LaVar Hair Designs

Regina is a great stylist. 4 stars because I’ve never had to pay so much to get my hair done ever. But it was in bad shape when I first went to Regina this year. I go to her for maintenance services only. I wish I could adford to go on a regular basis. Staff are polite and professional. And I have spotted a celebrity there before but I won’t say who because I’m sure she appreciates her privacy. They have a water machine and snacks to munch on which is nice. Would recommend especially for women of color who are looking for a great hair salon in UWS.
Updated review. Less stars because got my color wrong 2x. First time I chalked up to miscommunication, 2^nd time no beuno. Good stylists but too much money to leave without exactly what I asked for.

Lavar Hair Designs:
Marcia is a great hair stylist. However, Lavar Hair designs as a salon is to unorganized for my liking, and they stack to many of their customers on the weekend.
They are also incredibly terrible at follow up. It shouldn’t take you an entire day to get back to me on my stylists availability for the next day. Luckily, I found a salon that would take me the next morning. Lavar Designs needs to be more reliable and respectful of the customers own schedules and chances of finding other salons, if they can’t get an appointment at Lavar Designs Studio.
Yes, Lavar’s owner is well known in the black media community, but it’s not like she has Beyonce and Alicia Keys coming in here when their in NYC. You have basic customers from NYC (Who aren’t even rich, let alone upper middle class from my observation).
Also, as a frequent customer if I am telling you I need an emergency visit because my hair is dreading and falling out you should go out of your way to help me.
Unfortunately, I will no longer be giving Lavar Hair Designs my business.
I scheduled an appointment with Hairstyling by Joseph in midtown and it took 5 minutes to get an appointment. I’ve also heard great things about it, so I am excited for a change.
I want to feel like a customer, not feel like Lavar Hair Designs is doing me a favor by me giving them business. They’re already over priced.
I never want to hear «We accommodate you all the time» by a employee at a salon I am paying over 150.00 to get my hair done at ever again!!! That comment and way of thinking is customer service at its worst.

I have gone to this salon for years. There is no place like it. Everyone regardless of age or ethnicity walks about looking as if they’ve stepped off the pages of a magazine.
The staff is second to none and quality of work is second to none.

No other salon compares! Trust me, I’ve done my exploring and have gotten to the point where I rather have my hair busted by own hands then some strangers.
Anyways…
This salon is so put together and the staff is friendly. I always feel comfortable and I like how they cater to natural hair women. I don’t have to hear any negative comments and/​or sighs while my hair is being done. My go to girl is Regina! I just love her and not a soul does my hair like her. I get hair pressed and trimmed and every time my hair comes out A1. It literally feels like silk and I never get heat damage. When I get my hair flat ironed I still get amazing results. It’s a bit pricey but def worth
the money if you care about your hair.
I’m excited every time I go, make sure you bring a book or ipod because your hair may take a while but nothing good comes quick and easy!

I love my shiny, silky beautiful hair! Thanks, Angela! I’m not a big beauty salon type but these ladies treated my tresses like royalty. They were gentle, professional and courteous… enough to have me coming back in the future. I will say that I don’t have much to benchmark them off since I frequently do my own hair but I was still amazed. I have natural hair so I did a wash, press and cut… it was $ 168. After reading these other reviews, I was prepped to spend $ 300. Sorry, in NYC, that’s a drop in the bucket! I’d take quality service any day over a dominican blow out that leaves me half bald! These ladies are the real deal!

I must say first that this is a review on service alone not hair care. I came in for a blow out press on natural hair and the girl did a wonderful job and my hair looked beautiful which is the only reason why i am not giving them 1 star. Living in New York, i have a hard time finding salons that don’t charge an arm and a leg for simple non chemical services. I had heard about Lavar and decided to give them a call. I booked my appoinment two weeks in advance because I had a meeting to go to at noon. Most salons didn’t open until 11 or 12 so Lavar was my chance without having to go the domincans. I made it clear that i needed to be out in time and didn’t need anything other than a blow out. The woman who booked my appointment told me she understood and thay it should be fine. (I should have know better from the beggining but I have never been in a salon for more than 2 hours for a blow out. and I really needed my hair straight for the weekend)
My appointment was a 10am i showed up at 9:55 ready to go. I walked in and noticed 1 stylist working on a client and that was it. I was greeted by the receptionist and waited. Around 10:15 no one else had walked into the salon, i looked at the receptionist and she said «Oh Regina should be here soon» i said Oh she isn’t here yet, well how far away is she I am in a bit of a time crunch. She said she had texted her and would be here in 5 minutes. Okay. and i continued to wait. At 10:25 i started to get worried. she was still a no show. his was unnacceptable in my book. I asked the girl if they had someone that could start on me since i need to get out of there soon. The receptionist went in the back and another stylist came out to talk to me and explained that since it was my fist time there no one else could start on me because i needed an evaluation first. So at this point i’m livid trying to remain calmed and expressed my dissapointment and coudln’t believe the unprofessionalism of the salon. She was now 30 minutes late and no where in sight. At about 10:38 the other stylist realized that it wasn’t right and agreed to start my shampoo. Regina showed up at 10:50. she apologized and got to work. They apoligized and gave me 20% off my service (i appreciated the gesture) I walk out of the salon @ 12:23 and was late for my meeting. had she been on time this wouldn’t have been a problem.
Dispite the fact that i did like my hair. i don’t know if i would go back on principal alone. I think we need to demand better service from black salons. this would have never happened at another salon. It shouldn’t be acceptable for employees to show up late, nor have no back up plan if a problem arises and someone is late. I might go back in a pinch, but clearly lost a lot of faith in this salon.

This review is a few months late but since im on here i figured what the heck, my experience was great at Lavar! I came her back in January to have my natural hair trimmed and pressed and decided while i was there to have my bang cut and it came out beautiful. I was a little sutprised at the outdated décor and self service drinks and snacks but nevertheless my hair came out beautifully and i got a good deal because my stylist was a previous apprentice and new to the salon floor and i received an additional discount!

It took me a really long time to review write this review because I had to really think about how things transpired for me, but i kept getting upset whenever I thought about it.
I loved this hair salon, loved it. However, the last time I had a weave, my stylist (as they have done before) kept my hair for me. The salon usually washes it and keep it safe. It’s pretty much the norm if you want them too. So because of school and so on, I haven’t had the time to go and put it back in, but figure my hair was safe with them.
a few months later, I called to set up an appointment, and told them my hair was there, and the receptionist went to check (or sent someone to check). I wanted to see if I should add another pack. When she returned she said that my hair was not there.
Asking why, she said that they are not responsible for hair left at the salon, and it may have been tossed. Who on earth tosses their clients $ 500+ hair away. NO ONE. Why didn’t they call me to come pick it up, why didn’t they inform me that they would toss it. Also this receptionist was not the two that I’ve always dealt with, and I was sadden by the attitude she took with me. I kinda wish it was Tracy or Linda, I believe the conversation would have been better.
So what if I am not a celebrity or high roller, I was a customer that loved the service of this salon and the results of my hair, and was treated as if my concerns and issue was not important at all. I can’t always dish out 500 bucks for hair that last 3+installs. It’s so sad that this is what it came down to.
Luckily for me, I did find another salon to get my weaves done as awesome as Lavar. The two stars are because Lavar is good at what they do. However this incident, although isolated should not have occurred.

I’ve been coming here for years and my hair is always exactly how I want it. The atmosphere is very professional, friendly and full of laughter. If you stop by ask for Regina Pearl she’s my hair gurl!

There were some minor hiccups but my hair looked amazing when I left. Marcia did a wonderful job.

I made an appointment with Lavar back in July for a weave install in August. After being told it was going to be an all-​day process, I was a little heistant but it worked out beautifully. My stylist Tawana and I spent a good 5 hours together, in a private room in the back, watching TV, while she did the install. Then once that was complete, we went back up front for cutting and styling. Tawana was professional, friendly, and her work speaks for itself. She works very smooth and does not rush. 5 hours later and it felt like we had only been together for 2 hours or so. Her weaving technique is also very nice; I feared having a headache from the tight braids but no. It’s a little over a week later and everything is still holding up nicely. Thank you Tawana and Ellin Lavar. Oh and as far as anyone who mentioned the prices. I knew making my appointment and subsequently walking in there that it was going to cost more than the usual or the average but I approached the situation as this is what I must do to ensure quality work and service. I will definitely be back, matter of fact, my next appt is scheduled for Oct 8^th.

After being natural for a little over a year, I decided to find a salon to straighten my hair a give it a good trim. I Went to Lavar at the recommendation of a friend who has beautiful hair. After booking my appointment, my friend suggested I see Marcia and I thought to myself ‘darn! I wish I had known. Now I’m gonna get stuck with a castoff stylist!’. But no ma’am that wasn’t the case! Praise the Lord I got Marcia! What a blessing that I did! She did a great job and didn’t give the least bit of hesitation in answering my million and one questions. The lady who shampooed my hair was nice too and eager to make recommendations for my daily hair regimen which were really appreciated and helpful considering I still feel like a newbie to this natural thing (which I am loving)
Marcia didn’t use many products in my hair either which I loved. It was super light and has that amazing diva hair swing going. Loved it!
The only thing I wasn’t loving was the price… But I guess they gave to pay that UWS rent and the service was exceptional (I truly hope they pay their staff well. they deserve it). I will definitely be back… Just not that often, as I have bills to pay too;-)

I was new to the city and didn’t know where to go to get my hair cut. I decided to go to Lavar b/​c a friend recommended it. I got there at around 11:45 for a 12:00 apt. 2 hours later, my hair still hadn’t been cut and I was going to be late for class… couldn’t leave because my hair was a big poofy mess. After 3 hours I finally had a hair cut… and it was NOT worth the $ 125 I paid for it. I could maybe understand if the place was busy… but I was one of three customers there… in the middle of the day on a Wednesday. WTF? There was no need for them to take 3 hours to TRIM my hair and style it… esp when it takes me 30 minutes to straighten my hair at home. NEVER again… gonna stick with the Dominican salons

Love them! I have a natural and go to Marcia for the best Press and Curl in the city! I have to space out my visits though because prices are on the high-​end, about $ 120 with the deep conditioner treatment — and that’s before tips.

After reading the reviews, I decided to try LaVar after finally giving up on my Fort Greene Brooklyn salon that took way to much «Time». I only waited about 15 minutes before I was seen. UNHEARD OF in an African American salon! I received a relaxer and a fabulous cut. My hair is shiny and falls beautifully and I finally look like the chic adult I always knew I could be. My hair looks just as good a week later. The prices are high (to be expected) — the whole thing cost me about $ 190 with tax — but if you can’t afford that normally, get your hair relaxed elsewhere and go for a wash and cut only. It’ll be less, but you’ll still get a similar end result. Everyone who left the salon looked great, so you can try any of the stylists and I doubt you would be disappointed.
My only complaint is that when I returned for my next appointment, I started experiencing a bit of a decline in service. My stylist left me at the dryer so they could get a snack (person was still gone for 10 minutes AFTER I was done) and then later started texting someone for a couple of minutes while in the middle of doing my hair. I hope this was a fluke and isn’t something I can expect at this high end salon. From now on I’ll book my appointments when the owner is there so the chance of stylist shenanigans is less likely.

Lavar Hair Designs is one of the most professional salons I have been to yet. All the stylist seem to care about their clients hair. My stylist Reggie in particular, made me feel very comfortable upon my first consultation visit. When I came in to have actual work done on my hair, Reggie was just as professional and caring as my first visit. Although I was apprehensive in getting my hair cut, Reggie made me feel very confident in his ability to to give me a great haircut and he sure delivered! What I like most was that he talked me through it. I received numerous compliments on my hair after walking only a few blocks when leaving the salon. 2 days later when I had to attend an outside event, in the rain, my hair held up very well and did not become frizzy at all. Overall it was worth every penny and I can’t wait to go back.

I hit up LaVar Hair Designs last Wednesday for a dye job. I expected to see the same excitement that took place on the We show, Hair Trauma (reality show based on the salon). It wasn’t like that at all as it was a slow day.
LaVar is a very nice salon on the Upper West Side near the B/​C/​½/​3 trains with a nice and pleasant staff to match. It’s a very clean establishment that caters to African-​American hair as well as other races/​ethnicities. Everyone that walked into the salon left looking like a million bucks [including myself ;-)]
I was taken care of by Shannel. She did an excellent job on my hair (as well as my eyebrows). I was looking for a vibrant color to make my curls pop and she found the ideal color for me. She also advised me on how to care for my hair with the new color and recommended products that suit my hair type.
The service was pricey but it was well worth it. High quality always comes at a matching price. I guarantee that you’ll be satisfied at LaVar.

Every stylist at Lavar is outstanding. The owner, Ellin, is a legend in the beauty industry and has a huge range of celebrity clients — at any moment a star or model may pass you coming out from Ellin’s private room at the back. ..
But even if you’re not a celebrity, this is the place to come for weaves, blowouts, cuts and every possible hair service. The stylists are committed to healthy hair and to ensuring that your hair both looks and feels good. They are friendly, kind and thoughtful in addition to being talented — and you will look incredible. In particular, my stylist, Angela, is incredible, but Tawana and Marcia are also good. Without fail, when I leave the salon, I get numerous compliments, both from strangers and friends.
The only drawback is that a salon visit can be a time-​consuming process — there’s a lot of sitting under the dryer and getting a flat iron can be slow. When I need a quick blow-​out, I go elsewhere. However, if you want to take the time and money necessary to look amazing, make an appointment at Lavar.

After weeks of debating I recently decided to cut my hair. The Lavar Hair Designs salon was definitely the place to go. The stylist who worked on me, Reggie, did a fabulous job! He did a thorough consultation — asking me what looks i liked, how short I wanted to go, and reviewing pictures of various styles and the end result was fantastic.
Although the cost was a bit pricey (for me) it was worth it to go to a clean, professional salon with a knowledgeable, courteous staff.

This professional salon «caters» to black hair! The stylists can manage whatever your needs are from natural hair care to extensions and everyone walks out looking fabulous. I just moved to the area, needed a salon desperately and stumbled across the first reviewer’s post and decided to give it a try. I do not need to look any further! I just recently experienced the best hair cut of my entire life, by a stylist-​Reggie. I highly recommend him! Quick service too – no overbookings and no waiting. Very professional salon. I’ve posted pics on my profile page if you care to check them out.