Bishops Cuts/Color — Local services in Newcastle

Before choosing this Salon I read many reviews, starting with Gene Juarez. The 2 reason’s I began with them; one, is because my former hair stylist was trained by their school and she was excellent in cutting as well as color. Secondly, I had “dreamed” of one day actually going to a Gene Juarez Salon and having my hair cut & colored as a friend of mine who went there experienced exceptional styling talent and service. She had been stuck in the “80’s” for many year’s. The stylist brought her into a classic style that fit her face shape and a color that suited her skin tone. She looked absolutely stunning! After reading ALL the latest reviews it seemed G/J had gone “down hill” in their reputation which made me highly disappointed. Burst my bubble! Then ensued my hunt for a NEW kid on the block! From the stellar reviews it looked as though BISHOPS was the place to go?! With much intrigued and a bit of fear I made an online appointment for highlights and a long hair cut with shampoo and deep conditioning as Covid-19 had recently reeked havoc on my hair plus my up coming wedding in February I needed some “WOW” factor going on! To make a long story short I had very high expectations. I even told the stylist about my expectations of excellence. I shared photos and videos of the exact cut of my hair and specifically how I wanted my bangs/fringe. I said; “I especially want highlights around my face”. In regards to the back of my hair, she said; “You don’t want it to look like a broom?” And I said;”no”! “You’re the professional “. As you can see in the photo the layers in my hair are all over the place. She did a “dry cut”. I’ve ALWAYS had my hair cut wet as well sectioned off , with this, it wasn’t the case, it was “freelanced”? I figured it was “something new”? My bangs? A total disaster. I had to make a return visit which made me sick to my stomach! I’m permanently disabled and one of my disabilities is exacerbated by stress and this was triggering that! When I returned December 4th her co worker attempted to cut my bangs into “curtain bangs”…she re-highlighted around my face (it turned out yellowish/brassy not pearly white like my grey hair/other highlights) , they’re are still places that are uneven layers when I curl my hair but at least my hair doesn’t look like a broom! My initial costs was; $320 plus $40 tip Second time around; $100 (on my card) $50tip (for her & the co-worker) I didn’t have to pay her but she is such a sweet person and she came in on a Sunday, and being around the holidays, I felt bad….plus,at that moment I hadn’t the chance myself to wash, dry, and style my hair yet so I really didn’t know and or realize yet what ??? Why is it that the basics that they learn are not applied? Why don’t they keep up with the trends? And why doesn’t my hair look like I spent $510 on it? I showed her photo’s on Pinterest, video’s on “How to” from YouTube, because she didn’t know how to cut “Curtain bangs”?! B.T.W. Since, I’ve watched a few YouTube vids and I finally have Bridget Bardot bangs.

Pic one; layers Pic two; dark spot...

My grandmother used to be one of the best hairdressers in her town, and explained to me once that doing hair is as much a science as it is an art form. Every bad haircut I’ve ever received was by someone who never took the time to apply specific attention and techniques based on my hairs needs. Emma was a relief for me, after so many poor experiences the last several years at various other places. Emma treats your hair like a science and in the end it is pure art. She asked my hair routine, color history, texture stylings, lifestyle etc.. from the information she gathered, she gave me a few options to choose from for my expectations, and took the time to explain the reasoning for them. She understood my needs that I knew of and gave me insight on my hairs needs that I wasn’t previously aware of. In the end- the haircut was exactly as explained and more beautiful and HEALTHY than I was expecting. -great listener -gives you their full attention -made sure you were taken care of -wasn’t pushy and respected boundaries (I’ve experienced a lot of hairdressers who were very insistent on straightening then curling my hair after appt, I prefer to let it naturally dry- she understood and respected it) -overall a quality person -fantastic haircut and bleaching service that didn’t kill my curls or make me look like a puffy ball of fried blonde hair

10/10 looking forward to knowing where I’ll be getting my hair done for the...

I’ve tried Bishops twice. Worst haircut of my life both times (two different barbers). If you have a modern comb-over/part style haircut, don’t waste your time here. I’m happy to pay extra for a quality cut, but here you pay extra for the cool atmosphere, not the quality of service. Overpriced for what you get.

The second time I went in to get a haircut before a vacation. The barber comes out with two masks on, coughing and sneezing. Tells me how she’s been under the weather for the last couple days but swears it’s not covid. While she was taking precautions, in my opinion, she should not have been cutting people hair with whatever sickness she had. Clearly a manager should have told their employee to go home if they cared about the business.

My suggestion is to anyone who has a haircut more complicated than a buzz cut and who may be looking for a new barber, avoid this place. Don’t let the other good reviews fool you like they did me.

Update to my review after response from owner: Thanks for the reply. You are right that I haven’t been in since May. I had reached out to the store manager right after my second visit and was told I cannot be given a refund. I was given a chance to come in for another cut free of charge, but why would I come back to a place where I got two horrible cuts and the last time I had a sick employee providing service. While I appreciate the response, it’s too...