HOSHI COUPE Upper West

topnotch hair stylists. Great for both men and women. All of the Japanese stylists are skilled and always do a good job. Highlights are not cheap (around $ 150) but amazing results.

Went here on recommendation of a colleague, and had a terrible experience. Gave very clear instructions to the barber and showed him what I wanted as well, although these instructions were ignored and I was left with an awkward haircut. Completely inexcusable for what this place charges.

I cannot find one reason to rate it as ok. Yes, it was easy to make a same day appointment, but this place hardly deserve an appointment.
The first chair sets right next to the gate, gives you a sense of insecure. Owner is always jnside. Whole place is empty.
They took out a crappy paper box carrying products for my service. She didn’t even clean my hair thoroughly. I felt itchy when I got out. The worst part, they don’t take card. I mean what kind of salon doesn’t take card?!
Anyway, I’m completely done with this one. I suggest you to stay away from it

I’ve been going here for my haircuts for two years now. I found them through Unilocal.They are the nicest people with great hours. I’ve never once had the same person cut my hair and have always been happy with the outcome. Plus, prices are very reasonable ($ 60).

Used to go to the location in the East Village but started going to the Upper West Side location since moving nearby and my old stylist moved back to Japan. Seems like they’re extremely skilled at all these locations. They listen and if they’re not entirely clear, they don’t assume anything– they ASK you! They’re very thorough and give you the time and attention a good salon gives its clients. They don’t rush through the process and always make you feel welcome and well taken care of.

I would’ve given Hoshi Coupe UWS 4 stars. Easy to make an appointment, some very good stylists — many on rotation from other Hoshi Coupe locations in Japan etc — relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere. Except today an African American woman walked in and asked if she could get a wash and comb-​out. The stylist asked her to remove her scarf so she could see her hair. My glasses were off, so I couldn’t see clearly, but from what I could see, the woman’s hair seemed just normal, natural African American hair, medium short. The stylist said she wouldn’t be able to do her hair because they don’t have the proper tools. I was surprised and disturbed. I mean, lots of black people live and work around here. You would think any competent stylist would be able to manage black hair. I’m pretty blind without my glasses, so maybe the woman’s hair was a mess that no stylist would want to attempt — but the experience made me think, and I don’t recall ever seeing a black person getting a haircut there. So, although as a middle-​aged white man with thick straight hair and a difficult cow-​lick, I’ve been grateful to be welcomed and given perfectly good haircuts for the past decade, I’d be a 4-​star fan if I could start to see some more diversity in the clientele.

Got a haircut with Teppei (aka Tepp). Really high quality haircut. Not too bad for $ 42. Started with really nice hair wash. Tepp seemed to have great skills in massaging too. Got me really relaxed and sleepy after hair wash, which I guess is a good thing! Attentive to the details even for a simple «No.2» cut on the side. Instead of using razor with guarded brush and getting it done in a few minutes, Tepp would use razor with real comb only, and he would spend almost half an hour perfected the smoothness of my No.2 cut, so that not a single hair would come out of place! Tepp really attempted to understand what I really want and accommodated my requests as he went through the haircutting process. I really liked the experience and will definitely come back again. Great for Asian hairs (of course!)

I love my haircuts & color with Ana! She’s the best. I have thick but baby fine hair, with only a slight wave to it, and to add to the challenge I have 3 cowlicks & a widow’s peak. Yet she always makes my hair look so good that people look at me after I leave the salon, every time. It feels so good!!! She’s sweet & funny besides. Perfect! Run, don’t walk, to see Ana at Hoshi Coupe UWS.

I’ve always liked the haircuts I’ve gotten here. It’s nice that I don’t have to trek downtown to get a good cut and just to spend more money.
The ambiance is pretty relaxed, and there is always some good music playing in the background. Th stylists are friendly but many are not completely proficient in speaking English, many just in from Japan, but their skills surpass the language barrier.

Hoshi Coupe’s spare surroundings emphasize its core mission, providing an excellent haircut for a fair price. The staff seem like they start the day at Shinjuku station in Tokyo and come to work through some incredibly high speed subway. I wish they would talk more and tell me about what it is like to be a Japanese hipster in NYC, but alas, they are too busy with my hair. The cocktail of NYC and Japan is made more perfect by the portrait of Yoko Ono that looks down on you as your hair is washed.

I’m going to give this salon another try since it’s nearby and I really want to like it. But my first time was a little disappointing — maybe it’s just a matter of trying another stylist.
But I really enjoyed the ambiance — casual and quiet. The products they use on your hair seem pretty good, too. Love the physical setup of the place, making clever use of an awkward corner space.

I have definitely found my new regular hair salon! I used to always go to the Aveda salon on 114^th and It was always very hit or miss with them, I would either walk out with an amazing haircut or walk out with something really awful. It was time for my haircut and I decided to try Hoshi Coupe instead. I walked it and immediately was greeted with smiles, i didn’t have an appointment but in about 5 minutes they were able to set me up in a chair. I hadn’t cut my hair in 2 years and sometimes i wear extensions which causes my hair to break at the ends so i had A LOT of dead ends. I forgot the name of the girl to cut my hair, but she was SOOOOO sweet and always made sure i was comfortable with the length and each snip, she explained every move she was making! I’m not one to make conversation with my hairdressers because I find that getting my haircut is my «me time» so i like to relax, and she was very respecting of that which i really liked. In the end, i loved my haircut. she even blow dried it with some waves and lots of volume (which i love because my hair is thin and more on the straight side). The best part is, I walked in for a trim and that’s exactly when i got, a cut so subtle that it wasn’t obvious i got a haircut, yet all my dead ends were gone! great job!

I’m Japanese and only go to Japanese salons. I am not going back there to Hoshi Coupe. Basically I felt very uncomfortable. I was the only customer there— as the guy cut my hair, three women sat there at the corner basically just watching me the entire time. Every time I turned my head to look at them, they were looking at me. Just really creepy. The haircut itself was not that great and I felt I needed another trim only after a month (I have long hair and usually only get a trim every few months). They only accept cash which they didn’t mention so I had to go to a bank to get cash.

Will never go here again!
Having gone to this place about 6 weeks ago for the first time, I came back again today. This was because I was pretty happy with the haircut I received the last time — given by one of the Japanese hairdressers there at that time.
Today, I was attended to by a Chinese lady who gave me possibly the worst haircut I’ve ever had in my life. She was extremely hasty, did not bother to even ask me what kind of cut I wanted, and gave me a cut that was uneven and way too short at the fringes.
I am greatly disappointed with the fact that the establishment does not seem to care at all about maintaining consistency of quality of service. Will try Salon of OSH next time instead since I have heard good things.

Best place for a great haircut that’s worth the money in the Manhattan Valley/​Morningside Heights area. I’ve been going there for at least seven years and I’ve never had a complaint. First I started with one of the Japanese hairstylists who did wonders with my hair when I had no idea what to do with it. Then years later I wanted to see what everyone was talking about with Anna– and I’ve never turned back. She takes the time and effort to make your hair look as great as possible. Her execution is amazing and though I’ve been getting the same haircut every time (a short layered bob– why get rid of a good thing?), my friends always love its versatility and how nice it looks even when it’s a bit grown out. It is cash only so be sure to go to the ATM beforehand.

NEVER GO HERE! EVER!
I have never had a worse hair cut. My hair WAS very long, at least 7 inches past my shoulder. I asked for the stylist to take about 3 – 4 inches off. He took off about 3 and then I asked him to take a bit more, like an inch. He started in the back and when he got to the side I realized he had cut FOUR MORE INCHES!!! I was horrified. I told him to just even it out and then I was leaving. Someone came over to translate for him why I was upset. He had no idea what he was doing and what was wrong with it. I seriously think he had barely cut hair before.
He tried to even it out three times, and I finally told him to stop. Another stylist came over and said she would finish it. She was apologetic, but frankly could not get it even either. She had another customer waiting, so she was in a rush. She sort of dried my hair, but ultimately told me to come back later and she could take the time it needed to finish it. So I left with my hair half in a pony tail (I can barely put it up now) half dried and uneven. I WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN. I am horrified by the service, the cut and how people treated me. I am going to have to go to another salon and get some serious help on fixing it. This is way beyond a simple trim job. Did I mention NEVER GO THERE!

I love this place so much.
I look down at the smock they put on me when they cut my hair, and there are thousands of TINY pieces of hair. Every stylist there (I’ve been to a few — they’re all great) is so detail-​oriented. They will work until every single piece of your hair falls perfectly.
I’m a 24 year old guy and I love that they keep my haircut fresh, hip, and fashion-​forward.
The ambiance is very calming and it is all around a very nice experience.
Cash only, FYI.

First off — credit, where credit is due:
I wasn’t happy with my cut — from shoulder length hair to a chin-​length cut — so I called the next day, got an appointment after work and was seen by the same lady who had worked with me the day before. She fixed my hair free of charge, which I appreciate, and was very sweet and polite/didn’t take offense to me coming back unsatisfied.
That said:
The original cut turned the back of my head into an unshapely helmet, and the fix-​up was better… but not by too much. I asked for a subtle A-​line. Now, the hair on the back of my head is uneven, and (unfortunately) not in a I-​just-​rolled-​out-​of-​bed-​and-​DAMN-​does-​my-​hair-​look-​gooooooooood kind of way. Think more haphazard. Think much less sexy bedhead. And I had to shell out almost $ 70 (including tip) for it.
The first appointment lasted no more than 25 – 30 minutes, and the fix lasted about 15. I’ve never felt so rushed in my entire life. I think she knew she had done a hasty job, and I appreciate her having done her best to fix it, but I need to go somewhere else to truly take care of what I consider a subpar cut. There are other stylists who take their time and do a good job, so this isn’t a knock on the salon as a whole — but in the time my stylist took her third client, the rest of the stylists were finishing the details on the person they had been working on all along or JUST taking a new one. I don’t know her name, but she’s one of the older Asian ladies (the rest of the stylists look like they’re in their 20s).
I would go back and try one of the younger Japanese girls (they have really badass cuts themselves), but for now, I think I’m going to look elsewhere.

Oh Hoshi Coupe! Why did I ever stray?
I love Hoshi coupe and have been getting my hair cut for years in the East village location. I started a new job uptown and went to a few other salons (Aveda). Aveda reminded me why I hate salons: annoying obligatory chatter, pushing products, denigrating my shampoo selection.
Hoshi coupe is a haven: very friendly staff, but no pointless chatter, they’re content to let you just sit and zen-​out in the chair, lovely– silence in Manhattan! And– no pushing of products. I like what they use in my hair so I actually ASK for it– wow!
AND, of course, the best part is they KNOW how to cut hair.
I was a little nervous about this part since when I used to go to them I had short hair and now I have shoulder length hair– not to worry, they know how to wield a pair of scissors:)
They would get 5 stars except that they’re a little more pricey and only take cash, which is a little pesky, but after walking out of Aveda looking like a less attractive version of Crystal from Dynasty (if possible!), well, it’s worth it.

So I’ve cheated on Anna a couple times while trying to get a cheaper haircut and I’ve paid the higher price of less than great haircuts. Seriously, no one knows how to cut my hair except her.
Also, they aren’t open on Mondays.