Salon Kinya

I have been going to the same salon/​hairdresser for 12 years, so I was very nervous to try someone new. But since I moved to the city, it has been tough going back to Long Island just to get my hair done. My hair is very sensitive to bleach and certain products, and I have a very specific way that I need to highlight my hair. Blondes are always more difficult as well and it’s always hard to perfect the color.
Serenity did an amazing job! She used the same technique as my (now old) hairdresser, painting the highlights so they look more natural. This is also the only salon I have found that has the Goldwell New Blonde toner, which is amazing. My haircut was also great and my hair looks so healthy.
The service was above and beyond and the products are clearly very high quality. I would definitely recommend this salon.

Best wash/​massage I’ve ever had. Was offered a nice shoulder/​back massage too. Beautiful salon with professional service. Ended up with a beautiful cut and style for an affordable price. Will return for service.

Kinya has been cutting my hair for three years. Excellent salon and wonderful shampoo.

Hidden away on 41^st off 5^th avenue this is a real gem of a place. So quiet and tranquil and great to escape from the constant buzz of NYC. The hair wash is thorough and precise and doesn’t leave you wet but cleanses right down to the nape of the neck with a nice head massage following. Meg is a gifted stylist who knows how to style your hair to suit you and doesn’t complacently offer the same ‘look’ every time. Tried some other salons in NYC– this is by far my fave. Looking forward to my next visit!

I’ve been bouncing around finding a salon in Midtown for years. After learning former Salon Vijin (my go-​to salon for years before they left Rockefeller Center) stylists now work here, I decided to get a cut and highlights done by Kinya. I got the job done in 1.5 hours (Shocker because other places would have me sit for nearly 3 hours for subpar work). Kinya listens to what you ask and makes it happen. The highlights were fabulous — and 2.5 months later, the color still looks amazing. I have an interesting head of hair — half wavy, half straight. I asked for something low maintenance, easy to style, and a cut that would look great as the hair grew out. My cut still looks awesome and with little styling, it looks like I get a blowout almost daily.
After years of searching for a hair salon, I’ve finally found it.
Excellent for Asian hair types.

Full disclosure: I came in with a bad color job, self inflicted, so I was not an easy «patient». I also probably could have communicated better with my stylist, but found it awkward to do so, so that’s on me.
Pros:
* Availability (last minute appointment midday was accommodated, and I appreciated it)
* Location — great location in heart of midtown.
* Salon Amenities — clean, well decorated, good equipment and products. Appreciated the coat rack option, ability to change into a robe, offers of water, etc. All these things were excellent — and on par for a a higher end salon in midtown.
* Staff — friendly, accommodating staff, including my stylist.
* Technique — the stylist I had did a precise job of laying my foils, spent a good deal of time on my hair, showed me the colors in the color book, and had good cutting technique. She also took her time blow drying it.
* Complimentary higher end color and conditioning treatment where applied, which I appreciated.
Cons:
* Inconsistent Service — I’d read rave reviews about the massages, and it was part of the reason I came in, but I didn’t get one even though I saw others getting their haircut who did. :-(They were also filming some sort of promo for the salon at the time I was there, and I found it pretty invasive — I go to a salon to relax, and I wasn’t interested in being on camera. I probably would not have come in if they had told me that was going to be going on. I am sure that is not a regular thing — but it did impact my experience.
* Technique — I think a more experienced stylist could have done a gentler job fixing my color. At the end of the day my hair was very brassy at the roots, and a toner really needed to be applied. My hair was already quite light/​damaged at the lengths, and the stylist lightened it further, which caused a lot more damage than I think was necessary — the lightener was applied for a long time. When I came home, my scalp felt as though not all of the color had been washed out — it was a pretty strong tingle-​sensation, and other people independently told me that my hair smelled pretty strongly of chemicals. So I had to wash it out and apply a toner myself.
* Communication — when I came in I let the stylist know that I had been coloring it myself, and she was clearly flustered by it. I thought my hair looked okay, but just needed to be touched up in the back, but she said some hurtful things like that it was an «emergency» and hoped that I had «learned my lesson.» Regardless of how she felt about my hair, I don’t really come to the salon to get insulted. I think this might have been a cultural thing — she seemed to value directness, but I was offended.
* Value — at the end of the day, I felt like I had overpaid ($ 240 with 20% tip). I would have gladly paid more than that to have my color correctly neutralized, but I felt like my hair was in somewhat worse condition the next day and that the service that I got wasn’t really worth the money spent.
I think this is a good salon, and that these things can be improved — I also think my stylist was a bit less experienced than the others and that as soon as she has a few more months under her belt she will be a lot better.

Used to get my hair done by Kinya long ago when he was in rockefeller center. He always does a great job especially with cuts. Good for Asian hair…

Services:
$ 70 – 80 for wash, cut and dry. They have a coat rack by the register and provide a robe to wear upon arrival for services. The girl helped me tie my robe, which was good services and sweet.
Operations:
This is a Japanese salon. They have impeccable customer service. Everyone was very friendly and the décor is luxurious. Upon arrival, it might be hard to miss the door. It’s a small door and resembles an apartment. You have to be buzzed up and take the elevator to the 2^nd floor. They are quick and answered my phone call in the first ring!
Skills:
I had Mami for a hair cut. She is really fast! I was nervous to get bangs and she took extra time even though it was the end of the day to make sure my bangs were just right. She has an excellent sense and even curled my hair at the end because she noticed I came in with curled, styled hair. I admitted that I really like my hair in soft waves and curl it myself regularly, so I was very pleased that she picked up on it and provided this additional service.
Tips:
Kirana is an assistant at the Salon that gives really excellent massages! She will begin taking clients at a student price in the New Year ($ 20). She has a special interest in Men’s hair but thoroughly trained on all services. f

The stylists are always so careful about not damaging hair & wanting what’s best for you the customer. They’re so knowledgable about hair color– I’m very crazy about hair dying, I’ve dyed it over 20 times in a salon and they’re fantastic. Hands down my favorite salon in the city.

Kinya is amazing. I have been going to him for over 10 years at salon Vijin and I was happy to know he opened his own place. Kaz is very talented as well. Both stylists are highly recommend!

Do not get your hair blown out here!!! I liked my hair color but I made the mistake of asking for a blowdry. Kinya came up with some horrible excuse as to why an iron was better to use than a blow dryer and round brush. He was just too busy and lazy to take his time and use a round brush. My hair looked oily and cheap.

Hilarious. This place is next to my work and I just needed to get a quick fringe trim, so I gave them a call to check if it is ok to swing by and get it done. The receptionist told me I will have to pay as if I was having a full haircut. Obviously not going there

I booked a panic apt on a day I hated my hair. I was thoroughly surprised to be booked with Kinya! I walked into his salon with a head that looked like I was the homeless Kris Jenner. Kinya assessed my hair, listened to my desire — easy to style hair– and offered some excellent suggestions.
I went off to the sink where a lovely, very tall man gave me a wonderful shampoo. After that it was back to Kinya. Kinya deftly tamed my hair, added texture to my thin, frizzy hair, and had me on my way in 30 mins. I left with hair that looked like young Mia Farrow. I felt amazing.
Two days and two washes later, my hair looks the same. I barely have to style it. I’ve never had such a good experience.
I’m going back to Kinya in 5 weeks. And 5 weeks after that for as long as he’ll have me.

If you are visiting NYC and want a very stylish redo of your hair, or if you live here like me, salon Kinya is like no other. In fact, Kinya is the best kept secret in NYC hair stylists! I met him 9 years ago and he is fabulous.
He really enjoys the art of making your hair look great and stylish. I always ask him what he thinks I should do rather than me telling him what to do. He knows what looks good or not on you.
In terms of color, he is also great-​makes it look so natural by some special techniques so the color does not look flat but has depth.
(I have an executive job and its really important that my hair looks professional, but has good NYC style.)
Finally, it’s so nice to have someone who is just really a nice person, and leads a great, but quite, relaxing salon.
Plus, you get a nice massage after the shampoo…

I went to Salon Kinya based on the
Unilocal reviews and was amazed!!!
The staff is very professional and friendly. I felt
in love with this place from the first second.
They took a great care of me and my
hair. I love my new hair cut too.
I am so glad that I found this place. I will come back and recommend this
hair salon to all of my friends.

I’ve been a loyal customer of Kinya’s for 6+ years, and I’d recommend him without reservation. I followed him when he opened his new salon without hesitation (even when his old salon moved 2 blocks from my apartment). He is professional and detail-​oriented, yet I always feel relaxed, like I’m chatting with a friend. All of the staff are super nice. The massage after getting your hair washed is a major highlight of the visit.
Kinya’s skills are versatile – when I first started going to him, I would get bold, two-​toned highlights with a short asymmetrical bob; now I have a longer, layered cut with softer highlights that perfectly match my natural coloring. He’s consistent, so I feel comfortable getting the same cut/​color each time; yet I would be confident to try something totally new (and have before with great success).

Love, love, love going to Kinya for a haircut and/​or color! I started going to him when he was at Salon Vijin and a coworker/​friend of mine referred him. Super professional and always works with my somewhat vague description of hairstyles. Also, this new facility is beautiful, simple and clean. I try to go back as much as possible but the haircut can be pricey if I go on a regular basis, however, every time I come back, I wonder why I don’t go more often! It’s so well worth it!

My best friend has been a client of Kaz for over 10 years and I might venture to say she’s one of his most loyal and frequent customers! She sent me to Kaz last year before he moved to Salon Kinya and I have been thrilled with my color and cut ever since – not to mention that I get numerous compliments on my hair color from people who think it’s my natural color! I have very straight, thick hair and he does an amazing job of making the red color blend with my natural color, so no one can even really notice the roots (except me). Also, his hair cuts are phenomenal and I’ve always HATED layers, but he convinced me to let him layer just the front part of my hair for some extra «style» and I’m very happy with it because the layers look cool when I wear my hair done, but when I put my hair up, they are long enough not to hang down! LOVE IT!!!
Salon Kinya is extremely clean and pleasant – I love the chilled-​out vibe – usually jazz playing in the background – and when I’ve been there, it’s never that crowded, so it’s really relaxing. Also, the hair washer/​massage ladies are awesome and the best part is when the lady spends about 20 minutes giving your head a thorough wash and massage… feels awesome!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND SALON KINYA AND KAZ!!!

I’ve been going to Kinya for years, before he opened his own salon. He’s fantastic! I’ve sent several friends, who have in turn referred friends. He does great, consistent work — cut and color — and the salon is beautiful and relaxing to visit. I love the mini massage that the assistant gives you after washing your hair! Definitely go. It’s not the cheapest, but also not excessive. Enjoy!

Kinya has been my stylist since — wait for it – 1994. I’ve cheated on him a few times with other hairdressers, but I always come back. His new salon is very cool and even more calming than Salon Vijin. If you have straight hair you will love this place.