Lin’s Hair Studio

These reviews have been misguiding. This is an excellent place for Asian male haircuts! I’ve been going to Min’s Jazzcuts in Oakland because they have better reviews, but I’m going to start coming here. I’ve avoided this place for several months now because of the 3 stars, but being that it was Sunday and everything is closed, I had no choice but to go here. I was pleasantly surprised. I was greeted by Cheng who was very receptive, accommodating, and knowledgeable. She took great care in cutting my hair. I judge my haircuts by how good they are on their edge ups, and she took her time and cleaned me up well. She even took the time out to explain to me what shapes I need for my face type and how to comb and style my hair. I’m sorry but for $ 20 that’s amazing service, I’m sure you women get this all the time, but for guys this is typically a MOO point! (A little Friends reference if you caught it) to me this shows the professionalism, care, and quality that she puts into her work! Thank GOD I got my haircut today! Was starting to look like a caveman!

Update. It is spring at Lin’s Hair Studio and the salon no longer smells of smoke. It is a Monday afternoon and they are actually open.
It’s still best to make an appointment because only the owner Ms. Lin is cutting hair alone.
I got about 4 inches trimmed off. Took 30 minutes. The cut was $ 30 before the tip.
Also, Ms. Lin refers to Ms. Chen as 陈师傅. Ms. Chen still only works on weekends.

I’ve only been here once, but I hope to come here again in the future. Only place in Pittsburgh that I’ve found so far that can cater adequately to Asian hair (yes, males included), probably because this is the only Chinese hair salon that I know of here. It’s not exactly cheap – 17 for a haircut without wash, 20 with (for men).
I went on a Sunday afternoon, and the wait was pretty long. There were several people ahead of me, although I can’t say if this is the norm after only one visit. At the time there were two barbers, one who speaks Cantonese (sounds like HK, although I don’t know for sure since I got the other one), and the other speaking Mandarin. My barber was pretty friendly, making conversation and paying really close detail to my hair cutting.
They even have those customer loyalty cards with the «buy 10 get one free» deal. Although I guess with haircuts it will take me a while to get there.

My mom received a fantastic haircut here back when they were more recently opened from someone here, and I couldn’t wait to go back for mine.
Well 3 months after that the woman who gave my mom her haircut left, and I got a haircut with no shape or body when I specifically picked one out from a picture — looked nothing like it. Chalked it up to a fluke, went back again a year or so later, and she ruined an amazing haircut I got in China a few months before that really just needed a little maintenance. It was then that I found out the stylist my mom had simply came from NY to lend a helping hand or something and isn’t coming back, and I had been getting the owner.
Came here a third time an final time since I saw somebody else in here who claimed to have a lot of experience. I got a nice shaped haircut that looked just like I imagined… when she styled it in the salon. I asked specifically for something that doesn’t make my hair flip outwards with little maintainance (something I have trouble with with most stylists) and she promised it would be fine, and it wasn’t the next day. Turns out she didn’t really work there all the time anyway and was, once again, just helping out.
So… in conclusion, I will never come here again, as much as I want to like this place. My mom, liking the lack of a language barrier and the convenience of being right next to a Chinese grocer, still comes here occasionally but will go to Chinatown in a bigger city at every opportunity her haircuts instead (and they complain about her hair being poorly cut, no surprise there).

Solid place, I had a nice lady named Jennifer. She took the time to get it exactly right and was careful about getting it too short. They also did a good job shampooing my hair well. Watch for the location to change to a building next door in Aug 2011.

I wavered between giving 3 and 4 stars for this place. Lin’s cater to people with Asian hair and they did a good job of cutting my hair both times that I went. I like the haircut both times, but the second time that I went I felt like the stylist hurried so that she could take care of the next person in line. I wanted to blow-​dry my own bangs because the woman who did it made it look sort of weird.
In short, a mixed experience but the price is decent (about $ 25).
(to whoever reads this, Lin’s Studio’s number is actually 412 281 0989)