The Best 9 Hair Salons in Ithaca, Tompkins (part 3)

Burgdoff Kendall So i chopped my hair off and it looked so abd before i came here, my mom and I walked in and we were greeted by the chillest guy ever and he told us to sit and wait for a little bit, not even 2 minutes later Antonio (i think was his name i cant remember) came amd told me to hop in the chair and he fixed my hair up and he so cool. If I could give more than 5 i would.

Lewis Tian Bro got a razor and call himself a barber. Haircut took less than 8 mins and it felt like they just wanted to speed run it. True, they look like they might be good with ethnic cut but other than that be prepared to wear a hat for a few weeks. I appreciate their service but it’s not worth even 18 bucks and it’s honestly THE worst haircut I’ve ever gotten

Fatoumata Sidibe Carolina did an amazing job! She made sure I was comfortable and took me in during a busy time and did an incredible job with so much care and attention! Super happy and will be back :)

Wilson Carter The barbers hairdressing skill needs to be improved cuz I have experienced scalp pain more than once due to his amateurish skills of using the razor. And such a regular hairstyle that should have been done in 20 minutes for most barbers actually took him almost 40 minutes to finish, whereas the result was still pretty bad...

Glenn Simmons My favorite barber and stylist in town. I get a cut and retwist for a good price! The entire crew is really friendly and talkative. Best neighborhood barber vibes!

Grace Quail ☆☆☆☆☆ This store is the best Ulta Beauty I have ever been to. The location is great, & the shopping plaza has been recently updated. (I love that its right nearby trader joes). Caren, a stylist in the salon is fantastic, in all the ways possible! Thank you for your service, & excellent treatment. Self-care at its best. I will definitely be returning. ☆☆☆☆☆

Abigail Tessier Kimi gave me a beautiful color correction! On Saturday I had gone to a different salon and the hairdresser gave me a huge splotch on the back of my head that was lighter than the rest, as well as highlights that looked like they were already 3 weeks grown out. Only 4 days later, just before the holiday, Kimi took care of me and evened out my tone as well as fixing my roots. I am beyond impressed!

Kelsey Fisher I had my brows done by Stacie yesterday, and I couldnt be happier with the results! She truly has a knack for shaping brows and made sure to listen to my preferences. Her attention to detail and expertise were evident and my brows look amazing! I cant wait to book another appointment with her. Thank you for your excellent service!

Izzi Nejedlik I had my hair and makeup done by Kimi here for my wedding- she was AMAZING. My hair was exactly what I pictured, honestly better, and she had never done a trial or anything! The makeup was exactly what I asked for as well, and she checked in with me throughout for any adjustments. Kimi was so sweet, so so good at what she does, and also provided me with great makeup and hair education along the way! I highly recommend.

Lilly Koken I’ve had my hair cut everywhere, and Caren at Ulta is the best. She also did a really nice job with accent highlights. She has a great eye and amazing understanding of hair! Can’t recommend her enough!!!

Gordon Beck I asked for a high skin fade on the sides and back but the barber basically just shaved my head up half way and left a hard line between the skin and hair, no fade. After seeing this I asked him to blend it in but he just trimmed above it with scissors and left the line. I had seen other reviews warning people not to ask for fades here, but i assumed that after charging 50 dollars a cut it would be rediculous for the barber not to know how to make a fade. I guess I was wrong.

A LC Bad experience. $50 for a haircut in this area is absurd. I asked Michael several times to blend the line of my hair so the fade was gradual. Instead, I ended up with a hard line all around my head and razor bumps from the clippers he used. I ended up walking 5 minutes to Fine Line Barbershop for a great and cheap cut. Never try to get a fade here.

Irina Gaynanova I am very picky about my hair and this is the only place in Ithaca that I was happy with. I tried both cheaper and more expensive places, however Resistance is definitely the best. I always judge the haircut not only by how it looks when I get out of the salon but by how it looks when I style it myself. If you have a good haircut, you should not spend a lot of time on it. Oh, and I love their strawberry shampoo :)

Lima Mario (Duran) So this review comes after A YEAR of getting my hair cut here. Ive been pondering throughout this time whether I should write this review or not, but I am still so upset at what happened; Im giving it a go. I walked in expecting professional treatment and a great haircut, that was the feel of the atmosphere at least. I sat down and told the person who was cutting my hair (cannot remember his name - I remember from our conversation that he used to own his own place but it was too much paper work and he sold it to be able to style again - please keep that in mind for this review) the style that I was looking for. The man was nice, opened up and told me his story as I just mentioned it. I wanted my part marked, and he seemed to be struggling to get the part marked since he was only using scissors. He lacked confidence while doing my haircut and did talk a lot about his experience, his past ownership, etc. etc... BUT, he never delivered. Towards the end of my haircut he chopped off too much hair from the top back and literally screwed my hair for 3 months. 3 MONTHS. The worst part was that HE KNEW HE SCREWED UP, you could see it on his face. I didnt have the guts to say "hey dude, this is crap, look at it, Im not paying" and ended up paying $50 FOR A MANS HAIR CUT! An awful one I must highlight. I had never paid that much money for a haircut. Worst of all, with the guilt on his face, he still charged me the $50... You would expect not to get charged such an insane amount of money, by a man who knew he had screwed up, and who previously owned his own place... I never went back obviously. Closest I got to this place was Gimme Coffee across the street. Lastly, you know how I fixed my hair? A freshman at Cornell, friend of mine, used razors to help straighten the hair out, and the for three months I went to Transformations Hair Saloon; their service was incredible, and the people there helped me straighten up the mistake this man did. So if you want to spend too much money for a horrible haircut, go here. If not, stick to other places in Ithaca.

Cary Marcous Used to go here when I lived in Ithaca. Still might be my favorite haircuts I’ve gotten anywhere, thanks to Michael. Everyone here is friendly and professional. The price is beyond reasonable for the quality of the cut you’re getting.

Baird Bankovic This barber shop is good at doing hair cuts quickly. Every time I have gone there over the past year, they finish in less than 10 minutes, which is convenient for me. They really seem to know what they are doing for my short-hair mens haircut, and the quality is quite good. I have seen comments on them not being very nice - I can understand those comments, but just understand that you are there for a product, not an experience. Really love this barber shop! Location is great, hours are great!

Murat Kurtcephe I have the fastest haircut in my life. Possibly the whole thing was around 5-6 minutes. Yes the price is reasonable (14$ + tip), but I would probably go somewhere else if you want to get a little bit more detailed attention.

Timothy Shao Happy with my haircut. Lisa is quick and listens to what you want and delivers nicely. The price was good, Im satisfied with my haircut (though I do get very simple haircuts), and would go back again.

Arnav Sethi Rude staff from the get-go. 0 care given to customer. I walked in, there was no wait but the barber still didnt get up, just kept doing her own thing. I thought she must be having a rough day, so I asked her how she is doing and no reply. I made the call to leave just before getting the cut. Tons of great barbers out there and, ultimately, you pay for the service. And this was awful from the start.

Varshith Kandula Quick hair cut which must not have taken more than 5 minutes. I am still satisfied as I generally get only basic cuts. Price is 14$ excluding tip. Update: I have come to know that you can get decent haircuts in downtown for about the same price, 15$, with far more attention to detail. I would suggest going there unless you live in Collegetown and are strapped for time.

Susan Greene Im one of those people who just wants a haircut, with short notice, and with people who will listen to what I need. Im willing to risk a choppy cut with a really young stylist, and luckily Ive only gotten perhaps 2 of those, which I consider a pretty good track record, given that Ive been going here at least 8 years (thats a lot of cuts for someone with short hair). Every stylist has been a joy to talk to (and Im a 50% talker, not silent, but not overly chatty) and I walk out happy with my look. My last four (five?) cuts have been with Danielle (150% happy!) and Im now a total convert. I got bored of just a midlife-lady blah cut, and shes been carefully taking my hair into an asymmetrical shape. She listens to all my concerns. The vibe in the place is relaxed, and all the stylists seem to get along great, (or they hide their strife well, if there is any). Its clean, its convenient, its affordable, and Im happy. Now that I can book online, its even better. It occurred to me that for a service that makes my life SO much easier, I should go online and tell them they are awesome. So, Cost Cutter stylists -- You are awesome! Thank you for many, many years of great cuts and relaxed conversation.

Patricia Hall I paid $300 to have my hair colored a bright white like Helen Mirrens. I was assured that it was no problem . 3hrs. later, I had Platinum blonde hair, and was told that , that was the best that I could expect in one sitting. I feel I have been mislead. I, was also very rudely rushed out the door with chemicals down both sides of my face and neck. I walked all the way home before I found out about it. When I spoke to the manager of Supercuts and my colorist s supervisor, I found out that she had deliberately colored my hair Platinum blonde. She picked what is called a "Platinum Card" so , she deliberately ignored my wishes. They refuse to fix it. To be perfectly honest, after all this, I wouldnt trust anyone from either Cost Cutters or Supercuts to touch my hair. Also ,I could have bought a box of Feria hair dye for about $15 and gotten the exact same color.

M Kee Tanner was very upbeat and interacting. He did a fantastic job on my hair cut, listening to exactly what I wanted. I will be recommending him to friends and family.

Sabrina Swansbrough If I could give my haircut a 0 I would.... Worst haircut ever by Cassondra. She didnt listen to what I wanted - and took the liberty to cut my hair how SHE thought it should be. I had a fairly easy haircut, all one length - blunt cut, no angles or layers. Just a very minimal trim. Instead she choose to give me a U-Cut Angled hair cut. She also never asked if I wanted it shampoo or styled.

Baylin O Salon manager Cassondra was AMAZZZZINGGGG! She’s always so sweet and she’s super friendly to all the customers. Never a bad interaction with her or seen one. Very bright and bubbly personality. Quick and professional cut, always great results

Almande I asked to have 1.5 - 2 inches taken off my existing cut and specified I wanted to be sure the ends would not be bulky or flip out. The stylist completely changed the shape of the cut. Now my hair cannot be styled normally and flips out very far or forms an inverted v - opposite of what I had and asked for. This place is very hit and miss.

Oktay Gunluk Old school lady who knows how to use scissors. Quick, high quality haircut. Best in Ithaca.

Nicole Tudor I had recently gotten my hair done here and was utterly disappointed. I had asked for a layered haircut and when I told her to stop cutting my hair she kept going. And now my hair is in shambles. I will never come back here again and hope this review finds them well.

huiqi zhang Nice experience. I scheduled a haircut on Sunday only 1h before I go there. I show her my requirements. She finished in 10min. It is efficient and with some details. The price is reasonable. 23dollars for short hair

Luke Bernick Nice little salon with a friendly, older East Asian stylist. Love my haircut! They do offer walk-ins, but limited stylists mean you may need to wait. Fortunately, its pretty easy to get an appointment

Alena Zhang I love this place. I’ve been coming here for three years now & each time I get a fantastic perm and haircut. I feel so lucky to have this place in Ithaca. Prices are totally reasonable for the skill.

Junlin Yi Great hair salon for Asian hair! The barber was very nice and was very helpful when I asked about changing my hairstyle, and he gave helpful advice on how to grow out portions of my hair and how to style it. The haircut itself is very professional and the best haircut I have gotten in Ithaca in many years. The service also includes two hair washes and blow dry, for a very good price of $27 dollars. Highly recommend and I will be coming here for haircuts in the future.

Fengxu Hu I had a terrible experience at this salon. First, the barber was extremely rough. When using the clippers on the back of my neck, he hurt my skin—it felt like he was dragging the clippers instead of using them properly. When he used the scissors, it got even worse. Every time he made a cut, I could feel my hair being pulled and broken instead of being cleanly trimmed. It was clear that he didn’t handle the tools properly or didn’t care about the customer’s comfort. On top of the poor technique, the barber’s attitude was extremely rude. He made no effort to be polite or professional throughout the appointment, which made the whole experience even worse. After enduring this poor service, I was not happy with the service and left an 8% tip based on my dissatisfaction. However, the barber insisted that the “minimum gratuity” was 15% and pointed to a poster in the salon saying the same. Tipping is supposed to be optional and reflect the quality of service—it felt like a manipulative and unprofessional demand. If you insist on collecting an additional 15%, change the poster to read "mandatory 15% service fee," because gratuity should always remain voluntary and never be enforced. Overall, this was one of the worst haircuts I’ve ever received, and I cannot recommend this place to anyone.

E C I’ve been getting my hair done here for several years and I won’t go any where else. The attention to details and skill are the best. I have super thick hair and they know exactly how to manage and make it look amazing. The prices are also unmatched, especially for people with long and thick hair. Highly recommend.

K Y I cant recommend this place. I showed them a picture of the style I wanted before the haircut, but the result was very different and disappointing. They cut it too short, and now it’s impossible to fix.

Peter Comerford I dont get my hair removed with lasers, but Amanda B has been cutting my hair at Hair Etc for years. She is an expert, always entertaining and kind. This company takes great care protecting us during the pandemic. Really attractive building inside and out and super convenient in downtown Ithaca, NY.

Emma Underwood Been going for a couple years. Everyone is so nice! The environment feels really comfortable too. ❤️

Taylor Kerber I love this place, staff is really nice (i had Amanda Berlu)

Angelina The staff is very nice and friendly and I am always happy with the results of my hair and brows. Plus, I never have to wait! I am always in and out quick :)