Richard Nicholas Hair Studio

Love this salon! I have curly hair so I’m always scared to get my hair cut but my stylist Gabrielle cuts my hair so perfect that wether it’s natural and curly or blown out it looks amazing. My color is always soft and natural looking, she picks the best shades for my complexion. Her mom (who also works there) is equally amazing and talented! The receptionist Helen is so nice and accommodating! The owner Nick Sr. Aka the god father of hair runs a great business, I’m a client for life!

I have been getting my hair cut and occasionally colored here for years and have never been disappointed. Joey is a phenomenal stylist and son of the owner. It’s a family-​run, been around forever salon with fair prices and solid hair styling talent. Cool, clean and minimalistic environment. You pay for the service, but no frills. Would highly recommend for anyone looking to get a great cut without having to break the bank.
Your review helps others learn about great local businesses.
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

I came into the salon with damaged over processed frizzy yellow brassy hair and Joanne was able to give me an advice on where I should start to help make my hair better and healthier. I showed her pictures of how I wanted my hair as I wanted to go lighter than what my hair already is and she suggest that I don’t do it because my hair would just come out crappy, breaking off, and would waste my money. Unlike other salon that would just take your money and not be honest with you. So instead of putting bleach onto my hair and damaging it even more Joanne instead apply a glazed with opalex. Although my end result didn’t come out how I wanted but I’m happy with my results. It looks different and so much better than what I came in with. Thank you Joanne for making my hair looks a lot healthier. You’re truly amazing and showed me the definition of a true hair artist. I can’t thank you enough. I’m happy that I found a stylists that I would continue to returned too .
After moving here for almost 5 years and trying out so many stylists and salons, I’m finally happy and satisfied. I no longer have to waste hundred and hundred of dollars elsewhere.

We came in near closing on a Saturday as a walk-​in for my niece’s haircut. For an 11-​year old she is quite adventurous with her hair and wanted something unique. Armand spent ample time with her looking at pictures and settling on a look. He was very meticulous and stayed past closing to make every detail perfect and showed her how to style it. She loved it. He is a great stylist and I’m planning on trying him for my next cut!

I’ve been going to Richard Nicholas for the past year, and I absolutely love it. Joey does a fabulous job at cutting my hair and gives the best blowouts ever! I have dry, damaged hair but it always looks healthy, shiny, and bouncy when I leave. Joey lets me keep my hair long and doesn’t cut off five inches when I ask for a trim, which I really appreciate after some bad experiences I’ve had at other hair salons. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my hair. Also, they offer 20% off on Mondays.

I came here last week to get a haircut done by Wyatt and it was an amazing experience. I moved to Philadelphia a year ago and prior to this had only gotten my haircuts done by my stylist back home. I was in desperate need of a good cut, I had gotten a relaxing treatment done on my hair a year ago and it was growing out and my hair was a complete mess. Wyatt is super friendly, he gave me these beautiful layers and took out some volume to bring my hair under control. I had a lot of fun with him, we talked the whole time and now I’ve been getting so many compliments at work! I’m definitely going to continue going to him and I recommend him to everyone!

Joey gave me a decent haircut but had total disregard for what I asked for. I brought pictures and was very explicit about what I wanted. He decided to give me the haircut that he had because he thought it looked good. Took off inches more than I requested, then proceeded to argue with me that his cut looked better than what I wanted and therefore justified his decision.

Absolutely love this salon. Quick service, friendly staff. Kelsey has styled my hair several times — she listens to what I want while also offering her creativity and expertise to style a great cut.

Great staff! Amazing energy and awesome treatment! Highly recommended! They use great products and I really enjoyed their deep condition. Great space located in the heart of the city!

It was a Sunday afternoon and I was closing up the tanning salon that I work at in Philadelphia. I was running a little late so I called up Richard Nicholas to let them know that I would unfortunatley need to cancel because I didn’t want to hold them up. They assured me it wasn’t a problem at all and told me to just come late. (I even made this appointment the same day!) Being in this industry myself, I know how frustrating late clients can be… (take notes people)
I sprinted down Sansom Street and rushed to the front desk. Every employee greeted me with a big smile and got me started within minutes.
My lob (long bob) was trimmed perfectly by the lovely Maria. The cut looks impeccable, full, and I can’t wait to go back again! Thanks Maria! –XO

I’m from the suburbs — SO WORTH the drive and spending the $$ for excellent color products and SUPER knowledgeable staff! The salon has a great vibe too.
Josie is awesome!
Only downside is make sure you save time to find parking unless you want to pay crazy garage prices — that, or take the train!

Unilocal reviews are what initially lead me to this salon and I haven’t let anyone touch my locks since! Rebecca does my color and Joey does my cut. I truly feel amazing every time Ieave the salon. I always love my hair color and Joey keeps my length long and my hair so healthy. Everyone that works here is friendly and it’s just a fun place to hang out if you have to spend a couple hours at al salon to get your hair done. Helen at the front desk is my favorite! She’s so kind and always helps me get the appointment I need. Totally recommend!!!

I scheduled my appointment for a cut with Wyatt the day before… Was welcomed with a cup of coffee… I was in desperate need of a trim. I left with my hair feeling 10x better. He didn’t take too much off. My hair has great movement and feels like it has its health back.

I came here today to meet the kind, great colorist, Joe Matteo. I got a full head of foil highlights, toner and blow out. He definitely did tons of foils, I had about 40 – 50 foils for a full, and I felt like when he was with me he paid a lot of attention to me and my needs. The highlights came out very pretty and I definitely felt like a blonde, but it was very sun kissed and the lighter color attracted lots of compliments. To Joe’s credit, when I came in, I was highlighted but with color and with roots so he turned my messy hair into something beautiful!
Joe is really easy to talk to and he’s very approachable. I feel very comfortable with him and I know that I can trust him. He’s a very warm, friendly guy and he’s also very flexible with different hairstyles. I’ll be back!

I went in for coloring, and I’m so glad I did! I have naturally black hair, but KELSEY was able to make it a light brown — ash blonde color without making my hair red or brassy :) Kelsey even ran out to my car and updated my parking ticket for me so I didn’t have to go back out! the service overall was efficient and friendly, and I would definitely recommend coming here :)

I have been coming to Richard Nicholas for years and they have never failed me. Josie is the most excellent colorist and stylist I have ever had. My hair is my favorite accessory and I’m a hair addict with very high standards. Josie listens really well to my ideas and is never afraid to try something a little wild or different.
The service is excellent and you feel very well taken care of as soon as you walk through the door.
The location is convenient, the salon is stylish and comfortable and the prices are very reasonable considering how fabulous you’ll look when you walk out. Can’t recommend them any more highly.

I read the several positive reviews which prompted me to schedule an appointment with the stylist, Josie. Unfortunately my hair is nothing like I wanted. Upon consultation I really felt like we both were on the same page.
The color cape went on and the bleach was applied in a rather heavy way which worried me a bit but I remained calm. To add, I think the overall process of ‘hair painting’ was a bit more painful than I would have wanted as my hair was pulled by the brush strokes and clip a lot.
After the bleach was applied I sat under a dryer for a bit and noticed that some bleach had got on my eyebrow and bleached it ;| It was fixed, but that still sucked. I was done processing and taken over to the sink where I got shampooed etc., then had a toner put on for maybe what was too long? I’m really not sure if my hair didn’t lighten enough or the toner deepened the blonde too much BUT the blonde is pretty orange-​y. Also, the blonde is SO heavy in my face, nothing like the ‘natural’ look I asked for. I simply wanted beachy streak hair, but got something totally not that.
You may ask why I didn’t say anything while at the salon, but that’s because I was so concerned with how much I hated my blowout (which was extra– something I am used to paying for, but fyi). I had approximately 4+ products put in my hair from start to finish which left my fine silky hair feeling like straw. I’m positive you could have woven a basket with it.
Now I am stuck with this hair-​do as I don’t live in Philadelphia (was just visiting) and until I can let my hair repair from the processing. This all came for a price tag of $ 150 plus tip.
UPDATE: I was refunded.

Richard Nicholas is, hands down, the best place to get your hair done in Philly. I’ve had the opportunity to get cuts in Paris, New York, and DC… but no one is as good as Juaquin @ Richard Nicholas. I’ve been seeing Juaquin for 3+ years for cut, color, etc. He’s my style expert, ESPECIALLY when it come to color! They were also the first salon in Philly to use «R and CO» products… don’t know these products yet? They’re BETTER than Bumble & Bumble, they’re «Green“and great for you hair!
Great style, and way better prices than DC and NYC… if you haven’t been to Richard Nicholas, you don’t know what’s good in Philly! Do yourself a favor and check them out!

I went to this hair salon on a whim after being recommended by another hair stylist at The Bellevue. I figured the quality and customer service would be excellent based on the reviews and I was WRONG.
I made an appointment, showed up on time, and still waited 30 minutes before being seen by one of the stylists. I was scheduled for a cut and color; I went to my normal guy first to go from black to my natural color (a medium auburn shade) and the color didn’t take well after some washing so while I was in the city I figured I’d just go back to black.
The stylist who did my color was AMAZING and VERYYY professional/​nice; I do not recall her name but she was a very pretty redhead with tattoos. If this rating was based on my experience with her alone she would absolutely receive a 5 star. It’s unfortunate that my experience here was tainted after I was moved into the hands of a different stylist who literally BUTCHERED my hair.
As happy as I was with the job that my colorist did, I am still angry about the cut that I received by the stylist and it has been two months. I had long, healthy hair down to my natural waistline; I knew the stylist would have to cut a good amount off due to the amount of processing my hair had undergone, however, the stylist literally cut about 10+ inches off my hair. I showed him a photo of a cut I had previously by the guy I normally go to and he said it was no problem to replicate the look– I was feeling great and was soooo excited for my new ‘do.
That is, until I looked in the mirror. My hair was cut just above my shoulders and my bangs (usually straight across with a little bit of length) were cut SO short I couldn’t even pin them back– I looked like I was a 12 year old who decided to try to cut bangs in by herself. They were long from the bottom and short on top because the stylist didn’t know how to cut them– which was after my hair was dried, by the way. Aside from butchering my bangs, it wasn’t even a good cut– I can deal with having too much hair being cut off as it grows back– but to have a cut that’s so bad that a friend commented it looked like I had a mullet?! Unacceptable and embarrassing.
I always feel very badly writing a terrible review about a business but the experience I had here was simply awful and two months later I am still angry that I cannot wear my (now short) hair down due to the epic fail of a cut I received. All in all, long story short, I will never, ever return to this salon; I would rather cut my own hair.
On a happier note and worth mentioning, the girls who were downstairs and doing the color are GREAT. They know what they’re doing and really took the time to make sure they chose the healthiest route to fix my hair without damaging it too much. As mentioned before, if this review was based on the color job alone it would have DEFINITELY been 5 stars; they did an EXCELLENT job.

Made an appointment to come in for color and a haircut. Had a consultation with Josie about what color I wanted and then discussed with Wyatt the type of cut I was looking for. Excited to find out that all services on Monday’s are 20% off! Josie was able to work on me promptly at 12:30pm for my appointment and we discussed that a full head of highlights was my best bet at going lighter with my hair overall. She was great at listening to my concerns about wanting a natural looking color and not overly bleaching my hair. I was seated at the chairs downstairs in the basement for my color and cut upstairs in Wyatt’s chair.
Overall it was a great experience and I was very happy with the end result. Look forward to coming back here to maintain this great hair cut and dye job!