Where can I get my hair cut cheaply, yet stylishly, in NYC?
May 1, 2010 4:43 PM   Subscribe

I am in NYC and would like to get my hair cut. I do not want to pay the GDP of a small country for it. Where can I, a woman with long hair, find a good stylist who listens, knows how to adapt a style to fit a face, and above all, isn't expensive?

I want some layering and a few inches off the ends. I'm looking to pay around say, $40-50 (with tip) or less. My last cut was $25 with tip, for comparison.

I'm very particular about my hair, so I don't want to trust it to just anyone. Last time, I went to a salon where I think the language barrier was too steep and the guy didn't seem to understand what I wanted, even with the pictures I brought.

Dramatics NYC, which I found via an old question here, has terrible reviews across the board. Other places seem iffy, and you'll pay more for an appointment vs a walk-in, or extra fees for long hair (it's not like I'm asking them to give me a pixie cut!). I considered Astor Place, but it seems they speed through it and it makes me think twice.

Neighborhood places in Brooklyn have no reviews or several that could be their best friends for all the praise there is. I have signed up with a few hair model programs, but they haven't responded, and when they have, seem to only want to do bobs. I can always go back to the Aveda Institute, where I had a nice if basic cut I was happy with in '07, but it's a long wait.

Manhattan/Brooklyn/or central Queens, please. Feel free to suggest higher cost places if they are absolutely worth it. $40-50 is just my particular ideal. It just seems like highway robbery to pay more than $30 for a simple haircut.
posted by cmgonzalez to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
 
I see you've tried some hair model programs.
Have you tried the Bumble and Bumble free haircut program?
posted by jardinier at 5:39 PM on May 1, 2010


great cuts, located every 5 miles or so, across the land
posted by Fupped Duck at 5:42 PM on May 1, 2010


Response by poster: Yes. I registered about two years ago, and they recently emailed me for the first time ever --with a call for bobs.
posted by cmgonzalez at 5:43 PM on May 1, 2010


For a truly wonderful hair cutting experience, this place in the east village:

Love More and Do


I go twice a year, have long hair and it is SO worth it- my hair looks fantastic for months. I go to Sue, but both stylists are awesome. They take their time, (schedule about an hour for a basic cut), but it is so incredibly relaxing to be there.

Also, the store front is really easy to walk by and miss. but it's there!

It's about 50 bucks. More for color.
posted by larthegreat at 6:18 PM on May 1, 2010 [4 favorites]


Salon Van Sickel in Brooklyn Heights is well liked and reasonably priced. I paid $50 for a cut when I was last there about six months ago. My hair is shoulder-length, though, so it could potentially run you more than that.
posted by keever at 6:25 PM on May 1, 2010


So, there's a place in Greenpoint called Hair. The reviews of people who've actually gotten cuts there are great, and I want to say that women's cuts are maybe $50? But good luck trying to get an appointment--mine is one of the poor reviews stating that I was never able to get in contact to schedule an appointment, but it might be worth a try.
posted by greta simone at 7:08 PM on May 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


I got a great cut at Saloon in Astoria last year. It's a Redken salon near the 30th Ave stop on the N train. My stylist was Alyssa. I can't personally recommend anyone else there - and actually someone else cut my hair there once and it was horrific - but if Alyssa still works there I fully recommend her. My hair is a moody thing and I've gotten a ton of bad cuts in my lifetime, but I was very happy with her, though she will freely point out anything she sees wrong with your hair color (if you self-dye, as I do, and I tend to miss places) or your scalp. What I liked was that she listened to what I wanted and then did it, and she didn't try to hawk any extra products or services on me. Price was in the 30s because I opted for no blow-dry. If I'd gotten the blow-dry I think it was $15-20 more. I suspect they spam Yelp and Citysearch, as a lot of hair places seem to unfortunately.
posted by wondermouse at 7:09 PM on May 1, 2010


I recently found a stylist at Jean Louis David's salon who was really good with my short hair. I went in with a mess and she styled it in a manner that earned compliments from my coworkers. Total cost, including pre-cut shampooing, post-cut style and blow-dry and tip: $35. Her name is Myra; she's at the 30 Vesey @ Church Street location (across the street from WTC, just down the block from the PATH Station; the A,C,E train stops near there as does the 4,5,6 at Fulton Street).
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 7:52 PM on May 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


Mousey Brown in Brooklyn, on Lorimer Street right by McCarren Park, is great and very reasonably priced.
posted by millipede at 10:02 PM on May 1, 2010


My general advice for "Finding exceptionally cheap _______ in NYC" is to hop on the PATH, and see what Hoboken, Jersey City, and Newark have to offer.

Although I'm afraid I can't help on the specifics, I always found it amusing that New Yorkers are willing to travel deep into Brooklyn and Queens, but rarely even consider the thought of traveling in the other direction into Jersey.
posted by schmod at 10:58 PM on May 1, 2010


My boyfriend's been getting his hair done at Mousey Brown and I've been meaning to try it myself. You should also check out Lifebooker - I've made a few appointments for haircuts and waxing and such through it for far less than I've paid normally. You might find a good deal on a salon there?
posted by jacquilinala at 9:09 AM on May 2, 2010


Seconding Lifebooker. I went to J Christopher in Chelsea with a Lifebooker coupon and got my hair cut by Mr. Christopher himself for about $45. I too have long hair in need of layers, and he did the best job ever.
posted by Viola at 10:23 AM on May 2, 2010


Response by poster: Well NJ might be full of great things, but those locations are all pragmatic, since I live in one, work in another, and my boyfriend is in the third.

I've never heard of Lifebooker before, but it looks pretty useful (not just for hair). I've been visiting the websites of a few of the salons mentioned (A couple seem to have a good price range and be pretty well regarded), but haven't come to a decision yet. I do, however, have more direction and a better feeling than just having to pick at random. Not marking anything just yet, but I'll let you guys know the outcome.

Thanks. :)
posted by cmgonzalez at 7:53 PM on May 3, 2010


Response by poster: I went through the listings and reviews on Lifebooker and wound up getting my hair cut this afternoon at Midoma on 8th Avenue. I'm really happy with the result.
posted by cmgonzalez at 5:09 PM on May 14, 2010


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