The Beehive Salon

I don't care about the atitude everyone seems to talk about- I only have my own experience. Very simply, my stylist did not listen to me, spent most of the cut stopping to talk to other people and the stylist next to her (who also seemed to be ignoring her client). I don't know, maybe I'm old fashioned, but I've always thought the focus should be on the client. I held back my tears as I paid. It can't be fixed, the damage is already done, she just cut exactly what I asked her not to and now it'll take about a year to regrow. I literally am crying right now. I guess it depends on who you get, but I can't express how much I regret getting my hair cut. I've seen other reviews where the salon jumps in to respond, claiming how their main concern is the client having a great experience and loving their hair. I don't buy it. I was there- and I'll have my hair in a ponytail for the next year to prove it. more

The Beehive is a great salon. I have been going there for the last few years. Julie gave me some fantastic color and cuts. If you are currently looking for her she is working at Deluxe in Williamsburg still doing her good thing. more

I've been getting my haircuts from many different places, ranging on location as well as price, and i must admit that beehive has won my love and affection. more

My haircut rocks. Jonathan cut my normally boring and lifeless hair about two months ago: short, with a couple of long piece around the front. I loved it and so I came back for what I thought would be a repeat. I didn't actually think there were any other options: but yes! He emphasized the bangs which had grown out and reshaped the rest. I left with my short hair in a new style with a longer bangs than I've ever had and I love it. Thank you Jonathan. I feel like a rockstar and I love the rough paste you recomended. more

I like one of the owners of this salon, Bean, but I don't like her enough to ever come back. When I was describing the haircut I wanted and let the guy know that I didn't want layers at the top of my hair for fear of losing any thickness I might of had, I got a whole lot of (insert word- rhymes with witch) from the guy. Basically letting me know who was giving the haircut or it wouldn't work. more

Like everything else in increasingly annoying Williamsburg, Beehive has become so popular that its completely losing its off-the-beaten-path charm. Scoring an appointment here is getting as hard as it is at upscale salons in the city. But you know what? Asking a customer who's been in three times in the past 9 months to wait 4 weeks for a half inch trim is ridiculous, as is your suggestion that I call in daily to check for cancellations. I even offered to come in first thing in the morning, in the middle of the week, before work, and wait until a stylist, any stylist, was free, and I was still told no, I needed to book in advance. Uh, yeah, no...I don't think so. A piece of advice Beehive: I know you're hip and everything, but leave a little room on your book for walk-ins 'cause everybody doesn't want to wait 4 weeks for a 15 minute trim. Also, maybe you should ask if I'm a repeat customer, 'cause after dropping some serious coin three times in your shop on haircuts and products, I think I deserve maybe a little, tiny bit of consideration that will in turn keep me loyal to you. Perhaps the new curly hair salon that I just found online will do exactly that: I've cancelled my May 19th appointment with you (made on April 13th) and getting my hair cut someplace else, tonight. Pros: Really good technique for curly hair Cons: Appointments are impossible to get. Must be made weeks in advance. more

I went into my appt. with great expecations, but came away really disappointed. I think the worst thing about this place is the general attitude. My haircut was only so-so?I had a girl with monster tatoos and she was very snotty to me. At one point the owner came in and 2 of the stylists literally rolled their eyes and started talking about her right in front of me! I felt it was really unprofessional. I mean, why are you working there if you hate your boss so bad? I agree with the reviewers who say the Beehive seems kind of full of itself. I live in the LES, but am in Williamsburg all the time? and I won?t be back here. You might as well go to Jean David or Dramatics NYC for less money and the same quality. Pros: they sell good products-- shampoo and gel Cons: attitude and unhappy employees, not that great at what they do to charge what they charge more

I love the look of this place. I love the hairstyles all the hairsylists have. Very trendy. Very high maintanece. Very Williamsburg (hey, I've lived in this hood for 8 year, I can say that rightly). I've had my hipster hair cut here several times and have always been happy. Last time I went there the dude butchered my hair. I can't even begin to imagine what it was he was trying to do, but it wasn't a trim, touch-up, or shaping. Butchered! The guy was so concerned with the latest hipster gossip that ee hardly knew I was there. Boooo Behive. Bad job. My hair looked like complete sh*t - even a hat or scarf couldn't hide the dumb hairdo this fella gave me. I had to go somewhere else to get it fixed. I wish I didn't have to complain but this guy took complete liberty on my head of hair. Ugh, what a freakin' drag. Pros: hipster scene, get the scoop of the latest gossip Cons: get a bad hair-do more

If you have black curly hair and want to look like Jessica Simpson, see Bean. She is honest and is an expert at advising what you can and cant do to your hair. Pros: hair color Cons: cuts are differnt upon stylists more

I went here based on citysearch reviews and it was a good decision. kay did my color and cut. i had had a crappy cheap haircut and my hair looked flat and dull. i didn't want anything drastic, just some shaping and layers. i also wanted my color evened out to cover grays and the brassiness left behind from previous at-home colorings. i'm a bit timid with hairdressers being not much of a stylish person, and a bit shy too. but kay was sweet and listened to me and did exactly as I reqeusted even if i wasn't able to express it so well!. I got the feeling all of the stylists were really smart, and artistic, looking carefully at each client's hair and approaching it like a canvas. some hairstylists, you get the sense they are stuck in that career cause they didn't know what else to do, ya know? but not at the beehive. everyone was really friendly and down to earth. i usually feel a bit nervous with a stylist, making small talk, but here i was made to feel welcome and didn't get rushed or criticised and no products were pushed on me. kay did a fantastic job especially with the color, it turned out so beautiful and rich and she took the time to apply in small sections and blend so I got dimension and glossy lowlights. i overheard other clients with their stylists and all seemed equally awesome! she made sure everything was to my liking as she was cutting. she even made suggestions and was really responsive and seemed to really care and want to mek me look good! this place is small and has a boutique feel to it, but minus the attitude. I will definitely be going back, and highly recommend. i didnt do anything drastic and didnt get the absolute WOW best cut ever but it was exactly what I wanted, and the people and the atmosphere are worth everything to me! Pros: friendly, punctual, not pushy, excellent color job especially Cons: a bit pricey but hey, it's New York! worth it. more

Last Saturday Kathy gave me such a fantastic haircut and wonderful highlights and lowlights. She took the time to really pay attention to what i wanted for my look as well as keeping the health of my fine & thin hair in mind. She was very attentive in blending the colors for a natural look. The best part is the cut allows me to airdry my wavy hair without it looking haphazard. She knew exactly where to cut the layers to make my hair curl in just the right places. It looks great, and I am thrilled to be able to let my hair down after 4 months of wearing it up! Pros: cute salon, great staff, great service, no attitude more

I just got a craptastic haircut from Kay. I'm sorry, nothing personal, but after wearing it for a couple days, its way out of proportion, and totally uncomplimentary. Pros: Cute, hip place. Cons: I received 2 bad haircuts in 3 visits. more

I think that to sum up the comments of everyone who has posted -- it really depends on your stylist. Some are better at color than others, some are obviously still trying their hands out at even cutting (as far as more complex cuts go). Get a recommendation from a friend or see one of the master stylists, but don't just take a chance on a random junior stylist. The turnover is high and there are seemingly always new stylists coming in and old ones you liked leaving for a higher salary somewhere else or to do their own home businesses. I've gotten good haircuts and bad haircuts here ... and unfortunately, terrible highlights (go with a master stylist if you're doing color). Be aware that if you ask for a color correction from the mistakes they made, they may charge you lots of extras to fix it and make it look really good, even though they say they'll do the correction for free (this was my experience). With the high influx of customers, it seems like they're having a difficult time giving each customer as much quality as she or he deserves, which is unfortunate because it started off so well. It might be worth the extra 50-100 bucks to go to a top salon in the city instead. Pros: in the neighborhood, cute atmosphere Cons: lack of skill and experience in many stylists, sometimes rudeness or not listening more

I came to the 'hive (for my second visit) on New Year's Eve, so you can imagine how hectic it was. Nonetheless, my stylist, Laura, was very sweet and accomodating; gave me a cut and color. Unfortunately, I later noticed that the color didn't take very well to my hair, giving it a slight orange tint, so I called the salon the next day to schedule a color correction. They scheduled me for just 2 days later with Louisa, the owner of the salon. Not only is Louisa a great talent, but she is super nice. I really enjoyed my time with her. She toned my color, gave me a full head of highlights (really natural looking) and touched up my cut a bit. They only charged me for 1/4 head of highlights. This showed to me that this is a salon that really cares about their customers. I highly, highly recommend Louisa. I read the unhappy review below, and I realize that sometimes you are just going be unhappy with a cut, no matter who does it. The important thing is to let the salon know -- and in the case of the Beehive, in the rare event that the cut/color is not what you wanted, they are super accomodating and understanding about re-doing it and making it perfect. The service here, and the talent here is very consistent. Pros: Great prices, comfy, homey feel, and Louisa! Cons: None that I can think of... more

I was happy with my old hair salon, Lovella, however, it was getting more and more expensive. I decided to try something new and went with the editorial winner of citysearch's best of...... well, what can i say. the place has a fun decor, and my hair dresser was super nice. However, my highlights turned out to be lighter then what I had asked for and they are uneven (i.e. the left side of my head is now slightly lighter then the rest.). unfortunately, I didn't even see this misery until I arrived home.... due to the lack of light in the salon itself. My cut is ok, nothing special but not terrible either. Pros: fun decor, super nice people Cons: bad colouring, average cuts more

Needed a re-do really bad. Came in with a triple threat for any hair expert....Awkward hair grow out stage, hack job by a stylist followed by my own attempt to make the situation liveable.......KAY was the BEST!!!! She asked questions, she listened, she educated. She was able to not only salvage my hair with minimal cutting; I left with a great do and a lesson learned.... leave your hair to the pro's. Thanks, Kay. Pros: great space, fun decor, serious professional hair experts more

I have gone to the Beehive for the last year and a half for cuts with Jess, who always does an amazing job. She was the first stylist that I felt really listened to me and gave me the cuts what i wanted. She's also really nice and has good advice for products and styles. I have fine hair and she is somehow able to make it look fun and shaggy and thick and wavy. She seems to understand what I try to describe and every time I leave I wonder how I ever went anywhere else. When I recently got married, it was a no-brainer to go to the Beehive. Erin did my and my bridesmaids' hair, and was awesome. She was friendly, accommodating, and fun (at 6am- not easy) - and couldn't have done a better job. I don't think I've ever received more compliments on my hair. It wasn't even that ""oh it's your wedding, you look great"" kind of thing- people were like ""jeez--- who did your hair??? are they local? can i make an appointment?"" The other people she worked on had completely different hair and she made them look equally outstanding. we were a good-lookin' bunch. I would absolutely recommend either Jess or Erin, they are talented stylists who make the experience fun and easy. Thank you!!! more

I had my first appointment at the Beehive last night and all I can say is that I love my color and cut! I had my hair done by Laura. Not only was she professional, sweet, and conscientious, but she truly knows her craft. She IS an artist. I have never received a cut and color that I was SO pleased with. She gave me the style that I came for but even better!! I enjoyed the experience so much that I will definitely be back. As a former hairstylist myself, I have had access to many fine stylist in the industry, but noone came close to Laura. All the employees were curtious and professional and made me feel welcomed. This was by far the best experience at a salon ever! Thank you Laura! more

I had a great time at the salon. I had Kaye for both a haircut and highlights. She did a wonderful job on both. I had let my hair go for nearly a year without a cut or color (embarrassing, I know), so it was thick, shapeless, and two-toned. Kaye did a fantastic job restoring my hair, and gave me a great cut while taking minimal length off. She is the only stylist I have ever been to who didn't take off more hair than I wanted. Moreover, she took extra time to consult with me about what I wanted. The highlights balanced my hair, and it looks great. She even angled them so it won't create a line when my hair grew out. Great job! Everyone at the salon was friendly. I am lucky to live by the 1st ave L, so getting to the salon only took 10 minutes. It was well worth the trip, and I will definitely come back! more

The first two times I went to Beehive I specifically requested someone knowledgeable with thick, wavy hair and was told ?they all specialize in all hair types? which I know from experience is not true. I tried two different girls who both couldn?t believe how thick my hair was and they?d never seen hair that thick (!!!). The results were not pleasing and I looked frumpy but I tried one more time. This time I specifically requested LOUISA becauase I read on citysearch that she is great with thick, wavy hair. Let me tell you, the third time was a charm. Pros: If you get the right girl, your hair will look amazing Cons: some trial and error of which girl to go to may be necessary if you're picky or have hard-to-manage hair more