Strange Love Parlor — Local services in Town of Babylon

I just wanted to say that this review is of the salon here, House of Hellcat. It is NOT for the store. Vagaro will not let me post a review for whatever reason.

I never write reviews, especially negative ones, but I have to be honest and say I had a very upsetting experience at the salon. I'll admit to being a very sensitive, shy, and awkward person to talk to, I'm also neurodivergent and that doesn't really make things any easier when it comes to socializing. But I can't tell you how much I was really looking forward to this hair appointment. I ended up arriving pretty early but had no way of contacting the owner/hairstylist to let them know I was there waiting outside. I tried to call and reach out on instagram to no reply. It was a bit confusing.

The owner did let me in 2 minutes before the appointment and sat me in the chair to go over what I wanted to get done. We went over some photos I had and once she had an idea of what I wanted to get done, she shampooed me and I just started to open up a little bit about myself to her. Maybe I am misunderstanding or misinterpreting things but every bit of banter or conversation I tried to have with her was like being crumpled up and thrown back at me. The cadence in her voice when speaking to me and her overall attitude just seemed very inconsiderate and I shut down several times during our conversation from how embarrassed I felt about everything I had said to her. I don't want to go into specifics of what she and I were talking about but it was just a bit of small talk and just some things about our lives, the usual stuff you'd talk about with a hairdresser.

And honestly for a store and salon that is supposed to make you feel welcome if you're a bit weird or an outsider, I couldn't have felt more out of place and like a complete inconvenience to her. I realize that I was a first time customer to her and everything, but the way she was talking to me really made me feel so small. I honestly almost cried when I left. And the prices of the hair services are not cheap at all, at least not for me. I just expected a much more positive and welcoming experience for the price I paid.

I will say though, my haircut was done wonderfully. I truly love it. She truly does wonderful work with hair. But all in all, I really don't know if I'd return. And I hate saying that because I love this store, it's a really cool spot and I would absolutely love to support it as much as I can but that whole salon experience just really made me feel...

I’m all for horrors and spooks and taxidermy, but this store is really irresponsible when it comes to taxidermy. They have no clue where it’s sourced, and all of them are in improper jars and evaporating chemicals which is not safe for the pieces or to handle…. Not to mention everything is overpriced and basic in here too, with a very poor selection of items…. Very dissapointed as I was excited that I stumbled upon this place. If you care about animals, please educate yourself on ethical taxidermy and don’t buy from edgy sketch places like this!! When I asked if any of it was ethically sourced/where it’s sourced from, one of the ladies was very confused and like appalled that I asked and just admitted that they buy it randomly, and the other lady like rudely snapped at me saying “they don’t kill animals for art” when they literally do…. Not a hater I’m just very upset as a taxidermy and...

Strange Love Parlor is one of the coolest stores I've ever been to. My favorite things to buy are the beautiful handmade candles, bath bombs and soaps. They also have really beautiful taxidermy, jewelry, clothes etc. We travel out there periodically from Queens to shop at Strange Love. They have adorable plushies, books and horror action figures as well. Highly recommend stopping in here and checking it out even if spooky /horror stuff isn't your vibe. I guarantee you'll be able to find something you like! The owner Kat is amazing and hosts different events throughout the month! I've seen her advertise a Book club, taxidermy classes, movie nights, burlesque and trivia. Seriously check out this one of kind store! We love strange love...