Hair Salon Question - Ripped Off?

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 1:43am

The first time I got my haircut in Boston, I went to a Dellaria salon on Comm Ave and got charged $35 for my haircut...a bit pricey for me but I didn't care and I liked my haircut.

I decided to go back to the salon months later to get a haircut. I assumed that it would cost me $35, since I was getting the same style, but when I went to pay, they charged me $43; and with tip it cost almost $50. I didn't want to put up a fuss, since it was already too late and they cut my hair. I know it isn't that much more money, but I am a college student! Is it typical for salons to charge depending on the stylist? I went to Dellaria's website and it is $35 and up for a "Designer Cut & Style and $40 and up for a "Master Cut & Style." I asked for a similar cut as last time, so is it up to the stylist usually as to whether it is master or designer?

Updated On: 3/20/06 at 01:43 AM

[DramaDork925]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 6:55am

No, things in the hair salon business have been getting steadily more expenisive. My mom owns a salon outside Boston and they've had to raise costs a couple times in the last year.

[Anakela]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 6:58pm

Is it typical for salons to charge depending on the stylist?

I was going to ask if your hair was longer this time than it was last time, as I know that at some places my haircut price varies along with my hair length...
But then I looked at the place you went to, and their site says "...start at the prices you see here; they may vary, depending on your hair type and the stylist you select." So it looks like cost is up to which stylist you use.

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 7:05pm

My favorite is when they charge you a styling fee because they blowdried your hair. Last time I went I was all ready to go home with my hair wet, but they started blowdrying and straightening before I had a chance to say anything.

This is why Kitzy hates salons. Except for Eric Fisher. But I can't afford to go there when all I need is split ends cut off.

*sigh*

[Jane2]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 7:10pm

Wow, in NYC, it's about $80 for a cut. And yes, the more fabulous the stylist is, the more it will cost. At this point, I think a Frederic Fakkai cut is around $1000, lol!

[LionessInWinter]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 10:53pm

Yes, it does depend on the stylist and their...rank, I guess you could call it. I went to one place and could have the master stylist, senior stylist, or whatever the levels were below that. All different rates. I picked a middle level one and when she got promoted to senior stylist after a while, her rate went right up.
Then I didn't go for a while, went back and almost had a heartattack when I found her rates were raised again, significantly. After my hair had been cut, of course. She didn't tell me she had a promotion or rate change, but I was stuck then. And I didn't even have my hair dried and styled, yet it still cost a small fortune.
Haven't been back there. And unfortunately, I haven't found anyone to give me a decent cut for a price I'm willing to pay (and I'll pay a good amount, even for a NYC cut, though I have my limits).
Tried to get a decent cut in Boston (actually Brookline) thinking I could get a good cut for a bit less than what I pay in NYC, but he wasn't that great.

[Jane2]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 11:04pm

I now cut my own hair. In fact, I color, highlight, lift, dye, and do anything my hair needs.

[LionessInWinter]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 11:12pm

Ha, I cut mine last time, too, just a little trim 'cause the ends were so bad, but I need a real cut to shape it up again. My hair's too long to make any sense of it myself.
I did cut my almost waist length hair off once to the shoulder in the 6th grade when my mom was in the hospital and I washed it by myself for the first time. I apparently didn't get all the soap out and it hardened and it obviously didn't occur to me to get in the shower again. So I cut it off.
My mom loved my long hair so when I went to visit my mom, I wore a scarf to hopefully hide it. She didn't notice til she came home. I wasn't too upset, was tired of wearing ponytails everyday of my life.

[caitiesus1522]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 11:15pm

That seems so expensive to me! I get my hair cut and highlighted for only $55. Oh course I am not in a big city, that still seems like a lot

[Calvin]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 11:22pm

The Lioness is correct. It's not out of the ordinary for salons -- particularly larger ones that are part of a chain -- to have levels of stylists with different price ranges.

Here's a tip. If you get one of the lower level ones with potential, and they get promoted, they'll usually keep you grandfathered at the same rate. So find a promising lower level person, and you'll be golden.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 3/21/06 at 12:36am

I pay $120 for a cut in NY. I <3 my stylist. If I didn't, I would be at Supercuts. I only get my hair cut once every few months. It's the only way I can afford it. Highlights would add another $120 or so to the bill.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 3/21/06 at 9:34am

and there's always the Flowbee

[suzycat]

Posted: 3/21/06 at 10:48am

I got my hair colored at a place that charges $75+. The bill was $175. I guess that's what the "+" means. Ugh. Never again.

[Jane2]

Posted: 3/21/06 at 11:03am

I used to pay $88 for a touchup. With a tip, I was spending around $100 each month for someone to apply color with a brush. The product they use costs $3.99 at the hair supply store. That was the first thing I started to do myself.

[peach]

Posted: 3/21/06 at 11:13am

I always quietly ask the receptionist prior - especially with color, since the rates seem to fluctuate depending on what type of color process you are getting (highlight, single process, etc.)

Where I get my hair done, different stylsits charge different prices. The owner charges the most, the newbie charges the least, etc. It's a very common practice in salons.

If you are seeing a new stylist, it's perfectly OK to ask the recpeitonist prior to your appointment what service from that particular stylist would cost. If you have been seeing a certain stylist for some time, and his or her prices are going up as of a certain date, the stylist or salon should let you know as a courtesy.

But $43 for a haircut in Boston - I wouldn't say you've been ripped off. That is quite reasonable, even a bargain, considering what some of the other Boston salons charge.
Updated On: 3/21/06 at 11:13 AM

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 3/21/06 at 4:17pm

Yes, I've definitely heard of that happening. It even happens at a salon in my own town (which a medium size town in the middle of the Midwest... not a big city like Boston). I have had exactly one haircut since enrolling in college in Fall 2002, as generally I like to cut my own hair. The professional haircut cost $50, and I was flabbergasted. But it was probably the best haircut I've ever had. I got it about 8 months ago, and it's grown out really well. Haven't cut my hair since. (I think that whole "once every 3 months" thing is crap. My hair is perfectly healthy without that.)