Tokuyama Salon East Village

I have been going Tokuyama Salon in UES location since 2012, but this is the first time to visit EV location for Japanese hair straightening. I have so much hair with thick and dry/​frizzy hair but right after I had the straightening done, omg, my hair became a stick straight and silky touch hair. Absolutely gorgeous hair and I got tons of complements! :) Aimi did a fantastic job. I always 100% satisfied with the results at Tokuyama Salon.
They offered a 30% off discount as a first time client for EV location even though I have been to UES location. What a generous giver!
They said I can get a 20% off discount if I introduce new client, so I introduced my friend and she had a great hair cut by Aimi. The receptionist said they also do GROUPON and Life Booker. Only Life Booker voucher can be used for both locations.
I cannot wait to go back for hair cut with a 20% off discount next month!
I highly recommend this salon to all. Great deal, skills, stuff and décor!
The new location in Tribeca was gorgeous!

I had the most pleasant and relaxing experiencing at this salon. Tomoko was my stylist, and she is so great! I had been wanting to color my hair for almost half a year, and after much research, I decided to come to Tokuyama Salon East Village. If you haven’t seen from previous reviews, first-​time customers get 30% off!
I cannot stress enough how attentive, caring, and sweet Tomoko is. When I first arrived, we spoke about what I wanted. My hair color is nearly black, and it’s thick with a bit of a wave. I told her that I wanted a silver/​grey, but she was keen on letting me know that it would only be possible with two sessions of bleach. She recommended on only one bleach session since two would be much too damaging to my hair. I appreciate the fact that although she could have charged me for two bleach sessions, she cared enough about the health of my hair more. She said she would bleach my hair and try her best to color it to a dark grey/​ashy brown.
Throughout the process, she continually updated me on what she would be applying next, how long the color/​bleach would sit for, and when she planned on washing my hair. It kept me at ease, especially since it was my first time coloring my hair. In the end, Tomoko was able to get my hair to a dark grey/​ashy brown, which was exactly the color I wanted. I was actually surprised (and expecting the worst) since after the first bleach, my hair was still a solid orange/​yellow. Tomoko said she would try her best to make my request happen, and she definitely delivered!
In terms of cost, I’d say it is a good price considering the quality of hair care I received. With one session of bleach, single process color, blow dry ($ 16), one bottle of color treatment shampoo ($ 15), and one bottle of treatment ($ 17), the total came out to $ 210 (which excludes tip and includes the 30% discount).
Just a few tips/​points for those of you who are planning your next visit here:
— Pay by cash (I believe there’s a surcharge when paying by credit/​debit), so when booking the appointment ask for an estimate so you know approximately how much cash to bring
— They accept tips by cash only
— If you refer a friend, you’ll also get 20% off on your next visit
— Get your hair done by Tomoko! She really is so skilled, meticulous, and sweet. She’s only been in NYC for 7 months, so help a girl out!

Tomoko at Tokuyama in East Village is 1 of the best salons I have ever been to because they gave me exactly the best, most perfect long hair-​long layers cut for me that was necessary to achieve the overall style — hair that is pretty & beautiful more than trendy — that I wanted.
I was in East Village when I realized my hair needed a trim, and friends encouraged me to try Tokuyama. Tomoko was my stylist and between her and the senior stylist it was well explained to me why I should cut more than I had initially requested so that I could achieve exactly the look I wanted, The result: Exactly, Perfectly what I want my hair to be.
The ambiance there is warm, chic and friendly, and very, very stylish, i.e., the neighborhood and the salon are for people who really care about their hair, clothing, their look. It’s a pleasant comfortable place.
Also their English is really, really good and in addition to talking about the cut, style and treatment, they show you so that there is no miscommunication.
The process and the result are total perfection.

My stylist, Suguru, did a fabulous job of redoing my ombré. He was very congenial & explained each step as he did it.
I had a great experience and do see myself going back in the near future. However, a couple of things turned me off. Firstly, the salon charges $ 32 for a blowout which is usually a service included at other salons I have been to (both in NYC, LA and Philadelphia). Secondly, Tokuyama tacks on 4.5% if you pay with plastic, so be sure to take cash!

Booked and have my hair cut by Hikaru, he is very attentive and details with the cut and gave me suggestions without being too pushy. Had a good scalp massage when I had my hair washed. Since I was there on a weekday, it was nice and quiet, no mad rush and ask the staff, like typical Japanese services are top notch.

I would give this no stars if I could. DO NOT GO TO THIS HAIR SALON, ESPECIALLY TO SUGURU. He is a very rude and insensitive person.
I met Suguru and we discussed my hair situation and what I should do. I came in for a dye because my previous color process at a different salon did not go well and my hair color was very patchy. Then all of a sudden even when I thought we decided on what we should do, he suddenly says that he can’t do my hair today and to reschedule, because it would take 3 hours and he only had 2 hours till his next appointment. At first I was a bit alarmed because I was not informed of this time frame and asked him why no one told me that he had a time frame and that it wasn’t right to just «send me back.» I am a customer who made an appointment. He then made very snarky remarks how customers usually call in about the details of their hair and what they want to do (indirectly blaming me for his «tight schedule» that I would have no idea in knowing about). This is when I started to get angry. I told him that while I was making the appointment via phone call the night before, that I tried telling the lady on the line about my hair situation and what I wanted to do. She just kept saying okay and that it will be fine, just come tomorrow and the stylist will take care of it. And I don’t know if he was just embarrassed that I rebutted his claim or if he was just being plain rude but he kept asking who it was and just started making excuses saying I had to understand his situation. Are you kidding me? First you start blaming me and when I did exactly what you said I should have done and was ultimately ignored by the lady on the phone, you act like a little b*tch and try to make more excuses? I did not travel 40 minutes early in the morning being informed that everything would be okay, to be turned back because he suddenly «doesn’t have time to do my hair.» I’ve dyed and bleached my hair multiple times for many years, and never have I EVER heard such excuses in my life. Or been handled in such a way. Even if a stylist has a customer coming in a couple of hours, they understand it was their mistake and try to get to work as soon as possible. And when the next customer comes, they work simultaneously. And each customer is understanding if the stylist is a way for a little bit here and there. It’s their job.
Seriously unbelievable, worst customer service EVER. Suguru’s an a**hole. Do NOT go here at all. I found another salon right after and the stylist was in a similar situation but she didn’t turn me back (even despite me not having an appointment!) and my hairs amazing now. :)
DON’T GO TO SUGURU. horrible, horrible man.

A delayed review.
I came here about a month ago. I took my chance because I got a good groupon deal.
I was a bit nervous dealing with a new stylist because all women are always VERY PARTICULAR about their hair which is your crowning glory!
My stylist is SUGURU and I highly recommend him. He was very careful in cutting my hair and listened to what I wanted. He also gave me the perfect hair color which was subtle and almost natural looking for my olive skin tone.
I only got the groupon for a haircut and I paid extra for my color and recommended conditioner. I didn’t mind paying extra because everything was perfect!
I walked out of there with a big smile! I highly recommend and will surely come back.
I highly recommend SUGURU! Thank you for my great cut, color and condition! See you soon.

I liked this salon since I’d learnt from Unilocal,but only dared to try when I got a Groupon coupon. According to Groupon ad, I would get appointed to a director level stylist to do my hair, but when I called the salon they said my hair could only be done with regular stylist. A little bit disappointed, I chose Kazu anyway. And I’m glad that he didn’t disappoint me at all. He was quite quiet, yet very honest and professional. When I showed him my preference pictures, he knew exactly what I wanted. He didn’t try to sell me products like many other hair stylists in other salons I had gone to. Instead, he gave me simple advices on how to blow dry my hair right so that it can still have the salon look days after my haircut. Generally, I’m very happy with my experience at Tokuyama salon with Kazu and the staff there.

I had a fabulous experience here. Everyone was very attentive, polite, and warm. I haven’t gotten my haircut in a while, and I’m quite accustomed to my long locks, but I definitely needed to rejuvenate it. I found this salon through Groupon and got a conditioning treatment, a cut, and blow dry.
Some background info on my hair: thick, straight/​wavy and slightly frizzy. It’s been colored in the past and the ends of my hair looked fried.
I have a very crazy schedule and Nami, the manager, fit me in the next day even when it was somewhat inconvenient for them. The place closes at 8 but I stayed past it, for which I am very grateful. She is also very friendly. She is great!
Chika shampooed my hair and gave a great scalp massage. He’s incredibly nice and attentive to what’s going on, asking me if the water is an okay temperature. He made me feel very comfortable. He also helped to blow dry the rest of my hair.
Hikaru is an artist; I didn’t really give him many ideas on what to do, I just wanted to let him do his thing. He said layers would look good and would take off two inches to which I agreed to. Thankfully, he was skillful and he cut my hair with superb artistry. He was very detail oriented in which pieces to cut off and made sure everything was even. Also, he didn’t point out the terrible state my hair was in, lol.
All in all I had a great experience here and I definitely recommend this place. They are very accommodating and I felt fabulous after leaving the salon. I will absolutely return!

Worth it just for the excellently thorough hair wash! I had Ray, and she did an excellent men’s short hair cut. Good value for the price, and friendly staff. I’ll be a repeat customer.
If you’re paying with a credit card make sure to bring cash for a tip, as you can’t tip with card.

Suguru is very professional. He gave me suggestions on my hair color and hair style, which turns out to be great! I have relatively little hair, and I keep my hair short for a long time. He did such a great job on cutting and making my hair look puffy. The environment is cozy and the staff is very friendly. Totally recommend this place!
Sorry for forgetting about tipping by cash. I will definitely tip more next time!

I don’t usually write reviews for anything, but the praise for Kazu is much much deserved. I decided to get a haircut minutes before making the appointment on a Monday afternoon. I was fit in just a few hours after for an appointment with him. I barely had any idea of what I wanted the cut to be so he had a very vague image to work with. Even though I was pretty useless and really just wanted my hair chopped off, he did an amazing job. I’m really happy with my hair. He was very sweet as well. I will definitely go back and request Kazu.

I had purchased a Groupon for a haircut and blow dry. I had heard very good things about this place which my friend visiting from Japan confirmed!
Suguru listened carefully to what I wanted and gave me his thoughts. They were right in line with what I wanted, it was nice to actually be heard by the hairdresser. He was meticulous in cutting my hair not too much just right. And where I was tremendously impressed was with the blow dry. He took his time and gave me the most beautiful blow out I’ve gotten in years. Even topped it off by using the flat iron. I got so many compliments on my straight look :-)
The staff is extremely pleasant, accommodating and low-​key. I really enjoyed the whole experience at the salon and I’m looking forward to my next visit already!

I read Unilocal review then choose Kazu to give me haircut.
I don’t know how come he has such high review in Unilocal because he is good looking? He spent less than 10 min, oh probably 3 – 5 min to give me the hair cut. Then probably 30 min to do the blow dry. The result looking seems incompletely.(is that because first time with discount and quality discount too?) I was not really satisfied with the hair but he is very insist his work. The hair end is cannot be detailed check and seems one cut to finish. If you would like to find a good-​looking and less care about the quality, then go for it! good luck!

The hairdresser cut my hair 3 inches shorter than I asked, and made styling decisions without consulting me first (the hair at the back is curved; I did not want this). When I told him it was shorter than expected, he just shrugged his hair and said «yeah.»
Are you kidding me?
I will not be going back.

I went in to get my hair dyed for the first time, a little nervous. Suguru new exactly what I wanted and what would look good with my complexion and the shape of my face. I am so incredibly happy by the outcome– blew my expectations out of the water! I would recommend this place to anyone!

I was so excited to try this salon. I was very disappointed by Aimi’s cutting skills. I wish I made an appt with the owner. I showed a picture for Aimi of the hair the owner did and she could not replicate it. She doesn’t know how to do layers AT ALL. I tipped her more than 20% on her original price even though I used a groupon. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
I might go back one day to try the owner but right now my hair is pathetic looking. I could have paid 20 bucks at a Hair Cuttery to do the same style. I paid over 65 for this basic plain haircut
Not convenient location

The place is tiny but cosy. The staff is very nice and customer focused.
For once I like my haircut :)

Ok so it was my first time coming here. I brought the groupon deal. I was a little scared at first because I never heard of the place. But because of the amazing reviews on Unilocal I went for it!
The staff was veryyyy friendly! Ray cut my hair! She was the best! My haircut came out beautiful but the blow out was ok but the deep condition treatment was very very good!
Overall it was a great experience and I’m debating whether ill be back or not because of the random location!
DEF be a little adventerous and try it out!

This Salon is a little out of my price range, even with the discount (1^st time customer or grupon), but I’m willing to save up for it + the good tips I want to give the hairdresser and shampoo person, for a decent haircut in this city.
Yes, I have straight asian hair– you’d think any «budget» place can easily cut a nice simple style, not hack it away or thin it out to whispy crispy ends. No more Mian Tiang Sing Salon or Wang’s Hair Salon: the first haircut is great, then every time after it progressively gets worse. Japanese Salons only for me– my non-​asian professor was the one who recommended this.
I’ve been to the main Tokuyama Salon a few times, with their 1^st-​time customer discount, 3hr. $ 20 training session as a hair model, maybe once or twice full price. I highly recommend this salon, either location. A friend told me about their new East Village location opening up. The attention to detail, first having a 5−10minute consultation– looking at your hair, the condition of it, at pictures, suggesting how to get more body out of it with a cut, asking if you put your hair up in a ponytail (so the shortest layers will be able to reach the elastic– duh!). Kazu was great, calm, and patient. My appointment was at 3pm on a Saturday, I left close to 5pm!
The technique the stylists use, as trained by the owner, is meticulous, dividing your hair into different sections, combing each section forward, examining the way it falls, and snipping the tiniest bits. They start with a rough wet cut, then blow dry (so straight!), then a more detailed cut. I feel like every stylist I’d had cares, and is paying attention to all the details that encompass a nice haircut! even the shape of your face, more blunt ends (not wispy) for healthier-​looking hair, etc.
This salon was decorated simply, in a rustic and modern way. With light brazilian music playing. The owner’s cute little dog was just hanging out on the couch. There’s a little patio in the back– wonder if they would ever have outdoor «Summertime Salon Sessions.» ;)
Customer Service was great as usual, although I would have like to been offered water or tea from the spread, as the HQ location immediately does.
I’m really picky about my hair and it took me a long time to get it Very long, I just wanted a shape-​up, but didn’t want it to look flat either. At the beginning Kazu suggested a few more inches off– I was hesitant. After the first round, we looked at the hair again and decided to cut off 2 more inches. NOW– with my PTSD with hair salons, i wouldn’t have considered at all, but I trusted Kazu completely and it looks great. Thank you Kazu for a lovely haircut!