Concept Salon

My mom has been going to Helio de Sousa for all of her hair needs since before I could even walk. After college, I moved back to Manhattan and she gave me a gift card to get my hair cut by Helio. It was life changing. I got the best haircut I’ve ever received! I’m not one to spend time on styling my hair on the morning, and the haircut he gave me kept my hair looking good for months afterward, even on the days when I’d just let my hair air dry after washing. He is an expert!

Andrea is amazing! My hair color always turns out perfect, and his haircuts are one of a kind.
I highly recommend Andrea. He is professional and super talented. The staff is very kind and courteous. I like that I can book my appointments online. I always get complements about my hair, color, and style.

I cannot say enough good things about Eduardo. Not only does he give precise haircuts (and I’m pretty picky, so that’s saying a lot), but he worked so hard on my color. Mine had been colored dark over the years, with my roots growing out, and I really wanted to stop coloring it. He figured out how to do a three-​step process to break up the dark ends and start letting it grow out naturally. And it was hard work – he literally worked non-​stop for 3.5 hours. It came out a bit lighter at the roots than I would have preferred, but then again, I’m pretty conservative and have never lightened my hair before.

My favorite hair stylist in NYC! Helio De Sousa! He’s the only one who cuts my hair in NYC!

Andrea is amazing! My color always turns out subtle and classy. I trust him 100% and you should too!
Like other reviewers said, the assistants who help with brushing, shampooing, etc. are friendly and adorable. Although the receptionists can be a little curt.

After a long time looking for a salon in Manhattan where I am happy with the results, happy with my hair stylist, and happy with the overall appearance of the place and quality of services/​products, I can finally say I found the place.
Concept salon has a friendly staff and a unique way to treat their customers. I like the fact that I can book my appointment online or I can always talk to the front desk person when there is a conflict in my schedule. She is always sweet and has followed up to my requests in a timely manner.
I like the way I am treated by the staff. The way things are done there and the fact that I don’t have to be waiting for other hairs to be done at the same time as mine are big pluses for me. They make a huge difference in my busy days.
It has been more than 2 years that I’ve been going to this salon and Marcelo always give my hair a great look!
Some of the services I used here: highlights, haircut, blow dry, keratin, single process, and hair treatment.

I booked a haircut and partial highlights through Lifebooker and had a great experience. Vanessa did both and was lovely — friendly but didn’t keep chatting after I took out my book and started reading. I was very happy with the color and cut and will definitely come here again.

I booked a blowout on Lifebooker. My stylist, Vanessa, was nice and did a fine job. However, when paying, the woman at the front desk claimed it was going to be $ 5 more than advertised on Lifebooker because the last time I was there she claimed she told me it would be more. I had been there once before, 3 years ago…
Anyway, overall the blowout was fine but the experience was awful. The rude checkout woman seemed to try to make me feel badly for booking through Lifebooker because she mentioned it in a negative way about 5 times while I was paying.
By the way, cash tips only. Ugh.

I made an appointment for a blow out through Lifebooker and they called and told me that they did not have enough stylists and cancelled with me. But then every time I tried to make an appointment, either they gave me a hard time or refused the appointment (even after confirming, but as soon as I mentioned Lifebooker did not want to honor). If they don’t want to offer $ 25 blow outs, they should not advertise it on Lifebooker then! Very disappointing and frustrating. I take my business elsewhere…

I tried this place because I had a Bloomspot deal for a Keratin treatment. I made an appointment without fuss, showed up on time, service started on time. Vanessa was my stylist; she was great. She spent a few minutes talking to me about my hair, offered me a few different Keratin treatments to choose from and got to work. The end result was exactly what I was hoping for.
The salon is a hectic, no-​frills kind of place but I was happy with my service and found the staff to be friendly. I would definitely go back for another daily deal service.
Also — note — good news! They use Goldwell hair color product, which I think is the best available.

To the music of Taylor Swift… «I am never ever ever» coming back again. I walked in at 11:45 for my 11:45 appointment as stated in my confirmation. They accused me of being half an hour late and continued to do so after I showed them the confirmation. They thus had given away my appointment to someone else while I waited for my blowout which was very fast and did not last. It also looked so messy that I had to go home and continue the blowout myself to look presentable. Throughout the blowout the woman doing my hair mentioned that I was late a few more times and said that it was my fault and not hers. Excuse me… I understand there can be mix ups but I showed them the confirmation and I don’t think anyone is to blame for the appointment blunder except them! There is no need to do a careless job with my hair and keep repeating that I was late after I show you the confirmation. I was really bothered by this and I’m a very laid back person when it comes to mix ups so they get 1 star and no return visit from me.

My hair is long, past the shoulders, thinning, somewhat snarly, solid gray but tending toward ugly yellow and is always a mess except on those rare occasions when I am in New York and have the opportunity to have my hair done at Concepts Salon. My particular Concept stylist, Helio, proved himself to be not just any stylist but an artist in the most classical sense of the term. I say that because to make something look good when you give them the worst of materials to work with is a real accomplishment.
Concepts is a rather unique salon. Its proprietors are Brazilians and as such have given the establishment that sort of Latin panache and flare for which Brazilians are so well known. I usually hate going to have my hair done, but since I’ve found Concepts to not only be friendly but accommodating with a good sort of fun like atmosphere about it I’ve actually found myself enjoying the experience.

I’ve been going to Vanessa for almost a year and she is fabulous!!! She cuts and colors my hair. and it hasn’t looked this good in a long time! She is always professional and really takes time to talk to you about what you want done each appointment. Also, she is unbelievably sweet and such a pleasure always!
If you’re looking for a great, small salon in the Upper East Side, I would totally recommend her and Concept Salon. You won’t be disappointed.

Was here for work, and needed a quick haircut. I stopped by and they were able to get me in very quickly. Andreas was great. Great cut. Loved it.

I tried this place because I saw it listed on Bloomspot and I have to say I am very happy with my color. I have been trying really card to lighten my hair and the stylist listened to me and did just that. The service also didn’t take too long which has always been the case in the past for me, since my hair is so long. I am very happy and plan to go back in a few week.

Simply fantastic hair salon. I’ve been a client for almost 10 years, and since day one I’ve been treated to superior service all around. The staff is very professional and accommodating. From scheduling long appointments (cut, color, and keratin) to last-​minute blow outs, the staff has always taken care to work with my challenging work schedule and fit me in according to my needs. I know I can count on a friendly welcome when I walk in the door, and my stylist is ready to discuss what I need/​want done that day. I rely on the expertise of the Concept stylists to inform my choices, but they also work with my own sense of style.
I have curly hair, which isn’t the easiest to cut, at least in my experience. The «curly hair» salons I’ve been to charge an outrageous price for a cut that I can’t maintain without frequent trips to these places. Concept stylists manage to make my hair look great AND give me a cut that I can work with at home for long afterward. When it comes to color, I like to tweak it according to my mood and even the season, and I’m never disappointed with the final result. And the keratin treatments I receive are fantastic and save me a lot of time prepping my hair.
All in all, I feel at home every time I walk into Concept, and I leave every time very happy with my locks and feeling gorgeous. What’s more to love?!

Decent salon. Not the best. Not the worst, just as another reviewer said. For what I paid ($ 44 from Bloomspot), I can’t complain. The cut will get me through another spring of 5 months or so without a cut. By then, I will probably seek out someone who is very creative to do something with my hair.
They also introduced me to this Inphenom Conditioning treatment. Since I have been pretty terrible at my hair’s upkeep, I’m glad I got it. Softened my hair nicely, but that’s about it. I think I might have had better hair treatments from 20+ minute deep treatments that I bought for my hair. If the results last as long as they say it is supposed to, I will be amazed.

I have been going to Concept Salon for eight years now. I go back because of their friendly service, ease in making an appointment and expertise. I get constant compliments on my highlights and healthy hair.
Every time I arrive at the salon, I am greeted by the lovely receptionist, offered a glass of water and given a warm robe. I feel completely pampered! I also love that it’s a small and personal salon, so they really know and care about their clients. Eight years and my hair has been gorgeous every time I walk out of there!

I have been coming to the concept salon (former Helio de Sousa) for years. The clientele is varied and noticeably glamorous. Perhaps not known to the public, but many Brazilian top models and members of Brazilian diplomatic services are regular and loyal customers, so is famous Italian Chef Lidia Bastianich for example.
Helio and Andrea have been in the business for decades and will strive to do their very best and make you look and feel like a million dollars. They really get to know you and your style, what works for your face, and give you multiple options to work with. I recommend Concept salon’s work without reservation.

Like the first reviewer, I bought a Bloomspot deal for a haircut and partial highlight. I made the appointment with little fanfare — the person I talked to was not very friendly but not blatantly rude either.
On the day of the appointment, per usual, I’m running 5 – 10 minutes late. They don’t yell at me, which is nice. As soon as I arrive, I’m in the chair right away and talking with Nelda about what sort of highlights I want. She says I really need to get a full highlight, not just the partial included with my deal, and she’ll only charge me «like $ 50» for it. Ok, sure, I could probably use a full, I haven’t had one in a while. Nelda dashes off to get foils and color, and a super nice girl brings me a cup of coffee.
Nelda zips through putting the foils in for highlighting. Like fastest foils I have ever had put in. I can’t decide if she is just a whiz at this, or if she’s rushing me. She comments after they are all put in «Look at all these foils!» I felt like she wanted me to be impressed, but usually when I get a full highlight my head is completely covered in foils, and in this case there were maybe half to one-​third what I am used to.
The foils sit for like 30 seconds and she’s rushing me to the sink. I have to reiterate what the other reviewer said — the hairwashing girl is soooo nice (same girl who brought me coffee). Friendly, bubbly, just super nice overall. It’s good that she’s so nice because I end up hanging out at the sink for more than 30 minutes. Nelda has another appointment so I get shuffled back and forth between the sink and an empty chair while she does a blow-​out. Whatever, it’s a tad bit annoying, but it’s fine.
When I finally get back to the chair, she starts combing out my hair and does the cut. The haircut was practically non-​existent. I got a «trim»…not enough to even notice. I certainly would not have paid full price for it, and even with the discounted price it wasn’t really worth it.
As she starts drying my hair, I can see the effects of using fewer foils. I usually get so many foils put in because my stylist puts in LOTS of small strands of brighter color, which tend to blend and brighten overall. In this case, there were fewer foils because the highlighting was a few chunks of bright color — not blended as much as I am used to and you can tell exactly where she put the color (including one area that looked a little splotchy). Also, for paying extra for a «full» highlight, I do not notice one bit of difference in the underside of my hair, which was irritating.
To sum up:
Haircut — meh, 2 stars
Highlight — 2 stars
Service/​Communication — 2 and ½ stars
Price (after paying extra) — 2 and ½ stars
Hairwashing girl — 5 stars — she was so nice
3 stars overall is generous based on my experience. I will not be visiting again.