At 7:30 p.m. the lights are dimmed and the remaining bushels of different-colored hair are swept up from underneath the station chairs of the bustling hair salon.

Vibrant paintings depicting humans as monkeys fill the white wall space with radiant colors, while cheese, crackers and cooled beer replace the scissors and hair products. The DJ takes his place behind the turntables at the front of the salon, adding his beats to the busy soundscape.

Once a month, the Public Barber Salon on Geary Street is transformed from a hair salon to a hip gallery, featuring rotating pieces from local artists. With its "same day, next day appointments only" policy, Public Barber Salon is one of the few places where clients can walk in unannounced, get a haircut while sipping a cold brew and discussing art with their hairstylists.

Best of all, customers won't leave the hair session having spent hundreds of dollars for a haircut.

"We try to capture a niche that the city doesn't have," said Steve Jester, a hairstylist and the charming proprietor of the Salon. "We offer a good price and a chill atmosphere."

With cuts ranging from $15 - $50, the Public Barber Salon not only has the residents talking -- it's also garnered raving reviews on Yelp.

"Hair is your big success story," said Jester, a philosophy he truly believes in. Jester has personally contacted clients who were dissatisfied with their haircuts and vented on the popular rating site, urging them to come back to "make it right."

"We usually get great reviews, but recently we had a client who wasn't happy," said Jester. "I will be contacting that person to see what happened."

On Nov. 5, the salon featured the intriguing paintings of Helen Bayly, a local artist. Using humor to touch on grave reality, Bayly's artwork depicted issues of modern industrialization while playing with animalistic themes and relationships.

"Art is like a conversation, it's a communication of sorts," said Bayly, who befriended Jester after creating the signs for the salon when it first opened 18 months ago. "I want people to come to it and have that lighter side of it, but also to get the real message."

The small salon filled quickly as the art show began, and clients as well as passers-by were impressed by its transformation from a hair studio into an after-hours gallery opening.

"It's my first time here and it's awesome," said Nolan Yelonck, 27, a fellow artist. "It's very modern and a great combination to have a hair salon that features art."

"Steve has this huge, empty wall and it's perfect for a gallery space," said Audriel Lively, 26, the manager at Public Barber Salon. "He's contributing to the art scene in the neighborhood."

Despite the Tenderloin's dubious reputation, Jester has no problems when it comes to generating business and praises the potential he sees in his neighborhood.

"I try to do as much for 'the loin' as possible. I live within a block from here," Jester said. "I believe in this neighborhood. You have all flavors, classes and races here, and so many people live within two square miles. The Tenderloin is perfect for what we are doing here."

Located in the heart of one of the city's most notorious neighborhoods, the unassuming storefront is a scene of relentless snipping, chopping and blow drying six days a week and has become a trendy fixture in the area.

"It's a really great neighborhood to be in," Lively said. "We attract what we put out. I love going to work every morning."

"Paying $100 plus for a haircut is ridiculous," said Elizabeth Romero, 28, one of the Salon's many loyal clients. "I've been here pretty much since the beginning. The people who work here are always really friendly -- it's almost like you're just hanging out. They're not pretentious at all."

While acknowledging that many clients come in wearing a cap of skepticism, Jester assures them that the price does not always signify the quality.

"The price is below the work itself. That's why it's called what it's called," said Jester, who carefully handpicked his team of 10 employees based on their knowledge about hair, as well as their people skills. "The clients that come here are hip, mostly blue-collar -- the people in front of my chair are the same as the people that work behind it."

"I've worked in bougie salons and it's not my style," Lively said. "Here, we hang out with our clients -- it's like a haircut party every day."