TLC Hair Salon

In town visiting a friend and I decided to get a haircut. I am very glad that I found this place — they are great! The attention to detail was excellent and I loved the way my hair turned out.

Always friendly and super accommodating — I’ve been to jumping from one salon to another since moving to DC and I think I’ve found a keeper. The cuts are exactly as I ask and they remember my peccadilloes even when I’ve waited a bit too long for my next cut. They are very detail oriented, even sterilizing every tool and warming up the water before squirting it on your hair. After going to much higher end salons, I realized I was paying more to maintain the pretentiousness of those places than the quality of the cut itself. At TLC, it’s back to basics — you get a quality cut with great service.

Young is the best! She not only cuts your hair perfectly but adds wonderful touches like a hot towel massage treatment and trimming with hot shaving cream and long razor. It’s been years since I had that kind of tlc treatment. And, she also trims beards perfectly. Give her a try — you won’t regret it!

Just left my barber in Chicago and needed a place to get a haircut. I went around different barbers in the Northern Virginia area, getting meh haircuts until I luckily ran into TLC on Unilocal.After seeing the reviews, I said why not and went, without much expectation based on my previous disappointments in this area.
What a pleasant surprise it was — Young is the most conversational and positive-​energy barber I’ve ever had and I came out with the best haircut I’ve had in months. I got this right before I drove up to see my long distance girlfriend and got tons of compliments during my trip. Absolutely planning on coming here on a regular basis from now on and I’d recommend you all do the same unless you hate looking good.

Review is based on my experience dying my hair at this place !
A total fail
I was walking down Kings Street one day thinking it’s about time I get my roots done! For some reason I wanted to explore new hair salon (and thought I try to save some cash) so I stumble across TLC
The inside of this place looked like a barber shop but the list of services and prices stated that they offer full women’s hair services
I asked if she can take me on the spot and she said yes
Obviously no one was in the salon
I am not going to go into details of my experience
I wanted to wipe off every memory I had of being at this place
The only things I will mention regarding my visit is the chair I had to sit on while the genius was dying my hair and face which has a weird inclination to it (not 90 not 45 degrees) it was like half lying on your back with your neck trying to support your head for her to be able to dye the roots while my legs were hanging in the air (extremely uncomfortable) and it can’t be adjusted according to the woman who butchered my hair
She used a different colour on my roots than the rest of my hair (her same black hair Color) which she announced after she applied the die and after we agreed on a totally different hair Color !!! (I think the only die they had at TLC was the one she uses so that is the compulsory hair Color any idiot like me will have to get if TLC was their choice)
The hair dye was not only applied to my roots but also to my forehead and cheeks
And every time I tried to wipe it off she will run and apply more to my face !!! Telling me in a headmistress tone that this is her work and it has to be applied this way in order for the Color to appear on roots !!!
I ended up with black roots, caramel rest of hair
My face was died in black
And she vigorously tried to remove the dye to no avail
I still have the worst rash on my face from her work
And at the till she charged me $ 110 (way more than the upscale salon I go to on Kings Street)
And rudely asked for her tip !!!
After this experience I am thinking of opening my own hair dresser’s since it is clear that in Alexandria VA no qualification is required — and any lunatic is allowed to offer services to people with no insurance or even monitoring from authorities

I could be selfish and provide an average rating so that Young would not be over-​booked so that I could continue to be able to get an appointment without too much trouble. However, that would not be fair, or right. Young provides the best service I have ever had. She goes the extra mile every time, providing the hot towel treatment, razor shave along the hairline and neck, and hair wash before or after the cut — all at a very reasonable price.
A comparable cut and service at many other Old Town salons would easily cost $ 55 or more (almost 2x the price of TLC). I’ve been using Young for over 5 years, and will continue do so until I move away from the DC area.

Great haircut, very fair price, Ms. Young is terrific. Highly recommend. And make an appointment, it works best that way.

I had to wait 1.25 hours after scheduling an appointment with the owner/​stylist. She was really rushed at the end since there was another person waiting. The quality was mediocre compared to most haircuts.
When it came time to pay, she was really rude about how much tip I decided to give.
I will never go back after this experience

My girlfriend had a bridal shower in town, so I flipped out my phone and crossed my fingers hoping to find a good barbershop close by.
When I entered the barbershop, the barber/​owner whose name is Young was already cutting another guy’s hair. She paused for a few moments and went to check her scheduling book to which my next available appointment wouldn’t be for a couple of hours later. It wasn’t a problem for me, as I decided to take a stroll around town and found a place to read my book.
I returned back promptly on time for my appointment and was greeted warmly by Young. We exchanged names and I explained my reason for being in town, and then she asked me where I was from. The second I told her I was from South Korea, she joyously shared with me that she’s Korean, too. This might’ve hinted that I was bound to get a well-​deserved haircut. :)
After I gave her a rough description of how I’d like my hair cut, she graciously nodded and seemed to already have a plan in mind. So, off she went about her business with my hair. I might come off as biased, but she spent about 45 minutes diligently and carefully cutting and clipping my hair. And the end result: AMAZING! Now, I’ve gone to many different barbershops in the DC/​MD/​VA area, but I came away mind-​blown with the new haircut. I even received compliments from my girlfriend, her friends at the bridal shower, and my coworkers on the next day.
Like some of the other reviewers have said, the neck shave and cream with the old-​fashioned razor blade, hot towel, and brief (2 – 3 minutes) massage made the haircut experience all the more pleasant. The cost of men’s haircut shown on the sign was $ 28, but I was charged $ 30 (not including tip). It wasn’t a big deal to me, but something useful to keep in mind.
Unfortunately, I don’t live anywhere near Old Town Alexandria, but if I’m in need of a haircut and plan on driving through or be close by, this would definitely be my go-​to barbershop. Just make sure you call ahead to schedule an appointment!

Poor customer service.
The owner Didn’t care for photo I showed her of style I wanted so I received a lecture. I went back to MY regular hairstylist that same day to show her the work done by ms. Young at TLC and she informs me the service done at TLC is bad.
Back at TLC I get lectured again because my hair is greasy and I was at fault for the BAD way her work turned out. To add insult to injury I was lectured because I didn’t tip (I’ve done research and owners didn’t get tips!!!).
Ms. Young the owner is rude, gives poor customer service and has no interest in listening to client. her English is bad so if your personality can’t deal with that don’t go to TLC hair salon.
I recommend to the ladies that they also don’t go here.
If you want a barbershop this might be the place for you.

Well, after the first raving review, I had to follow up. Not much to add really, the second haircut was as good as the first. I’m sold.

Young is the best!
These reviews are exactly right.

Young is the best! I’ve been there 3 times, each time the exact same haircut, best cut I’ve ever had. Efficient and quick, but not rushed. Ends with a straight razor shave of the neck using warm shaving cream, an eyebrow trim, and a hot towel massage of the neck and ears. All for $ 30. You can’t beat it.

I’ve been a regular customer here since 2010. My only tip is to make an appointment beforehand. I spent 5 years looking for a good, consistent barber in Alexandria, and Young is the best that I have found.
Young prices her cuts higher, but to me, it is worth it. She consistently cuts my hair according to my instructions. She thoughtfully compensates for the shape of my head as she cuts and removes any stray hairs growing on my ears.
The first thing that struck me about Young was that she correctly identified that my shampoo had been causing an allergic reaction on my scalp (Head & Shoulders). No other barber had ever pointed it out to me. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; Young previously worked as a nurse.
You would be hard-​pressed to find a barber that cares as much about the customer (patient).

I was just taking a stroll down King Street running some errands and decided randomly to get a haircut. I’ve moved away from my hairdresser back home and needed a new one. Saw this place and thought that I could get a reasonably priced quick cut… boy was I wrong.
I walked in, no customers, so I didn’t have to wait which was good. Then Young came around the corner and greeted me. I asked her if she took walk-​ins and if she could take me now and she said yes. I told her that I wanted my hair shorter in the back, and longer in front coming down at an angle. I’ve had this cut before and I loved it. She wanted me to show her a picture in one of her books, so I found one similar, but I told her I didn’t want it as short at what was in the picture and that I still needed it long enough to wear back for work.
When I asked her how much a cut would be, she asked me to take down my hair to look at it and said it would be 45 dollars… eh, that’s a lot more than what I’ve ever had to pay, but I figured that’s what I was going to be looking at in Old Town, so I said okay.
After she washed my hair and took a comb to it and realized my hair is a total tangled mess (I have really curly hair that tangles a lot) she changed the price to 55… Wasn’t too happy about that, and I really wish I had just left then and there because this was one of the worst hair cut experiences I’ve ever had.
Just like everyone else has said, she did not listen to me at all about what I wanted and was very rude and made me feel bad about my hair and the state it was in. Even criticized the color I had in it and assumed I did it myself when in fact I got it done at a top-​notch salon in Roanoke by one of my friends who ALWAYS does an AMAZING job on my hair.
About 2 hours later I walked out with an extremely EXTREMELY shorter than it’s ever been cut, (remember, I said I have CURLY hair) and she also straightened it, and I hate my hair straightened because it’s really thin and I have a round face so it just never looks good…
It’s also not angled, so it’s just short as hell in the back then has two uneven flops of hair in the front. Worst haircut ever. I should not have tipped her. I have been viciously taking biotin to help my hair grow out so I can fix it somewhere else… I’ve never had so many bad hair days in my life.
Oh, and she also at one point asked me if I had had lunch… I said no. (I walked in about 2pm) She said that she had not had lunch yet and she was trying to eat when I came in and now she was hungry and that next time I should call… I ASKED her FIRST thing when I walked in if she could take me and she said yes… So how dare her make me feel bad for her being hungry. I can’t believe the service I got from her. Just awful…

Experience of one haircut, I can safely say I won’t be coming back to see Ms Young. With hindsight, I would recommend:
1. Learn fluent Korean
2. Show her several pictures or explain exactly, EXACTLY, what you want
3. Explain that if it doesn’t look like that, you will not pay her.
4. She will naturally refuse service.
5. Don’t worry, you’ll be better off.
6. Look elsewhere.

I have been in the dc area since 2004 and I’ve been getting my haircut from Young at TLC since 2008. I figure I’ve gotten somewhere between 75 to 100 haircuts from Young, and they have always been 5 star.
My favorite part of the haircut is the straight razor neck shave, fresh saving cream, hot towel, and massage. It really tops of a great experience.
When she first opened shop, I could typically walk in and get a haircut, but she’s way too busy now. Make sure you call ahead for an appointment and leave her a voicemail if she doesn’t answer.

This is a great small/​local business in the heart of Old Town. Be decisive during your cut and Young will take care of you. The first two times I told her to do «whatever» and she wanted an actual answer. Great service at a reasonable price of $ 28 w/​shampoo!

I’m quite surprised by all of the positive reviews for TLC Hair Salon. Perhaps the owner (Young) was just having a bad day, but I would never, ever go back.
It was my first time there today. I called in the morning to schedule an appointment for the afternoon. When I arrived, she (Young, the owner) was finishing another customer’s hair. I had to wait 20 minutes after my scheduled time before she finished with him to be seated (no one else in the salon). 5 – 10 minutes, I can understand, but 20 is excessive, especially when I’ve made an appointment. (- 1 star).
When I finally sat down, I showed her a picture of what I wanted, which was just some texture and the back and sides shortened. She didn’t like the picture one bit and started lecturing me on how I should have printed it out. Sure… ok, my bad. But this is the first salon that has ever given me a hard time for using a digital, high-​resolution picture. (- 1 star)
Once she started cutting (or rather buzzing, since she used buzzers 90% of the time) the experience felt extremely rushed, like she just wanted me to get out after making me wait 20 minutes. Again, I was the only person in the salon the entire time. (–1 star)
Once she was finished, she asked if I wanted gel (which is odd, since every other stylist always used a matte fiber or wax). I was surprised that she wasn’t going to wash and shampoo my hair (since it’s included in the $ 28 price), so I asked her if she could do it. With another look of annoyance, as if I did something wrong, she quickly ushered me over to the shampoo station. The water was cold and again, she totally rushed the wash. (–1 star)
At this point, I didn’t think it could get worse. It was painfully obvious that my hair was uneven. By then, she had already walked to the register and I had about enough. Went to pay and really didn’t want to give any tip, but ended up leaving $ 2, or just under 10%. She looked down and then started criticizing me, saying I need to leave more. After an absolutely awful experience (poor service and poor haircut), she had the audacity to criticize my tip. How ungrateful! (Zero stars)
The owner needs to get her attitude in check. I was a first-​time customer, very polite, and asked for a very simple haircut. If she can’t provide reasonable service, then perhaps she should close down. I’ll never go back again.

Best haircut my boyfriend has ever had.
For 25 dollars they really took their time and it looked fantastic.
Quant little shop with fun music playing and magazines for those who wait.
This is now his «place» as long as he lives in dc he won’t go anywhere else, seriously fantastic.
They accept credit cards which is important.