3

I had a great experience with Carol! She really listened to what I wanted for my hair, and advised me on what would also work best for my hair. The fact that we worked as a team on my haircut, and that she was warm, inviting, and friendly, really made this experience worthwhile, and I will definitely designate Carol as my go-​to hairstylist.
A note: a few reviewers here have mentioned crooked haircuts. Hairstylists aren’t perfect! The only way you could come out of this salon with a crooked haircut is if you kept your eyes closed and didn’t even bother to look at it. Give it a once over in the mirror, and then ask the stylists to make any adjustments. This applies to any and all hair salons period. This is NOT a 3 Salon exclusive issue. It’s the fault of the client for not working as a team with the hairstylist to make their hair the way that they want.
As my mom would say, you are paying for this, so make sure you are getting EXACTLY what you want! And Carol definitely delivers with expertise and grace.

I had a wonderful experience with Vanessa! She did such an incredible job getting my hair exactly how I envisioned it. She’s super patient and detail-​oriented. Highly recommend!

After going to many salons and barber shops in the city I’ve finally found the best. I consistently get excellent haircuts from Carol. I have short-​medium length, very thick hair, that’s somewhat wavy — it gives most stylists trouble and as such I was used to getting decent cuts, but nothing special, even from the very expensive salons. Carol understood my hair and facial type from the first cut and I’ve been happy ever since.
The salon itself is tidy, professional, and welcoming. It’s a very personalized experience. They have a lot of entertainment industry clients, and my guess is it’s the intimate vibe combined with the great haircuts.

I have never been as satisfied with a haircut as I was after my appointment with Vanessa. She patiently listened to my concerns about my hair and helped me select a suitable style. She did a fantastic job with the cut, spending over an hour meticulously working on my very thick, fine hair past 9pm on a rainy evening.

I was really excited to have my hair cut by Carol at 3, thinking (after reading this very Unilocal page) that I’d stumbled across an East Village gem, a little mom & pop place that doesn’t even have a website. When I got there, it was exactly what I’d expected (Carol’s husband was building a new shelving for their hair supplies, her current client seemed to be a friend, there were takeout boxes open on several surfaces, the women were cracking each other up). I was also happy to be accommodated at 8pm on a week day, since I work late during the week.
However, I didn’t get put into a chair until about 8:20 (which I was fine with at the time, I had nowhere to be), once Carol had finished foiling another woman’s hair. She washed and quickly cut mine, and then I had to wait with wet hair while she took out the woman’s foils, until my hair was almost dry. Then that woman left and a male client came in, and while Carol cut his hair, she stuck me under a dryer chair (those space aged looking things usually used for drying women’s hair while in color foils) with clips in my hair, under the pretense of letting my hair dry wavy (after she noticed that it had started to do so on its own). In hindsight I realized that was to save time on drying mine so she could cut the other guy’s hair. I ended up being there for over an hour, but probably only about 20 minutes *tops* were spent on my hair. All that for $ 80!
I have long, somewhat thick hair that air dries slightly wavy and blows out straight, and had gone in to have some of the length taken out while retaining some layers and face framing pieces. Pretty straightforward cut, and I usually have pretty good luck with stylists who do their own thing – I’m not particularly nitpicky because I have pretty basic hair. It looked fine when I left, I suppose (hard to tell when it’s all piecey and wavy), but I prefer to have my hair blown out after a cut since I often wear it that way in the winter, and stylists then usually see how it looks dry and make edits. When I blew out my hair the next morning, I realized that Carol seemed to have completely forgotten to layer one side of my head, and the side that was layered was a bit of a hack job. It looked terrible. A couple of days later I went to have it fixed at another salon (for another $ 90) and the stylist there looked at my hair, bewildered, and said, «Not only is it not layered, it’s almost an inch longer on the left side!»
I was totally fine with the casual environment at 3, and even the less-​than-​stellar level of service. But at the end of the day, I went in to get a fairly simple haircut, and walked out with one of, if not the, worst haircuts I’ve ever had.
I will say that for most of the time I was there, the other stylist (perhaps Vanessa?) was doing tiny finishing touches on a short, straight, modern hair cut of another client, and it was seriously one of the most beautiful and meticulous haircuts I’ve ever seen.
Also, the hair color of the woman who was being treated at the same time as me came out great, too. So if color’s your main concern, I wouldn’t completely write off 3.

It seems that Carol must be either really great or really off. I expected something above decent given the reviews here. I caught her at a really off time apparently.
I thought my appointment was at 530 and so I arrived at that time. I entered the door, the very first thing she said to me was «weren’t you supposed to be here at 515?» Well gee I don’t know. I might have gotten it wrong but I’m sorry. Also she was on the phone. Oh and she had dye in her hair. So I guess I was late for her own hair appointment and phone calling time.
THE CUT ITSELF IS COMPLETELY CROOKED. The left side– bangs, layers, everything– is longer. My hair is wavy and I know it can conceal it but I can forget about straightening it at all until I get this fixed. I would be willing to forgive the other stuff if I had had a great haircut. But that didn’t happen.
There are many salons in this city. Don’t waste your time at this one.

I love this place! I just got my hair cut and styled by Carol and she did an amazing job. This is the best cut I’ve had in NYC and I’ve been to a few places. She listens to what you want and makes it easy for you to style yourself. I wish I found this place sooner!

Wonderful salon. My hair is very fine and I like to keep it long. Carol really listened to what I wanted and gave me a great haircut that suits my face wonderfully! She’s also really in tune to trends, what works-​what doesn’t and what will work on you based on your hair and face-​so I feel like I got my very own customized cut. Plus, she never tried to sell me any overpriced products or pressure me into getting some crazy haircut that I wasn’t sold on. Really a gem of a place. I’m sold. Can’t wait to go back.

I first met Carol when she cut at a salon in Brooklyn which, at the time, was touted as the place to go. I had just gotten a terrible cut from a nameless place in Midtown, Carol was available and I begged her to «please help me.» She did. I walked out of there with a brand new style, looking, if I may say so, really hot.
That was 2009. Since then I have gone to no other hairstylist. I moved to Pennsylvania. I didn’t cut my hair until I could see Carol. I lived in Arizona for a while. I didn’t cut my hair until I could see Carol. I have gone without a cut for material periods of time because I wanted to wait to see Carol. She is worth it.
I constantly get compliments on my hair. I tell people it’s Carol. I literally have nothing to do with it.
Rarely can you walk into a salon and tell someone, «just do your thing,» and feel safe and leave happy. I’ve done this with Carol from day one and I do it still today.
And apart from her skills, she’s a treasure. She’s funny and kind, sassy and sweet. I just adore her.

Carol has once again cut my hair to perfection. She listened to what I had to say, voiced her own opinions, and then promptly got to work. She cut it just to the right length that I was comfortable with and left my hair looking healthy. Thanks Carol!

The short of it: Perfect cut.
The long of it: I moved here from Austin about a year ago and had not yet found the right hairdresser. Happened upon Carol’s fantastic reviews here, and am happy to now report they are true! Carol is a sweet, genuine person and made me feel totally at home. And this lady really knows her stuff! Gave me a beautiful cut that suits my face and lays perfectly.
I will definitely be back! Thanks Carol!

Had a wonderful experience with Carol @ 3!
I was travelling from Australia over to US for a 4 week holiday and found Carol via Unilocal — and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
She coloured my hair to perfection and gave me a gorgeous hair cut that made me feel super refreshed and ready to enjoy my holiday! Was an overall great experience… Carol is absolutely lovely and super friendly.
I’ll definitely go back and see Carol the next time I’m visiting NY.

LOVE LOVE LOVE 3 salon!!! A coworker of mine is a diehard fan and told me to give it a try after hearing me whine continuously about what to do with my hair.
I was able to get an appointment within 2 business days (!) and had an absolutely great time with Carol. She is an absolute doll, and aside from being a great hairdresser, she is such a sweet person, I really enjoyed chatting with her (everyone says that about their hair people, but seriously the woman is a gem). The salon itself is so cute and very welcoming.
Now! On to the hair. Ok people, when I get my hair cut in NYC it is usually done at a school, or in my kitchen by a friends who went to beauty school (or in the last case, my brother while watching a youtube video on how to cut a bob…) so experiencing a real artist do her thang was so much fun, and completely worth it. I cut off most of my precious hair last fall, and basically since that moment wished that I hadn’t. Carol knew it too and by some magical twist and snip, I seriously felt like I left with longer hair than I came in with… I love my cut, it fits me perfectly. I wore it curly for the first time today and I fell back in love with 3 salon all over again.
A+ 100% worth the trip to the east village, I can’t wait till my next visit!

Wowie zowie. Carol works some magic! My cut, my color, my life– all perfectly aligned. Aw… And not to mention the fact that I really enjoyed hanging out with her while she did my hair. Thank you and see you in 4 – 6 weeks!

I waited a couple weeks to make sure I really liked the cut, and not just the new/​change factor.
I. LOVE. MY. HAIR.
It’s been a long time since I’ve said that. After years of mediocre cuts, I found Carol through a Groupon.
She’s GREAT. First off, I totally didn’t read the directions of the Groupon and just showed up, but she was kind enough to cut my hair anyway, instead of sending me away with an appointment.
She analyzed my hair, but also asked me what I like and how I normally wear it. I appreciated that she took into account the practicality of how I wear it– the greatest cut in the world will look bad if the person won’t go through the right steps to fix it.
I really love how she cut it. I’ve never really been able to explain how I want my hair layered, so in the past I’ve had rather ugly layered looks. She cut it in a way that fits me and my style, plus it’s a cut that lays nice even with minimal effort from me in the mornings (which is so great cause I don’t do much in the way of primping).
Also, she’s just plain really nice!
I will definitely be coming back, full price (which I think was not too bad anyway, especially for such a GOOD haircut).

Carol is amazing!
I have SUPER fine hair, and it’s hard for me to find a hairdresser that gets it. I have followed her from a Salon she worked at in the past because she has given me some of the best cuts I’ve had in NY. She will sit with you and talk about what you want and gives input on what she thinks would work with your hair type, face + scull shape, without pressuring you to cut it in a way that you don’t really want. A+ I will return.
She’s a seasoned hair dresser that specializes in ALL types of hair; fine, curly, thick etc. She’s super nice and easy to talk to and will not try to sell you products for her own profit. Honest woman right here!

I signed up for a Unilocal account just so I could write a review for Carol (and because Unilocal reviews are how I found her).
Carol is everything you could ever want in a hairdresser. She’s experienced, and you can completely trust her. You are never going to get a bad haircut from this woman. Even if you are a poor communicator or come in armed only with a dissatisfaction with your current look and no idea how to make it better. She’s got you covered. You’re never going to walk out of there going, «well, i didn’t know what I wanted, but for sure I didn’t want THIS.»
And she has great stories, her (adult, totally entertaining as well) kids are always coming in and out of the salon, so over time you feel like you know her whole family. So it’s just fun to get your haircut in her salon as well.
Best of all she gives it to you straight. If you want to do something to your hair that she thinks is going to look bad, she’ll tell you. And if she wants to do something to your hair that sounds crazy — go with it, it’s going to look amazing, and way better than what you had in mind.
Not that she won’t cut your hair how you want, just saying she’s been cutting hair for so long, if she’s got a suggestion, she’s probably right about it. Plus she’s just mellow. It’s easy to get an appointment with her. She’s really accommodating to crazy schedules.
I will never go to another hairdresser as long as I’m in NYC and Carol is cutting hair. She’s the best.

Upon moving to NYC, I cringed at the thought of having to find a new hairstylist. The first one that I went to on the lower east side charged an arm and a leg and my bangs looked like it was cut with a kid’s pair of scissors.
When I came to meet my friend after her hair appointment at 3, Carol offered to cut my bangs for me. For free! She fixed my hair and I didn’t even get my haircut there. And it looked great!
After a few months, I came back for my own experience at 3 and it was great. Carol really has an eye for which hair goes with which face shape. She is good at what she does and she is honest with you. Also fun to chat with while you get your haircut. 5 stars.

I have been in NYC for 5 years — and have (like many of us who move to NYC) been searching for someone to replace my longtime hairdresser from home (I am from Bay Area)… and I have FINALLY found her… Carol!!!
Carol is everything that you want, need, and can ask for in a hairdresser:
(#1) she is GOOD and knows what she is doing
(#2) she is honest and tells you what will look good and what will not and
(#3) she is wonderful to talk to and be around.
She gave me one of the best haircuts I have ever had this week — and she is an amazing woman.
Thank you again Carol — you truly are awesome!

A.) I am a man.
B.) I usually get the cheapest haircut I can find (Barber college is not beneath me.)
C.) I got the best haircut I’ve had in a long time here with Carol!
I went to 3 Salon based on a recommendation from a friend of my girlfriend, and I have to say it was one of the best haircuts I got in recent years. Carol was great, took her time and was really detail oriented. She listened to my ideas and made some added suggestions which were really successful. In the end, I got a great haircut! I’m happy, my girlfriend is happy, life is good. I will definitely come back!