Victor Balestri Salon

One star off for the price. I’ve been going here for years. I always go to Pina. I think I had another stylist before but wasn’t to my liking. She is one of the very few people that knows how to work with my hair, a real pro in the business for many years.
She really takes into account your hair texture, desired length, and lifestyle. Being in healthcare, I always want the option of putting my hair up in a ponytail. Because I have both fine and frizzy/​wavy hair (lucky me right?) I need it to look good natural/​air dried as well as blown out.
I can’t speak for other stylists but with Pina it never goes wrong. You’ll get what you ask for.

This is absolutely the worst salon in Westchester. The most over priced the worst colorist and a total amateur place. I walked in after making my appointment. Told the Italian colorist exactly what I wanted. Simply a few blond highlight to blend in w some gray. My hair was naturally light brown. He agreed and proceeded to darken entire head almost black. I protested saying I wanted what I asked for and he said not to worry he would give me exactly what I wanted. Four hours later, dark dark brown hair with few light brown highlights. I said i was not at all happy. He said he would fix it. Zebra stripes on top: all sorts and colors if bleached streaks with dark dark brown underneath. I was told there would be a charge to dry my hair after which I protested so the Italian colorist said they would blow-​dry as a courtesy. After over four hours w salon past closing time i walked out dreadfully unhappy. At work my professional colleagues were shocked to see such a horrendous color job.
Do yourself a favor and stay away!
One star a gross overstatement. Even if they offer a freebie steer clear. A total waste of almost $ 200. With no haircut, for which I consider myself lucky.

Very poor experience — new to the area, I was in search of a new salon. I went in first to meet a stylist and to see what my options were., then made appt. Very unhappy with resulting cut and color. I was charged 50% more than I was told the price would be. But more than that, it was a very poor, half hearted effort and my wishes were not respected in terms of the cut. Stylist could not be bothered to monitor my color with a normal amount of interest/​concern. Timer did not work and so color was left on too long. Stylist was arrogant and borderline rude. My advice is to avoid this salon — looks good from outside but service is sub-​par.

WORST PLACE EVER!!! I had some women come to my job trying to sell a package at the Victor Balestri Salon for like $ 45. The package was supposed to come with four different different sessions, (mani/​pedi, waxing, haircut, consultation on up-​do, highlights or lowlights) They were SOOOO rude. Every time I went, (4 times total) I was treated like garbage. I’m not sure if it was because I was using the package I bought and wasn’t interested in making any upgrades or if it was because I look young or whatever because I never felt welcomed. All of the hairdressers never wanted to take me even though I didn’t just walk in, I made an appointment. I’d get tossed around by different women who all complained they didn’t feel like working anymore and just wanted to go home. When I came in for my lowlights session, I sat in a chair for 15 minutes before anyone approached me. The entire time the women were just fighting back and forth as to who would have to do my hair until finally the owner steps in and says he’d do it. DON’T EVER GET YOUR HAIR DONE BY THE OWNER! wow. anything you tell him, he’ll do the opposite of. I specifically told him that I had been a blonde for two years and that it had damaged my hair. I was growing out my natural dark brown hair and that I’d wanted some even darker lowlights to complement it. How did this translate into, let me just put blonde highlights into your hair? I couldn’t have been more specific with him but he just did whatever he wanted because his staff was bickering. After I get these huge, horrific bleach streaks in my hair that look like an 11-​year old did it, I was just left there in the chair under the dryer forever! No one came to check on me. I had to get up and find a woman who told me she didn’t know where I should go. Then finally a woman said she’d take me to wash my hair. Firstly, she was the most miserable person I’ve ever met. She asked me what I did for a living and I told her and then she asked how old I was and I told her. She responded by huffing and saying she had a son my age. And then said that when she was my age she had already had her son and didn’t have a fancy job like me because she was struggling. (WHAT!!!) My job is not fancy and it’s not my fault that she was struggling. Who said anything about struggling? I was trying to make things light and less weird so I simply asked her what she did for her memorial day break because another woman had mentioned that they were closed. She scoffed at me again at that comment and said, «we weren’t closed, I can’t take a vacation.» So I gave up, I just stayed silent because she was too much energy to try with. But then after a little while she asks me if I am married and I reply, no but I’m engaged. And then she says with this weird voice, «then where’s the ring?» and I hold up my hand and show her and she asks me how much it was. HOW MUCH WAS IT??? WHO ASKS SOMEONE SOMETHING LIKE THAT??? I don’t even ask my best friends something like that let alone a complete stranger. It’s none of her friggin’ business! So I’m totally thrown off guard, so I just respond, I don’t know, my fiancé bought it for me. I wish I had something better to say but I was too stunned. Then she asks me when the wedding was and I say the truth which is, I don’t plan to have a wedding. I can’t afford to have a wedding with my «fancy» job, some people are struggling! And she says, oh you’re crazy, if I was with my son’s father, I would’ve had a huge wedding blah blah blah, don’t even care anymore, shut up!!! SUCH a Debbie Downer. Oh! Did I mention that she sprayed my shirt with water mid-​way through, just about the time when she commented on my fancy job. Out of spite? Probably because she didn’t apologize and I was soaked the entire rest of my visit and on my way home. Didn’t offer me a towel or anything. I wait again for someone to dry my hair because now the owner doesnt’ feel like taking me. This nice lady came over to me after 10 minutes of me sitting in a chair dripping wet and dried my hair. She must’ve felt bad for me. She did a nice job blowing my hair out. As I’m leaving the salon the hostess asks how I like my hair and I tell her honestly that I didn’t and that I was confused as to how I asked for dark lowlights and I got blonde highlights. She said, honey, it looks great, don’t worry about it. I couldn’t believe that whole visit. So I leave and live with my new blonde highlights for three days until I give them a call. I tell them the whole thing and say I really want someone to fix it to the way I asked them do it, and that I was very unsatisfied with the service and that my hair looks atrocious. And the lady says they can’t fix highlights and that it was too bad! What salon doesn’t offer to correct a job the client didn’t like? That’s crazy! The only nice person is the manicurist. She’s great! A pure professional! I’d love to go back to her but I can’t step foot in there again. Too much BS! How does that place stay open?

In need of a hair renewal, I finally made my way to the Victor Balestri Salon in Scarsdale conveniently located across from my favorite store, L&T. Though the salon didn’t look busy, it actually was and best if made an appointment. They did take my walk in but was seen 2 ½ hours later which was ok b/​c u can definietly kill time by walking through all the other shops or have lunch. I did both and also got a mani/​pedi.
I was a little worried at 1^st b/​c I thought it was an older lady salon (their hair came out beautiful btw) but they did have young stylists working there too so I was alright. My hair was sooo damaged (looking like one of ur old babydoll’s «knottyhead» hair, the kind u can’t get a comb thru) but after my great wash and caring convo from friendly Tanya, I knew I was gonna be taken care of. My stylist, Indira, advised me what would work best in terms of the cutting for my hair curly or blown out straight. The wash, cut, and blowout cost me $ 70 bucks (which is usually expensive for my taste but I was desperate). I had 2 people blowing out my hair straight and even a 3^rd one wanting to jump in. All this attention, yay! I felt very relaxed and confident. I left the salon with my hair feeling silky and bouncy. It is such an improvement. I’m coming back for a colorwash in a month so I can get some voom in my hair. Indira is awesome!!!