MessLook Hair & Spa

Even though I rarely get haircuts or hair treatments, Messlook has been the only reliable salon I have been to that cuts and styles hair the way I want. I have been coming here ever since they branched off from Mess on Mott street and I have to say, the staff are still if not even more helpful and attentive to customers. Every time I come here for a hair treatment which takes at least 2 hours, they always ask me whether I want something to drink or eat.
As for the price, it’s pretty much average for a regular young people salon in Chinatown: $ 30 more or less. The hair treatments however are much cheaper than many other salons in Forest Hills (maybe it’s average for Asian prices?). I wanted to get a keratin treatment and all of the salons I called responded that it was around $ 200 which does not include a haircut, whereas at Messlook, it was $ 138 including a haircut. I’d say that is a real bargain.
So why did I give 3 stars? This is partly my fault for not researching the keratin treatment thoroughly but I felt that the stylist was not as helpful in understanding the type of hair I have. To start off, I have very frizzy and dry hair and before this salon opened, I have been to different salons to ask for their advice, all of which said to get a Japanese straightening treatment. My hair was pin straight just the way I wanted and I was extremely satisfied. However, right after I washed my hair, my hair changed back to the way it was. $ 200 down the drain, hence I rarely ask for a straightening treatment. Then my mom suggested I try again and I came here. I forget her name but there was a female staff, not a stylist, who suggested that instead of getting a straightening, I should get a hair treatment that adds oils and nutrients back into my hair, that way my hair can become straighter. I forgot what this treatment was called so I assumed it was the «keratin treatment». This was the first time, someone suggested another treatment to me other than the straightening treatment. And lo and behold, my hair was still straight even after I washed my hair! I was amazed and super excited. This treatment lasted for a year too!
So, I came back asking for the «keratin treatment». When the stylist whipped out the hair straightener, I panicked and asked why he pulled it out. Then I proceeded to tell him about the treatment I mentioned above. He replied, «That just makes your hair softer, it does not straighten your hair. The keratin treatment is the only treatment that makes your hair straight.» I told him about my past experiences. He was in denial and said, «It should work and your hair will stay straight for 4 months and may even last up to half a year.» However, we were already half way into the treatment and I didn’t think they would stop this treatment and switch to the other one, so I just nodded my head and smiled.
Three days later, I washed my hair and other than my hair being a bit softer, there was absolutely no difference between before the treatment and after the treatment. $ 138 down the drain again. I’m very sad, but not disappointed because I knew this was going to happen. I’m still going to come back to Messlook for haircuts and maybe ask for the treatment the female staff recommended. But the keratin treatment? Never again.

Got my hair done by lee again, this time a darker tone of grayish blue ombré super cute my hair look more healthy. service is great,

Jimmy Wong is awesome! Highly recommended! Love the gold highlights and soft waves style. Perfect for a romantic beach walk!

My third visit at messlook today. The first two times I dealt with Ricky but after seeing my friend’s hair when she dealt with Vincent Lee; I decided to come back again. So Vincent is a friend recommendation and I also did some Unilocal research and heard he’s pretty good. I decided to give him a try. I called in advance to book with him.
I showed Vincent the hair color I wanted. He was very honest and told me that because my hair was previously dyed black, it’ll be difficult to get it to the color I want. He didn’t make any promises and told me that I would probably not be expecting the same color. Even though my hair didn’t come out looking like the picture, I’m very satisfied with the color. His customer service was amazing and I will be returning to look for him for my next coloring.

Walked into Messlook without an appointment or any idea of what I want for my hair. They quickly greeted me and started right away with a simple consultation. I walked in with splotchy hair of purple & gray and brown roots. Left the salon with an ombré (dark grey & purple). I was assisted by the hair stylist Vincent Lee. Vincent was very attentive and meticulous about the hair process but it was mostly the assistant that did the coloring. Overall the service was friendly and the pricing was decent, definitely coming back in the future. Definitely recommend Vincent Lee for coloring, he knows what he’s doing!

I came to Mess Look after reading lots of good reviews about this place. I came in Saturday around 12 and requested Lee to do my hair. It was already getting crowded around that time. I showed Lee what I wanted to do. I wanted a balayage and told him I didn’t want really bright hair since it wasn’t suitable for my work place. His assistant worked on my hair most of the time. Lee checked on it couple of times. The colored comes out really nice and also the hair cut from Lee was really good. I recommend getting Lee to do your hair.

I’ve been trying to go from dark brown to platinum for several months now, and the price that MessLook was offering was too hard to resist! I booked an appointment with Lee on a weekday, so I didn’t have to wait at all. I showed him pictures of what I wanted and unfortunately, the texture of my hair could only go so far (and not as white as I had wanted it), but he did a great job explaining why and giving me other options.
I also highly recommend the moisturizing treatment, especially if you are going under bleach a few times, because it’s totally worth it to soften up and repair your hair in my opinion. The only complaint that I might add is that the assistant was a little sloppy and as she was stroking the bleach into my hair, it like slipped out of her hand and hit me in the eye ;(Nothing serious but ya know… Anyways, I still think you’re getting the bang for your buck at this place and I am absolutely in love with my new hair~

Who doesn’t want a new look for the summer? I know I do!
What I wanted was to cut and lighten my hair for the summer. So I walked around trying to find a place and had a few suggestions from my peeps. Since I wasn’t impressed with their cut and color.(shh don’t tell them that) I was on a mission to find another place.
Serendipitous, every salon was closed after having dinner but Messlook still had a client in there. So, I walked into Messlook to ask about pricing for color. They said they are closed but was still very personable and answered my questions. I’m very particular about the color I wanted and Jimmy said it could be done but will take some time to achieve it. Actually, we started bleaching my hair that night during after-​hours… Which I totally appreciate because I just can’t sit still for so many hours. And for everyone that can. kudos to you.
My stylist is Jimmy Wong and his assistant (sorry forgot her name) colored and bleached my hair. So, she was pretty much stuck with me through this whole process. Jimmy did come and supervise on my process constantly. Even if he was busy, he was always on point with all his customers hair process. Oh yeah, that day was super packed.
The bleaching process did take forever but I wanted it done right so I stuck it all the way through. All I have to say is that if you wanted a lighter ombré like me then it will definitely be a few hours. Like count all the fingers on one hand few hours. The cut was pretty painless and Jimmy would use his expert advice to help you decide on a cut.
FYI, I have colored my hair with some dark browns and black in the past year, so all virgin hairs would be half my time.
Okay, now for the breakdown:
COLOR– super happy with my color
CUT– pretty happy. liking it more as the day went on
ACCOMMODATION– super happy that I started on my process the night before
PRICE– pretty good. the price included bleaching, coloring, shampoo, blow-​dry, styling and cut
SERVICE– happy but assistant said she was going to clean my forehead but still had a stain
RECOMMENDATION– definitely! Overall I am very happy with my hair and would even go through that torturous process again with Jimmy Wong and his assistant.

Stylist: Ricky
Process: Not so great
End result: Not the color I wanted
Recommendation: Would not recommend coming here
My friend and I decided to come here to get our hair done. We chose the same ombré but our end results were completely different. Ricky’s assistant washed my hair and I felt like she did a bad job. She washed my hair three times and throughout those times, I felt like she was digging into my scalp for my brain. She forgot to cover my ears when she was putting bleach on my hair, so my ears were getting burned. I complained to Ricky, and he covered each of my ear with a tissue. Honestly, that didn’t help at all because the tissue kept falling off my ears and my ears continued to burn from the bleach.
When Ricky was dyeing my hair, his technique was bad. You can take my word on this because his boss even yelled at him in front of everyone. In the end, the color of my hair came out to be what you see below in contrast to what I wanted (ashy brown). Additionally, black residue comes off my hair (I believe it’s from the black dye that they used), which makes me believe that they didn’t wash my hair properly. I know it’s not my fault because I’ve followed their instructions (don’t wash hair for 3 – 4 days to keep the color).
Aside from all the ranting above, I would say they have good service. However, their methods and techniques are in need of improvement. I wouldn’t recommend coming here unless you have money to throw away. You would expect to get what you’ve asked for if you’re paying $ 178 or at least close to what you’ve asked for but clearly I didn’t.
PS — Even though the end result did not come out to be what I requested, it was still nice.

I recently been to Messlook to get my hair color — specifically ombré. My hair stylist was Vincent Lee. He was a cool guy but it was mainly his assistant that was with me throughout the whole coloring process. So a big plus to Hugo, his assistant, for coloring my hair.
The color came out as what I somewhat expected, it was maybe a tad ashy-​er, but I was fine with it. The only complaint I have is that after coming out of the salon, my head gets really itchy. When I scratch my head, brown hair dye residue was stuck in my nails. I had to wash my hair the next day. After washing my hair, my hair feels very sticky and I’m not sure why.

I heard a lot of good things about this salon from a few of my friends so I decided to book my appointment a week or so before going in. I’ve asked for Vincent LEE (if you go in just ask for LEE, there are two Vincent’s working at Messlook) and although he didn’t assess my hair as much as I hoped, he quickly went to work with my hair. I’ve asked for a balayage and a hair cut and explained to him that it was my first time dying and wanted a natural brown color. Throughout the process, Vincent checked on my hair a couple of times while his assistant colored my hair.
Overall, my experience was great but I wished Vincent had worked more on my hair rather than his assistant. Other than that, I loveeee how it came out and love the cut!

What I got done. Double process: mostly dark brown virgin hair except the ends, which were previously dyed TO silver blue & treatment for damaged hair.
This was my first time bleaching my hair, so I was nervous but Simon and Shirley were the perfect duo. Simon, the stylist was upfront with me and told me my hair wouldn’t look EXACTLY like the photo, which is expected. I appreciated his honesty and decided to just trust him, so I set my expectations at a reasonable rate. Shirley, his assistant was very friendly and patiently explained the price and the process of what they were doing.
One less star, because the process took longer than it had to. Simon was busy running from client to client, but I was the only appointment of the day he knew of in advance. The salon space is big, so it’s not a relaxing/​intimate environment. It would’ve also been nice to get some post-​double process instructions, but everyone was running around so I just researched on my own and got some fancy shmancy sulfate-​free shampoo/​conditioner at Ricky’s.
I also had to return a second time, because I did not get my desired color at my first visit. However, Simon was really understanding and had me back a few days after to add more color at no charge.
Overall, it was a pleasant experience with good prices. The final color is PERFECT and I will def return for touch-​ups! Make sure to ask for Simon and Shirley, they know what they’re doing when it comes to color.

Came here by recommendation from 3 of my friends. I called 2 weeks ahead of time to schedule an appointment with lee on a Tuesday. They called the day before stating that he was off Tuesday’s. Huge inconvenience for me so I just booked the appointment for that day.
Lee and his assistant was really nice and had great customer service. Lee said my hair was dyed red before so it would be hard to get my dream light blonde hair. Lee suggested a lot of things and made me feel so comfortable. After all the magic it didn’t come out the exact way I wanted but it was still great! It came out to be ashy blonde even thought the pic doesn’t show it that way. I have to say his assistant is AWESOME. He was so caring and carful with my hair. I love my hair! And tipped them extra cause they stayed later to do my hair and great customer service!

I have been coming to this place for years and they never disappoint! I personally always go to RICKY but all of the other stylists are talented as well. Their service is outstanding, always asking if you are comfortable and making sure you’re okay. I haven’t dyed my hair in a long time and it was a dark brown when I came in asking to be blonde. The process took about 4 hours and I couldn’t be more happier with the results! Perfect for the summer :)

From Shanghai to New York (and DC too if that matters at all lol), Vincent Lee is THE stylist I’m the happiest with! I have super long, voluminous, coarse and frizzy Asian hair and have been frustrated w most upscale midtown salons in the fashion district. Lee knows how to tame, curl and style my hair and literally makes a shiny and wavy pattern out of the straight and dull texture. I’ve done colors and ombré w Lee over the years and each time it was a blast – always gain appreciative stares along my subway ride back lol. Have two photos attached here – new color perm, intense blondish red. I had ombré about 8 mon ago (by Lee too) so the color still shows a nice ombré-​ish gradient spectrum.
The salon is located right by the BD grant st station, easily accessible from midtown.

To be honest, I wasn’t gonna write a review because I wasn’t completely happy with how my hair turned out but the service here is good so I wasn’t sure what kind of review to write. I came here a total of two times (back to back) the first day I came and left with a completely ashy blonde all over my head, which wasn’t what I asked for. However, my stylist, Anson did mention that I can come back within 14 days if there’s any problems and they’ll fix it, which is what I did. This time he was really attentive to what I wanted and I’m really happy with how it turned out and I think it’s perfect for the summer. Anson took his time to dry and style my hair even though it was the second time around. Also, when I asked for a trim, that was what I got. I told him I wanted to keep the same length but to brush up the ends so it didn’t look too damaged. He did a good job!
His assistant is Hugo and he also deserves recognition because he was also very nice and always made sure he wasn’t pulling my hair too much. I came on a weekend and it was busy but they didn’t make me feel rushed at all. When I came back the second day and thought they would have an attitude but they were both willing to correct it to how I liked it. The customer service here is really good so you can tell they sincerely want their customers to be happy and to come back.
If it’s your first time coloring, really take your time to talk to your stylist about what you want. Sometimes mistakes happen when there’s miscommunication so don’t be afraid to talk to your stylist and ask for his/​her opinion as well!

I arrived at 1pm to dye my hair and it took about 5 hours. I was a little nervous at first but everything turned out great!
When I got there, they immediately seated me and everyone was really nice and attentive. I had requested Lee because of the previous Unilocal reviews and I was correct in listening to them. He did an amazing job! I had a picture of what I had wanted and he followed it really well! He’s really talented and knows what he’s doing! If you go there, definitely request him!
Plus the ombré/​balayage package is such a good deal! Definitely coming back!

I went to MessLook for the first time with high expectations after reading so many positive reviews. Here are my thoughts:
Pros:
1. LEE did an amazing job recreating the style that I wanted– I was going for an ombré/​grey balayage style. He told me it’ll come out with a blue-​undertone but eventually fade to grey after several washes. Photos to follow. He was also VERY nice and kept apologizing for the long-​wait on a busy Saturday afternoon. I still love the blue-​toned hair, although it’s a transitional color. It’s subtle, yet adds a pop of color when under daylight.
2. Michelle, the woman who bleached my hair, was very attentive to the progress. She constantly checked up on me even though she had multiple clients to tend to.
Con:
1. The salon is VERY busy during the weekends, so I would recommend scheduling an appointment on a weekday. I had expected my style to take several hours to accomplish– it took approximately 6 hours. Once again, LEE was very apologetic for taking so long to accomplish the styles. However, my friend and I had a nice chat with him, so time flew by pretty quickly.

This was my first time here. My two friends and I made an appointment together and originally all three of us were suppose to balayage/​ombré our hair, but i decided against further damaging my already grass-​textured hair and settled for a regular cut instead. They both chose Lee because of the reviews on Unilocal,but I walked in kinda blind as to who to choose for a cut. Since it was a Saturday afternoon, the place was loaded with people and there was a bit of a wait on my part, but I didn’t mind because everyone was nice and trying to accommodate all of the clients as soon and as much as possible.
The staff asked me for my preference on who to choose, but I said I had none being that it was my first time– I ended up with Ricky, who was super nice and did a great job cutting my hair! He was probably disappointed that I just wanted a super boring, one length, no bangs, and no layers hairstyle, but he made it much more interesting by curling it at the end. Would come back, thank you Ricky!

Just got my hair done here and I am in love with it!
I made an appointment for 11:00 AM with LEE. I came 20 mins early but they had no problem starting me early. I was greeted by a woman named Poly who also help bleach my hair and wash my hair. She is a great at making conversation. She offered me water and sat me down quickly to start the process. LEE was super attentive throughout the process — checking up on me and reassuring that my hair won’t be damaged. The end result of my hair was perfect (see my pics)! I already gotten a couple of compliments from my friends already. The price here for any ombré/​balayage is $ 178 including a haircut and wash — super affordable! I will definitely come back and have LEE do my hair again when it grows out!