Badlands Salon & Barber

They corrected my flawed ombré (with balayage) and I’m thankful. They charged me the reservation fee and then the whole fee as well. I was going to Paypal or Venmo my tip bc they don’t take anything but cash and I had nothing to give… But then I noticed they’d kept the fee. It’s quite pricey. Good location, nice service. They did switch my appt 3 times though within the same day. I might go back if I’m in NYC but honestly $ 250+ for correcting my existing ombré feels painful.

Have been here for over a year now. I have pretty short hair and they help me keep it looking good. This year I started seeing Alexis and she’s been GREAT. Highly recommended. For this spring I wanted to do kind of a really close clipper cut on about half of my head blended into my short hair, and she made it look fantastic. And I was able to go back to her for quick touchups to maintain it for super cheap. And then I knew I was going to need to transition to a more ‘professional’ or office-​appropriate look for the summer so we planned that out and she turned my haircut into this beautiful classy-​looking pixie at our last appointment. Alexis is really good at listening to what I want and asking followup questions and making my short hair look awesome. I will also add that I love going to a place with a queer-​friendly vibe. And I love that Badlands is a place where you can walk in one day and get a rocking clipper cut bordering on fauxhawk and the next time get a classy professional pixie cut and the staff will be totally on board with both looks. They’re really such a welcoming chill environment that seems to be all about helping you do you.

Trying to make an appt, someone keeps answering and asking me to wait a moment and after five minutes I hang up tired of waiting. Will try one more time… but this might be a sign to not go any further.

I really like this place and have come here for years to get my hair cut by Chelsea. The bad news — I called recently and Chelsea no longer works there. The good news — she is now at the Walk In, in Red Hook! Just wanted to let those who love Chelsea as much as I do where she is now!

Update: I used to love going here but the last two cuts were very disappointing. Meh. You win some you lose some

I rarely post reviews but had such a great experience I wanted to write one for Katie at Badlands. I moved to the neighborhood two years ago and only just decided that I needed to find a local salon. It is so nerve wracking to try a new colorist! I went this week to see Katie, asking her to cut my long, think, last-​dyed-​six-​months-​ago hair. I asked for balayage and a razor cut. It came out awesome. The color looks amazing and the cut is perfect. I’m so glad to have found a great local place. Highly recommend.

Have had great experiences at Badlands with Kelly (now gone) and Chelsea. Went to someone new there a couple of weeks ago and was highly disappointed. Got about 3 inches taken off. No problem, I guess; however, the most recent stylist did not bother to make sure that there were no loose strands on the ends of my hair and did not listen when I suggested that I might need layers. It looked like a rat had chewed the ends of my hair, and everything was so front heavy because there was nothing done to it except ‘razoring’ on the ends. I ended up having to go to another salon to have my hair fixed and pay again.

I’ve now been to Alexis @badlands four times and it’s safe to say I will be going back to her for many more visits. I wish I had a before and after, where a couple months ago I walked in looking like a calico cat from the devastation of not having been able to find a good hairdresser between my last good one (moved away unfortunately) and her. She calmly explained the process that will make my hair look best and I’m so glad I found her. I get a cut, color and balayage (for an ombré) and always walk out a happy camper. But why read when you can just see a picture? Speaks for itself. That the atmosphere in the salon is super laid back and hip doesn’t hurt either. Go later in the day for a little hair pick me up and a drink all in one!

Set in the heart of Park Slope, Badlands epitomizes the coolness one would expect from a salon in Williamsburg or the East Village. Filled with hip and happening individuals, it’s the kind of place where — at first glance — you think you are in for a first-​rate haircut. Unfortunately, this is almost never the case.
I have been coming to Badlands for over a year now and compare my experiences to that of SNL — on average, the quality is poor, but once in a while you see something hilarious, which keeps you returning. The same is true for haircuts and, while I have had one or two great stylists, the turnover rate is astonishing, meaning that once you do settle on someone you like, they dash off elsewhere and you are left with what always seems like a trainee who is on their first day on the job. In short, I have had considerably many more terrible haircuts than I have had stellar experiences and a recent encounter represented the last straw — it required me to go to a barber around the corner to remedy their horrendous work. My wife had similar issues and had to stop going to the salon after one too many a terrible haircut.
The long and short of it is that they are charging $ 50+ for a men’s haircut, which is on the very expensive end of the spectrum. With that, I would expect that their stylists are uniformly good and vetted, but that does not seem to be the case. My hair, unlike many of my well-​coiffed Brooklyn peers, does not require anything fancy and so I am not sure how the issues arise.
Conclusion: If you are promoting yourself as a cool, local salon with well-​qualified staff, and are charging premium prices, then you have to deliver on those promises more often than not. While there have been a few outstanding stylists (Lune, for example, who has unfortunately left), most do not make the grade. After my last haircut, I have come to the realization that a barber around the corner that charges $ 25 provides a better service.

Since I’ve had a couple of haircuts here, I feel like this review is long overdue. My hair is usually in pretty bad shape by the time my hair appointment comes along. I’m talking split ends, at-​home hair coloring, heat damage, you name it, I’ve done it. I knew I was in the right salon when I came here once with an agenda. I wanted to walk out with flawless hair minus 6 inches. It was a pretty big deal to me at the time because I always had long, coarse, and wavy hair. I wasn’t really sure of what I was going for at the time, but I was tired of my partner pulling random strands of my hair out of different areas of his body and his apartment all the time. My stylist was Kala. She cut my hair once before and while it was just a trim, I remembered being happy with the outcome. This time, she listened to me and made sure I was comfortable with how much she was taking off before she snipped away, and I really appreciated that.
As for my last experience, I came in with a case of hot roots I gave myself and attempted to fix. I tried to fix it and ended up with different shades of brown. I knew that I made a big mistake and needed it fixed by a professional and not by another box of Loreal Feria hair dye. So, I made an appointment with Addison and I explained that I wanted my roots to match the rest of my head because there was no way I could live with myself having an inch of reddish brown hair at the roots any longer! Simple enough, right? Right. She not only fixed my roots, but she also gave me a haircut and blow out that made me feel oh so pretty afterward.
I’m most likely gonna continue to neglect my hair, but I’m going to be a forever client here until I go bald.

An update on my original review. two and a half years later this is still the only barbershop I will go to in the city. At around $ 40 a cut it is what I would consider pricey, but obviously I consider it worth it if I haven’t gone anywhere else in two years.

Dammit Badlands I wanted to give you a good review. My hair was to the middle of my back, my ends were in terrible shape and I was looking for a new haircut. I found a picture online, a shag cut that fell to a little below my collar bone. My stylist, Ainsley? (Started with an A, from Oklahoma) gave me the worst haircut I’ve ever had in my life, outside of when I was in junior high school and my friend tried to cut my bangs (I’m 45). I couldnt see what she was doing as I have terrible eyesight and had to take my glasses off for the duration of the cut.
OK where to begin.
Length. She cut my hair TO MY CHIN! not below my collarbone as I specifically asked and showed her on a picture. A picture that you can clearly see, that is not shadowed to prevent you from seeing the length, not hidden under a hat or a scarf. TO. MY. CHIN.
Style. I’m assuming that she is used to doing childrens haircuts only as my hair was a bob. A bob to my chin that looks like I am trying to relive my youth, as in I have a 6-​year old’s haircut. Not cute on a 45 year old.
Technical Skill. I had sections of hair that were many inches longer in certain areas and when i would pull the pieces of my hair on each side of my head they were different lengths… It was like Helen Keller cut my hair. There was no professionalism in making sure that the length was the same all around, and when i say it was uneven, i mean there were a few areas of my head where the hair was about 4 inches longer when I pulled it down. so like a curl of hair that went almost all the way around my neck, from the side of my head by my neck.
So a recap. Didn’t give me anywhere near the hairstyle I wanted, cut my hair about 6 inches shorter than what i wanted and didnt even do a good job at giving me a 6 year olds bob. Im not one to normally write such a nasty review but wow, WORST. JOB. EVER. I would totally recommend this place to someone I dislike immensely.

This update is super late, but after my last review, Badlands’ owner reached out to me and offered me a refund and a free haircut to compensate for my subpar experience. I didn’t feel right about accepting both, but I accepted the free haircut and made an appointment with Natasha. She was great – easy to talk to, helpful, and honest about what was going on with my hair. The cut looked awesome. My last experience here must have been a fluke – everyone has bad days – and the salon really put in the effort to make sure that in the end, I was satisfied.

SO ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. The best cut I’ve ever gotten.
I came in with big, long wavy hair and I came out with a pixie that reminds me of Alyssa Milano meets Evan Rachel Wood meets Drew Barrymore in the 90s= perfect.
Chelsea literally is a god-​send. Not only is she incredibly nice but she is so intuitive to what you want. I wanted a pixie after I had seen Alyssa Milano’s transformation on Charmed and even though I didn’t show her a picture of her hair– SHE TOLD ME I LOOKED LIKE HER. What! Absolutely spot-​on.
Believe me, I was so nervous for this. It was definitely a very big change for me and for my hair but I cannot be more happy and thrilled for this new head of hair.
Chelsea is the girl to go to for hair transformation– she does work wonders.
I love Badlands and this is going to be my salon for as long as I live in NY. And if I don’t, I’ll probably just travel back :)

I definitely wasn’t cool enough for this place. I must be too «Manhattan» and they let me know it every time I go in. My last visit was certainly my last.
I have fine hair and suggested that the stylist only use a blunt cut to reshape the long bob I already had. She nodded, smirked and ended up absent-​mindedly layering and texturizing so much that I left with an uneven, thinned out short a-​line cut that is longer on the left side than the right. I am beyond disappointed in my hair cut and can’t wait until it grows out to go to someone who will listen to their clients. I get that stylists know what they’re doing, but I know my hair and I’ve had it cut for years. Would have appreciated a little credit.

I had been searching for a hairstylist for well over a year in the city and Brooklyn when my fiancé found Badlands. He got scheduled with Chelsea and had raved about her so finally I went in for a cut and color. First of all the shop is just so cool– surprising slightly for the Park Slope location but all the people are really laid back and seriously know what they are doing. Second of all ever since coming here I’ve had the best haircut and color of my life! Chelsea is an absolute godsend. A visit to her is almost better than a visit to my therapist. I also have some hair challenges and she’s so sweet and helpful with suggestions to make it better. I’m so confident in everything she does so I just give her an idea and let her go. I will never go anywhere else ever again– either I have an appointment with Chelsea or I don’t have an appointment at all.
It’s not a cheap place but I fully believe you get what you pay for and at Badlands you get the best service around.

Talk about a dream, try to make it real
You wake up in the night, with a fear so real
Spend your life waiting for a moment that just won’t come
Well, don’t waste your time waiting…
Badlands! *
You gotta live it everyday
Let the broken hearts stand as the price you’ve gotta pay
We’ll keep pushin’ ’til it’s understood and these Badlands start treating us good…
The first time I visited Badlands Nat’l Park in South Dakota, that song came on the radio just as I was entering the front gates. True story. It just felt so right. Although Bruce’s husky voice was not pumping through the sound system at this Badlands when I walked in recently, it still felt right. A stylish friend of mine recommended visiting Natasha here when I was recently complaining about my lack of a solid spot to get my hair cut, so I took his advice.
What a great experience! Natasha was awesome and friendly from the get-​go, and made me feel comfortable immediately. The rest of the staff were very welcoming, as well. We talked quickly about what I wanted to do, then they washed my hair and we got to it. Natasha offered just the right amount of friendly banter in between paying attention to the task at hand and doing a killer job. Most of the cut was done with scissors, which I like, and the end result was great. I asked her to make me look more handsome, and although I’m not sure she achieved that, she certainly didn’t make me any more funny looking. So I’ve got that going for me.
Badlands is a salon with stylists (trained professionals who will actually give you suggestions and advice) who give you their full attention and take their time. As such, you are going to pay for this service. As a guy, I am not accustomed to coughing up much more than $ 25 for a cut, but as my future flashes before my eyes and I acknowledge that the hair on my head will not be with me forever, I figure I can pay a bit more to have it cut properly and look good while I have it. I was out the door for about $ 50 which is more than I’d like to be paying, but honestly, Natasha did such a great job, I’ll definitely be visiting again.
*

Desperate for a drastic change in style after being weighed down by long hair for too many years– and bothered by constant shedding for too many months– I finally took the leap, and had it all cut off! (well, most of it).
I didn’t have a stylist, so I asked a friend if she had any recommendations. She did. One. Katie. Trusting her advice, I scheduled an appointment with Katie, and it turned out that she gave me the best cut that I have ever had. Going from long to short for the first time in 20 years, or since I was a child, I couldn’t have put my hair in the hands of a more talented stylist. And it looked great when she was finished with it!
Furthermore, the space has a refreshing vibe and cool energy. I highly recommend Badlands Salon & Barber!

I have followed Kala around to quite a few salons (because she’s the BEST), but Badlands is honestly my favorite that I have been to. It’s in an awesome location and the receptionist is always super friendly. It’s very warm when it’s chilly outside (yay!), they always offer a drink (water, tea, even beer if you want!), and the bathroom is seriously adorable (I know, I know, a cute bathroom is definitely not a reason to go to a salon, but it doesn’t hurt either!).
I have very fine, thin, blonde hair and Kala has been double-​processing it for years. Every time after I leave, I get tons of people stopping me on the street to compliment it and ask where I go, which is an amazing feeling. My hair is in great shape, and I always feel like it is in very safe hands. The music is always bumping, and the other stylists all seem super friendly and adept. I honestly can’t think of a single negative thing to say about Badlands!

I’ve desperately been searching for a stylist who gets queer femme (short) haircuts. I’ve been living in NYC for about 4 years and it’s been a hit and miss style project.
I’m so happy to report that I have finally found a stylish hair artist who gets what I’m coming for and rocked my haircut. Sitting at my vanity this morning and loving what Kala did.
The precision and careful attention Kala gave to the shape of my head and how my hair would grow out won me over.
Thank you, Kala!