Hair Espirit

Had an amazing experience here. The staff is great and attentive. Pricing is decent. It is a clean place. Overall I will be going back no matter what. I got exactly what I wanted.

Pros: Sake is truly talented. He is one of the three best hair stylists I had in my life worldwide. You will get a huge amount of compliments on your haircut.
Sake kindly advised me on a professional air blower which cuts the time of my blow drys by 50%. It was expensive, but worth it.
Cons: Those were the most expensive haircuts I paid for my entire life. It was $ 100, including a 20% tip. This price included shampoo, haircut, and a blow dry.

Worst customer service ever! The guy on the phone was so rude. I just don’t have any words to describe it. I know that it could get busy, but why you can’t hire a person who will take care about appointments? AVOID THIS PLACE.

Came here with a LifeBooker Loot deal for a Brazilian Blowout, which is supposed to last 10 – 12 weeks. Less than 3 weeks later, the back of my hair is a frizzy mess/​needs to be flat ironed in the morning. Never coming back here. The staff, however, was friendly.

I was going to purchase their lifebooker deal, $ 99 for a Keratin treatment, so I called to make sure I could schedule on the day I needed. She said sure and booked me for Friday. She then said, «but you didn’t purchase through lifebooker yet, right?» I said no not yet. She then said ok don’t, we will honor the same price. I asked if she was sure and she said yes.
I hung up, pretty happy. I went to log off of
, and realized that they were offering a 20% discount. So i called back to see if they would match that deal and she said no, and now they only have sunday monday or tuesday availability and I couldnt request a stylist.
I asked why can’t I purchase the lifebooker and keep my appointment for friday and she said it was a busy day. I promptly hung up on her.
Would never give them business. For a small salon, I’d assume they’d bend over a bit to gain new customers.

I would like to add to the chorus of approvals for this fine salon. I had a LifeBooker certificate for a Keratin blowout. I was warmly greeted and taken on time. Very happy that the salon is open on Sundays so I could relax without running on to the next appointment. Kent did the work and was pleasant and meticulous. If it didn’t take 3 changes of subway to get there I would be a steady client.

I have been coming here for years for a haircut. Great cut, excellent staff and competitive price. Probably should give five stars.

Go to Monica. Tell her what you want, listen to what she suggests and then let her know what you want. Even if you go back to what you originally said, she does WHAT YOU WANT. She is excellent and a delight of a person to meet.
Prices are good.
Place itself is clean and friendly.
CALL and make an appointment. Do not just walk in as a new customer.

After being overwhelmed and confused by reading a thousand Unilocal reviews of salons, I still had no idea where to turn. Hair was growing, clock was ticking so when I stopped in to buy shampoo I asked about stylists. I was escorted over to Sake for a conversation in the chair. Right away I could tell he knew his stuff. He didn’t fall for my classic trick question, either. (Should I cut my hair short? No, no, said Sake, your face will look to round. OK– you passed, Sake!) He didn’t change my hair up that much but he expertly fixed the mechanics of my cut which had become so unmanageable. I brought my mother to him as well and he did the same for her. Next, I’m getting color. I’m always a little nervous for this but I know I’m in good hands with Sake. Awesome, positive, no drama person, too. It’s not a risk to try him– it’s a great decision.

I’ve been holding out on reviewing this place for over a year, almost because I didn’t want anyone else to book up Monica and take away her availability from me (since becoming a New Yorker, I’ve upped the selfishness!). Just kidding.
I’m sure there are lots of other salons where you can pay double and perhaps come out with slightly better quality? But personally I found that I pay half the price of expensive salons and get just as good if not better results.
They understand how to make your color and cut last there. They won’t scam you into extra services or paying for extras.
I see Monica for both cut and color (single process plus highlights). I have really thick wavy/​curly hair and she does a great job with blond color needs. She listens to what I want and we have a conversation/​consultation first on what will work best for my hair during that particular season and long term. She’s also funny as hell.
Plus, they have affordable prices (I pay about $ 50 for a haircut $ 75 Plus for highlights or color). For me, this salon is perfect.

I’ve been going to Sake since 1990 and my husband and daughter go as well. There is noone else I would trust with my appearance from color to cut to blowouts. Sake often knows what style I want before I do. Perfect for those who are looking for a chance and can’t decide.
In addition to Sake, everyone is very nice, attentive, friendly and the best hair washing ever — the scalp massage makes you forget you were there to get your hair done.

I’ve been coming to saki at hair esprit for 9 years and won’t go anywhere else. I’ve never left unhappy (and I’m not an easy customer!). He tries hard to make me feel good about myself and doesn’t let me leave until he feels my hair is perfect. Can’t wait for the renovation. Hair esprit will be gorgeous. It’s also awesome listening to him rock to the music playing in the salon. ps if you’re looking for personal advice, he’s always there for you.

Maybe others at this place are great, but do NOT have Judy highlight your hair!
Here’s why: I got a Groupon $ 50 for $ 100 here, so I thought I would try it out. I have my hair highlighted and my roots were really bad so I asked for a full foil. Judy (who was doing my hair) suggested I do a few low lights, so I got that too. Judy only did the top like 4 inches, which would have been great, but it was WAY too blonde and didn’t come close to matching the rest of my hair. She didn’t notice this until she was almost done blow drying my hair. So then she went back to put toner in my hair to fix it, and now all of my hair is darker than before to where I almost look like a brunette instead of a blonde like before. It ended up costing me $ 245 (including the $ 50 groupon & tip.) This woman doesn’t seem to know what she is doing, it took her a full 3 hours to do my hair, and I was unhappy with the result.

Really great place for meticulous color and a fabulous cut at reasonable prices. I followed Sake from his old salon and will travel from NJ to see him when I move. Everyone in this salon is SO friendly and helpful — I love going. Plus they give really great scalp massages when they shampoo– a bonus! Highly recommend!

I would highly recommend Hair Espirit and Saki in particular. He has been doing my hair since 1998 — when he was at another salon before Hair Espirit even opened. He does a fantastic job! I go regularly for haircuts as well as highlights and even though I am not a person with naturally «good hair» I receive a lot of compliments on my color. Saki is meticulous and takes pride in his work. He will recommend certain changes to style/​color from time to time but does not force his opinion on you. And, he is so much fun! We always have a lot of laughs — he’s a great guy. The whole staff is quite nice and Alice does a really good job with mani/​pedi and waxing. Prices are reasonable. I moved from the the Upper East Side to Long Island last year and despite having countless salons within walking distance of my new home, I still go to Hair Espirit every six weeks. If you are looking for a new salon, give them a try!

Not to reiterate what has already been said, but this salon is a one stop shop; nails, waxing, coloring, straightening, etc. I wandered in on a rainy day and came upon Adriana. She was able to point out EXACTLY where my last hair cut went out of control and made suggestions for future cuts and how to style around while it grew out. And as with every hair stylist I see, I ask about my color (i haven’t dyed my hair in about 10 years). She was the first person EVER EVER to suggest a glaze/​gloss to my hair to the point that I excused myself to the bathroom to look up on my blackberry just what she was going to do to my hair. As I was deciding on the color (I opted to put a slight reddish hint in the hair), 3 different stylists came over to give their 2 cents. Within 30 minutes, I had a beautiful cut and a beautiful tint to my hair.
The service is second to none. In my time there, many «regulars» came and went, and each of us were treated exactly the same. I’ve reviewed a lot of stylists, but this salon, as a whole, was the best of the best. I just scheduled my second cut with Adriana, but I would feel comfortable going to see anyone if she weren’t there.

This salon is a hidden gem on the UES. Sake is the manager/​head stylist-​I have known him for YEARS and he always does a great job. They have a spa section where you can get your nails done and waxing while you are getting your processes done.
You can get Japanese relaxer, Keratin treatments, color, cuts, great blow dry and flat iron and all sorts of up dos, styles and beyond.
I recommend this salon.