Graceland

Cole was amazing! For the last few years, I have been searching all over the city for someone who can make me look naturally blonde, as I always have growing up in California, and not brassy or bright or one color like I often will see here in NY! He gave me the most fantastic highlights and lowlights, and has a great eye for color.
He was a fantastic listener and despite the fact that I didn’t have any photos he was able to totally understand what I wanted and also give me great guidance and advice also, which I needed!
He’s so meticulous and took time to make me feel perfectly confident with my one and only accessory-​my hair!
I came out of the basin immediately knowing that it was perfect. I feel like I’m finally back to me and love my new look!
And I get compliments on my color EVERY DAY! Straight, curly, however I wear it the color looks stunning!
Thank you Cole!

This review is for Trudie Kaiser.
Trudie is amazing! I showed her a few pictures to give her an idea of what I wanted, and she came up with a custom design that was better than my original vision. I love her style and wanted her to add her own special touch to my tattoo, and she did exactly that. She is a perfectionist and has a light hand — two characters you definitely want when someone’s putting permanent art on your body — taking careful time to make sure everything, down to the placement, was absolutely perfect.
Trudie’s super cool, funny and fun to talk to. Great experience all around — very highly recommended.

My tattoo artist was Cheo. As an artist, he is OK. Especially if you come with your own design that doesn’t need any changes. However, if you want any input from your tattoo artist, any changes to your design — he is the worst. He wouldn’t give me any advice at all. He didn’t seem friendly. Once I explained what kind of tattoo I wanted and showed him some samples, he basically just combine a couple of them (no original work) and showed me only outlines, not full design. But the worst part is he just doesn’t care and doesn’t pay attention to details. So, he made a mistake in my tattoo, which took two more sessions to correct. Not a good experience at all.

I was wanting an edgy haircut. After reading many glowing reviews I decided to take the plunge and set up an appointment with Gunther. The salon has a relaxed atmosphere, great design details inside. The young lady at the desk was incredibly nice and made me feel very comfortable. After he was done with his current client, Gunther sat down on a stool in front of me, smiled and asked «so what are we doing today?» I instantly felt comfortable with him. I gave him a vague idea of what I wanted, and he more than delivered! I was afraid to find out what it was going to cost and was pleasantly surprised to find it quite reasonable considering the wonderful service! I will definitely be returning and highly recommend Gunther & Graceland!

My hair was about 5 different shades of brown, red, and blonde, with ashy roots. Sean did an amazing color correction and brought it back close to my natural color.
Thanks!

Cool as it gets. I love spending time here getting my done. I have been going to Kimberly Wyma for years and she is the best of the best. Her experience and soulfulness make for a fantastic haircut and for fun, classy color/​highlights. I have curly hair and she knows how to shape my hairstyle to where I am at that moment. She’s very good at listening and will give you exactly what you want. People always comment on my hair and I credit Kimberly!

I truly hate Unilocaling for negative purposes but this is easily the worst haircut I’ve EVER gotten. I asked for a LONG BOB (even showed a specific picture of a haircut!!). a style that is super in trend right now, so you should be able to do that for the $ 100 you’re charging me, right?! WRONG!!! I cant even explain to you the haircut I received. It’s like a pixie in the back with dog ears flapping in the front. I feel like the girl had no idea what she was doing and just got lost in the haircut. I dont think she had any experience.
I called the salon before my appointment and explained to them the kind of haircut I wanted because I wanted a change and they specifically recommended her!!! My hair was at least 6 inches past my shoulders so she had plenty hair to work with and she absolutely RUINED it!!! I look crazy, I can’t style it at all (and I’m very good at styling my hair) it just doesn’t look good no matter which way I wear it.
I ended up calling and getting a refund, which I definitely appreciate and respect the salon for, but the money doesn’t make up for the months it’s going to take to grow out and fix this mess on my head. You shouldn’t put new clients who want a change with someone who has no clue what to do with her scissors. I probably would have gotten a better haircut at the crummy barber shop across the street.

As far as East Side Ink and Graceland Tattoo shops go, they are clean, comfortable and expensive (but you get what you pay for).
My experience with Raul Suarez was extremely good each time I’ve seen him (once at east side and once at Graceland). I spent a long time looking for an artist who’s work I felt was good enough to be on my body for life and after a ton of research I was lucky enough to find him. His work flows on your body, which is what grabbed me at first. Check out his Facebook page because for some reason a lot of his work isn’t on the shops website.
Raul also knows when to make the work soft or sharp opposed to some where the work will always look either/​or. Another very good trait Raul has is that he actually works with you rather than shying away from something that might be challenging.
He’s a pleasure to work with. Very sociable, patient, and easy going and honestly one of the nicest people I’ve met in the business so far.
Glad I searched out this very talented artist!

I cannot speak highly enough of my experience at Graceland. Kimberly is truly talented and thoughtful. She did a fantastic job with both my color and cut. I couldn’t be happier with the result :)

Bart is a wonderful colorist. He even gave me the option to come back in a week if I wasn’t satisfied with my ballyage, and he added more blonde pieces at no charge. Very sweet and accommodating.

I’ve been here twice, both times to get a haircut from Gunther — oh yes, he’s great! The entire staff is friendly and helpful. Bonus: you’ll always walk out of here looking like a movie star. I can’t say anything more complementary than that. You’ll feel like a billion dollars when you walk out of here (but you definitely don’t have to pay that much).

Getting tattooed here is rad! Staff is super nice and amazingly talented! Ask for Jess she’s amazing!

Ok. I have never left a review on Unilocal (I know… pretty lame… Im working on it!) But I chose Graceland strictly on a search that led me here on Unilocal and after reading some raves about Josh, I figured wtf. This may be the best cut I have ever had. One week in and looking better than day one. See you soon my friend!

My husband won a gift certificate for a haircut at Graceland, which he so graciously passed on to me. A few months passed, and I called to set up an appointment. Sadly, the girl listed on the gift certificate (Sarah, I think?) was no longer working there! Graceland was kind enough to honor the gift certificate and set me up with an appointment with Gunther. I was able to get in within a few days, so on a Saturday evening in July I found myself making my way to Brooklyn to get my hair did.
I sat around waiting for quite awhile (maybe 30 mins?) because Gunther was finishing up with another client. I had friends waiting for me at a bar but luckily they weren’t in a hurry for me to meet up with them.
After waiting I finally got to talk to Gunther about what I was thinking (I have a pixie cut that I desperately needed cleaned up – I wanted to go super short and maybe a little more punk-​y). After chatting with him I was whisked away by a cowboy-​boot-​wearing dude who washed my hair. I have to say, I’ve never had my hair washed by a guy before, and it was great. I felt like I got an awesome scalp massage out of the deal because his hands were larger than the girls’ who normally wash my hair at other salons.
After I was all washed up, Gunther proceeded to work his magic. He was very meticulous and spent a looooong time making sure everything was perfect. My friends got bored at the bar and ended up showing up at Graceland to await my finished haircut and decide what our next move would be.
I ended up with a 0 to 5 fade (meaning the hair was shaved at the nape of my neck and just above the ears). It was great — perfect for the remaining HOT summer months. I did have to make sure to put sunscreen on my newly nearly hair-​free areas. Didn’t want to burn my scalp — ouch!
Anyway, my free haircut was a raging success, but I feel I have to subtract a star for the wait time (as well as the obscene amount of time it took to cut my very short hair). Gunther did emphasize that I could come back for a free touchup in a few weeks as needed. I didn’t end up taking him up on that offer as I moved out of the area — but I would definitely see him again if/​when I am back in NYC!

I’ve been coming here for a whole now these guys are great!
Josh has done some of my Tattos an I’m in the middle of another side piece with him. He’s great very soft hand an will always check to make sure I’m ok.
Needles is THE MAN !!!
He is doing a cover up for me. I had this terrible tribal butterfly which is at this point almost «gone» I couldn’t be happier !!!

A little background info… I have been going to Barton Miller for my color for almost 2 years. The first time Barton colored my hair, I went from my natural brown color to a very bold and daring red. It was my first time coloring my hair red in my life, so you bet I was nervous. Let me tell you, it turned out amazing! It isn’t easy to wear such a bold red, and for a colorist to get it right with a persons skin tone, but I have never had so many compliments about my hair in my life! Since the first time coloring, we’ve played around with variations of the red from auburn, to bold red-​orange, and to a deeper red/​mahogany. I’ve even had the bold red with strategically placed chocolate brown highlights that were settle but gave just enough variation.
Last week I went to visit Barton for the first time at his new spot at Graceland. This time, after almost 2 years, I was ready to change the red… I wanted blonde hair for summer. I showed him a photo of hair that was chocolate brown undertones, with many different blonde highlights on top. He explained red is difficult to change, and to get it like the photo it may take more than one visit. No problem, go ahead. Again, it was like the first time going red– trying something totally new, I didn’t know what to expect. But this time no nerves, because I know him now and I know he is good, so I just sat back, relaxed, and sipped my tea that another stylist at Graceland had offered me. Happily, my hair turned out quite close to the photo I had shown him. It was definitely back to brown underneath, with a variation of blonde highlights. Now again, I am getting so many compliments from all kinds of people everywhere I go.
No matter the color you want, especially that difficult color you think is unachievable– I recommend Barton 100%. He is intelligent, he is experienced, he is an artist and he really loves his job. Working as a model, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with celebrity and top stylists from all over the US. He is the best and I won’t go to another colorist again. When he colors hair, its like a work of art. Actually, after last week I had a few art and fashion events to attend, and my hair was called a work of art quite a few times ;)
Graceland is a totally cool and one of a kind place. You just feel like you really can relax there and feel comfortable with everyone like you are home. Do yourself a favor and go see for yourself. You’ll thank me later ;)

I have very high hair standards and suffered dozens of bad haircuts ($ 45-​$ 280 cuts) for the first 7 years I lived in NYC. At the recommendation of two friends who had gotten cuts from another stylist at Graceland, I called to make an appointment and was directed to Josh. I asked who enjoys/​excels at cutting longer hair and Josh was suggested.
I have not looked back or even considered letting anyone else touch my hair since the day of my first appointment. He listened to what I like and don’t like (which I’m sure sounded like jibber jabber) and proceeded to cut and style it with such ease. My hair maintenance is minimum which I LOVE.
A few years ago he convinced me to try some color and I am now addicted. The color (balayage) makes me feel more bright and beautiful through the awful NYC winters. I swore off any hair coloring 15 years ago and now I insist on some balayage a couple of times a year. He respects my conservatism with regards to my hair and I love him for it. The way he does it makes it incredibly low maintenance as well, which makes it all the more worth it to me.
The cut and color days are very time consuming, but I always enjoy being at Graceland. It’s got a great vibe all around.

I continue to get compliments on my hair and have sent many a happy customer to see Josh.

I recently went to Graceland to have my hair colored and couldn’t recommend Graceland more. Barton Miller has been coloring my hair for over a year and I was excited to hear he started working at Graceland.
Everyone at Graceland is very warm and welcoming, and Bart, as usual, was very professional throughout the whole process. I have naturally very dark brown hair that was previously dyed red by Bart. He did such an amazing job last time that when I needed a color touch up I went back to him to color it. This time around, I wanted to go red again but wasn’t quite sure how red I wanted to go. Trusting his years of experience, I went with his suggestion of a deep cherry red and couldn’t have been happier with the results. He didn’t rush and took the time to color my hair section by section, which speaks to his patience because I have a LOT of hair. The color turned out amazing and I get compliments on it all the time. I always have to go back to him for more business cards because I hand them out so often!
I highly recommend Graceland and Bart for hair color. Hopefully the next review I write for them will be about the tattoo section.

Gunther was great once I got in the chair. I love my cut.
Downside they were running about 35 – 45 min behind on a random weekday afternoon and they didn’t seem apologetic at all that they were running behind. Kind of off putting. And they didn’t tell me (and I didn’t see a sign) all tips must be in cash and I didn’t have any on me. So I had to walk to duane Reade on a rainy day in a freshly dried haircut to get cash for a tip. Sucked.

This review is for the hair salon.
I’m really confused about my feelings for Graceland. I wanted a big change and I wanted someone to help me come up with a vision, which they did. But I’m not sure I’m happy with the outcome?
They asked me to come in for a consultation, so I made the trek to Brooklyn only to find the stylist they had booked me with (Gunther) was busy and couldn’t talk to me. I waited around for a while before they sent someone else to talk to me. He spent a few minutes, didn’t seem to care about my hair texture or morning routine or any of the usual questions, and told me to come back with pictures. Ok then. Time well spent.
Gunther himself was much cooler. He seemed to generally get what kind of change I was going for and gave me really cool color. The cut itself is the problem — my hair is thinned out a LOT and has extremely super short layers reminiscent of Joan Jett. So, yeah… I just wear it half up every day.
So maybe it’s my fault and I should have been more specific, but he could have explained a little to me what he was going to do before he did it.
Spent 3 hours and $ 200 on cut and color.