If My Hair Could Smile

Usually I'm skeptical of places that have too many excessively good online reviews because it brings my expectations too high. However, I don't get my hair cut that often, and the last two times I've gotten it cut were good not great. Thus, I decided to give in this once, splurge a little, and trust the reviews here.

The place was a bit tough to find cause I'm not used to heading to the Central Park area, but once in the salon I immediately felt welcome. The owner, Tom, greeted me and sat down with me to discuss my hair, what I wanted to do with it, what troubles I was having with it, etc. His English is amazing, but most importantly, he's been trained overseas so he understands different people's preferences. I found this to actually be the most helpful aspect. I speak enough Chinese that I can talk to a hairdresser in Chinese about what kind of cut I want, but I've found that sometimes it's more of a cultural barrier than a language one. Tom completely understood what I needed, and even though I wasn't getting my hair cut by him, he explained specifically what I wanted to the hairdresser who was doing the cutting. He came around often to see how things were going too.

The additional little touches like complimentary drinks (tea, coffee, fruit juice), a hair wash/head massage that almost put me to sleep it was so relaxing, tons of English magazines, and music that wasn't annoying or bizarre, made the experience that much more enjoyable.

Tom gave me pointers on how to best treat and protect my hair in the future, but he didn't try and sell me products or more expensive cuts. He was honest, patient, and friendly. Although the cuts are pricey, to me it was well worth it. I walked away completely happy with the entire experience.