New York City is infamous for its skyrocketing cosmetic service costs. Nowadays, the average cost of a haircut in New York City ranges from $75 to $250. Thus, as a savvy college student, I am always on the hunt for fantastic deals.

The Beautiful Hair Salon, tucked on the second floor of 246 Grand St. in Chinatown, should not be overlooked. Meihau Wu, owner and hairdresser, offers an irresistible deal that includes a haircut, blow dry and styling that range in price from $20 to $40. 

As I began my journey toward the hair salon, my body was filled with nerves. I pondered if going here was the right decision. The place isn’t well-known, and the reviews online were promising but limited. I was justifying this decision due to my urgent need for a haircut. After tedious amounts of research and hair salon comparisons, the decision was simple; I refused to pay $100 for a simple haircut. 

Concealed by the chaos of Chinatown, finding the salon wasn’t the easiest. But if you read the signs on the buildings closely, you’ll find that the salon is on the second floor of a four-story building. After I ascended the green, narrow staircase and reached the top, I opened the door to a tiny room that looked no larger than 200 square feet. Sitting at the corner desk was Wu, sitting ready for her next appointment — me.  

Wu greeted me and quickly began to wash my hair before sitting me down in the styling chair. Then the big moment came: she asked how I would like to cut my hair. The options running through my head were to either play it safe and only cut the dead ends, or go full out and chop off my hair and add long layers. I don’t know why, but something inside me told me to have faith. I decided on the latter. 

Her scissors moved swiftly, cutting off at least four inches of my hair. It was nerve-racking. However, Wu reassured me of her skills by continuing to ask if my hair was to my satisfaction. 

After the haircut, Wu blow-dried my hair and added some oil before taking a rolling brush to give it shape and volume. The final results were remarkable, and I can say with the utmost confidence that this has been one of my best haircuts. The total ended up being $39 not including a tip. To anyone living in Manhattan, you know this is a steal.

So, throw away your Groupon code for Dry Bar and instead go on an adventure and discover locally-owned services. We shouldn’t be so quick to disregard low-cost hair salons to follow the herd of people claiming that a good haircut can’t be cheap. Small business owners like Wu and her hair salon are a gift to the citizens of New York City.

Contact Melissa Derzavich at [email protected].