Polaris Hair Studio

I started going to Osamu at Polaris Hair Studio about a year ago. Every haircut I’ve had with him has been excellent. When I first went to Osamu, I was growing out my hair and his haircuts made the transition from short to «lob» almost effortless. Yesterday I went back to him for a pixie cut (yes, I decided to go short again). The cut he gave me is ultra-​chic, sophisticated, feminine and also very easy to style. Osamu is a true master and I highly recommend him!

First experience and cannot say enough positives. Professional. Nice atmosphere. Great colonists.

A true master of his trade. I too have followed osamu from his days at oribe to hiro haraguchi to his salon on the upper west side. I have been a loyal customer for almost 20 years and can attest to his true talent, professionalism, and love for his clients. I always look forward to my master cuts– and the cuts are done so well that I can go 6 months without needing a touch up (yes– he’s that good). As a former player in the fashion world — I highly recommend osamu and Polaris salon.

osamu is the best. i have been going to him not for about a year after trying many different places all over the city. you can tell he takes pride in his work and he is meticulous and creative. such a pleasure to get your hair cut by him. highly recommend! i wanted him to do my hair for my wedding but he was booked. he is that good!

Saw Osamu yesterday and he once again NAILED IT! I am sooo pleased w/​my short-​short precision cut. All I can say is that he got even BETTER! :)

This review is for the Polaris Hair salon on 85^th Street & Columbus Ave! I was looking for the new place for my hair (hair cut, Keratin straightening, coloring & high lights)! I simply went to Unilocal for help & found fantastic recommendation by a slew of satisfying customers! From the first moment, I was incredibly happy with the true master of the cut, Osamu, who is an incredible artist. Then I went to Reina for the Keratin process & color, & again I am so very happy. They are incredible professionals, they are wonderful conversationists, ambience is soothing and relaxing. Even a person who washes hair and assists to everyone who needs a hand, Jackie is so sweet. I finally found a «home». Thank you Unilocal & thank you, you wonderful Polaris people. Irena Appel

I’ve been going to Osamu for cuts for about 2 years now. I can’t imagine going anywhere else.
Osamu is SO hard-​working, patient, and SUPER talented.
I have short hair and tons of crazy cow-​licks and Osamu takes his time and makes sure everything is perfect. He is singular. He also happens to be a very nice man.
Everyone at the salon is lovely.

I found Osamu (for cut) and Gerardo (for color) last year and am so happy I did! I have gotten more compliments on both my cut and highlights — more than ever before. So happy to have found «my place» after being lukewarm for so many years with 2 other salons on the UWS.

I have been going to Polaris, using Osamu now for the past year and a half. He is incredible. It’s really hard for me to find a good stylist as i have extremely thick, wavy hair. A lot of hairstylists simply don’t know how to cut it… they either texturize and thin the crap out of it so it looks good for about 5 seconds and then starts to grow out and only look fluffier OR they simply make it look even more like a huge lions mane. Osamu has not only given me a great haircut but does so without all of the above. He’s never thinned it but some how by his magic I look like a normal person with a amply thick beautiful head of hair. not too fluffy, not to thin. perfect. This man is also the most detailed oriented hair stylist i have ever met, he literally cuts and re-​cuts hair taking off to little first than god forbid taking off too much. He takes the care to never rush, has extremely thoughtful consultations AND KEEPS HAIRCUT RECORDS. Go. to. him. now. PS-he’s a steal!

GERARDO IS AMAZING!!! I can’t believe I found him! I never want to change hair stylists ever again. He spent so much time doing such detailed and beautiful blond highlights in my light brown/​dirty blond hair. They are the best highlights I have ever gotten and look super natural. Beyond that, the place is pleasant but not overly pretentious (which I prefer). I love it and am so, so, so happy. Highly recommend!

Amazing job on both hair cut and color (don’t remember who my stylist was).
Great service as well.

This place is fantastic! First of all, it is really low key and just hair — no nails etc. (I think) They do a great job and are very serious about what they do — I think the price is quite reasonable (would certainly be way more expensive on the east side). As it turns out my whole family went and so I think we tried all the hairdressers! I (and one of my sons) had a cut with Osamu — he is really an artist, takes such great care, and has a «vision» of how he thinks the hair should look. My husband tried Geraldo — also took a long time, was very careful, and looks fabulous. My other son went to the woman (I cannot remember her name) and she did a great job too — but I think Osamu and Geraldo are more experienced.
I should say that this was a really big deal for us – we moved to NYC 7 years ago from suburban NJ — after a few disastrous haircuts in NYC we continued to go to NJ for our haircuts, which was very far and a huge pain to coordinate. I would never have thought to look for a hairdresser on Unilocal but in fact, our decision to try Polaris was based on the awesome reviews — Thanks Unilocal reviewers!!!

How have I waited so long to review Polaris?
I have been going to Gerardo for cut and color for over a year now and have never been disappointed. He takes your feedback to heart and truly listens to achieve the style and color you’re looking for.
He definitely takes his time with color, so be sure to leave plenty of time for your appointment.
Gerardo helps me get to my perfect blended blonde, I’m a big fan! =)

Well, my experience wasn’t horrible, but I’m definitely not returning. I don’t know if the stylist I saw was new or just having an off day. I asked him to trim the ends and clean up the layers. I ended up with 3+ in. cut off the length and very choppy layers that do not blend even while wearing it wavy. I also noticed when comparing the sides that a small chunk is longer on one side. I do (did) have pretty long hair and a lot of it. I have had a difficult time finding someone who can work with it. Sadly, my search continues.

I have had really bad luck finding someone to cut my hair. They either don’t do a good job or do an okay job and then change locations. After an extensive Unilocal search I decided to try Osamu at Polaris. I’m so glad I did. I went in for a dramatic change… super long to just above the shoulders. Osamu did a great job. He understood what I wanted and understood what my hair needed. The dedicated look on his face while he was cutting reassured me the whole time. It’s been well over a month and I still love my hair. Osamu has a new regular!

It took a while for me to choose Polaris because I wanted a new hair cut and had no idea where to go. I made an appointment there because of the great reviews, and it really was amazing. I get nervous when I have my hair cut, especially this time because of the price, so I brought about half a dozen pictures of what I thought I wanted — something like Robin’s hair in How I met Your Mother. I showed them to the stylist, Reina, and she took one glance before telling me she wouldn’t need them. Instead, she asked what I liked most about the pictures and proceeded to give me the best cut I’ve ever had.
Reina emphasized that she wanted to give me something flattering and balanced, and she did, but what makes this cut extra special is how versatile it is. I don’t have to struggle daily to make my hair look cute, the layers are just right. Overall, the only regret I have about my experience was that I didn’t accept when they offered me a beverage. Next time I’ll be a little more relaxed.

Polaris was … ok. I don’t really understand what all the fuss is about.
The salon was fine, it wasn’t overly glamorous or too noisy. No one was barking away on their phones, there were plenty of magazines to read and the stylist was pleasant. But there was little atmosphere.
I didn’t like the shampooist — scratchy nails and heavy handed head massages make me want to cry. The stylist seemed to listen to what I wanted but gave me a polished, prim look which aged me by a decade and wasn’t what I asked for. However, I cannot fault the actual cut, it was very good and not massively expensive at around $ 90 incl. taxes.
The clientele was very UWS understated expensive — and I’m a London girl which might be why the connection didn’t happen.
Go here if you want a good cut and a polished finish. Avoid if you want something more modern.

Osamu is really, really polite and very careful when he works on your hair. He spent about an hour cutting my hair into layers and blowing every piece out, and in the process transformed my former hair, which was a frizzy triangle, into a sleek, layered, styled look. He took into account what I wanted and my beauty maintenance régime. He told me a longer cut would be easier to maintain since I don’t blowdry/​style on a regular basis. While I can’t make my hair look as great as he made it look, I’m happy to finally have a real hairstyle.
I felt very comfortable putting my hair in his hands, and he did not disappoint. I don’t want people to crowd the salon, yet I feel obligated to share how great he is so that he gets the business he deserves. Will definitely come back.

Moving from out of town I was nervous to find a new salon. After reading the other positive reviews I decided to try it out! I was very impressed by the work Reina did, and my blonde highlights turned out fantastic. It is a quiet, clean, calm environment. Even when I move to the UES I will continue my service here!
I do not think tips can be left on cards so make sure you bring cash.

This place is awesome. Great atmosphere, yummy coffee. Daisy, who washed my hair was so sweet. And the hairsylyist Osumo (i think that was his name) was amazing. He made my hair look incredible. On top of that, he used no product and even taught me how to blow dry my hair properly.
I have been to many salons on the west side and Mr. Stuart and Mr. Stein, tho trendy, have totally messed up my hair with putting in so many choppy layers. I DEF recommend this place to all and cant wait till its time for me to cut my hair again. If you like classy, clean cuts– this is your place. Typical NYC prices but great value for money!