The best cheap haircuts in NYC

If you want to save a pretty penny at some of the city’s finest salons, you can opt to sit for an assistant hairdresser, who is just as capable of chopping your locks as a senior stylist. The hair experts from Aveda offer a similar promotion: Call ahead to schedule an appointment with an assistant for a cut ($30), a styling session like texture sets and braiding ($35) or a color retouch ($50) in order for the seniors-in-training to fully master their craft. You won’t regret it.

Going in for a chop at this theater-themed salon (there are five locations!) does not require an appointment. In fact, don’t even bother booking ahead because the NYC chainlet reserves a special flat rate for walk-ins ($38 for a wash and cut; appointments include a shampoo, cut and style for $60–$80). Blowouts are an additional $40 to $60, but a custom braid or bun is on the house. And if you rebook early at checkout, you’re automatically entered into the salon’s free haircut lottery, with a lucky winner chosen every six weeks.

Upper West Side resident and stylist-colorist Laura Braunstein—known for her industry expertise in blonde hair—is behind this uptown salon, where a team of Vidal Sassoon-trained precision cutters and pro colorists will help you come up with your new ‘do. A haircut with one of the salon’s “emerging artists” start at $65 (including consultation, a shampoo and a full styling); a session with a “seasoned diva” costs $85 or you can sit for Braunstein herself for $100. 

From the unassuming storefront to the Saved by the Bell–style paint job inside, it would be easy to overlook Maria Papadelis’s pared-down Greenpoint salon after a cursory glance. But you’d be remiss to disregard it, since you can snag a high-grade haircut for as little as $20 (with wash $25, with blow-dry $33, long hair with blow-dry $40). The environment may be modest, but rest assured you’re in good hands: Papadelis studied hairdressing for three years in her native Poland, and has been manning the scissors for more than two decades.

The TikTok girlies have officially discovered this full-service Chinatown favorite, offering haircuts, colors, perms, keratin treatments and more. Founded in 1998 by stylist Tony Toe, the salon is sought out for its quality but economical cuts: sit for a junior stylist for $22 to $30, or opt for a more senior staffer for $28 to $40. 

The stylists at this galactic-inspired space receive high praise for their attention to a customer’s needs. Just to up the ante, the Queens spot also provides iPads and bubbly, plus owner Irina Patrascu’s senior stylists deliver the type of cut ($50, without a blow dry; start at $75 with blowdry) that keeps you coming back for more—no champagne necessary.

Owner Tomoko Kawamoto and husband Sei first launched this New York mini-chain with its East Village location back in 1995, and now Sei-Tomoko boasts three sister outposts downtown. Known for its Japanese hair-straightening services, the salon also distinguishes itself with its sleek, Asian-inspired cuts, starting at $65. And if that alone wasn’t worth a visit, each shampoo is followed by an abbreviated shiatsu massage to bring a little extra zen to your beauty routine. 

This Grand Street salon offers myriad hair treatments, from amino protein boosters to a mud deep-clean, but if it’s a simple haircut refresh you’re after, you can get a solid cut and a wash for only $60. And great news if you’re a student or a teacher: you can score 20-percent off any service with one of the salon’s select master stylists.