Truman’s Gentlemen’s Groomers

Had my unruly beard trimmed there by Nicole today, amazing job and very nice atmosphere. Will definitely come back!

Incredible haircut. Pricey for what you get. Immaculately clean & free drinks don’t hurt!
Don’t try using the Unilocal coupon … they won’t know what you’re referring to.

Trumans is a truly awesome place! It’s like going on vacation for an hour or two and then arriving home truly refreshed.

Excellent haircut, product selection and atmosphere. Worth the $ 75 for a haircut. I wish I knew about Truman’s sooner.

I had been looking to upgrade from my $ 20 chop shop barbershop. My GF gave me a gift certificate for my birthday for a haircut and shave and I loved the experience. Fast forward a few months later and I’m a member here. Drinks, relaxing atmosphere and above all, great service. Always prompt, I get out of there in about 45 minutes. For a mid town salon the prices are actually pretty reasonable. When you factor in the drinks, it’s VERY reasonable. The people are great, friendly staff up front and they know what I like so it’s nice to have everything ready for me when I arrive. A definite recommend.

I left feeling like a million bucks.
Mary took awesome care of me and the staff was super sweet and helpful.

Just had my 7^th or so haircut at Truman’s and felt it was finally time to give a review.
OVERALL: Truman’s is among the higher end of salons I’ve tried in NYC. I’ve been to the traditional barbershop to get a cheap, quick cut ($ 15 cut, terrible idea), the super-​expensive salons in apartment buildings ($ 100+, too much money) and some mid-​tier places ($ 30 — $ 40 range, generally inconsistent and sometimes gross). Truman’s is a men’s salon so I was a bit weary of it feeling like a «read a Playboy and have a drink» type of place, but it’s really not that at all. It’s clean, comfortable, consistent (as far as the cuts), and very professional.
ATMOSPHERE: I’ve decided that my requirement for a haircut in NYC is they wash your hair up front (the spritz bottle treatment at the barbershops just felt… wrong). Truman’s takes it to the next level. They take your coat, offer you a beverage (hot drinks in the winter, had a beer once or twice in the summer), and have a comfortable seating area while you wait for your stylist.
THE CUT: After a consultation about what you are looking for, you get a hair wash. This is my favorite part because they don’t rush it. It’s more like a massage and they do a fantastic job. The people washing hair are stylists in training, so they know what they’re doing. They offer a hot towel, have different shampoo options, and it’s really a chance to relax. The stylist that was recommended to me was Ashley. She is extremely knowledgable about cutting and styling, and with curly hair I never really know how to shape my hair or what options i even have. She has worked with me each time to explain what she is going to do and how she will do it. At this point, she knows what I like and what will be scalable (as in, making sure the hair looks good 4 weeks from the time of the cut based on how my hair grows), so we pretty much just chat while she is cutting. And she’s just really nice and makes great conversation, so the whole experience is fantastic. My cuts are always consistent and pretty quick too. She even has offered to trim my eyebrows, which I didn’t know was a thing… but this place is all about grooming, so sure, why not.
COST: The haircut costs $ 78.00, which I think is worth it based on what you can get. Just a note: one time they were running about 25 min. late so they discounted my haircut by 50% for the inconvenience. I have no clue if they do that for everyone or all the time since they are usually on time, but I doubt you’ll find another salon in this price range that would do that.
OVERALL: After today’s cut, which included a really delicious cappuccino, I felt like the right thing to do was to share my experience with fellow Unilocalers and give Truman’s the support it deserves. 5 stars.

I have been going here for about a year, and am so glad that I found the place and Dana. If you are happy getting a $ 20 subway haircut great, but if you want to get a haircut that makes you look and feel better than ever, this is the place. Extremely nice staff (from reception to the stylists), you never feel rushed or unimportant, and genuine care and attention. I can’t recommend this place more highly.

went for a beard shape-​up/​minor trim, key word being minor. not what happened.
have been growing a beard for 3 ½ months, thing of fuckin beauty. got a little messy and needed to get is shaped and trimmed.
walked in, place looked great — was excited. chick grooming me seemed cool and friendly.
told her «if i could shape it without trimming that’d be ideal.» also,”…want to grow is down, not out. trim the sides slighly“
not what happened. cut the fuckin bottom instantly then chopped away at the side. probably cut off 2 months of growth, s.o.b. not only that, the shape is all jacked-​up and the beard line on my upper cheek isn’t even symmetrical to the other side. maybe she was high, who knows. i do know she didn’t listen to me and botched the whole thing.
going to take months to grow back. will not be returning. currently, depressed.
can’t speak to the rest of their services, but hell, dont get your beard trimmed here if its longer than a few inches.
sincerely,
the guy who had a great beard

Over the last few years, Truman’s has seen a steady decline in employee competence, experience and service. The business has sunk to the level of Supercuts, which speaks volumes. And at 4X the price of Supercuts (which I don’t recommend either), Trumans is a rip-​off and a scam. For $ 80, look elsewhere.

I did my haircut first time in this salon yesterday. Nicole was my Hair Stylist. She is professional and knowledgeable stylist.
Good atmosphere. I love it.

25 minutes after my appointment was supposed to start I walk up to Casey, the receptionist, to get an estimated start time. She basically (and some might say rudely) informs me that my service wasn’t expensive enough for my time to be valuable and for there to be an effort to start even close to on time. Quite a disappointment. When I made the appointment I wasn’t told there was a minimum before clients are treated with respect. Now I know and consider this a public service announcement, dear Unilocal reader, to inform you too!
EDIT: Casey probably writes great, albeit cold, cover letters but if you read her letter carefully you also notice a contradiction: On one hand she says «the appointment was not a service at our salon but was booked privately via a craigslist posting» to absolve the salon (which is fine, though I don’t think it absolves later rudeness on her part) but then falsely says «At the time of booking, it is made clear that because they are still in training very often services take longer than expected and are not guaranteed to begin at an exact time». If the hair stylist books the appointment privately and the salon has nothing to do with it, she has no idea what is made clear at the time of booking so why is she making stuff up? At the time of booking, you’re actually told how important it is for you to come on time. You’re told that time is valuable, not arbitrary.
Regardless, unlike Casey, I don’t consider that issue to be relevant. Things happen and sometimes services don’t start on time. What is relevant, however, is whether customers who do nothing wrong are treated with respect or are rudely dismissed. Courtesy isn’t something that can be turned on and off depending on dollar signs. You either have it or you don’t.

If I could give zero stars, I would. Total waste of time. Visiting from LA. Made an appointment for my husband for particular services, and no one had it on record correctly at the front desk. They made no effort to rectify the problem or accommodate him. Keep looking. This is not your place.

After being disappointed at a variety of «reasonable» but not «cheap» places, I bit the bullet and tried Truman’s. I have yet to be disappointed following my fourth visit. The quality of service is always there. The quality of haircut is always there. The environment is always clean. The staff is always friendly.
It is expensive, and it should be a treat to most. However, if your grooming habits and wallet allow, I would highly suggest making this your regular place. I have now adjusted to longer periods in between haircuts because $ 70 – 80 (incl. tip) every 6 weeks or so for an excellent haircut, is (imo) a better choice than $ 40 for a mediocre hair cut every 3 weeks.

I just wish it was in LA. Love love love this place.
And for ius Unilocalers, it’s a deal. I got a free manicure from maria for just checking in. Fantastic!
It starts at the front desk, they are on it. You can reserve on line and boom, in you go. I have had Jim twice now and it is the best cut ever. Great guy and very talented. You go back to get your hair washed an it’s a incredible experience from a very nice girl. Great hands and she takes her time, which is probably why this place is so good… NO RUSH. Jim is great and the rest of the staff is just as nice. Total guy heaven.
Prices are fair and I’m a huge fan. I’ll be back next trip.

My wife bought me a gift certificate to Truman’s over 5 years ago. I use to get my haircuts at local barbershops and didn’t think twice about paying $ 10-​$ 15. However, after my first visit I have never returned to those terrible barbershops. Truman’s is not only a place that gives fabulous haircuts, but they also have a great staff that are friendly, attentive and makes each customer feel welcome.
In addition, they pay attention to the little details such as knowing the type of beverage I enjoy, which is scotch, and can pick up a conversation that we left off from my last appointment. The price may scare some people away, but you get much more in return.

My mother-​in-​law sent me a gift card as a present. I’m a doctor and she notes I rarely take time for myself. It was incredibly thoughtful and it was something I would have never done on my own, but I was sold with the idea of a neat Maker’s on my arrival.
I got «the professional», a package of a haircut, manicure, scalp/​shoulder massage, and shoe shine. I have had only one other manicure in my life (on my wedding day), but get a shoe shine not too infrequently. I have curly hair and often find it hard to find someone who knows what they’re doing (see my other reviews!). I enjoyed all three services very much, but I really can’t believe how many compliments I’ve gotten on my haircut! I went to visit my parents in Cleveland over the weekend an for a wedding. Everyone commented on what a great haircut it was and my wife (most important feedback) says its the best one ever. Jim certainly earned my return business.

I purchased the gentleman refresher package. They offered me a beer as I gladly ordered a local draft beer from Brooklyn. I received a shoe shine, shave and pedicure. This would of been a perfect score except I was cut during the shave and left a mark. I would recommend this place for the guy who wants a mini escape during the work day.

If you’re like me and enjoy a great straight edge shave and shoe shine, and you don’t want to subject your hair to some cookie cutter barber shop approach every month, then you have to book an appointment at Truman’s Gentlemen Groomers!
Just as it says in the name, Truman’s caters to the real Gentlemen in all of us!
Complete with complimentary drinks (alcoholic!) hot towels, and scalp massages, there’s plenty of reasons to come back besides for the experienced /​meticulous hair stylists here.
They even have a full spa down stairs to relieve any stresses from the work week!
After moving to NYC I trusted my fellow Unilocalers to direct me to the best, and if you’re reading my review right now, then I suggest you also do the same when I recommend this to you as the ‘BEST’ in town!

Fan of Truman’s. I needed a neck clean and just happened to walk by this place after lunch. I asked if they could take me and they said if I could wait 20 minutes they sure could. It was a great place to hang out with ESPN on a big screen TV, customers sipping drinks and staff walking around with an air of «ok let’s do this.»
Lindsey did a great job getting me in and out. She was funny, knew how to cut a guy’s hair and understood exactly what I was looking for. I’ll be heading back for sure later this year for a full haircut.