Louis Licari

First, I have to say that this was actually my second check-​in but I forgot to check in the first time. Probably because I was out of sorts, and I’ll tell you why.
Secondly, before I start with the details, I must say that Yolanda (colorist) and Ali (stylist) were AH-​MAY-​ZING, and it is because of them that this review has the stars it does. If it hadn’t been for them, along with Lee Beth (receptionist) and John (manager), I would have walked out and never returned… EVER!
I came in last week for a color with Lily. She was incredibly kind and friendly. I actually found her using Instagram. Her pictures looked good and similar to what I wanted: ombré. I was already a full blonde (with natural brunette roots growing out), and I wanted to pull some of the brown down and leave the ends blonde to transition into ombré. I showed her via Instagram what my hair looked before we met and what I was wanting. She said she would see me and get a better idea of what I wanted. So I went to the appointment.
Everything was very nice about the salon. It was very clean, the front desk representatives were kind, and I changed into a smock. Then I went to sit and wait for Lily. She came up to me and said hello and was incredibly kind. She was very dedicated to working just on me; she wasn’t trying to juggle any other clients, which was nice. She offered me water and chocolates. Everything went well, but she did mention wanting to add some lightness to the top of my head because it’s summer and we don’t want to get too dark. I did notice that the entire process took awhile, but that is kind of expected. I also, after talking with Lily more, realized that Lily was actually just transferring to the floor from being a direct assistant to Louis Licari himself. He walked by and Lily was so very kind to introduce me to him. It was very much appreciated.
This salon, which is new to me, does not include drying and styling in the price; it is a completely separate ordeal. Apparently, this is common in high end salons — brand new concept from this out-​of-​stater. I’m used to the full service. Fortunately, Lily was kind enough to arrange a stylist for me, for free, so I didn’t have to pay. This was awesome, so I went to the stylist. I forgot her name, but she was very nice as well. She didn’t exactly listen when I asked her to do what she could to keep the bangs out of my eyes tho :(
When she was done drying, I noticed one very obvious factor. There was absolutely NO more blonde in my hair with the exception of the highlight she added at the top of my head, which I never wanted to begin with. It was gone. Done. No ombré, just one color. This was disheartening, but what was worse was about to happen. When I mentioned to Lily that the blonde was gone, she said, «No, I can see it. Can’t you?» I didn’t see it. She moved me over to another part of the salon that had natural light. I saw some pieces where my original blonde was causing some of the pieces to be a little lighter, but blonde? No way. She told me if I was not happy with it, I could return. I thanked her, tipped her (I should not have), paid for my hair that I didn’t like, and left.
Two days later, I still hated my hair. I thought about going back, but I didn’t want Lily to do it. It seemed very clear on my end what I wanted, so I wasn’t sure how a) it wasn’t done or b) how she «saw blonde». But I spent over $ 200 on this and it was just a COLOR; it wasn’t even a CUT! This is the most I have ever spent on a hair color, so I was very disappointed and kicking myself for doing so.
Finally, my mother convinced me to go back and speak to a manager. So I did this today. I spoke with Lee Beth first, who was incredibly kind and made it very easy to talk to someone about the matter. She informed me that Yolanda may be able to see me. Then I spoke with John, the manager, who told me Yolanda would be taking care of me today, free of charge. I was so so happy! So here was Yolanda, and she listened to what I wanted. She did inform me that my hair would NOT be exactly like the picture I showed, but she would do her best to get me as close to that as possible. Now THIS I can work with.
She was a pro and worked on me very quietly and efficiently while also timing me with other clients. I felt she was kind and attentive, which was great. She also informed me of everything she was doing. Once she finished with me, she had me go to Ali for styling.
Ali was super kind and her styling was beautiful. She also informed me of the free haircuts they offer to models on Monday after 5:30pm. This was great because I may just take advantage of such an event and return.
When Ali showed me the back of my hair, I was so happy! Yolanda listened to everything I said and worked hard to get me there.
Bottom Line: If I went back, I would only go to Yolanda and Ali. It definitely has nothing to do with the quality of stylists. I believe Lily will do great once she has some more experience, but for the price? Yeah no.

UMMMMMMM, I’m a long time Cutler client — 12 years or so. I love the person who highlights my hair– she is amazingly talented and I’ve been seeing her for YEARS.
Now that Cutler 57^th St has merged with Licari here was my day today. I go for the first time since the move to see my colorist. I get highlights. It’s freezing cold in the salon — there are space heaters at the stations, not at mine though. There is no light, no view and it feels weird in the space. Fine. I’m freezing. After what feels like a lifetime, and I am shaking I am so cold in my chair, my highlights take and I am ready to be washed. I am then INFORMED there is no hot water. NO HOT WATER. Ummmm this is 5^th Avenue. This is «Louis Licari»? NO, this is SUPERCUTS in the Bronx. I am then washed with cold water. I am shaking I am so cold. It’s PAINFUL. I leave with wet hair because I just want to get the HELL out of there.
Oh, and Louis himself was wandering around the salon in a sweater (good Idea Louie) and kissing someone’s dog, as I shake.
And, to TOP it all off, the prices are 30% higher than the Cutler 2015 prices. It’s going to be extremely challenging for me to want to go back there. I don’t see it happening. I really don’t.

Don’t waste your time or money. Made a first time appointment based in a recommendation that they are «top for color». Had a 10:30am appointment. Reception staff couldn’t find my name and asked me multiple times who I was seeing. They had me change and then sat me behind the colorists who were busy applying color. Literally right behind them… where people were squeezing past me… After about 10 minutes an assistant comes over and says that the colorist is almost done and will be right with me. Yolanda is supposedly one of their educators… After another 10 minutes I get up because I couldn’t stand being pushed on for people to pass and the fumes from other people’s color. Not a single person asked me if I wanted to have something to drink. I went to receptionist who checked me in and even though she had just helped me a few minutes before we once again through my name and who I was seeing. After 5 minutes another person comes to tell me that they called me to change my appointment to 11 and I needed to come back in 30 minutes .that was a flat out lie. The girl delivering the message started with «don’t shoot the messenger» … There were several «management» looking people hanging around chatting– not one could be bothered to see what the problem was. I’ve been to the best salons in the city… this one isn’t worthy of the prices they charge… Don’t waste your time — they are not a high end experience and haven’t a clue about customer service

They fixed my orange hair!!! Colorist Erika is a godsend!!! I was transitioning from brown to blonde and went to over 10 salons and my hair was orange. Erika fixed my hair and made me into a beautiful, healthy blonde! They ALWAYS warn you if the dye job you want to do will ruin your hair, they won’t just do it, they care. Amazing salon with amazing people! My mother and my best friend come here also :).

I had my color done at Louis Licari for a couple of years… I have naturally dark hair and it is platinum blonde. My colorist was quite busy one day, which is fine, but she didn’t check on my color. An entire layer of my long blonde hair broke off and a clump of hair on the top of my head broke off. I am reminded of it every day because now I can’t wear my hair up… it looks like a mullet.
When I showed my colorist the breakage she said it was there before. No, it was not. The girl who shampooed me also lied to me when I asked if any of my hair broke off.
In addition, I paid full price for the service and was not offered an apology or a refund. I switched salons to Mark Garrison.

I have been going to Louis Lucari for cut and color for a few years now. I don’t live in NYC so I have to travel a decent ways but it’s always been worth it since blond hair can be hard to get right. I have never left there not loving my hair. However I will not be returning due to an incident that happend with the unprofessional and rude front desk staff.
About 2 days before xmas I got my
Hair cut and colored. When I paid the girl rang me up incorrectly which I did not notice. About 20 mins later I received a call from the front desk accusing me of being shady for not paying correctly and pretty much accusing me of trying to get away with something which was bull. Isn’t it her job to be aware of the services we receive? And you should never make a client feel terrible when it’s your mistake. So for this reason I will not be going back. NYC has plenty of world class salons that would love my money every 5 weeks.

If you want perfect hair color go here! My colorist Erika is the most fabulous, sweetest, talented person. She will make sure your hair is well taken care of, and she will suggest color tints that’s will make you look your best. Everyone is so friendly here and they remember you! I love it there :)

Class nights: I’ve gone here several times for color and highlights and have always been very pleased so I thought I would try a cut. The gal who cut my hair was nowhere near ready to work on a live model. I could tell right off the bat by the way she held the scissors and the way she just kept combing my hair and then snipped the tiniest bit off, that she was very unsure of herself.
Her «consultation» with me was non-​existent. She asked what kind of cut I wanted. I said long layers at the bottom and she said nothing. The «teacher» looked totally uninterested in what the students were doing and most of the she just sat down and stared into space.
I ended up with a basic trim and it took over 2 hours! When she blew dry my hair she burned me and the brush she used was filthy with tons of other people’s hair in it.
Not a good experience. This gal is definitely not ready — she needs more practice on the mannequin and the instructor should have picked that up immediately.
All in all, the «trim» is not bad; it’s just not what I asked for. For $ 35 it’s ok; I guess it’s a $ 35 trim job.

I live in California and was in NY for a business trip. I booked a color and cut at Licari for 7:30 on a Friday morning. Yolanda did my color which I LOVE — I think it is the best color job I have ever had — she was so thorough. She also guided me away from what would have been too dark and made thoughtful recommendations as we discussed what I wanted to have done with my hair color.
I was then sent over to Devi Limbu for the cut — I sat and waited for 30 minutes (they assured me this wouldn’t happen when I booked the appointment) with wet hair in the freezing upstairs cutting area. It appeared the client before me was having Devi redo a few things on a very short cut. When she finally began my cut, she asked how much I wanted cut off and did I just want the layers trimmed? I had brought two magazines with ideas on how I wanted it cut and blown out but… she didn’t even ask. She was clearly in a big hurry as she quickly cut and began blowing out my hair. She had an assistant help her blow dry — so there was little thought to any actual STYLE to my blow out, just get it dry as quick as possible. In fact, I thought they were just pausing for a moment and I leaned down to get a tissue out of my purse and when I sat back up she was leaving and thanking me for coming. 25 minutes after I got in the chair, I was cut and blown dry and shown the door. I had flyaways all over my head and probably looked more disheveled than when I walked in the door at 7:30 AM.
I would give Yolanda 5 stars and Devi none. I wanted to choke when they charged me $ 120 for my 25 minutes with Devi.

Well, ladies, No.1 — don’t believe the hype about this salon !
The staff are rude and impolite, and the ambiance is stuffy, and snobby.
I went in for a blowdry, and probably one of the worst experiences ever !
The blowdry was ‘not’ good to say the least, and asked for a straight blowdry, made my hair a bubble.
Normally, if it’s a really good blowdry, you don’t need a flat-​iron, but I had to insist, it came out OK.
Then she refused to put hair product on,’til the end of the styling !
Please go elsewhere !
For a ‘top’ ?! salon, in 5 Th Ave, it doesn’t live up to it’s standards., and the prices are way too high !
I mean, I read the bad reviews of Louis Licari Salon, on here, but just wanted to go, ‘cos I believed the hype.
Wasted my time !
Just wanted to get out of there !
Go to a salon, like Cristiano Cora Studio, amazing staff, and the atmosphere is lovely !!
Thankyou.

Found this review on an old blog of mine and thought I’d share here!
I cannot rave enough about the Louis Licari Salon located within the Takashimaya building on 54^th and 5^th. Their stylists are artists who continuously inspire me. They turned my forever long, drab, lifeless hair into a chic Victoria Beckham bob (David Beckham not included), brought me from dark brown to blonde and then back to a deep chocolate color just in time for Autumn. My latest rave is their Thermal Conditioning Treatment. After all the coloring, highlights and touch-​ups, I went in to see my favorite stylist, Hitomi. She told me that my hair is naturally thin and after the multiple color processes I’ve put my hair through, the thermal would restore my hair of its luster and silkiness. They deep condition and then apply heat to work the product into each strand of your hair. My hair came out so shiny, soft and silky! As you girls know, when you get that perfect hair cut /​color /​treament, you walk out of the salon feeling like a million bucks.

I was so excited to go for model color. Waited 1hr and 15 min– no one even asked me if i would like a glass of water When the colorist was finally available I reminded her that I wanted dramatic color-​for a vibrant red with blond highlights. I had sent an email with a photo of what I wanted prior to scheduling the appt. The colorist made it clear that she didn’t find that attractive and that she didn’t want to do it. If I was a client, that might be different I was told. I was also told that they only do natural color, not creative color. That is all well and fine and I am all about businesses specializing, however in my email I sent a photo of dramatic, contrasty NOT natural looking hair color.
Knowing that she did not like that and that licari didn’t do creative, she should have told me I was not a fit. She then brought over someone else, I was told told that what I wanted was crass. After 1.5 hrs hours of waiting in the salon and many insulting comments, I asked her why she had me come in if I was not a fit for their aesthetics, she said that she wanted to see me in person? I have been doing model color in Manhattan for the last 7 years, I have been to cutler, Vidal sasson, to name a few and no one has ever made me feel bad about my choice to have dramatic looking hair. In fact, colorists who are about to go on the floor are thrilled at the chance to do fun, creative hair.
Licari had no respect for my time or my preferences. I hope that this review saves many people their time by avoiding Licari. They are many great Salons in town who treat their clients with respect. Don’t believe the hype.

I came here because Licari is supposed to one of the top color spots in the city. I am naturally auburn, but of course as I get older, ny natural color has gotten a bit dull. I have a very unusual color, and have been very lucky to have been spared getting my hair colored til this past year. I’m 45.
I loved the guy who colored my hair — and I thought it looked okay at the place. I went away for the weekend, and didn’t look closely. When I did — I was shocked at how much gray was still scattered throughout my hair plus, the roots were so much darker than the rest of my hair. I understand they’d be darker, but besides the gray being taken out, there was no difference at all. I cannot believe I paid this much for my hair, with less than great results. Disappointing.

Went here yesterday with my mother, she got an amazing cut with Anthony. He was very professional — 9yrs at Licari and had previous training! Her hair looked really great, the cut made her look younger and she feels fabulous!
I don’t understand why people are posting after they went to training nigh classes — obviously people doing hair at a class are still training to become real stylists… The clients who go to Licari on a regular basis would probably agree that the staff are accommodating, very skilled and it is worth every penny!
P. S. Louis is wonderful — gave a consultation and pinned exactly what was needed.
Overall, high quality saloon and experience, I would reco to my friends!

Adel is a manic genius when it comes to men’s haircuts. He knows how to listen to what you want, how far to go, and makes really good conversation; he’s hilarious!
He seemed to be everywhere and nowhere as he was cutting away… a little here, a little there –I was getting dizzy just trying to keep up!
Be warned: His expertise shows with the price charge
Cost: $ 180. +$ 40 well deserved tip. VERY Pricey, I know, but I’d happily pay it again.

I went to the creative color student session. My colorist, Igor, was the sweetest guy ever, and very creative. I came in with some ideas, and we consulted, and he had some really great ideas, so we came up with a plan. The teachers were really helpful too, giving him pointers, I felt very confident that things were going to work out well. I loved what he did to my hair, I got bright red tips and some black stripes. Eveyone tells me it looks beautiful. I showed up without having eaten dinner and he ordered me some delicious sushi! I gave him a $ 25 tip, he was the best. And for me it was free! I am pretty broke so I was in heaven. This was a good experience, met some interesting people while I was getting my hair done. You should plan on being there for a while, since it is school, and some changes may be made to your hair based on results. It took about 4 ½ hours.
Thank you Louis Licari! Thank you Lara for hooking me up you the best!

Came here for color upon the recommendation of Kathleen B; after she wrote her review I pm’d her a zillion questions. The idea of paying $ 40 for color and highlights as opposed to the insane amount of money that I was paying made me giddy.
I called up and got an appointment for a month later. I get there at 5:15 pm; the elevators open and I’m attacked aurally by really loud music. Pop tunes from a radio station, please god get Britney off hot rotation. I check in, sign the model release paperwork, fork over my $ 40 and find out just like Kathleen that they’re not going to get us up into the room for at least 45 minutes. So I pop out to get a cup of coffee and window shop.
I get back and the waiting area is packed. I ended up sitting in a dressing room because they ran out of chairs. They finally call us up to the training room. Once up there, we’re told to grab a chair and wait. More waiting time, more magazines to thumb through.
A teacher comes by with a gaggle of assistants; I’m immediately reminded of movies where you see a doctor being trailed by students in a hospital talking to patients. Instead of people wearing white coats, here everyone is dressed in black. Goth doctors???
the teacher, the patient, er the customer and the students engage in a dialogue. When the assistant answers correctly and understands not only what the customer wants, but what can be realistically done, the teacher agrees on a course of action and then they go to the next one.
They don’t really start working until after 7 pm. I left close to 10 pm, with gorg highlights, a base color I’m not thrilled at and a pretty full wallet.
The next day I called up to make my next appointment.
If you go to the reg salon for a basic root touch up, you’re charged $ 95, blow dry extra.
It’s a long ass wait to get your hair done during a training class, but monetarily speaking, worth it.

I came here Monday for a training night to get my hair colored. I’m not a natural redhead, and unfortunately, red fades out of blonde hair the fastest, and I don’t think $ 300 every 3 weeks is reasonable to spend on upkeep (home hair color washes out in a week). The color was only $ 40 for the class, an amount that I thought reasonable.
I came prepared with some work to do (and my ipod, more on that later), and I did get here a little early for the class (about 5, when the class was supposed to start at 5:15). I changed immediately and sat down and started on some work. The receptionist brought me a nice cool glass of lemon water, and I started doing my work.
At around 5:20, this really annoying and self-​centered woman came in and was also getting her hair colored during the class. I could only tolerate listening to her speak for about 10 minutes before I started getting really irritated. I remembered that I had my ipod with me and happily listened to my music (and Dr. Laura) while we waited to be brought upstairs to the class. I sat there until just about 6:15, and class didn’t start until about 6:20. I was a little peeved, as I had to leave work at around 3:30 just to get here on time, and the class didn’t even start until an hour later.
We were ushered upstairs, which was FREEZING. I should have kept on one of my sweaters underneath the smock, but one of the stylists in training brought out a portable heater that made it a little more bearable. The instructors grilled the colorists in training about analyzing the student’s color requests for over 15 minutes each. The entire group went to every single student, so it was over an hour before they even started doing color on any of us.
Jaime did my color, and I was really surprised that the solution was only kept on the hair for 10 minutes. Normally, I’m sitting for over 45 minutes with color in my hair before they rinse it out. She first layered on permanent color, which was exactly the color I wanted (maybe a little on the pink side), but I knew that the red would dissapear in a week if I kept it as it was. Jaime was really sweet, and she also dyed my eyebrows for me for free!
The instructor suggested that she apply a semi-​permanent gloss on top, to counteract fading. The gloss was darker, so hopefully this will help me keep my color a little longer. The gloss was applied with a heavy hand at the roots (which is always darker than the tips naturally). Friends have commented on how dark the roots are in contrast to how light the tips are and that it almost looks unnatural.
At this point, I’ve only washed my hair once, so it’s too early to tell how the gloss will fade. I’ll update this review as the color changes. The color still looks awesome right now, I’m starting to see some roots of my natural color, score!
I didn’t leave the salon until about 9:30 that night, and didn’t catch a train back until about 10:15 (so I basically got home at around midnight). I’m on the fence about whether or not that much time is really worth the monetary savings.
UPDATE! 4÷28÷08
So I was called yesterday at noon and was begged by the staff to come into the salon for a free hair color by one of the master stylists! Free?! Really?! Free?! Really?!
Heck freaking yes! So I got there and it was a semi-​permanent class where the master colorists were experimenting with some new products. My hair is no less than 4 separate colors, but you seriously can’t tell the difference at all. My hair is soft, shiny and smells amazing (and my color is nice and refreshed), They even dyed my eyebrows again for me for free.
Yay Louis Licari! Free?! Free?!

I have a friend who works here, so I get to be part of the Friends and Family plan, in which services are $ 10. However, I end up spending an additional $ 100 on tips since I need to tip on what the service would cost.
I’ve been here twice to get my hair colored and have gotten star treatment (cocktails, scalp massages, attentive service, peeled grapes – okay, maybe not the grapes). The problem is that the salon is a bit out of the way for me, and I end up spending three hours getting my hair colored ONLY – I’d need someone else to cut my hair and nobody is available that late since it’s close to 9pm by the time the bleaching is done. Granted, they do an amazing job and my hair looks fabulous after. I just can’t do separate appointments for cut and color every time and with all the $ spent on tips, it ends up being more economical and convenient time– and location-​wise for me to go to my local salon.
It’s a shame, because they did an awesome job and it was fun to get the gossip on what famous people had recently come in and what cuts the rich chicks were all asking for (at last count, Victoria Beckham’s bob – because why develop your own style when you can steal a heinous celeb’s?).
I can’t speak for the cuts, but if you have the time and money, I’d recommend Louis Licari for color (and – if you’re lucky – some dish!).

In addition to doing color, Licari also does haircuts. I signed up for one of their «training nights” – $ 35 for a haircut by one of their stylists in training (5:30pm on Mondays, by appointment, times subject to change). I thought, ‘hey, this is a great salon, with top notch stylists, so even if I get someone slightly less experienced, it will still be good, plus I’ll save a bundle.» But boy, was I wrong.
At 5:50pm, I receive a phone call asking somewhat rudely why I haven’t shown up. At that point, I was in their waiting room, having already checked in and paid (they make you pay beforehand and sign a waiver). At 8:45pm, I finally leave the deserted salon, having had:
— my hair re-​cut THREE times (each time shorter than the last because somehow the left and the right sides were never the same length by the time the stylist had worked her way around).
— my scalp burned by the hairdryer
— my cartilage earring ripped out of my ear by the comb
The master stylist began to notice that my knuckles were turning white as i gripped the arms of the chair and that my jaw was clenched after 2 hours (and the first 2 re-​cuts), so she came over to assist. The trainee responded by whining that «the method» wasn’t working and that it wasn’t her fault. And I mean seriously whining. To be fair, I do have a slight wave to my hair. But my hair is not and has never been dubbed «incredibly challenging».
Perhaps I had an unusual experience, and I’m sure that if you pay the $ 300 for a haircut you will be treated like a queen, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend their training nights. I think I would have done a better job myself with a razor. And they certainly don’t seem to be training their staff in customer service during these evenings.