Momotaro

They are so precise with their haircuts. Not sure who cut and highlighted my hair but great haircut and highlights. Plus is they give an awesome massage when they shampoo your hair. Reasonably priced too

First, I will not go back again.
The reason?
1. Parking. Street parking, garage parking, all need to be paid. So many hair salon out there with their own parking lot. this one is not good enough for me to looking for a spot and pay for parking.
2. The owner or manger had terrible attitude. I never met any business owner/​management so mean that she think customers has to obey her? I don’t care how good the stylist is, they are not the only good stylist out there!!! I am not support her business. She was a nasty mean person. I wish this location close soon!!!
3. Stylist was nice. But she didn’t tell me enough information about how to care my hair afterward. Lucky, I did my own research and avoid damage.
Overall for a Japanese salon, NOT GOOD!!! I have been going to Japanese salon for over 10 years. This one is worst!!! No wonder they are outside of NYC. Never will survived in big city. Only small town like this. I am never gonna go back and won’t recommend it to any of my friends.

Decent haircut. I forgot I went to this branch in manhattan before and realized it was the same name when I started getting my hair cut here. They have a very distinct way of cutting hair… almost seems like they feather your hair which is why it seemed familiar to me when I went there for the first time.
The stylists are very nice and will even go to your car to feed the meter. I think there was a communication barrier for some, but I trusted the stylist so I didn’t give too much direction, but for those of you who want something specific may want to prepare ahead of time.
Overall, a nice place. Costs about the same as salons in manhattan… cut and color was about $ 120 – 130. I wouldn’t go out of your way, but it’s a good salon.

Salon is very clean and bright and warm and inviting in terms of atmosphere and the stylists are friendly and fun. Would definitely recommend this place for a shampoo and cut. Do remember to bring cash for the 15% mandatory tip. That caught me off guard, but the stylists are great and the prices are very reasonable.

You have to bring your own ideas to the table. It is not like Aveda, where style tips are offered. Obviously, that is specific to me. Great place. Very clean and modern. Great staff.

this place is great. If you are asian people, come from China or Japan and like japanese style haircut, this is the right place for you. Highly recommend Momotaro. The staff who served me is Sho, he is super friendly and interesting.

Not too shabby…
Let me start off by saying that I usually don’t go and get my hair done or do much of anything to my hair except a hair cut like twice a year. After my wedding, during my move into our first house, I got restless and decided I needed a change so I tried to dye my own hair… BAD MISTAKE!
It turned out reddish (my hair is a dirtyish blonde to begin with). I hated it so like 2 weeks later, I dyed it again, but darker. It was alright but slightly streaky despite using 2 bottles! So then I tried to do an «oops» color remover that I did twice and it turned out to make my hair all weird. After 2 months of doing all this, I was fed up and decided to go to a salon to get everything corrected. I went to Momotaro on the recommendation of my friend and we did a girls hair day.
The person who did my hair was a sweetheart. I give the salon a 3.5 stars because it was a struggle while I was there. I told the person what I wanted and I felt like she really didn’t know how to give me what I wanted. And my hair didn’t come out quite what I wanted and barely got a cut when I asked for one and got charged $ 200 for everything. It was a lot of money for not a lot done.
My friend also raved about the scalp massages and the great treatment they gave during the shampoo but I didn’t get that treatment! Poo!
Great bonus though… they go out to your car and put money in your meter while you’re there, and even use their own quarters at times! Yay for that!

The only response i have to my haircut experience today at Momotaro is BLEH. The lady who cut my hair did not speak any english whatsoever, so communicating with her regarding my wants was next to impossible. I told her to cut off 3 inches and she did about a half an inch. My hair looks exactly the same as when i stepped in there, I’m so disappointed.
I also told her that I did not want it blow dried because I didn’t want to damage my newly cut hair, and she said okay and continued to blow dry it. It was extremely frustrating i almost yelled at her. The manager had to walk over and explain to her in japanese what i meant, yet she still didn’t listen. She didn’t even ask me what I wanted done to my hair ie. layers, angles, bangs, etc., she just did as she pleased.
My sister has been going there for years and I’ve tried it a few times before, when Shoko was still there. The place has totally gone down hill and has like no business. DONT GO HERE they are awful and the people who do hair there have no idea what they are doing.

Since my stylist in nyc is not in and I need to color/​cut really badly, I decided to try Momotaro as it’s also closer to home.
Non-​welcoming receptionist: I already had a bad first impression when I called to make an appointment. The receptionist doesn’t seem very warm and welcoming. As it was my first time, I’m asking her advice for stylist and she rudely replied «depends on which days you want. which day do you want?» Since I had to get my hair done anyway, I decided to blindly go with one thinking how bad can it be?
Finding the place: It is very difficult to find the salon. As mentioned from previous reviewers, you kinda drive around circles. I had to call them to ask for their exact location.
Parking: Parking is metered only with 90-​minute limit.
Color: The two stars are for color. Since I only need to touch up my hair color, the stylist did a good job.
Cut: Terrible. I think he’s a rookie. I asked him to thin my hair and he not only did it TOO much but it looks very ‘choppy’ and not natural. When I asked to cut my fringe a little short, he was questioning me back. Not knowing how to cut it as he seems to only know how to ‘trim’ my hair to exactly where it was when I enter the salon. During blow-​drying, my stylist directed all the hot air towards me. I don’t think he knows what he’s doing.
After the cut, my face was filled with hair trimmings as my stylist didn’t attempt to remove them. The stylist brushed off the hair trimmings on the cape towards my purse as he was removing it. In addition, there’s no massage at the end of the color/​cut.
Mandatory 15% tip or more: I guess this is the first time I’ve been to a place where you have to tip at least 15%. There is a sign at the counter as you pay before you leave. Even though I’m not satisfied with the service, I still have to pay 15%. I really am not sure what they did more in addition to the color and cut. Tip should only be paid because the service is good.
Overall, the staff are not welcoming. You pay the same price as any other Japanese hair salon in NY but with worse cut and service. I will never go back again. If you would like to try a different hair salon, check out Hayato in New York.

GUYS, THEY FEED THE METERS FOR U!
they actually ask where your car is parked and what it looks like and take their own change and feed your meter.
BEST HAIR SALON EVER.
I am currently in Europe with my roots totally showing but i REFUSE to settle for anything but Momotaro– thus I am waiting to book an appointment when I get home.

I was referred to Momotaro by my Nyc hairstylist who suggested I come here for the Japanese straightening. I always used Meg, but I don’t think she works here anymore. I got one cut here and thought it was just OK I really went there only to do my routine straightening treatments. Place is pricey but to have that treatment done well is a big factor on how long it lasts, if it is done right it stays forever without damage to your hair! this place does it right every time my treatment lasted 8+ months. I would in fact give it 4 stars but since my cut was just OK, place being so hard to find and the horrible parking situation I had to take it down a star.

I recently had my hair washed and trimmed at Momotaro and left pretty happy. Mao is very pleasant and precise and she did a wonderful job on my hair. The only downside to this salon is that the parking meters only allow so much time. I parked a little farther at the meters that allowed for 90 minute parking, but if I wanted something more than just wash and cut… how will I be able to feed the meter? Run out with a towel on my head? Lol. Nonetheless, I had a great experience here and will return.

so you are walking around in circles. wondering if you are an idiot because you can’t find this damn salon! you check your blackberry again. you know you are in the right area, but seriously where is this salon. am i getting punkd?
after spending what seems like 3 years to find the salon, i found the door that leads up to the salon. i enter. check in. very busy and my hair stylist is 10 minutes late [good sign. this means my hair stylist is thorough!]
i meet my stylist [tsudo]. she asks me what i want. smiles. make a suggestion. and im like cool. i’ll go with what you say. you are the stylist.
i go to get my hair wash. and then all of the sudden the seat is lifting and moving. stretching out. it was a little strange, but once they start washing your hair… i was about to… zzzz
tsudo comes and wakes me and begins the process of cutting the hair! then flat irons it straight. it looked so shiny and healthy! she did cut it well, but i wasn’t in looooveee with what she did.
im thinkin about trying again with a new stylist because i did love the place. [my rating would be 3.5 fyi]
oh and tip is cash only!

Ohhhh, I don’t want to be that person that gives a unanimous 5 star rating place a 3 star rating. In fact, I checked the mirror like 5 times to see if I liked my hair cut more than the last time I checked. In all fairness I wanted to give this place 3.5 stars.
I got a good basic hair cut but I don’t think the price was worth the hair cut. I paid $ 65 dollars for a wash and cut. There is a mandatory 15% tip so I paid $ 75 total.
Here are some tips:
–Like the other reviewers said, this place is a little hard to find its next to a café on the second floor. There is a small sign.
–There is a 15% mandatory tip that can be only paid in cash.
–The parking in this shopping lot is metered parking so bring quarters for about 1 hour and 15 minutes because the whole appointment takes about an hour.
I think you should give this salon a chance because one’s opinion of their hair cut is really subjective. Obviously, other people had good experiences. I’m going to try their salon again if I can’t find anything else in the area.
Btw, I really enjoyed how they washed my hair. Usually my neck cramps when my head is in the sink. I don’t know if it’s the chairs or the hair washer, but it was a really relaxing experience.

I am truly lucky to have found the perfect hair place on one try. Thank you so much Unilocalers for sharing your reviews!
I love momotaro. I went last Saturday to get my haircut (after not getting one for a whole year). Needless to say my hair was like the split ends of a broom. But my hair-​guy, Hiro, did an awesome job. He actually took the time to wash my hair (which I thoroughly enjoyed). And then he took the time to consider what I wanted and matched it with the shape of my face (I do ask for ridiculous hair styles sometimes). One hour later, poof! My hair was completely transformed into soft, shiny black strands.
I actually came back Wednesday the week after to get my hair styled. I was thinking of an up-​do, but Hiro suggested more of a curled down-​do (if there is such a thing). And he was of course right. It looked awesome. He was just meticulous with his work.
I will definitely be coming back for future hair cuts and trims and what have you.
Note though that tipping is cash only. They can not incorporate tips in the credit card.

This is where i get my hair cut and colored… they are amazing! I’m Japanese so i’ve been getting my hair done by Japanese people my whole life (they understand Japanese hair the best!!!) and this place is amazing! Everyone is so hip and modern and they really know how to make people look HOT!
The girl that does my hair is Shoko and she really knows what i like, what looks good on me, and she always gives me haircuts that are low maintenance but still edgy!!! I love her!
Plus, they treat you like a Queen/​King there. They bring you a bunch of magazines, always asking if you need anything, and they even bring you coffee or tea or whatever!

I love this Japanese salon! This is the only place in NY that knows how to cut Asian hair. I’ve had stylists Shiho and Hiro and they were fantastic — and I’m sure the others are as well. They really take a long time with your hair and you can tell that they are trained and real artists. I see lots of people getting their hair colored and straightened as well. I would highly recommend this place. I stepped out of the salon today looking like Eva Longoria. What more could you ask for! This place is constantly booked and busy so you should make reservations ahead of time, especially on the weekends. The place was recently renovated and it looks and feels very relaxing. They really treat you well here and the staff are really sweet. I’ve only haircuts or my hair styled here so far. I’m sure the other services are great as well. This place is a little tricky to find as you have to look for a small sign on a door and go upstairs. It’s next to the café and across the street from the Italian grocer or the Haagen Dazs store.