Should I be upset at paying £300 for haircut

[charlieginger1987]

Hi ladies,
Have waited 7 months to get my hair done and finally went today. I got a full head of balayage highlights, a root tint to cover my greys and a cut and blow dry. The website was really unclear and it said £130 for a full head of balayage. Knowing sometimes that hairdressers add optional extras I budgeted £180 just in case. I got to the till, the receptionist seemed awkward, didn't confirm the price straightaway, so I asked her what it was, and £300 appeared on the credit card machine. I can only guess that she didn't say the figure out loud because she was embarrassed to charge me that much. I didn't want to say too much in front of a full salon full of people but I simply said "wow that's expensive?" She shrugged and didn't say anything but "your e-receipt will be sent directly to you". I thought I'd best pay and then query the receipt later as I already felt so embarrassed and caught off guard.

Looking at the receipt they have charged me for:
£130 full head of balayage
£65 full head of permanent colour
£65 ladies cut and finish
£35 olaplex
£5 tip
Total: £300

Am I right to be completely shocked at the price of this?? It did take 4 hours and I have long thick hair but really? Have you ever heard of a haircut this expensive and fellow hair stylists, does this price sound reasonable to you?

Needless to say I have sent Rush an email but am I being unreasonable questioning the price of this haircut?

Its an enormous amount of money but the price list on the website is really clear.

Balange from 130 and also says toner might be needed. But you said that you needed a root colour to cover grey, which wouldn't be within the balance cost, so it says from 65 for that.
And then £65 for the cut.

Unless explicitly says cut included then colour price is separate to a cut price in addition.

So, unless you were asked for it the only unreasonable thing was the olpalex.

@Whatwouldscullydo

But if its 65 fir a cut and colour that includes cut and colour. Unless the colour is free and the cuts 65

Two separate charges. £65 for colour and another £65 for cut and finish (ie blow & style)

You sound like your hair is quite similar to mine, the most I've ever paid was £240 and that was for a 5 hour operation with 2 stylists, 2 assistants and the kid who washed my hair.

My hair usually costs 100-150 depending on what I have done, I don't mind because it's so long and thick that I have to book double appointments/pre warn my stylist to do bicep curls the day before to train for the blow dry

It's the time though that costs, and the experience and training. In my job I sometimes feel like, how the hell dare I charge X for what basically amounted to chatting and playing a card game for an hour. But what they are really paying for is the knowledge, years of training and experience and the fact that I can deliver my service in a pleasurable way. Plus there's also the hours that I spend researching and creating new materials on the days when we actually have to get shit done. On those days I probably earned less than NMW. It all evens out.

Rush so often have 50% off offers for new clients or referrals or other promotions that they clearly are excessively profiteering at the list prices you paid.

I would be inclined to write an email to the salon, copying head office, the main gripe is about communication as you weren’t given any indication what you would be paying and the rack rate for each of the services is (in my view) rarely paid without one thing or another being ‘discounted’. It’s a bit like paying full price for a sofa - you never do it!

I say all of this when I pay c£230 for my cut and colour, but that is with my eyes wide open, it’s an independent London salon and very transparent with its pricing. I only go twice a year so for me, it’s worth it.

Write an email but I fear that your ‘compensation’ will be a 50% off voucher for ‘next time’ - the ease of which they give these out underlines why you should be so pissed off at paying the price you did.

Lol I pass that one occasionally. They do have a price list in general. Is it the one on Eldon Street? I would go back to them and query the additional fee for the colour - that should have been included in the balayage. Do it in the privacy of your home over the phone. Suggest that they might clarify their fees in response to your public Insta or FB accounts.

Hint for future if it's still open, Supercuts (a cheap franchise) is upstairs inside the actual station - near M&S and Lush. It's very cheap and the stylists are brilliant. This is such a massive stereotype but 2 of them seem to be very camp gay men who inspire me with confidence as to their artistic brilliance because I'm obviously bigoted in some way probably lol. The price you pay is they pull no punches in terms of telling me anyway how shit my hair is. For the balayage I'd book a morning off and be first there when the doors open (unless you're too posh to be seen dead in there). I have no shame.

The downside is that it's walk in only or used to be. I've been working from home now for a year so perhaps they take appointments now. Rush are a bit poncy whenever I've breezed in to request a price list. A bit like Pretty Woman in the scene with the snooty shop assistants. There's so much money in the city that they tend to charge what they like for the convenience of the location for busy profs who are short on time.

I had Olaplex in November and it was £20. London but not city.

I'm the first to admit I never query the bill at the hairdressers. I happily buy all the expensive shampoo and hand over my card.
If I was charged £300 I would have questioned it.

Not all independents have good service. I used to go to a fantastic independent hairdresser Stuart Phillips salon in London for many years. Was pricy but good, but the woman behind reception was so rude I drew a line and decided to never return or give them any more of my money. Now I go to a London Blue Tit salon which is a small chain but just as good and costs a little less.

I would go back to them and query the additional fee for the colour - that should have been included in the balayage.

If it's like my stylist, there's two charges. One is for the base colour and one is for the balayage.

It's standard for a 2 colour charge if covering grey.
I've the same colour as my SIL she pays nearly double she has a tint before highlights.
I had dirty blonde hair and the grey hasn't started for some reason or isn't noticeable highlights gives me a full cover.

From Liverpool Street you could have walked 10 minutes up the road to a hairdresser that would have charged half that.

knit That's kinda the point.

You can get a cut and colour fir 65 quid. So 65 quid on its own for just the cut part is extortionate. I've just looked up a local salon and a cut and finish is 35 quid. .

The website is pretty clear. I'd try and get the money back on the difference between a full head colour and roots.

I would also query the validity of you for e.g. requesting a balayage and them doing that and then changing the tone with an additional colour. You should have been told prior to any treatment of the cost. Otherwise how the fuck could you agree?

I'm bracing myself for the £100 bill I'll get tomorrow for my hair. Let alone £300

That's for highlights & cut+ blow dry

@charlieginger1987

Carawaybaby I did check the price first... £130 for full head of balayage which last time included the price of a cut. I had a tint to cover my greys at the top, not a full head of perm colour over the top.

You seem more angry about me paying £300 than I am 😂😂

You were the one who stated a thread saying you were upset. It's ridiculous.

No idea. I can't afford to treat myself to the luxury of a haircut; I just trim the fringe myself!!!
Last time I went was 2018
£300?!!!!!!!!

I would most definitely query the tip. Absolutely shocking!

Balayage and cut are about £300 in my local town.

That's ridiculous. I used to go to Rush (haven't been to a hairdressers since 2019) and they aren't even particularly good (well mine wasn't) and I don't recall them being that pricy. Prior that I used to go to Charles Worthington near Covent Garden and even they weren't that pricy!

You should've queried it more at the time tho. I would have thought the hairdresser should tell you the extra costs as you were going along and if they didn't, that's out of order.

I don't know what a balayage consists of really. I know it's darker ends and looks like blonde growing out more or less. If the OP asked for balayage, I guess she might have presumed (as I would have) that there were not two different processes involved. What do they actually do with the balayage? Dye the ends dark? Surely the desired result is two-tone so the two-tone result should be included in the cost of it?

@Isthereaduckinthehouse I think you’re thinking of ombré, which is different

Balayage is just freestyle highlights which don’t go right to the root and therefore can look more natural and grow out better

Mine is £70 for a full head of smart bond highlights and a cut and blow dry. That’s cheap compared to other salons I’ve been to.