stacy b ...a salon

Stacy B is great! Stacy runs the place herself, and is super friendly. She really took the time to understand what I wanted and then cut my hair exactly the way I wanted. I am always nervous to go to new hairdressers, because I don’t get my hair cut very often (it’s very long), and if it doesn’t look good I’m stuck with the cut for a long time — but I would definitely recommend Stacy!

Why have I not reviewed Stacy until now?
I searched for months for a decent place to get a haircut in New Haven, getting some pretty classic hatchet jobs along the way. Then I found Stacy, and the search was over. I recommended several friends to her, and they all became loyal customers as well. I think that tells you everything you need to know. Plus, Stacy is really fun, and she has an excellent bathroom!

Just got back from having my hair cut at Stacy b’s. It’s alright. I’m not thrilled with it, but it’s not a terrible cut or anything. It’ll do. What I don’t like is how Stacy made me feel kind of like an idiot. I’m not a big hair person– I usually don’t give much thought to it and just sort of let it grow until it gets annoying– but I do have some specific issues with my hair that I usually tell to hair dressers and they fix no problem. Stacy pretty much dismissed all of my concerns and told me there’s nothing she can do about them (even though multiple hair dressers in the past have dealt with the issue much to my satisfaction). She gave me a bunch of quick beautician mumbo-​jumbo which I couldn’t quite follow and then just told me how she was going to cut my hair. I also told her I how I had a special occasion coming up, and I wanted something a little more interesting and styled than my usual. She offered no ideas, and seemed annoyed that I was bothering her for advice. Instead, what she gave me is boring cut nearly identical to one I got last year for $ 15. I will most likely not be going back.
That all being said, it was easy to book the appointment (same day), the place is nice and in a good location, and I had her full attention while I was there. If you have a lot of knowledge about hair styling and have strong opinions on your hair, I’m sure Stacy will be adequate.

Stacy has been cutting and coloring the hair of my family and friends for about a decade. Although I don’t live in CT, I have had her highlight (foil) and cut my hair when in town. I always thought she did a great job with both cut and color — not just on me but on everyone who goes to see her.
For the past few years I have not had a regular stylist/​colorist because I have been living in a small upstate NY town with unimpressive stylist/​colorists. As such I have been getting my hair done wherever I end up traveling on business and this means there is little consistency in approaches. I realized when I was in CT recently, just how amazing Stacy’s skills are… she cut and colored my hair for my wedding and I am happier with the color than I have ever been — and i have been getting my hair colored for over 20 years.
I have dirty-​blonde straight hair — a lot of it — and I like very natural highlights (i.e. — a lot of them but finely done). To do this the colorist needs to be patient and skilled at understanding that natural sun-​kissed look. Many colorists want to go chunkier because it is quicker and seems to be the fashion. Aside from Stacy, the closest I ever got to this natural look was with a senior colorist at the uptown Bumble & Bumble salon in NYC… but Stacy did a better job for a lot less money.
I am moving to Oregon this summer but am so happy with my hair that I will seriously try to hold out until the Christmas holidays to get my hair highlighted at Stacy-​B.
In addition, she is the owner-​operator of this small salon and I admire her entrepreneurial spirit. She has high quality hair care products including animal-​friendly products, organic and a hard to find line from Italy that I live (crema).
There is free parking in the lot behind her shop.
As a person who has had her hair colored in London, England, NYC, Portland, OR, Toronto and various other big cities… Stacy is head and shouders above the rest ;-)

I get the perfect haircut here. The basics are in place: convenient location, good prices, high quality hair products, etc. The bonus is that Stacy is as charming as she is professional. And to top it all off, the atmosphere is pleasant and soothing and ultimately very relaxing. But the most important thing that I could say is this: Stacy is very talented and knows how to do hair!

As somebody who loves to get creative haircuts, I have been in mourning since Rachel, my wonderful hair dresser at Rimage left town a couple of years ago. For the most part now I travel to NYC for this simple service (in another review will tell more about the Bumble and Bumble Model Project which makes this not an unreasonable option), but every once in a while you need a quick appointment for a special occasion or something.
Under such «hair emergency» circumstances I had once already been sorely disappointed with Chameleon, on Crown, and had great reservations with my second attempt to get my hair decently cut without breaking the bank (both of which did NOT happen at Chameleon). «Stacey B… A Salon» came to the rescue.
I left a voicemail on Jan. 1 (when of course nobody works) and Stacey (the owner and it seems the only employee) promptly called me back the next day. When I went, I was the only customer so I got her full attention, but I can imagine that she does not schedule many people at the same time, so this should really be the experience at any time. She ONLY does hair and is pretty good at it. The place is as clean and well maintained as it should be — which for me is very important. Chit-​chat was pleasant, although I am not generally the most talkative patron. The products she uses are high quality and she does not try to sell you stuff as it happens sometimes in beauty salons.
Since my hair is medium-​to-​short, there is little a hairdresser can change dramatically. But she fixed up my graduated bob overall and sharpened the shape of my short-​in-​the-​back-​longer-​to-​the-​front sides. She listened when I told her I am not one to spend an hour each morning with the blow-​drier and my cut is very low-​maintenance. I am sure if you’re willing to do more with your hair and tell her so, she can offer even more.
The price was not a surprise, since she has a price list on her website — something I appreciate greatly. I only regret that I had not noticed the section with a special offer for first-​time clients. Will be returning whenever my Bumble and Bumble appointments are too far spaced out in time.