Hair by Fairy

I love these guys (& gals). Much has been said about the grumpy man at the door, and yes, he is grumpy, but the unpleasantness sops there! I work around the corner and have been able to walk in and be taken care of both during the weekday and on weekends quickly. I normally ask for a refresh of my pixie cut + color and all 3 stylists who took care of me in the last year did a great job! The atmosphere is fun, and the prices are amazing! Love HBF!

This salon is a nutty experience! The quite scary/​mafia-​like head of house barks orders on where to sit and then shouts at you that someone is ready to wash your hair. Then it is cut by someone else. Not many of the staff seemed to be fluent in English, so I showed a photo on my phone. The haircut wasn’t bad at all, and tip included came to £20. This is somewhere I strictly go for trims. If you want a major re-​haul or restyling I’d recommend going somewhere more expensive (see my review for Vidal Sassoon) but for a quick trim it is fine and very reasonably priced. Just please note that they don’t take appointments so if you go on a weekend you will usually have to wait at least an hour — though of course there are plenty of restaurants and shops nearby to keep you occupied.

In and out fairly quickly. 19 pounds. Super great cut! Great price range for a student who wants a good cut and doesn’t want to be a «hair model».
Thanks!

Hair by Fairy does not just offer hairdressing but has a first floor area kitted out with rooms for massage, beauty and nail services.
This review is not for the haridressing salon which is located on the ground floor but for the Holistic Room upstairs. I was drawn in by a sign promising an hour’s massage for £44 and allowed myself a spontaneous treat. Quite overdue, too, as my shoulders had been badly tensed up for quite a while.
I’m really happy to sea that Neal’s Yard still retains some of its hippie feel despite London having changed all around it. Most of the buildings are painted in bright colours and Hair by Fairy its right into a tiny square of vegetarian restaurants and treatment rooms.
Back to the massage — one of the best I’ve had. I’ll definitely be back for more if I ever find myself in the area again. Didn’t ask what the regular price for an hour’s massage is, but I’m sure it’s well worth it.
PS: Just looked it up on their website, an hour’s massage is £55 which is still a lot cheaper than most other parlours, especially in such a central location.

This salon is hidden away in Neil’s Yard. There’s usually no need to book an appointment, you just walk in and wait for a stylist to be free.
The stylist I was assigned was great at listening to what I wanted and the cut was quick and easy. I just needed the sides buzzed and the top trimmed a bit and reshaped.
While 19 quid is a lot for what a barber does at half the price, it’s hard to find a barber willing to do a men’s cut on a woman, so I’m quite happy with a cut for under a 20.

Had a recommendation from a friend and let my boyfriend try it out before I did (he liked it and his hair looked great). I was a little worried about the bad reviews, but I loved the prices. I have only lived in London a short while and the cheapest haircut I could find up until now was around 49£.
I need to get my hair cut regularly because I keep it in a short style which grows out quickly. I decided to give this place a go anyway and figured if it turned out terrible it would grow back anyway. Yes the guy on reception is a bit short, doesn’t say much, but wasn’t rude either, I like how quick the process was, I got my hair washed almost straight away and waited about 3 more minutes before a stylist was free, he was a little hard to understand, but he seemed to know what I was asking for (I had a picture which probably also helped). I was quite impressed at his speed cutting actually. I was done in about 10minutes, he dried it off and threw a bit of wax in and off I went.
I will definitely be going here again, it cost me more than half the price it usually does for a hair cut in London and all I had to give up was the small talk, a proper blow dry and a cup of tea (which I don’t think is worth 25pounds more). You totally get what you pay for, it is rushed and you are in and out in no time, no pampering, but I came out with a haircut that I can’t fault, all the stylists seemed to know what they were doing and from what I saw everyone left with nice hairstyle. I also love the fact that I didn’t have to commit to a time slot, I was able to just pop in after work any time that suited me. Really give it a chance before you listen to all the bad reviews.

This review is for NAILS by Fairy.
Came in without an appointment for a basic pedicure. The only pro about this place is that it’s relatively cheap compared to other places (24 pounds for a pedicure… which in the States would be considered very expensive)
However, you get what you pay for. The woman that did my toes was very nice, but it was obvious that she was inexperienced. The worst cuticle job I’ve ever received… she picked at my toes with the tool for maybe 3 seconds and then just moved on. The scrub was subpar, I still have rough feet and dead skin. I had to ask her to do it again. And the massage… well I wouldn’t call it a massage. She basically dabbled lotion onto my feet.
If you want a cheap pedicure, come here. If you want to leave feeling that you got your money’s worth– go somewhere else and pay more.

This review is for Nails by Fairy – WORST NAIL EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. The manicurist was utterly incompetent manicurist (does she deserve that distinction? I doubt she had any formal training). She was OCD with filing, couldn’t do cuticles to save her life, and globbed on the polish like my 7-​year-​old cousin. Don’t even get me started on the «massage» i.e. when she dabbed my hand with lotion. She went at an excruciatingly slow pace and half the time didn’t seem to know which tool to use. On top of this, I was charged 10 quid to have my previous shellac polish removed – this was not on the price list, and she never notified me! I brought it to the attention of the manager that this was an outrageous fee and he was completely dismissive and rude. I could go on, but I will stop here – in a nutshell, Nails by Fairy has bad service, bad products, and is an UNPROFESSIONAL establishment I will NEVER go back to, and will in fact probably go out of my way to dissuade anyone else from going. Miserable experience.

Went here was a haircut last week. The place is super cheap (£17 for a women’s haircut) and the cut was good. They don’t book appointments but I went over a lunchtime and was in and out in 20 mins. The customer service isn’t amazing but I guess you can’t have everything for so cheap. Would definitely be going back.

Pros: cheap, fast, and located in a nice space.
Cons: distracted, inattentive staff; not the world’s best haircut.
£13 (plus tip) for a haircut is not bad in London. If you don’t care about having a relaxing environment or getting exactly the cut you want, this is a great deal.

I go here all the time! The stylists change pretty frequently, and all are foreign. Someone described the front desk guy as «forbidding», which is totally accurate. You don’t need an appointment, although on busy days they’ll ask you to come back in a bit. The best part is that they’re super fast — I can be in and out in half an hour with an edgy short cut (usually I just show a photo of what I want). There’s no pampering, hand massages, etc like at fancy salons, they just get the job done.
Also, as of this year they’ve raised the price to £17 for women and £14 for men.

I’ve been going here for years and its basically like playing Russian roulette with your haircut. Sometimes the stylists are great other times not. This time I got someone who could not speak English so a horror story haircut. Pocket translator required to not get butchered. «No clipper shave apparently means yes clipper shave»

We need to cut our hair several times a year, so why is it so expensive.
I’m one of these people who friends will have to tell me they’ve had a haircut. Oh wow, 2 whole inches off eh, you look so different. Only £60, what a bargain…
Well, no not me. I usually cut my own hair, but there comes a point where you need someone who can get at it at a better angel. I’m pretty easy going, normally relying on the hair dresser to choose what would be best for my hair type/​face etc. I’ve had some pretty alternative cuts in my time and upon searching the net and asking friends I was told this place should be the place to try out.
At £13 odd pounds I was not going to sniff at the chance. There’s who I can only assume is the manager at the front counter who will take your name and sit you down (if there’s space, alot of people take a punt on this place by the prices they offer). You then get beckoned over and your hair wetted and ‘washed’. You then have to sit and wait, towel over head until a ‘stylist’ becomes available.
I had some woman who just didn’t speak any English do my hair. I explained to her what I wanted. I asked if it was possible to shave a simple shape into a section of my hair. She didn’t understand and consulted a fellow hairdresser about my request. They both just wandered round, perplexed and asked the guy at the counter. The guy came over and angrily told me I could get a cut and that was it.
Okay… So, remind me not to ask again. After that I let her trim my hair, I paid up to a miffed man at the desk and left with little hairs all over me. Later inspection revealed a poor cut in general, but as my hair grows quickly, it’s nothing I’ll worry about.
Customer service 0, English skills 0, cut …5?

For the price it was ok. I was happy with my hair when I left but the next few days the mistakes became aparent. I think part of the problem is that I should have been more assertive with the guy cutting my hair. I ended up getting it fixed while I was on a layover in DC. It was a simple fix but now I paid twice for the haircut. I’m on a budget and the salon staff were nice so I may go back but just use another stylist.

Let’s name names. Rosa (Spanish name pronounced ‘Rossa’ also known as Rose) is one terrible hairdresser.
You get shampooed as soon as you walk in here, then sit there with wet hair until someone is free. You can’t get tired of the wait and leave… because you have wet hair.
I used to have my hair cut here by Jorge (pronounced Hor-​hey, also known as George), but sadly he went back to Spain. I went back once after that and had a terrible cut by I-don’t-know-who.
If you are lucky you will get a decent stylist, like Jorge, if not you will get your hair butchered, by Rosa, perhaps. I can’t remember how I fixed it so I could see Jorge more than once, maybe they did appointments in those days. It was eight years ago.
This was my first time back since then. Maybe I should have known and requested someone decent, but you are not encouraged to ask anything. The guy at the front desk is far from approachable ‘forbidding’ would be a better description.
It is quite clear that these trainee stylists — trainees, and young stylists from overseas — get paid per head. They have to get the clients done as quickly as possible in order a make a living. They are exploited as much as the customers.

One of the best kept secrets of Central London has to be ‘Hair by Fairy’ in Neal’s Yard.
There’s none of the usual faffing — you can’t ring ahead, you just rock up and wait. It usually goes something like this:
Speak to Crazy Receptionist — he is always on the phone to his mates: don’t be offended, it’s not just you;
Wait with 3 or 4 other people to get your hair washed (top marks for fragrant shampoo);
Sit back down (yes, with wet hair — hot stuff) and wait for stylist;
Tell English speaking head stylist what you want, they then translate it to your stylist;
Snip snip, mirror, money, door.
It’s very quick, and very cheap. Tell Crazy Receptionist what you want and then clarify with him how much that will cost — he rules the roost. Without ever taking a breath.

You get what you pay for, which is basically quick, curt service and not the best nor the worst haircut you’ve ever had.
I miss the pampering and relationship I had with my old hairdresser who bothered to take the time to actually get to know my hair, so I’ll be on the lookout for something similar in my new digs.
Until then, this gets the job done.
Also, cash only, which was a bit of a bother after an evening out at the pub. Had to run down the street to the cashpoint while they kept my handbag hostage.

Fan of the quicky?
If your answer is yes, then, 1, you have dirty thoughts my friend, I’m not referring to that type of quicky, get your mind out of the gutter! and 2, you will like Hair By Fairy
Never have I met such fast working, no nonsense hair dresers in my life, fast can be a god thing sometimes
Walk through the door, get chucked under a sink for a fast hair wash, sit in a stylists chair, give a quick description of what you want done with your head, and 10 minutes of no faffing, no fussing cutting later you are pretty much out of the door and back on with your day
All for the not so princely sum of £13, so cheap it almost untrue, especially given its central London location
I’m verging on saying 4 stars, but the results can be a little hit and miss sometimes, but as long as you are prepared to say exactly what you want done, its all good

Im Shopping-​Paradies Covent Garden gelegen und gut in einer engen Gasse versteckt, kann man sich bei «Hair by Fairy» einen neuen Haarschnitt machen lassen, seine Haare färben lassen, oder auch Maniküre und vieles mehr bekommen. Den Haarschnitt gibt es schon ab moderaten 13 Pfund und schlecht sieht’s bei mir nicht aus. Besonders entgegen kommt mir die Tatsache, dass keine Terminvereinbarung nötig ist. Man kommt einfach dann, wenn man Lust hat oder die Haare das Gesicht verdecken.
Es stimmt, dass man hier — wie in vorangegangenen Bewertungen geschrieben — nicht nur auf «native speaker» des Englischen trifft, aber erstens ist ein Frisörsalon in der Regel keine Sprachschule und zweitens ist es mir ganz recht, da mein eigenes Englisch auch nicht wirklich das Wahre ist.

So I got my hair cut at the end of June, but have decided to post my own two cents about this great place.
It’s a good choice for an affordable and cute cut. I initially only wanted my hair trimmed and the Spanish guy who was cutting it also suggested side swept bangs and short layers. Good advice, I am still getting compliments three months later, lol.
The 13 pounds comes with a wash and cut. I didn’t have to make an appointment, but I don’t think you’d have to wait long because the place is pretty big. They work fast so you can pop in during a lunch break and pop out with a banging new do. I’d definitely go back for another cut again.

I keep my hair short so I need regular cuts — at the average rate of £40−50 in London I just wouldn’t manage every month. So when I found HBF I was delighted.
It’s not the most glamorous of salons but hey, who cares at £13 for a cut. Most of the time I don’t even book yet have never waited more than 10 minutes. I usually ask for May who cuts my hair really well and has been working at HBF for 10 years.
There’s all the other usual beauty services that go with it and they also do piercings, tattoos, sunbeds and laser hair removal.
Give them a try if you are in Covent Garden.