AIBU that a haircut shouldn't cost £60!?

[HollyLondoner]

Why is the cost of my haircut increased every time I visit? I have my haircut every 12 weeks on average and the price increase a few pounds every time. It's gone from £35 around 5 years ago when I started to £60. My favourite hairdresser hasn't been promoted so it's not that. I know she gets paid minimum wage and it doesn't feel right but she's an amazing hairdresser. I went today and was charged £62!?

The cheapest person is £58 and most expensive £90! Not a crazy fancy salon. I'm on the outskirts of London fyi so no means central!

YABU - that's how much it cost
YANBU - it's become so expensive!

I pay £30 for a dry cut which takes 20 minutes, small independent salon in a small town.

Pre-Covid it was £15.

I have tried to argue with so many barbers. My hair cut cost isn’t too bad at £15 every 6-8 weeks, hair is v short.

However, my husband pays that for a buzz cut on his head and a beard trim and shape Mr Upside Down Head).

But the barber refuses to even consider my custom. Makes me so mad. More pink tax.

I pay £65 for colour, foils, cut and blow dry - and I have extensions! I know it’s cheap but she’s a fantastic hairdresser which is why I go - not because of cost

You need to get a mobile hairdresser. Ok it’s not the salon experience but it’s much much cheaper. Mine is £30 and she’s done royal haircuts

Last month my cut and blow dry was £55 (London suburb) though I had £6 off for a 10% discount - not sure why that was. I only get it cut every 3 months so I don't begrudge it - a good haircut makes all the difference and I don't spend a lot on make up or beauty treatments.

Colour (highlights) plus cut is around £140 but again I only have that twice a year and touch it up myself in between.

Ok , to all the complainers , see the list below

£60 hair cut
vat =20 %
tax = 22 %
wages 83000 per year
employers National insurance
employers pension
electricity £7000 per year
water rates 1000 per year
business rates 4000 per year
music licence £5/600 per year
bins contract £1000 per year ( yes really )
towels laundry 1000 per year
stock colour : hair products £20000 per year
IT system 2000 per year
website 600 per year
refreshments
bank fees £4000 per year
accountant £25000 per year
sanitary bin removal £300 per year
training 5000 per year
phone and internet 1200 per year

these are a list of the main expenses for my very salon small with 2 full time , one part time stylist , and 2 juniors
I pay my staff £15 an hour btw
I charge £56 for a cut and blow dry

Im getting very sick of posts like this slating salons
for being to expensive
so many of you seem to be too dense to realise that there are many extra costs involved in your haircut, and many salons are closing because of the astronomical costs

Why are you happy to pay a plumber double that , or an electrician , but not a haircut ?
why do you think salons are too expensive when we have costs like this ? We are barely getting by
Why do you think we should not earn a decent living ?

I see that many are happy to pay lots for dogs cuts though…

You could say that about any service
Everyone is entitled to set their rate and customers decide if they are prepared to pay 🤷‍♀️

Exactly! I needed my hair cutting after 4 years, as I had coloured and bleached it so much that it was a mess - but quite honestly, with many types of hair, it is easily cut yourself.

And people are entitled to go somewhere cheaper.

I pay £125 for a cut and blow dry. London West End award winning salon with one of the co-owners/directors. He’s been cutting my hair for 30+ years. Because he’s fabulous and worth every penny. When he started cutting my hair, I was a new grad in my first post uni job and he was a junior stylist at a big name salon. It was my first time not paying £2 to have a very bad haircut in my village’s “salon”. We’ve both moved up in the world since then.

£247.50…. 😮

£200+ London suburbs. And I always hate it.

I have a fabulous reasonably priced mobile hairdresser and threads like these make me scared of losing her.
I’ve no interest in pampering or the ‘salon experience’ (no offence intended to people who love it) so don’t mind washing my own hair and making her a coffee.

You don’t have to pay that though. I pay £90 for colour and cut. Quite expensive for my area in the North. But equally I could go round the corner and have the same done for £35. I think hairdressers are one of those trades where there can be a large difference in charges, to fit everyone’s budget.

I pay between £140 and £180 for a cut, colour and blowdry. Roots and highlights and lowlights depending on what my hairdresser thinks I need.

I have fine, crap hair. It always looks fab because my hairdresser is superb and I hardly have to do anything to it.

My hairdresser is awesome. I don't begrudge her a penny. I get almost "mates" rates because we've been together for 25 years. SW London.

Decades ago I had a cheap as chips mobile hairdresser who did me and the children. Then she put her prices up by 50%. I wasn't prepared to pay more to sweep up the hair from the kitchen floor and wash my own hair over the bath. Not very treatworthy.

Businesses are entitled to charge what they want, mate.

And if they think highly of themselves- good on fucking them! As they bloody should! I applaud anyone who owns a successful and thriving business.

I doubt anyone is forcing you to go to a salon where they charge £60+ for a cut and blow. So you don’t need to go. You don’t need to get angry about it. And you certainly don’t need to insult stylists and compare their skill to a “one eyed rat doing a 3 day training course”. Honestly, I haven’t read anything as embarrassing as that comment on here in a while 😂

But if you really want to know why some salons will charge £60+ it will be to earn a living as well as being able to pay for:

Tools (that will need replacing regularly): scissors, combs, brushes, straighteners, hairdryers, clips, foils, mixing dishes, rollers, bands, trolleys, capes, towels. More expensive salons will use more expensive brands like GHD, Cloud Nine etc.

Products (that will also need frequent replenishment): shampoo, conditioner, heat protection, hair spray, mousse, oils, treatments, dye, dye activator, toner, perming solution, finishing sprays. Again, more expensive salons will use more expensive brands like Olaplex, Wella, Redken, Nanokeratin etc.

Marketing: branded posters, leaflets, signage, online advertisements, print advertisements, colour-charts, hair extensions samples, website, online booking system, mobile app.

I’m sure you’ll also take into consideration the HIGH overheads such as insurance, electric, water, salaries, rent, broadband.

Then you’ve got fixtures and fittings, (chairs that get lots of wear and tear) cleaning products, tea coffee and milk for clients, costs of having a card machine, subscription services, paying for training, upskilling and masterclasses that staff attend.

But you stick to your daft and classist assumptions of these workers charging prices because they think “highly of themselves” 👍🏻
How pathetic.

Of course they are
Or cut their own hair with a knife and fork
Their call

Exactly! FFS. No-one is that good at cutting and colouring hair that they deserve to be paid this! They trim and colour someones hair, and charge £247?! What a joke!

I was paying nearly that 20 years ago in London - was fairly central Zone 2 - but not one of the fancy or famous ‘names’ salons.

Or they could use scissors.......? 🤔 ✂

Ive also just read that one eyed rat could learn to cut hair in 3 days ?
wow 😮
how fucking rude and unpleasant are you ?

it takes years to be good , and I assure you nobody wants a haircut by someone with 3 days training .
The ignorance on here is staggering

The salon I use is a community interest company - they charge at cost price and invite donations to cover subsidised services.
Comfy but not particularly swish salon in a central-ish but not great part of London - costs including VAT are £37 for an hour.

I’m so lucky a family member trims mine for free (although we do various favours like babysitting/ dog sitting etc)

I feel lucky that I only pay £10.50 for a dry cut once a month! I have short hair and it takes him 20 minutes and I always get compliments on the cut.

Mine comes to my house, she’s charges £25, I wash my hair before she arrives and she trims it. I then style it. It’s easy, and she’s a great hairdresser also