Salon Wave

This was my go to salon for hair color-​but ever since they moved 2 years ago it has become different. It takes longer and there is never consistency in the color. I was going to Rumiko in the beginning but then she was always busy when I called for an appointment. I have tried several colorists here but each time it seems to take longer and all I want are a few highlights in my brown hair that aren’t brassy looking. I have decided that now there are many other Japanese salons in the area and will try a new one after work next time.

Great haircut by Sayuri for a reasonable price! She gave me the most soothing scalp massage, and gave me a haircut that was better than I had expected. Definitely recommend.

Saki had cut, washed and blow dried my hair. We had a brief consultation about the quality of my hair and what I wanted. I have long hair that I do not style and barely brush. I asked for more layers to give me more dimensions and to prevent me from looking like the creepy girl from The Ring. She got a good laugh from that. She explained to me how she was going to cut and how much she would take off. It was all very easy-​going and she really listened to my concerns.
Saki did not take off too much and I loved the blow out. My co-​workers instantly knew I had gotten a hair cut on my lunch break. Haven’t felt this attractive in ages!
As an Asian, it is really important to me to have someone that knows how to cut Asian hair. Salon Wave was a great choice! Even after I washed my hair and did not style my hair, my layers still look great. I will be back =)

I’ve passed this place a thousand times and wanted to try their services. After reading some Unilocal reviews, which I never do, I decided to give it a go. After reading positive comments about Yumiko I requested her and was not disappointed. She sat me down for a consultation, gave an awesome head massage during the wash, and talked me through the haircut every step of the way. My hair hasn’t looked this good in years & I am so happy with the services I received. It was a little pricey compared to other haircuts I’ve had, but it was worth the price.

Where should I start? My basics requirements from a hair salon is color and cuts. I used to go to one salon for close to 10 yr but it was a bit of a travel to go there every time. So I made a mission to find one close to where I live. I have to say I tried more than dozen places in NYC. They couldn’t deliver. Service, cut, color, and just no understanding or have the skill on what I wanted for my hair. After extensive research I find one close to where I resided. My first experience was good. I know it takes few time for salon to get to know your hair. Today Salon Wave is my «go to» for my hair. They have the skills, great service, and cleanliness that I look for. I definitely recommend to anyone who love their hair.

$ 120 for single process root touch up using organic dye which is $ 20 over all other salons I’ve ever been to but the shampoo was thorough and the scalp massage was relaxing. They charge another $ 20or so for blow dry if there’s styling involved but free if they run the dryer through your hair. The dye job was standard but as much I don’t paying for quality I just don’t like feeling I can get the same service and results for less. $ 145 for service and tip vs $ 120 I’m used to paying elsewhere…

Luv this place and luv my haircut. Amazing shampoo /​wash, talented hairdressers and quality products.

Wherever I go, I always get asked, «Who cuts you hair? My answer has been the same, «Toshi of Wave Salon, of course.»
Toshi really listens to what I want, tells me what he recommends and we agree. He cuts with care and precision, then dries it and checks his cut to ensure it is just perfect.
I love his attention to detail and presence while he is immersed in the cut that perfectly suits my face.
Haircutters will come & go in your life but TOSHI is a Keeper!

Update ⁹⁄₂₀₁₅:
Salon Wave is still my go-​to salon and I refuse to even try another salon. Yumiko has been cutting my hair for several years and has become the only stylist that I truly trust. She has great style and always gets my hair exactly the way I want it!

Very clean, friendly, professional. Had my hair trimmed after ignoring it 4 months after perming my hair.
Pleased with results. Only issue is water given in glass vs bottle.
Great products used and wonderful hi towel at neck during hair washing.

I’ve been to Salon Wave several times and always leave satisfied. I usually end up paying about $ 80 total for a haircut, including tip and tax which may seem like a lot to some people, but for a Japanese place I think it’s decently priced. I haven’t tried any of their other services, but if you’re looking for a solid hair salon to get regular haircuts, Salon Wave is a solid choice. The staff is always so welcoming and friendly. I don’t mind using different stylists since I kind of prefer getting different takes on hairstyles, but Toshi is a stylist who stands out in my memory. He was super friendly and made me feel right at home. I also really like that they don’t try to upsell or push products on you.

Love my new haircut. I have thin and dry hair that needed help. Yumiko rescued my head and we had fun. I love how she works in stages.

My mixed-​heritage hair is nearly impossible to deal with and blow dry. My cut is incredible and took a lot of the heavy weight. Plus my hairdresser worked with my «I barely brush my hair» lifestyle.

This is a warning! Don’t go there in the morning! I just had the worst haircut experience I’ve ever had in NYC. I live very close to their midtown east location. Every time I walked by it is always very crowded inside. Since they recently have a promotion for men’s haircut for 40 dollars from 8 to 10 AM, I would like to give it a try. I went there around 9:30 this morning and there’s only one hairstylist inside. I believe her name is Maggie. After I sat down, I told her what I want for my haircut. And then she started using a electronic trimmer to cut my hair. She was very unprofessional that her technique was very crude and made my scalp very uncomfortable. Even more, she didn’t know which grade she needed to use so she had to trim my hair twice using different grade. Her scissor technique was also very bad that after the haircut I had different hair length on each side. There’s also a big gap on my back side of my hair because she only used trimmer and didn’t use her scissor to retouch. My temples hair were on different level too. I was so shock that this is the quality that they serve to their customers. I really hope there will be another hairstylist that can come to save my hair but unfortunately she was the only one at that time. I didn’t think about asking her to trim my hair again. She doesn’t know what she is doing and I don’t think she is qualified to be a hairstylist. After I left, I had to go to another hair salon nearby and the stylists were all laughing at me. They didn’t believe that I just had a haircut in a hair salon and they all thought its me cut my own hair.
Again, this is a warning! Don’t go to the salon Wave in the morning! If Maggie is the one who serve you, be prepared!!!

I was extremely pleased with my experience at Salon Wave for both a hair cut and a manicure!
Shino was my stylist for the haircut and she was fantastic. I had long straight hair with grown out layers and I really wanted side-​swept bangs. Shino not only cut perfect bangs, but also cleaned up the layers significantly. I had a total of about 4 inches cut off and now my hair looks perfect! I’m super picky about my bangs so the fact that I was happy immediately upon walking out of the salon was rare and appreciated.
The manicure was also amazing. First — the selection of polishes was Tom Ford and Chanel — what more could a girl want? I picked a new Tom Ford polish and had a gorgeous manicure done. They offered green tea at the end which was just that extra special touch. Highly recommended!

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Service was great. From what everyone has been saying, seems like you can’t go wrong with any of the hair stylists. I had Mayumi and she listened to everything that I was expecting. I showed her a picture and it came out exactly like I wanted.
I am used to going to a barber for my haircuts, and although Wave is much more expensive, it was worth it due to the exceptional service and overall experience.
They wash your hair before and after the haircut and also give you a short head massage. The wash after the haircut was very nice because I usually go home to wash my hair right away to get rid of all the extra hair and do not want it getting over all my clothes. After my haircut today, I was able to continue on with my errands. Highly recommend this salon and Mayumi!

Have been here twice now, and both times were really great! The stylists are nice and work well with all types of hair! I’ve been trying to grow out some previously permanently straightened hair and they have been great with the «in transition» hair cuts.
Great location close to midtown. Very clean! Nice smelling hair products as well.
They also have started being open in the mornings for blow outs from 7:00am.

Went back yesterday for another haircut with Maki. Clearly explained to her that i wanted to grow my hair out and that i want a BOB haircut. Told her to cut the back which had grown out funky, but keep the front and maybe trim the bangs a little, which would have looked like a simple bob. I sat down in the chair and left my hair in her hands, only to come out with the same exact haircut as last time. After seeing what shed done i told her again i wanted a bob and even gestured with my hands that i wanted it to be straight all around, she didn’t seem to care and even blamed her semi-​choppy layering on the way my hair is parted in the back (my hair is not parted)!!! This cut still looks OK, but i am SO disappointed and have to wait another 3 – 4 months for my hair to grow out, in order to get another cut! Didn’t even get an apology… Not going back to this salon again!

I’ve been going to salon wave and it’s prior incarnation for five years and they are fabulous. The new digs are definitely an upgrade and the place is simply decorated, yet super clean and stylish. My stylist is Yumiko, and she is a hip Japanese chick who is so nice and accommodating. Everyone is Japanese and they are super polite and service oriented.
They always offer me tea or water and these folks run on time. I hate having to wait but that’s never a problem.
I have Asian hair. I wear it long but maintenance of bangs are a chore! Haircuts are super reasonable at $ 60 ish (can’t remember) and I feel like I get the quality of the cut I used to get at warren Tricomi and all the other chi chi joints in town.

I have medium length hair and got a haircut & digital perm from Shino. I like the attention to detail and the quality of the service she provided. She did everything from washing the hair to cutting/​shaping the hair as well as all the manual labor involved with the digital perm. I really appreciated the end to end service & how gracious she was throughout. Added bonus for awesome hot green tea!
I think Shino is great at cutting hair and I think one of her secrets to cutting hair well is that she cuts it dry (before shampoo). She said she likes cutting dry hair and I felt like I got better results with this approach because my hair is deceptively thick & you can’t tell when it’s wet. Also, I knew exactly what it was going to look like when she kept cutting, layering, and shaping. She knows what she’s doing and I trusted her as I watched her.
The digital perm came out nice. Maybe I am used to the cheaper prices at Korean salons, but I was charged $ 325 for everything (includes 10% discount). Shino usually charges $ 75 for haircut and $ 270 – 280 for the digital perm in case you all are wondering. Then there is tip and tax. Considering she gave me exclusive treatment for the four hours it took and she’s a more senior stylist (20 years of experience), I say the price is fair. It wasn’t an overcharge for NYC.

Thank goodness they were able to fit me in at the last minute today. I leave for Paris in 2 days and won’t have another opportunity for a haircut between now and then.
There are so many highly rated hair salons on Unilocal in the $$ price range. I’ve tried Hair Kuwayama (good but didn’t blow me away), Shampoo Avenue B (very good but I got lucky and had the owner cut my hair), Dlala (good but not memorable), Sub-​Image (cheap but horrible). I haven’t found a stylist better than the one I had in SF, so I keep looking.
I had Kodama cut my hair today, and she took great care of me from start to finish. I had the most relaxing scalp massage, I nearly fell asleep! Kodama understood what I wanted and was great with taking direction. The haircut I received is one of the better cuts I’ve had in NYC. It’s not the holy grail but I will more likely come back here than the other salons. I think if I build a relationship with Kodama, she will be able to give me what I had in SF! My hair is very long and thick, and I always ask for something that’s very hard to achieve (lots of volume on top while keeping it long without thinning it out Japanese-​mullet-​style). I’m also super particular about how it’s layered — edgy with texture but not too textured that it looks fried, not blunt and not too soft or pretty). I usually end up with soft pretty layers which isn’t what I really want.
I know, I’m difficult.
Anyhow, Wave 55 is a Japanese salon, so of course everyone there is so sweet! I got 10% off as I was a new customer and it ended up being $ 62 + $ 20 tip.