Salon Safar

***FULL DISCLOSURE: My visit was in 2009.***
Garbage. I also went there with a «certificate» also… you know, some guy on the street asks you where you get your hair cut, next thing you know for $ 60 he’s sold you TWO (you and a friend!) hair cuts, mani/​pedis, deep-​conditioning something or other, etc.
Well, the hair cut was so useless that I didn’t bother going back for the rest of the services. I brought my sister, whose hair cut was okay, but nothing to rave about. As the dude was blow drying my hair, he burned me with the hair dryer and says, «Sorry, sometimes I space out…»
…good thing you’re not a pilot, huh?

What a waste of a haircut. I saw one of my friends before and after she asked said to me «wait, i thought you were supposed to get your haircut?» ha! i was in/​out in less than 35 minutes (included a wash, cut, blow dry, payment). Stylist was not friendly besides that glimmer of a smile her face contorted to while i handed her a much undeserved tip. I WILL NOT BE BACK.

OH where shall I begin…
OK So I came here with the «certificate» promotion. Lets start by talking about the haircut. I spoke with the woman– Jaime about what I would like. I asked for a simple trim, just my dead ends off and side swept bangs. I even brought a picture. When I was done, it was WAYYY shorter than I asked for and instead of side bangs, I got some short little pieces in the front. Perhaps I am a little emotionally attached to my hair– but i almost cried.
Facial: I cant even call this a facial. The woman removed my make up with WET TISSUE and then put several different creams on my face and that was it! doesnt a facial consist of removing spots??? maybe I am mistaken.
Massage: I have never gotten a massage while lying on my back, arent you supposed to lay on your stomach? nope not here.
Therefore… if you have a certificate, I suggest you just consider it a waste of money and not even go.
NOT A HAPPY CAMPER.

i need to weigh in here. i LOVE this place. I had an amazing experience. It was clean and every single person I dealt with could not have been nicer. Jamie did an amazing job on my hair. The cut and color was perfect. I got my eyebrows waxed, had the mini-​facial, and got a manicure. And I paid next to nothing for a full day at the salon because i did the promotion.
I can’t wait to go back. My only concern is if i tipped enough!

This place gets one star because I think I have to give them one to write the review.
Younes: hairstylist, nice and friendly, recommended to me for highlights by a friend, whom after my visit, decided that maybe he’s only good with blondes.
Here’s my story. I called to ask how much the highlights would cost, because I don’t have money out my ears and need to know. They said about 90 dollars.
I got there and talked over my highlights with the stylist, who seemed to understand what I wanted, then he put the product in my hair and let me sit there for a while. At this point he had 2 other women sitting waiting for him.
Then I got moved to the wash station, where a nice woman washed the dye out kind of… recklessly, and then left me there, for about 30 minutes while I watched my stylist highlight someone elses hair.
Then he came, told her to condition my hair, which she did, and left me there for about 30 more minutes.
Later he took me back to my chair, and asked what I thought about the highlights, and I told him that it wasn’t what we had talked about, they were too bright. He offered to add toner to mute it down, and I accepted (I probably got charged for this, idk).
Then I was moderately happy with the highlights, and he was. mildly pissed off, he sort of blowed my hair dry and said thank you and goodbye.
Here’s where it gets bad: I go to the desk and pay and he has charged me $ 180 + tax, I tell the desk lady that that’s ALOT more than we discussed and they tell me it’s because I have LONG hair. HM. interesting. My hair is just as long as my friend who came here and paid $ 90.
So after I attempt to argue the price (THEY are so ripping me off). I give in and just say I“ll pay it, at which point I grab my credit card, and they say we don’t accept cards, only cash.
WHAT? are you kidding me? They probably pocketed the extra $ 90.
So I go to an ATM, get the cash, come back and pay.
I leave, only to talk to my friend and find out that she paid with credit card, two weeks ago.
I’m just really confused and upset with this place. If you are looking for a new salon I wouldn’t risk it.

Not sure about what promotion everyone is talking about… I want one! Anyway, I was referred to this salon by a coworker who raved about a haircut she received from Younes. I immediately made an appointment, because I figured for $ 50-​$ 60 I don’t mind going to some random guy (my previous haircuts were about $ 100). I will say the service was not exceptional, but in the end I got a fantastic haircut and style, and I suppose that is what matters after all! I am completely satisfied and love my hair. I feel like I really got what I paid for and I will most likely go back.

I am a failure to my gender for I know nothing about women’s hair. To me, a hair style means achieving a ponytail minus the usual rat’s tail. So when approached on the street regarding an all inclusive spa package… I jump. I jump like a fool. I jump like a tourist. I jump because I desperately need a haircut and hey, this package sounds better than Super-​Cuts, right?
The spa package was offered to me for $ 50, I bargained to get two for the price of one. But after reading other Unilocalers’ reviews, I probably would’ve gone for the gold in bargaining for a third.
Regardless, the spa package is a good deal and includes: haircut, blow, style, wax, facial, massage, manicure. And a friend gets one too? Bonus!
«Is this place legit though, Nic B?» Yes, friends, yes it is.
I was actually… impressed. The place was clean and perhaps even considered upscale to some. The people there were extremely nice and let me do all of my services in one day. This was convenient since I didn’t want to trek over to the UES multiple times or even potentially deal with them not taking the certificate at another point… so I would recommend going a weekday and doing all at once. I predict weekends would be too crowded.
When you get your brows waxed (or wherever you want hair removed) ask for Irina. The next day I got several compliments on my brows. Yes, there is such a thing as «hot brows» apparently. So Irina can rip my hair off any time and I’ll gladly pay her to do so since she was so patient with me. No «Kelly Clarkson» screaming moments of pain and was never rude when I asked to fix things multiple times. I may know nothing about hair but I know about brows — so she’s gained a new client.
To comment on the spa in general, I am certainly not a low maintenance customer in any sense… and my entire time at Salon Safar I felt like I was being pampered. They did not treat me any less with my certificate and never did I feel hurried. My one complaint is that my visit lasted forever but… for less than $ 50, are there really any warranted complaints for great service and results?
After my mediocre massage (you get what you pay for in this area) and facial, I got my nails done and let them dry while getting my hair cut. The woman did a great job. It’sstill brown and below my shoulders — nothing fancy. But she styled me up so I was ready for a night on the town… doing my taxes. Next time I’ll plan something more exciting because the blow-​out was certainly a nice treat.
I’m sorry that other people had such horrible experiences with their spa packages but I seemed to luck out with mine this fine week. I took a chance on a sketchy guy on the street and all worked out. I may not come back in the future for anything but brows but the spa package was certainly worth the time and money. I can’t wait until my friend uses the one I am giving to her!

The only reason this is 3-​stars and not 2-​stars is because I also received the promo package for $ 30 not the advertised $ 60 and once I got there I noticed that pretty much all the people there were also there for the promo package.
Okay, first off, I made my appointment a few weeks in advance but I ended up being late so they completely refused to do anything for me, not even the manicure. So I had to come back once again the next day at a time that was completely inconvenient to me.
The place is set up nice, it seemed like the owner wanted to look high-​end on a low-​end budget. However, because it’s on the 2^nd floor I would have never even noticed it while walking by.
Now when I get there the second day, I was on time for my appointment and was told then that I would only be able to do either the spa or the hair/​salon treatments today. So I choose hair of course and I waited for awhile because they were so busy and it seemed like they just didn’t know what to do with me. I waited to get my hair washed, then I waited after they washed/​conditioned it, and then, again, I waited for them to rinse it (which it seemed like they would have completely forgotten if I didn’t remind them).
The image consultation consisted of the stylist trying to get me to get highlights when I consistently said no because I didn’t want to spend money on what the package did not consist of. Also, I had cut my hair an inch or 2 higher than my shoulder so it was already short, yet she was telling me that to blowdry my hair she would charge me about $ 30 extra because it was so thick (which it isn’t, it’s not thin hair, but I would not call it thick. So, I simply told her not to bother. So she just kind of lightly blow-​dried it and it looked great.
Most of the stylists seemed rude/​stuck-​up, especially the massage lady, who also was trying to sell me some other expensive facial. My stylist was some fake red-​head typical Staten Island-«Ooo I work in the city so I think I’m better than you” — girl who I tried to make small talk with but we just were not clicking, especially after I even asked her some simple hair questions that she did not have the answers to. The only woman there who was genuinely nice was the Hispanic manicure lady who didn’t speak English. Speaking of which there were many girls there who did not speak English, what a smart idea for an upper east side salon.
However, because they didn’t know what to do with me most of the time and they made me wait so much for the stylist, they ended up letting me get the rest of the spa treatments too since the spa workers were free while the stylist wasn’t.
The only pros of this experience were 1– the price 2– the amazing feeling you get after a salon day, which I personally do not think was a representation of the place, but more so something that happens to me after each hair-​cut, and 3– the fact that I did get all the treatments done in one day.

This 3 star rating is tentative since i have only been for the hair part of the promotional deal i got on the street.
I called early this morning from work and she told me they had an opening today, so i went in at 4. i was in the salon chair by 4.10, washed, cut, and blown by 5.30.
The stylist, Violet, was really nice. Her advice and input was helpful. I love my new haircut, and she blew it out, styled it, and sprayed it for me.
I can’t wait to go back for the spa part of the promotion

About 3 years ago I got one of those promo packages on the street. The guy gave me a sweet deal. I guess he was trying to get rid of them. So I got 3 for the price of one. I took 2 of my friends with me. Youness cut and dyed my hair. I was a disaster from home dying. He made if beautiful. Now I won’t have anyone else touch my hair. I have been dedicated to him for 3 years.
I have followed him to a few salons until he finally opened his new one. The people are all nice. They offer you coffee/​tea/​water, they take your coat. The music they plays is chill beats. And the best part is, the price is decent. It’s not as pricey as all of the other salons on the Upper East Side, yet provides amazing services!
It’s just amazing. Ask for Youness, he is the owner and the BEST at the salon!!!

I wouldn’t recommend Salon Safar to anyone. I made an appointment weeks in advance for a Sunday morning haircut. Upon arriving, I spent over thirty minutes waiting for a stylist. Suzanne was pleasant, but unfortunately did not listen to my wishes regarding my haircut. I clearly articulated that I just wanted a trim of an inch, and she began cutting my hair. However, she then cut off three inches from the front. When I asked her what she was doing, she replied that she was giving me angles — but I didn’t want them, and I certainly didn’t want them that short! Of course, by then, the damage was done, and it will take months to grow out.

Such blatant disregard for a customer’s wishes when it comes to something as personal as hair was both unexpected and extremely unpleasant.

I picked up the promo package figuring that for $ 60 it would be worth it… I made an appt, but still had to wait over an hour to get my hair done. So… Granted, the service is really slow and fairly nasty however, Yunes, the owner gave me the best haircut I’ve ever had… I have VERY thick dark brown wavy hair, and he was able to thin it out considerable without making it look layered. I also went back for a bang trim about a month later, and he only charged me $ 10 for it– very fair. Although the facial and ‘image consultation’ that i received with my package pretty much sucked, I will go back to Yunes for haircuts.
Spring 2008:
I’ve been back to Yunes a number of times now… I am ALWAYS thrilled with the way he cuts my hair. Actually, a friend got me a gift certificate to another salon so I (shameful but true) strayed for the free haircut. I was totally unhappy with the cut– and have decided not to make that mistake again. I will be loyal to Salon Safar for as long as I live in NYC. I should also mention, for those of you who have never been, the décor is quite tasteful. I love the rich chocolate brown walls, the vintage-​y looking full-​length mirrors and the beautiful sink in the bathroom.

I also purchased one of the street promotions, but winded up waiting 4 hours in the salon to actually get all of the treatments. On the promotion card, it said that you have to get the spa and the hair treatments on separate days, but I was only in town for two weeks, and after getting my hair done, they wouldn’t give me the spa treatment because they said they were booked for the next week! So instead, being stubborn, I waited in the salon for 4 hours, until I finally got the facial. I would not recommend coming here with the promotion.
As for the quality of the services, Renee gave me a good hair cut. My nails were done decently, though as with any spa, not as well done as a place dedicated to be a nail salon (and also it was really really slow). The facial was actually great. The décor is not very nice, and it’s quite uncomfortable, especially the room for the getting your nails done (it’s a closet!)

I purchased the promotion of the streets against my better judgment. It involved a mini-​facial, mini-​massage, eyebrow wax, manicure, shampoo, conditioning and haircut for $ 60. I figured that for that rate, I’d put up with a little bit of hassle. All in all… everything was simply mediocre. The facial was the best part but it wasn’t really much. The massage was very light and quick. My manicure left me with crooked nails and the nail polish chipped the next day. Throughout all the processes, the staff pushed «upgrades» for a «small fee». I turned everything down by saying, «not today». (I did allow them to upgrade the eyebrow wax to a threading though). I did not have any closeted fees at the end of my treatments. They were upfront with what would cost extra (such as style blowdrying my shoulder length hair… regular blowdrys are included), although I’ve read many complaints from others. All in all… mediocre. Won’t go there again. But for $ 60, not too bad a deal.

Hair is a tricky thing. A lot of people scream and yell when it comes to chopping off even a quarter of an inch of hair. To set the mood of this review, I am NOT one of those people. If I have hair and it isn’t cut up to my nose, I’m usually happy with a decent cut.
Then came Salon Safar and I had a the tantrum of all daddys in here. I purchased a promotion for my girlfriend and myself to get a few services done here… she arrived 30 minutes before me and had some treatment done to her hair. I asked for a shampoo and condition and a cut and THAT’S IT, no if thens or butts. The stylist proceeded to tell me that my hair needed a «gloss treatment» because of my brittle hair and she went on and on to pump me to go ahead with the gloss. I nodded and told her that I would think about it but just wanted the cut today.
After the cut (lasted about 10 – 15 minutes) which was more of a light trim, I was charged $ 190!!! This all occurred within about 25 minutes. Confused, I asked what the additional $ 100 was for and apparently received the gloss treatment unbewnost to me… ridiculous right? Well, they also tacked on a few more fees and insisted that I received the service. I’m sure my friend was the person who got the gloss, not me but they wouldn’t back down. I’m Unilocaling about this place so no one else receives this treatment from here again. if you want service and a haircut with no deceit, stay FAR away from Salon Safar.
Negative a million stars to the exponential 100^th degree. The star above is only because this post won’t be loaded unless at least one star is highlighted.