Now after my fourth visit I can say that after getting a great haircut, with a hot lathered traight-edge razor trim to finish up, you appreciate what a find this place is. Not a spa, not a men's club, and nobody is going to shine your shoes or offer you a mochaccino...(I don't think!) But a great price, very friendly staff, and Jeff has real skill. read more

I always get an excellent haircut from Mr Shu. I have dry white hair and he makes it look wonderful. read more

Universal Hair Salon - rear view - Hair Salons Near Me - New York, New York

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This place is pretty much what you'd expect for the price range. The good: The prices are fairly low for Manhattan (25% discount for first-time customers, I got a 50% off deal through Bloomspot ). I was satisfied with my hair cut. The service was very swift- I waited for about 5 minutes, the shampoo lasted for less than 5 minutes, and the haircut and blowdry took less than 30 minutes. This also appears to be a mom and pop shop and the older couple who appeared to be owners were quite welcoming. The not so good: My stylist (one of the younger ladies) seemed a bit impatient and didn't really seem to listen. She gave me a fairly rushed shampoo and quickly asked what sort of cut I wanted. I told her what I wanted, but I'm not sure if she totally understood. When I asked her what sort of cut she recommended for my face shape and hair type, she quickly gave a short response without really even examining my face and hair type. The end product was decent, but I wasn't totally thrilled with the cut. I also wasn't totally sure how sanitary their tools were- I didn't see any of the combs/brushes sitting in sanitizer/alcohol before being used... read more

Thanks to everyone ,happy day after visit salon,nice looking gorgeous hair color,haircut

Its amazing place Jef is amazing I got nice hair cut, very friendly environment Best salon of nyc read more

Universal Hair Salon - Haircut - Hair Salons Near Me - New York, New York

Wow did I luck out! Was in DC for a wedding and needed a hair cut. Took a chance and randomly picked Universal Hair Salon. Honestly, Mila gave me one of my best cuts ever! I got compliments right and left! Also the atmosphere was so warm, welcoming and FUN! Really a great experience in every way. From now on I will get a cut in DC every time I visit! read more

I purchased a voucher from a deal site for $20, which got me a shampoo, hair cut and blow out. In addition, I would receive 50% off any additional services I had done on that visit. So, I called and made an appointment for the hair cut as well as a root touch up. I checked their website, and root touch ups regularly priced was $50+. I have short hair, and this is a 4 week touch up, so I didn't expect to pay much more than half of the $50. I was planning a "spa day" using a bunch of my vouchers, so when I called to make the appointment, I asked where on East 57th the salon was located, and the proprietor told me between 2nd and 3rd Aves. So, I arrive at 212 East 57th St., the address on the voucher and the address I confirmed on the phone call, only to find what I think was a luxury residential building. So I call the salon again, and he tells me they're on East 51st. 6 blocks... not a big deal.... except as I said, I had a full spa day planned and this 10 minute delay could come back to bite. So it was annoying but not terrible. I arrive at the correct location and produce my voucher. The guy looks at it like it's written in Hebrew. Again, I am getting concerned. A stylist who's already working on 1 customer comes to get me and the guy takes over drying the other customer's hair. The stylist matches my color and goes to work. She puts me on a 35 minute timer and goes back over to the 1st customer. Tick tock, tick tock. Timer goes off and she's still working on the other customer. A full 10 minutes after the timer went off, she finally comes over to check on me. Off to the sink we go. She puts on a pigment shampoo and tells me she's going to leave it on for 10 minutes and finish customer #1's hair cut. No problem. 25 minutes later, she comes back to finish washing my hair. It's my turn in the chair. By this time, with all the delays, she's got 20 minutes to cut my hair. It shouldn't be a problem though because really, all she has to do is clean up my layers and my split ends. Hooray! it's done. The roots are considerably lighter than the rest of my hair but it doesn't look too terrible. The hair cut is nice. Time to pay, so back comes the proprietor. 1st, he tries to charge me full price for the cut, shampoo and touch up. So I remind him that I had the voucher. Ok, so then he says the touch up is $55 if I pay cash. Ummmmmm. Where's the 50% discount? Oh... ok... $40. HALF of $55 is $27.50. But I don't have a lot of time to sit and haggle with the guy, who has now reverted to acting like he doesn't speak or understand English very well. Whatever dude! I pay him the $40 and turned to leave. He pushes a card at me, which will give me 25% off my next service. Sorry, buddy, there won't be a next time. You just screwed me... I'd be a FOOL to give you another opportunity to screw me again. read more

I never ever write bad reviews, because I'm aware that there is such a thing as an off day. However, I purchased a deal for the Keratin Straightening treatment, and it absolutely did NOT WORK. This blew my mind. I've had this service done every summer for the last 4 years, and it has always worked perfectly. So.....wtf? I even went back for a second time to have the woman do the entire straightening service again, and yet it still did not take. Such a waste of time and money. read more

I was worried. Oh so worried after I read all the reviews. But I already spent the money and was in dire need of haircut ASAP. My experience here was pretty much what I expected/wanted. Me: Wanted layers and the front to be cut a specific way. I brought in 3 pictures of how I wanted my hair to look. I wanted my haircut at a specific time and they were +/- 5 minutes which was fine. Them: The wash was pretty standard. The cut was more or less what I asked for (will update my review if it grows out funky or extraordinarily amazing), but I liked how Ina took her time (I didn't feel rushed BUT it was completed in a reasonable timeframe; I spent less than 1 hour from entering to leaving) and used scissors the entire way through (I really dislike razors on my hair). Gave them the printout of my payment (via kgbdeals) and there was no hassle. I did not request any additional services, only the shampoo & cut. No complaints. Convenient (for me) location. Owners seemed nice. Cut was ~$35 for me (post-tip). read more

Deeply disappointed with Universal Hair Salon. I came in with one simple request: eliminate the split ends. I told the hair dresser that I wanted to keep as much length as possible in the process but that my first priority was removing split ends. This is what I got: 1) She was just starting to eat breakfast when I arrived. I left and ran errands while she finished eating and then I continued to wait when I returned. Keep in mind that the salon was completely empty, and I had an appointment. 2) She took a phone call while I was there. Really?? You can't stay off of your phone for 45 minutes? Pathetic! 3) She "finished" me off and made me leave their studio as a puffball of frizzy hair - for which I had to go home to fix rather than continuing on to the office. I have a meeting today, and bedhead is not at all appropriate. Again, the salon is completely empty of customers. It's not like she was trying to finish on time to keep a later appointment. 4) Upon arriving home to fix my hair, I noticed that (by this time, my hair had fully dried) ALL of my split ends remained! So now, I'm trimming my OWN split ends with a pair of nail scissors. Not at all what I had in mind. I can't even fully express my frustration. A 100% waste of time and money. I wouldn't recommend Universal Salon to my worst enemy, and I will never return. I'd expect this level of work in a Walmart hair salon, but I believe even THAT statement gives Universal Salon too much credit. I'd give them zero stars, but yelp won't allow it. read more

I had a superb cut at this salon tonight. Not only did I have a voucher, but I called a few times during the day to ask about coming in at different times in the evening. As annoying as I felt I was being, the same gentleman answered and took his time to help me each time I called -- even when I could hear it was busy in the background. They close at 7 during the week, and I asked if arriving at 6:30 for a wash, cut, blow AND style would be too late, and he said he'd make sure someone stayed. This is, again, with him knowing that I had a voucher from City Select. I arrived at 6:30 and they were as nice as could be. There were customers that looked like regulars, but a few walk-ins also got service while I was there. Everyone was engaged in a lighthearted convo with their stylist. The place was clean, and much bigger than I'd imagined. You'd think from some of these reviews that this salon would be a nightmare. Not so. At all. I'm excited to have found an easygoing salon staff that's also kind and talented. I could tell my stylist was a bit tired, buts he still stayed way past closing hours to make sure I looked good. I asked for layers and was pretty specific in the way I wanted them done, and she hit the nail right on the head. The blowout was fabulous. I don't know what's wrong with all these other people who had issues....honestly, I can't picture any of the staff I met tonight having a rude bone in their body. I'm going back again, and will do so regularly. Very accomodating and talented. You WON'T be dissapointed!! read more

Mila is the best! We came in for a quick cut and that's exactly what we got. Wonderful hospitality at this salon. We will definitely be coming back here! read more

I haven't even been to this place yet, and am not going to bother setting foot in it. I called this place ONCE to ask for their haircut deals and the guy who answered the phone was extremely pretentious and rude. He insisted that I had been the same person calling many times the same day asking for prices. "You call many times here? You say WA WA WA I no understand what you're saying", were his exact words to me. I'm sorry, buddy, I don't think you could understand what I was saying anyway even if I had called many times--your IQ must be that of a newborn baby's--assuming by my voice that I would have been the same person calling all the time. Way to go to kill your business, fool! HAHAHA So yeah, moral of the story is: douchebag answering the phone at this place is retarded, I don't even wanna see what the people in the salon will make my hair look like. I'll probably come out looking like Frankenstein's bride. It ain't Halloween yet, imbeciles! =) read more

Jeff is the best barber that I have ever used. Immaculate salon. Most times appointment not necessary but advised.

Eddie is an excellent guy, who is patient and does a great job. He has good skills and all the other staff appear pretty friendly. Definitely stop by for a haircut. read more

Most of us come here because we got a deal from somewhere to try this place out... if i had to do it again... thanks, but no thanks. The only reason they even 2 stars is because my stylist was quite nice. I didn't exactly get what I asked for, but what I walked out with was unacceptable. Again and again i keep revising this post thinking maybe they deserve more stars, but unfortunately that is not so. The layers that I have was apparantly badly cut because they are very inconsistent. The 2nd last layer to the end has at least a 4 inch difference - HOW THE HELL DID THAT GET MISSED?!?! Now I have to pay more money to go and get that fixed...and sure as hell i am not going back there to get it fixed. NOTE: if your voucher states it's only for a cut and shampoo, stick with just those two services. They will offer you a blow-dry because it clearly is not included with shampoo for $26 and up. Honestly, for the blow dry that i got, I could've done a better job myself at home (no joke). Usually, I pay about twenty something dollars not including tips for everything - shampoo, cut, and dry and always love the result. This time I payed twice as much and am not satisfied therefore paying MORE does NOT mean you get a better haircut. Good thing I had a voucher because if not, I would've ended up paying $60 for this salon experience and I would've been even more pissed. First and foremost, my stylist Nemithsu is a very sweet person. She really does try her best to meet your requests and and give you what you ask. However, my experience was not what I expected. I felt that she wasn't exactly sure about what do with my hair. I thought she was actually somewhat clumsy with my hair and I didn't get the professional vibe from her. What I walked out with was barely close to what I asked. I asked for subtle layers in a V-shape instead of the rounded back, which I explained to her. She gave me 3-part layers where the back was shorter than the front (bangs) and the layers did not make a V. Also some sections of my hair looked like it was just snipped off giving it a bad jagged look. I've gotten such reactions to my hair, "what happened to your hair?!?" Unfortunately, I didn't get notice this because it was disguised by the blowout and flat ironing into mini outward curls. Also due to the 3-part layers (1st layer a little above my mid-back), I will have to wait some time before it grows back. Second, the experience itself was also kind of different. That was the first time ever I was requested to stand for a haircut. I wasn't standing the whole time - only for maybe 10 minutes. It may have been due to the fact that she's quite tall, but I've had tall stylists in the past and they did ok. Third, compared to my previous experiences, for a supposedly standard haircut it took kind of long. But I appreciated the fact that Nemithsu took her time with my hair even though she did have to do a lot of fixing because the lengths of either side weren't equal. I had no problem getting her attention for the front, but too bad I couldn't see the back. Because the back layers should never be shorter than the front layers - or at least that's not what I wanted. Fourth, this is how I've determined not to go back: the fact that I had to pay $26 for a blow-dry that didn't even make my hair look good. My hair ended up all over the place making me look so much like a fooz-ball that flat ironing was necessary. The reason this makes me very upset is because when I walked in and told the boss, Jeff that I was using a voucher he pulled my stylist aside and was whispering like, "this is the plan." that's when he came back to me and said it doesn't include blow-dry so I'll need to pay for that- because when you walk in with a voucher and do not purchase additional services they don't make anything so of course they want you to get something else. Anyway, I asked him how much and I swear he said $4.25, but he said "for $25." Problem is $4.25 is pretty cheap so I asked him if he meant $4.25 to make sure and he said yes. - he has an accent so I most likely misunderstood him. But because I verified that info and was sure that I was only paying an additional $4.25, I feel ripped off. And he didn't need to pull the stylist away, that's no secret. I heard him say to her, "This is what we're gonna do" - meaning he didn't have to do what he did. read more

yes the reviews are correct. i am perhaps the cheapest person on here and i too bought the groupon/whatever because i was in dire need. GROUPONERS beware - look at reviews before purchasing. i had to go back to this salon twice to clean up the hack job the stylist did. i gave her credit and let her try again but I should have been wary of her limited english. hence when she "fixed" it and it STILL wasn't what i wanted, i was sent to the next stylist who said "there's not enough hair now to do what you want" :S also they tried to tell me they were not going to blow dry my hair as this was "styling" even though it was clearly part of the package. i think they tried to tell me i had to pay an extra $20 i will give them the benefit of the doubt in that they fixed it for free but they clearly keep putting out these discounts because no one wants to go back to their amateur stylists and they can't keep clients. read more

I purchased a "Google Offers" coupon because I was desperate for a haircut. I called in the morning and got an appointment for that afternoon. The manager is very friendly and accommodating. Tenzen, my stylist, was amazing. I told her exactly what I wanted and she did it. I was concerned about having my layers cut too short but each time she was about to cut a new layer, she double checked with me to make sure she wasn't taking too much off. I definitely recommend Tenzen!! read more

The worst place ever!!!! don't go!!! I went there to get some bangs and a trim and the ruin my hair completely. My bangs was all uneven and messed up that I don't want to go in public at all. I got up and left. The worst part was I already pre-paid for the haircut through KGB Deals. I wanted to cry when I walked out and the next day I had to go to another salon pay for another haircut to try to fix them. Even though the other salon I went, fix the bangs as best they could, I still don't want to go out in public until they grow. SO DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY AT THIS PLACE!!!! read more

The manager/owner was absolutely horrible and the most rude man I have ever met. I had a deal from KGB for a haircut and wash and he was so rude it ruined my whole experience. The lady who actually cut my hair was friendly but the cut wasn't anything special. Basically, I will never be going here again. read more

I bought a Living social coupon and hence found about the universal hair salon, and I was so happy to discover this awesome salon The manager is very friendly and polite and professional person. My hair stylist Tenzen was fantastic and she gave me a cut that was exact of what I described to her. She translated my thoughts to perfection I would highly recommend going to universal hair salon.. Great service for great price read more

Great Salon!!! Friendly and Talented Staff.

I went last Monday for the Brazilian Keratin straightening which I had done many times before at different salons and always loved the results. The girl, while very sweet, definitely rushed and didn't use very much product. She assured me that I could wash the product out after 24 hours, however I waited 2 1/2 days anyway just to be sure. Upon washing it, I found that not only was my hair just as curly as before, but it was noticeably more frizzy and damaged looking. a week and a half later it actually takes me longer to do my hair and try and disguise the massive amount of breakage that has occurred. Having done this process at least 10 times in the past and been extremely pleased with the results, I would not recommend this salon. read more

I stumbled in here when I needed a cut. Jeff took good care of me, was a pleasure to talk to and gave me a great hair cut. It was a little on the expensive side, but it was a lot better haircut that I am used to. Overall I'm very happy! read more

WORST place. Had the voucher and got an ok cut, loved the stylist so made an appointment 9 weeks later....WORST IDEA YET. So I got there at 11:01 for an 11 am shamp/cut/blow...what I got was blown off. The stylist I asked for was washing someone, no big deal, then she starts to cut that other person..NO WAY. The old guy asks if he can wash me now, I said no, not interested in waiting 30-40 minutes in wet hair so I walked out, up 2nd to 55th and found the BEST PLACE. Never fall for the voucher place again. ever. read more

The owner will cut your hair, and he takes a lot of pride in it. Therefore, you're going to get a high quality haircut for a relatively great price by New York standards. The man is also very friendly, honest and takes tremendous care in each customer. I found I paid similar to what I'd pay at Supercuts for a much better haircut from a barber who cares, and isn't just yelling about their lunch break. All of the staff here is personable and friendly. This is a prime example of a small business being good for the consumer. read more

I love this place, I go here once a month to get a harcut. Staff is very friendly, conversations are always great and they are always consistent in giving me a great haircut. Their location is rigt in midtown which is convienant for me because I work a couple blocks away. I would highly recommend them as they are a great midtown salon. read more

Waste of money. I went for Brazilian Keratin Straightening, $100 with Groupon + $20 for trimming they suggested (i should have saved the $20, since no real trimming was done), and $40 for tip. they spent 3 hours, mostly on blowdrying and ironing. my hair was straight and smooth that first day. well, after all that blowdrying and flatironing, it better be. i did not wash it according to instructions for 3 days - it was pretty nasty on day 3. washed with the special keratin/no salt shampoo/conditioner. hair immediately went back to old - waivy and frizzy, as if nothing was done. i felt duped: going three days with greasy hair and taking all those precautions to not get the hair wet, in the shower and when washing my face. how silly. i basically paid $160 for a blowdry. i cant even say that my hair looks healthier - it looks the same as before the process. i called the salon and Jeff (manager?owner?employee?no idea) suggested to stop by to see it. i did not go - i dont have the time. i dont have the time to go there - its out of my way on the East side. and i dont have another spare 3 hours to sit through the procedure if they offer to do it again. besides, i dont even know whether he will offer it. and, other reviewers say it did not work the second time either. it may be an ok barber shop, but they definitely CANNOT DO KERATIN. or they just fool customers: i now recall that the woman was REALLY chatty and i did not see the Keratin bottle they used. it may well have been just some conditioner. Hence, I DO NOT RECOMMEND. P.S.: One more confirmation that Groupon sells deals for mediocre businesses that can get customers only by offering significant discounts. read more