Salon Essentials

At a different salon, I had received a horrible choppy haircut. Aubrey fixed it for me. There was a wonderful atmosphere, my hair is not frizzy, and I can now face my conference without looking like my daughter cut my hair. I will definitely come back!

I highly recommend Alyssa, I was a little skeptical about having her do my hair because I hadn’t seen her work before, but I am completely satisfied with her service and my hair. I would definitely recommend her, she knew what she was doing and listened to what I wanted done.

Kady Mae is amazing! She really listened to what I wanted, and she was able to correct my cut and color that my previous stylist had really messed up. She’s very knowledgeable about color, stylish cuts, products, etc. The salon is very relaxing and professional, and offers a full spa experience. So happy to have found such a great stylist in a a great place!

I just enjoyed a couple of hours with Hollie! She gave me a terrific haircut, and beautiful color and highlights. I am just thrilled with the results and I have been doing this for a long time so I am pretty picky. She took her time and made sure that it was exactly what I wanted. She is also incredibly sweet and fun to talk to which makes the whole experience relaxing and pampering. I HIGHLY recommend Hollie for anyone looking for great color and I recommend Salon Essentials for the atmosphere — it is just a great place to spend some «ME» time!!!

I have had nothing but the highest quality haircuts and highlights from Rachel. This salon is very professional and I always leave happy!

I got an eyebrow wax by jasmine and when I left it didn’t even look like she did anything. I have thick brows and I just wanted them cleaned up. She used wax but didn’t get anywhere close to my brows. Quite honestly I don’t even think she touched them. All she did was got the stray hairs here and there. When she pulled out tweezers I thought okay well she’ll tweeze the hair that are close to my brow line, but nope! Don’t waste your time if you have thick brows. I think she may be used to fine light brows.
When I looked at my brows afterwards they looked okay. She had a small mirror for me to look in when I was done, it wasn’t a magnifying mirror. There was a larger mirror in the room, but I didn’t do a good job of looking my brows over. Even if I did the room was pretty dim and on the darker side. Guess it’s my own fault. Honestly I wouldn’t have asked her to do them over anyway :-/

The place itself is big & nice. The menu has a great variety from nails to massage to hair and tanning just to name a few. I went in w/​a friend. She went in for a trim and I for a massage. I massage was ok, but felt it could have been better. I asked for a deep tissue massage & instead received a Swedish massage. I did not say anything to the therapist because she was very nice & I felt bad. As far as my friends trim… we were quoted $ 38 for it that included wash & style. They charged her $ 10 more, only scheduled her for 30min (so the stylist rushed) and her hair did not receive the wash as previously told & no hair products like serum were ever applied. Needless to say… it was our first time being there & it will definitely be our last.

I got a spray tan done by Jasmine and she did a phenomenal job! She made me feel super comfortable and she gave me an all-​over, even tan. I have never had a spray tan this good before, so I would highly recommend going here if you are in need of one. I would make an appointment, because they are busy with spray tans!

I have had Shellac manicures here for a couple months now. However, the last two times the manicures have just been very poorly done. I don’t think it is due to a lack of attention to detail, but believe it is most likely due to management choices. The lighting is terrible. The girls many times don’t have enough product left in the bottles to enable you to have the color you pick. I went through three color choices last time I went, because they don’t keep a back up of each color! Crazy. So to avoid that this time, I asked for French, and it is pretty much a mess. I posted a few pictures that you can check.

Hollie gave me a fantastic cut at an incredible price the other day! I can’t wait to go back for color and spa services (also extremely reasonable prices). On top of great prices, they also offer a 10% military discount. Hollie was so nice, courteous, and offered great suggestions on coloring my hair.
The salon uses dermalogica skincare and L’Oreal Professionals hair color.

I have been going to Hollie H. for years and she is the best! Very knowledgable in all the recent trends and has lots of experience. Whether you are just looking for a trim so you can grow your hair out (my last cut was only a quarter of an inch), or something completely different (she is great at ombres!) Hollie is your girl. She is also great with skincare as I have gotten a facial and many waxes from her! The salon uses loreal professionals hair products and dermalogica skincare.
The salon is very clean and has all the necessites. Easy to make appointments and everyone is very friendly!

I was referred there after I wanted to go from brunette to blonde. I’ve been to all the other major salons in manhattan– Gaia is nice but overpriced and salon experts is the same.
I asked for a stylist with lots of color experience and got Whitney. She was honest and upfront about what she could accomplish in one session. I left with a pretty highlight and a good cut.
I’ve been back several times and can’t complain! They even have childcare on site for their customers.
I’ve also had my nails done there and the tech did an amazing job and was much cheaper than the strip mall nail salons.
Give this place a try! Just ask for what you need– an expert at color, up do’s, cuts, etc.

I went to Chelsea for my hair about a month ago and LOVED it! I had gone somewhere else in Manhattan and received a bad haircut. Chelsea was able to fix the cut, and do highlights and low-​lights very well! I loved my hair when I left :) The salon looked nice and clean and had no strange, abnormal smell when I was there, like the other review indicated. I will be returning for my cut and color every time I need it done as long as we are in Manhattan. They also offer a military discount! :)

I have been going to Salon Essentials for two years and have never ever ever had anything but a good experience. My stylist is experienced and amazing and the couple of times I had someone else do my hair they were just great. The prices are great compared to a certain Aveda salon I went to when I first came to town and the stylists are just as good if not better. The front desk staff is always friendly and helpful. I think the person who wrote a bad review is an anomaly. They also have a military discount at this salon. I have recommended a couple of my friends go to Salon Essential and now they are both regulars. Yep, love this place!

I see there’s only one review for this business, and it’s not a good one! Honestly, I think these ladies are great, but based on the other reviewer’s comments, I think it all has to do with who your stylist is. The girls I’ve worked with have been fabulous — I’ve been five times since I moved here in January for both nails and hair (cuts and highlights), and each time has been a positive experience.
The salon doesn’t look like a salon from the outside; I actually thought it was a warehouse store until someone clued me into the truth. I think the prices are very reasonable for the level of service (each stylist’s prices vary by their level of experience), but then again, I’ve lived in DC so maybe I’m just relieved it’s not a triple digit bill for a haircut. Everyone I’ve been served by has been very nice, professional and skilled, though I think their pedicures aren’t quite as nice as they could be for the price (sounds silly, but the chairs aren’t massage chairs, and that’s one of my favorite parts of a pedi!).
If you’re nervous about a good haircut or color, I suggest Kerri — she’s done a great job with my highlights and I’m incredibly picky about that. My hair is long, so it’s not rocket science to cut, but she’s done a great job of adding layers for body and face framing pieces. Overall, I’d recommend this salon — I intend to continue visiting for as long as I live in Manhattan!