Hair Kuwayama

I got my hair cut by Shoji last month and each day I love my hair even more. He listened to my daily hair routine and my wants and he made suggestions based on that information and my hair type. When I left the salon, I felt fabulous – how everyone should feel when getting a haircut. I recommend hair kuwayama and Shoji!

Shoji is great, but they lost a customer. Their policies are something else. They made me use the in-​house atm because they only charge for 70 and over. The bill was 67… It’s not the money, it’s the principle. The owner or receptionist rubbed me the wrong way. I will leave it at that. Shoji, Thanks!

Had my firt haircut here. Was assigned to Aki. She was great. She listened attentively to what I wanted and offered some great suggestions. Combined together equals a great haircut. Hair washing was great. The place was nice and peaceful. Will definitely back again.

Shoji is an amazing top stylist.
It was my first time dying my hair … and I went from plain dark brown to a bright pink ombré. He did give me advice about how the style might be too extreme and that bleaching my hair would cause a lot of damage (etc.), but he nonetheless went with my requests.
He was very professional and he spent nearly 3 ½ hours with me. It was great that he always tried to keep up a small conversation; he checked if I needed water or if I was getting tired/​bored; he happily changed my magazines and offered me the wifi password, which really showed that he was concerned if I was restless from sitting for so long.
Once my hair was finished… it was too «hot pink» in color. The ombré wasn’t very prominent even though he did do a lot of color layering/​bleaching on my hair. He assured me that the color would dull after 1 – 2 weeks … I was skeptical, but he also offered to lighten my hair if I still wasn’t satisfied after the first week. I was not too pleased so I was hesitant about tipping the usual amount. The woman in the front, however, told me that I should pay 20%. It was an awkward situation, but I decided… I shouldn’t be too cheap about it since the service was overall amazing.
Little did I know… Shoji was right! 1.5 weeks later, my ombré became way more prominent and I now love the color. Luckily the woman did push for the bigger tip percentage because the result is better than I expected.

Shoji is bomb. Plain and simple.
I showed him what I wanted, then he gave some comments about how he’d like to change it to fit my face better and boom. I leave salon an hour later feeling like a million bucks.
I got exactly what I wanted and advice on how to maintain the style.
And the best part? The haircut matches the photo I showed him, which surprisingly usually does not happen at most salons I’ve been to.

I have been going here on and off for five years and have had my hair cut and colored by various stylists — all great. Once in awhile I’ll try someplace new/​closer to my apartment/​cheaper, etc. Never again!!! Hair Kuwayama just gets it. I most recently got my hair cut by Eri, who convinced me to get a modern lob with side bangs instead of my typical trim and layers. I’m so happy I did! That’s the difference between just a stylist and a strategist — she took it to the next level by evaluating my overall look and proposing a more cohesive view. A+

After reading lots reviews on Unilocal.I decided to give Hair Kuwayama a try. I pick the style that I like from the magazine, and discuss with my hair stylist, Shoji. I have baby thin, small amount hair. Shoji is very professional. He really understands my hair, and gave me advise about how to styling. He cut about 3 – 4 inches of my hair, add layers. And then he blow dry it, and cut and trim again to make sure my hair looks good. I really really like my new hair cut. I will definitely go back next time. Thanks Shoji!

I came in to Hair Kuwayama yesterday for a haircut with a top stylist (10+ years of experience). Shoji did an excellent job of taming my hair. After going over expectations, shampoo/​rinse, he took out a razor and began masterfully trimming away. When he finished, over an hour later, I was impressed with the results. Definitely recommended for a men’s haircut.
Tip: There’s a waiting area with a couch inside, if you have company.

I went there with my mom because I needed a haircut for my dads cousins wedding and to be honest I think the staff was very friendly and my mom enjoyed watching me get a haircut from my moms girlfriends hair stylist. She did an amazing job.

I never leave disappointed. A go to place if you want natural/​runway type look (cut and color). Nice place with great professionals working there!

Loved Ryo’s work! Absolutely loved it. I just wanted my hair to be cut just a tiny bit but you can absolutely tell how good a stylist is by just having them do the most simple thing. One word — impeccable.

I made a call to make a reservation. When I mentioned what I wanted it, which is to get high lights on my hair. I further told him that I have colored my hair at home for my gray. He responded to me that he can’t apply high lights on my home colored hair which is too dark. Once high lighted, It will requires me to maintain which will cost me$$$$. Basically I won’t be able to afford it. His response was very condescending. He basically refused to treat my hair over the phone. I went to Hair Philosophy in NoLita and she did a great job, despite of my issues. The customer service was horrible over the phone.

My first time here Kaori cut my hair and I loved it! She was sweet and understood what I wanted quickly.
Since I had such a great experience the first time I came back after work one day, in need of another hair cut, and decided to go with anyone available. I didn’t catch his name but a nice young male stylist helped me. I told him I wanted long blended layers which he attempted. I could tell he was trying to make sure he was giving me what I wanted but as my hair got shorter I stopped asking for more blending fearing I couldn’t fix it later. It was the worst haircut I have had since I was a kid. Probably my fault for not being more vocal. Still I left thanking him and hoped it would look better after washing my hair, it didn’t.
I came back a couple days later and asked if someone could fix my choppy not layered at all hair. I had to pay a step up since apparently I paid for a regular stylist and not a top stylist (apparent by the unsatisfied experience). I think maybe this should be free but the step up was minimal so I agreed.
This time, Kyoko helped fix my hair. She was very sweet and accommodating, saw the problem immediately and asked me if I was comfortable cutting a little more so it would blend better. She put my faith back into Hair Kuwayama. She took her time with me even though I wasn’t technically a full session customer. The layers still look weird from the first guy, but thanks to Kyoko I’m no longer sad looking in the mirror.
Lesson: Pay for the top stylist! Kyoko & Kaori I would recommend!
Also, they accept credit card for payments but tips you should have cash. They have an ATM just incase.

This salon gave me the best hair cut and service.
Ryo is awesome. He cut my hair and made it easy to do home hairstyles.
My head is flat at the back but his technique made it not conspicuous.
I was very happy with my cut.
I think this salon is the best one in Manhattan.
I recommend this place.

Shoji-​san is great! I have a lot of hair, he made sure I could keep the length I liked with more layers and much less hair. Domo-​arigato!

I found this salon after doing lots of on-​line research for specialists of very thick hair. I stumbled upon the Hair Kuwayama website & read the profiles of their stylists… It said Kaori specializes in customers with wavy, thick hair — that’s me!
I have not had a decent hair-​cut since my stylist moved overseas a few years ago. I have super thick, dry, hair. I am not Asian, but Caucasian — but Kaori knew exactly what to do.
My last haircut was over 6 months ago & it was unruly. She managed to keep the length but thin it out, enough that I can still make a top knot.
She was very thorough & took her time… I was there for 90 minutes! The result: The best haircut I’ve had in years!
Thanks so much for the great experience… this place is my new go-​to!
I’ll definitely be back!

Today’s experience at Hair Kuwayama with Shoji was excellent.
My hair was dry and puffy. The end of my hair was damaged. I didn’t have a particular style in mind, except bangs. Shoji managed to make the overall volume thinner at the perfect length (shorter) and also give me the exact bangs I have envisioned in mind. I appreciated the aesthetics he has as a hair stylist, as well as his patience and understanding. Most importantly, I didn’t feel forced to chat. I felt at ease in the space, from the beginning to the end.
100% satisfied from the haircut to the service.

Okay, I might be the first to give a negative review on this place, but looking at myself in the mirror… I just can’t help…
Is it my worst ever haircut? No, but it’s in the top 3 worst for sure.
Is it worth $ 115 (including tip)?
.
The haircut was $ 85 and plus tax was $ 94, I tipped $ 20 not because I was happy about the cut (hell no!) I only had one $ 5 bill and 20s in my wallet and I didn’t want to be rude…
Okay now…
Why did I go to this place?
A few months ago, I got a hair cut in a Japanese salon in SF and it was SO good. I spent $ 85 including gratitude and it was totally worth it! It’s so good that after months, people still ask me where did I get my hair cut. Yes, it was that good. So from then on, I decided only to go to Japanese salon. That’s how I searched on Unilocal and the overwhelming positive reviews here are just too convincing.
What went wrong today?
I’m going out of town tomorrow for trip and my hair is too heavy for this warm weather. I found this place and called. The lady told me that Karoi (whom got most positive reviews here) is not available. Totally understand and asked who is available. She said a name and spell it out, the name started with H.
I got there on time at 3pm, and the lady said «oh it was not an appointment I just said you can walk in». Fine. Then a young guy greeted me and told me his name, definitely not starting with H. Okay. Maybe he is just as good, I thought.
Don’t get me wrong, the stylist is a nice person and super polite, but the haircut today is just NOT good at all.
He spent some time showing pictures to me and I made it very clear that I DO NOT want short hair. Just a little shorter and thinner than what I had is fine. What I got is fluffy short hair that looks like a huge mushroom on my head. During the cut, I told him that I have curly hair that will get bigger when it’s humid. Thought that will help but it didn’t at all. My head now looks 3 times bigger than it used to be!!!
Half way through I couldn’t help but ask him how long have you been working here. He said, three months… OMG Do I look like a pumpkin to practice???
Ehhhhh…and it took less than 1 hour including the wash and everything– from I walked in, super efficient!
Now I look like a nerdy high school girl back in the 80’s!!!
Maybe they do have some good stylists in there, and maybe the stylist I had today was just not on his game, but do I want to go back when my hair is back to its normal length? NO!!!
I just recently moved to NY and was looking for a long term salon, the receptionist who threw me to the new guy just completely ruined it!

I heart Hair Kuwayama.
My first visit was in 2011 when I decided to chop off 7 inches of my hair, leaving me with short hair for the first time in 10+ years. I was extremely nervous especially because errors in haircuts are more noticeable for short hair styles… which is why I decided to pay the $ 110 (incl tip) for my cut with Senior Stylist, Kaori instead of paying $ 40 for a Korean salon in Flushing.
Kaori is amazing. I told her how short I wanted my hair. She assessed and made suggestions. I was very happy with my cut. I returned two years later (last month) to cut another 6 inches of my hair. Again, I have very happy with my cut. I will probably visit her every two years!

I have been going to this place for 4 years. Ever since I discovered this hidden salon amongst the streets of East Village, I have been hooked. I’m from Virginia and every year that I visit NYC, I make sure to make a trip here just to get my hair cut!
Why I LOVE this place:
–each stylist takes their time to cut your hair. They do not rush the process and ensure that you are happy with your cut
–they devote at least 10 min before they cut your hair to consult about the style you have in mind
–meticulous & detail
–friendly
–at times, they will stop in the middle of the cut to make sure you like what they are doing to your hair.
Only thing is that this place is pricey, but I definitely think having a haircut you love is worth it.