Self Salon Bushwick — Local services in New York

The worst and the weirdest experience ever. The result of Eugene haircut you can see in the picture. No words needed, but after he said it’s just hair, take it easy”, I’ll say something too. My hair had different length from both sides and was uneven. I even asked to do adjustments after my haircut, but can’t control everything, also at the end of the haircut my hair wasn’t in its nature state, it was fluffy and brushed, so it was really hard to understand everything right after. When my hair went back to its nature state it was obvious that the haircut is horrible. It’s shorter from one side and looks very weird from the back. I called the salon and they said I’m welcome to comeback for adjustment, but I was afraid to go back to the same hairdresser. My hair is very important to me and you can’t risk, especially when you already paid $120. I didn’t want my hair cut even shorter, because he already made my hair shorter, especially from one side. I explained this and they told me about «20 years of experience and nice reviews». Of course, because they give people FREE PROCEDURES in exchange for 5 stars review, BEFORE they leave. It’s not a surprise:) And 20 years of experience for this haircut? Please. So they scheduled me with another hairdresser Andrea. She asked what I’m looking for, I explained, and she started to evaluate my hair (I guess), by pulling it down with her fingers (I have really thick and wavy hair), so this was very painful for me and my scalp. And I said that, “it hurts, could you be more gentle” and she said “actually, I’m trying to help you here” very passive aggressive, btw, and I said “yes, but you can do this without hurting me”. Immediately Andrea became very angry and said she will not work with me, because she will not make me happy. Of course, rude, arrogant hairdresser who hurts you cannot make you happy, I agree. But the level of “professionalism” and “customer service” makes me shocked. And seems like management doesn’t really care about this attitude. So receptionist told me that Johnny will do my haircut. Johnny was nice overall and my haircut is even, but because of the previous bad haircut, we had to completely change the style and cut it WAY shorter to make it even. At the end of the day: -My hair is 20 or even more centimeters shorter than I expected, which is the most horrible thing for me -I spend 2 days and $120 to get totally different haircut from what I want at the start; well, at least it’s the same length from both sides So I don’t recommend this place, especially for people who love their hair and understand what is good customer service. And beware of their 5 stars reviews, which are basically bought in exchange for free procedures.

PS for manager Marlene: Jonny didn’t mend the situation, since my hair is 20cm shorter than it should be, because of the Eugene’s mistake. His skills are better than Eugene’s skills and his attitude was better than arrogance of Andrea, even though I WAS HIS FIRST ACTUAL CLIENT. So don’t take it that way. At the end of the day, you guys ruined my hair, 2 days of my time + money $95 + tax...

After doing thorough research on salons in my neighborhood—I decided to give Self Salon in Bushwick a try. I had been going to the same colorist for years, but the commute became too much. I booked an appointment with Victoria after reading good reviews, and during my first visit, she was warm, attentive, and seemed genuinely invested in helping me achieve the look I wanted—a cool brown balayage on my very dark brown hair.

Victoria did a strand test and explained that in order to get the best results, I’d need to wait about a month and a half and use a specific clarifying shampoo to help remove buildup from my hair. While I was disappointed that the color couldn’t be done that day (especially after taking time off work), I appreciated her honesty and followed her instructions exactly—hoping for the best possible outcome on the next visit.

Fast forward a month and a half later—I came back for the balayage. I spent seven hours in the salon and unfortunately left with hair that looked nearly as dark as when I walked in. It was clear I was unhappy, and the salon owner even stepped in to help. A correction was attempted, but by the end of the long appointment, my scalp was sore from the amount of processing, and I was emotionally and physically exhausted. I left hoping the color would evolve after a couple of washes.

Sadly, it didn’t. After a few washes, my hair turned into exactly what I didn’t want: a brassy brown balayage. I reached out to Victoria on Instagram to see if there was anything I could use or do to get closer to the original look I asked for. Despite following all the recommendations, making two salon visits, and purchasing additional products, I ended up spending close to $500 for a result I was really unhappy with.

I contacted the salon directly to express my concerns and was told I was outside the 10-day correction window—something I was never made aware of, despite having reached out with concerns shortly after the appointment and being visibly unsatisfied when I left.

To be fair, both Victoria and the salon owner were kind and professional throughout. But I can’t help but feel disappointed. When you spend that much money and time doing something for yourself, especially something as personal as your hair, you expect to leave feeling good. I wasn’t asking for something unrealistic—I just wanted a cool-toned balayage, and instead got the opposite. I truly wish the salon had prioritized the long-term relationship and offered a correction, rather than leaving me stuck with results I...

Update I'm really happy to update my review! After the negative review that I wrote here I received a response that I was invited to come and fix my hair. At first I was very afraid to give it a second chance. but I'm so happy that I did that! Thank you so much self salon for the attention and the treatment you have given me. I'm so appreciative that! The meeting with Tania was magical! There are not enough good words to compliment her! From the very first moment, she sat with me and really listened to what my problem was and what I didn't like about my hair and how she could improved that. Throughout all the treatment everything was done with gentle touch and attention to detail and in complete consultation with me about almost every little thing done in my hair. It was the first time I had a haircut and I really felt in control of what was happening in my hair. I am very, very happy that I gave it another chance. And to my delight, I met Tania who made me feel beautiful again.

So after 10 years that I didn't dye my hair and didn't make any serious changes to my hair. I decided to make a slight change in my hair - balayage

. When I arrived at the hairdresser, I came with a very long hair that touched the middle of my butt. 
I explained to the hair stylist what I wanted to do with my hair and he recommended that I get a haircut as well Because the oxidation would destroy the burnt hair at the edges. I agreed that he would trim my edges. I explained over and over that I love my hair and how difficult it is for me to make even a minor change at my hair. I asked him to please cut my hair really slightly, 5 cm is the maximum. I even begged! 
I didn't mind nagging him and reminding him 15 times! Do not trim my hair short because I know hair designers like to cut a lot!

All of that was for nothing because he just took off half of my hair ! at least 20 cm! I just want to remind that I have not made a minor change for 10 years!
And the reason I came to the barbershop was to do balayage and not to cat my hair. The balayage came out with nonexistence, you can hardly see it and what you see comes out in the color of rot. I just can not believe I paid $ 430 for something that made me hate myself! I walk in my house passing by a mirror and just hate my look! That's the worst feeling that can be! I wanted a slight change for the summer! And got self-hatred at a...