tea comes from Leaves and Flowers, served in a ceramic pot with brown rock sugar sticks and a glass sand timer that tells you when to pour, and reviewers named Karo and Meredith both praised the tea.

The menu prices by length and texture rather than by name. A Long Haircut, for hair below the ear, is listed at $150-$300. A Short Haircut starts at $135, and a Curly Haircut starts at $160 and adds shampoo and conditioning, product education and natural curl styling. For textures 3A to 4C, the Silk Press is a flat $150, and so is the Twist Out or Bantu Knot service.

Color is the bigger spend. A Full Balayage, hand-painted from front to back with a blow-dry included, runs $400-$430, while a Partial Balayage starts at $310. A Full Highlight starts at $400 and includes a toner or gloss. Clients going platinum book Bleach & Tone from $350, and the menu tells anyone whose roots are past half an inch to book the full service, not the 1/2-inch regrowth touch-up that starts at $280.

The team page lists 17 people, mostly cutting specialists plus colorists Erika Cronly, Jasmine Prado, Tan Wells and Mimi Kanaya. Nicole Bergen and Donell Icho are both listed for cutting and organic color. Skye Mendelson is the one junior cutting specialist on the board, which matters if you want a newer stylist and a lower point on the price range.

Reviews show who people return for. In August 2025, reviewer Grace wrote that she had been seeing Robby Kiwan for four years, and another reviewer, Jessica, said he cuts her bob without needing several reference photos. Kim went to Markie Hester for a blunt bob, Brittany credits Nicole with layers that keep thick wavy hair curling, and a curly client named Sam said Bianca Garcia listened to every frustration before cutting.

Appointments are booked through the Vagaro widget on the salon's booking page, and every client must leave a card on file to hold a slot. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a haircut, or 48 hours ahead for color, chemical services and facials, or 50 percent of the service goes on the card.

Lateness is treated strictly: arrive more than 15 minutes late and the appointment counts as a no-show, which is billed at 100 percent. The policy page describes Freija as guest with appointment only, and asks clients to leave friends and pups at home. A reviewer named Natalie praised Kat's skill and noted the complimentary beverage offered once you sit down at the station, so the tea or wine arrives in your chair.

Skip adding a Blow Dry/Style to a haircut booking. The Long and Short Haircut descriptions already include a wash and a blow-dry style, so the separate service, which starts at $75, only makes sense on its own before an event. Also go in with photos: a March 2026 reviewer said a $200 cut felt rushed and missed what she asked for, so spell out length in inches at the consultation.

If Freija is booked out and you only need a short cut, Blind Barber at 5715 N Figueroa St, a couple of blocks north, is the practical fallback. Its barbershop runs 11 am to 8 pm Monday to Saturday and is closed Sunday, with appointments booked online, and its menu lists only haircuts and beard trims. The backroom lounge behind it opens at 6 pm, Tuesday to Sunday.

Walk north on Figueroa and the first landmark is Highland Park Bowl, which dates itself to 1927. Upstairs once held doctors' offices, and in 1966 Joseph Teresa renamed it Mr. T's Bowl and buried the original interior under dropped ceilings until the 1933 Group stripped it back. Today it is a bar and kitchen as much as a bowling alley. Reservations come as a two-hour lane package, and the other lanes are walk-in only.

From the bowl, Avenue 57 leads a block to Highland Park station at Marmion Way, the A Line stop for trains toward Pasadena or Union Station. In July 2025, a reviewer named Mae wrote that the salon sits in the vibrant Highland Park neighborhood with ample parking in the area, which helps if you drive instead of riding the train.

Address: 5538 N Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90042, in Highland Park. Email: hello@freijacollective.com. Instagram @freijacollective. Hours: Monday through Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm. Transit: Metro A Line to Highland Park station at Avenue 57 and Marmion Way, a block off Figueroa. Book through Vagaro on the salon's booking page with a card on file, or reach the salon by phone, email or Instagram.

Cancellation: 24 hours for cuts, 48 hours for color, chemical treatments and facials, or a 50 percent charge. No-shows and arrivals over 15 minutes late pay in full. Facials with Dani start with the 60-minute Signature Lymphatic Sculpt at $180. Ask Karpo in the Karpo APP for a lane time at Highland Park Bowl or a coffee stop on Figueroa after your appointment.