Xcellent Hair Square — Local services in New York

I wanted to like xcellent hair square, I really did. A family member recommended them, and she always has great color, so I was looking forward to this appointment. And truly, the color turned out great. The salon is cute. The price was reasonable. The place runs like a well oiled machine, with a million people working together so there’s never less than 2 people touching your head at any point (I found this stressful)

But my biggest gripe is that for FOUR SOLID HOURS on a Friday morning during my appointment, the radio was nothing but Jason Derulo.

Now, I don’t have anything against the man. I remember 2010. It was a simpler time. Turquoise chevron print was all the rage, dubstep was still cool, and adults were participating in flash mobs. Jason Derulo had exploded upon the airwaves, and you could not escape him. Apparently, this salon has not gotten the memo that it has now been over a decade since “In my head” came out, and has decided instead to play it on repeat. I’m not kidding. My appointment lasted four hours (an appropriate amount of time for a bleach and a haircut), yet 3 and a half of those hours were a constant soundtrack of Beluga Height’s finest. Did you know Jason derulo had 273 songs? I didn’t, but I do now. I’m not sure who’s obsessed with this man, and felt compelled to play every album he had, back to back. I think, possibly, it’s a violation of the Geneva convention. Whoever is in charge of the playlist at xcellent hair square woke up and chose violence today, and we all suffered as a result.

I am genuinely horrified. Somewhere around the 2 hour mark I started getting restless, and by hour 4 the whole staff could see how annoyed I was. I went to pay, my stylist, the receptionist, and who I can only assume is the owner, all asked me questions about how I liked my hair (it’s fine, but my ears are bleeding) and the only thing I could say is “its fine, I have to go”. Truth of the matter is, the hair is fine. I just could not stomach another minute of Jason derulo. This would be funny if it was not so absolutely unhinged. I would rather listen to audio clips of WW2 while getting eyeball acupuncture than ever listen to Jason derulo ever again. normally I don’t even notice the music at a salon, it’s some sort of unassuming pop, or maybe some light muzak, or something trendy-yet-nondescript that you’d hear in the lobby of a posh hotel. But this was inescapable, unrelenting, and utterly awful. I feel like maybe the staff thinks I hate my hair because all I could do was avoid eye contact and rush out at the end. But the hair is fine. I just REALLY REALLY wish they could bleach my eardrums in addition...

I came here yesterday to finally treat myself to a pandemic hair makeover. I have not had a hair cut or had my hair done since last year and I was beginning to look like a jungle lady. Let me start by saying this place is a hair factory! I had a 9:45am appointment and when I got there, there was already about 6 other girls getting the same balayage treatment. Kevin, the owner/manager is there and he comes by to all the customers with a calculator to ask what you want done and then gives you a price. Then he tells one of his 10-15 associates or assistants what to do and they immediately run to the back to mix the bleach concoction. Then the assistant and sometimes another hair stylist comes and help foil your hair. I had a woman name Amy who was bleaching my hair and at one point, another hair stylist named Caca or Cacao or something asked to see a pic of what I want done and whether or not I should get a haircut. Of course I want a haircut! Always go in with a pic. They're all Chinese and speaking to them about what you want will get lost in translation. So have a pic of exactly what you want! I was in the salon for 7 hours and Amy and I barely said 2 word to each other. But it's ok because, knowing it would take 5-7 hours for my hair, I brought my Switch, AirPods, and of course my phone to keep me preoccupied. The stylist would come by once in a while to check how the bleach is working, but no conversation really. All the staff are working really hard and just churning out one balayage after the next of all different colors too. I like the place and I think I will go back in a few weeks to get a Keratin treatment. When you go expect to spend at least 5 hours there. On Mondays thru Thursdays it's 20% off for all services. My whole job came out to $335 and I paid cash so no taxes were added. Amy did a great job applying bleach, checking in, washing my hair, dying the greys, and then applying a base toner onto the bleached hair. Cacao then cut it (get the straight cut), dried it, and styled it. Overall I loved my experience. If you're hungry, pho Che, meu galbi, and Gyro world are across the street, but you do have like 10 lbs of foil and bleach on your head. Also, they are limiting the number of people they have in the salon and you're required to wear a mask at all times. There isn't really a place to sit and eat, so maybe bring a granola bar with you. They do good work here. The day after my curls are gone and I can see that my hair and haircut...

Known for their vibrant color treatments, balayages, unicorn hair and with a specialty for all things ash, this is an Xcellent salon for all your hair dye and cut needs. I wanted some fresh chops before flying home for the holidays and despite it being a weekend, Kevin was graciously able to accommodate me last minute. I showed him some inspiration photos on the length and style I wanted and he did just that; stylists always tend to cut off more than I'd like but not here!

Price: They are pretty competitive. I'd say it's more than 8th avenue Brooklyn but less than Manhattan Chinatown. My cut without wash was $25. My single color dye was $100 but because I came on a Mon-Thur, there was a 20% discount so it came out to be $80 + whatever I wanted to give as tip. See pic for the rest of their rates!

Stylists: If you want crazy colors and balayages, Kevin is the one you should request because he's the head stylist. I was just in for a single color so I went with Q--yep, he's so cool his name is just one alphabet.

Quality: I've seen their crazy work IRL; the colors were super vibrant and the hair, super soft and bouncy. I wanted to dye my hair so that my brassy ends left over from my Hong Kong dye was closer in color to my natural hair. I specified to Q that I didn't want to bleach my hair and the end result? A dark ash brown that was soft, silky, and smelled amazing. It even got rid of the crunch sound I heard when I crunched my dry and brittle ends together.

Duration: For a single color dye, expect to be here 1.5-2 hours. I was in at 10:30am and finished at 12pm. For balayages and colors that require bleaching, expect to devote half your day here.

Scheduling: It's pretty easy to schedule same day appointments or last minute ones Mon-Thur but extremely difficult on Fri-Sun because those are their busiest days. I'd rather come on a quiet day for the 20% discount perk and for more attention on my hair.

Etc: Everyone was attentive and nice. They offer water, tea, coffee, even wine while you're getting your hair done. Language-wise, the receptionist and stylists all speak above average English so there's no language barrier. Everyone can speak Mandarin and Q can speak cantonese too.

You're far for me Xcellent but you'll definitely be my go-to salon as long as I'm...