Sei Tomoko Salon O2

Amazing hair salon! I love the cut, and it’s such a reasonable price. Yukari took incredible care and time to make sure my hair turned out great. Gave me helpful suggestions for my hair too.
I mixed up this salon with the one on the west side. Be careful you don’t as well!

Motoki is the best! After moving into the city, I looked everywhere for an affordable and great salon to get my cut and color. Not only did I receive a phenomenal head, neck & shoulder massage, but my haircut was one of the best I’ve ever had. I left feeling like a whole new woman — and that was only a trim!!! The layers look great. I am going back next week for my color with Motoki and never have I been so excited.

4 ½. I knocked down half a star because though I like my haircut, it was not completely what I envisioned when I went in. Everyone here is very nice and accommodating. They take your coat and offer you tea or water when you walk in for an appointment. Magazines are provided once they usher you to sit. Of course you get a light head massage when they wash your hair, but they also give you a shoulder massage while you’re waiting on your hairstylist. The stylist I had, Leon, was very careful and precise. He took more time perfecting the cut, making sure everything was trimmed at the right length, than he did when he was snipping inches off. And all this for just $ 40 (as a student)! It was my first time getting my hair cut in New York, and I definitely recommend this place for their care, precision, and price!

I have been seeing Masae and I leave happy every time! She gives great suggestions and will do exactly what you ask for. Everyone at the salon is super nice I love coming here.

Motoki is the bomb. I always come in looking a mess and he is able to transform without any weird surprises. I leave feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders (literally, I have a lot of long, thick hair so I come in to get it thinned out and reshaped to be more manageable.) He is able to thin it out without using the razor thing other salons use, which I believe actually damages and breaks my hair in the process.
The atmosphere is relaxing and the staff is very hospitable. Green tea on deck!
$ 50 haircut/​shampoo/​blowdry/​mini-​massage with student ID is a good deal yo. I keep coming back for the relaxing atmosphere and consistent work. Thanks guys!

I called the E14th Street location for a spur-​of-​the-​moment day-​of appointment — they were fully booked, but told me they’d call me back if there were any cancellations. So I left them my name and number, and it turned out they forwarded my request to this location, because I got a call from here mere minutes later around 2:30 and was able to set up a 4:00 appointment — with a student discount, no less.
My stylist was Manson and he was incredibly meticulous and attentive, not to mention polite. We decided to lop 3 inches off my hair and he did a great job. Thank you, Manson & Sei Tomoko — this is my go-​to salon in the city for sure.

Great place, very relaxing environment, and the staff are really nice.
Stylist Manson is really great, get him if you can!

Affordable haircuts, extremely friendly staff, clean studios… what’s not to love?
I hadn’t had a haircut since I moved 6+ months ago, since I honestly couldn’t afford NYC salon prices. I’m so happy I found out about Sei Tomoko though!
After passing a sign in their W4th location I came in to the East Village salon as a hair model, where you get a wash, cut, and blow dry for $ 10. I was a little hesitant at first since I wanted a more complex haircut than just a trim, but my stylist explained to me exactly what she was going to do, and then to her instructor who was overseeing the whole process. It took about an hour and a half, but I was so happy with the results.
The staff was super friendly the entire time, and even though they mostly spoke to each other in Japanese, I never felt uneasy or out of place. I know exactly where I’m getting my next haircut now!

I tried four or five different hair salons in NY before I found Sei Tomoko and oh man was I missing a lot. This place is fantastic from the moment you step into the door up to the time you depart. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming and offer you tea, water or beer as you enter. There’s a pretty set order of events here for a men’s haircut:
–enter and immediately start getting your hair washed by an attendant (shampoo and conditioner)
–get a nice head and back massage by the same person for a few minutes
–haircut starts and lasts 30 minutes or so
–another round of hairwashing to get all of the stray hairs out
–a few more minutes of haircutting to address final touch ups
If you’re looking for a quick, cheap looking cut this is not the place to go. Visit any of the 700 barbershops across the boroughs instead. Sei Tomoko visits normally take about 45 minutes for me and I’m always satisfied. I’ve been going for 1.5 years now and have never had a bad haircut. The hairstylists know what they’re doing and really try to accommodate whatever it is you’re trying to do/​explain. I’m awful at describing what I want in a men’s haircut but my stylist (Manson) is really perceptive and always does a great job. Haircuts for me are normally between $ 35 – 45 and I believe there are student discounts as well. I cannot say enough good things about these haircuts, the location and the staff as a whole, I’m so lucky to have found them!

I recently moved to NY. My previous haircut was six months ago and was thinking of a new change for myself. I visited the salon yesterday (8 pm) and was a haircut model, where I received a wash, cut and blow dry for $ 10.
Nihei was my stylist — our communication during the session was excellent, and she worked really hard to get rid of my split ends etc. In the end she did an amazing job. The staff were very courteous as well. I will definitely come back in future and hopefully this will be my go-​to place for my hair.

My girl was on maternity leave and I was desperate for a haircut, so I called to all their locations and finally scored on Omae, who is the manager and so no student discount, which they forgot to mention and her price went up before my appointment.
I think this is bad business, since they should have honoured the quoted price, rather than increasing it afterwards. So definitely 2 stars for that alone…
Anyways, Omae is really nice and sweet, but I don’t think I was impressed with how she finished blow drying my hair. My top hair was super flat and barely after a month, my hair didn’t grow out nicely.
My girl who usually cuts my hair at the other salon, when she cuts my hair, my haircut still looks fresh after 9 months, if I am in the mood to grow it out.
My hair is not up to par right now and I am going to go back to my girl.

It was my first time at this little underground salon, and I must say WOOHOO impressive. The service was prompt and extremely attentive. The girl that cut my hair was extremely nice and courteous. After helping me sit down and relax she quickly got to snipping.
She took off abut 2 inches and my hair felt so smooth after the cut. The only reason why I didn’t give 5 stars is because I wasn’t extremely happy with the cut after leaving the store. It was what I asked for but it was EXACTLY what I asked for, without her input. Now this may sound really weird, but I kind of asked her to take over and make it a tad shorter but also allowing it to be placed up into a pony tail. She only followed the latter. I came to this place hoping to seek professional advice on a potentially new hairstyle, sigh.
Bottom line: I would come here again, especially for the price. Next time I’ll come with an exact haircut style!

I got my hair cut a few days ago at this salon. I normally go to another Japanese salon but decided a switch on a whim. Since I didn’t know anyone here, the woman on the phone got me an appt w Masae.
I explained to her what I wanted and she was able to make a recommendation based on my hair texture and existing cut. Now I have to say my hair is difficult to handle… it’s straight in the front/​side but wavy in the back. That and my head is not a perfect round shape so the cut needs to be customized to my head shape for it not to grow out weirdly. My biggest complaint of all my cuts in the past is that the cut grows out weird (b.c of my head shape).
I learned quite a bit about hair style and cuts from Masae. From my experience, lot of the Japanese stylists (or at least the ones I’ve had) aren’t the talkative type, much less give lectures on types of hair cuts (I liked it– I learned quite a bit about hair style and my own hair that day).
The only gripe i had about the experience was the cost. When I made the appointment over the phone, the woman made a point of telling me the price for the cut ($ 55). I thought great– it’s cheaper than what I pay at my normal salon. I ended up having to reschedule for another day, and for that appt, I was quoted $ 45 – 50. Thinking I must have gotten a non-​Master technician for the day and time I requested, I thought fine, whatever.
But when the time came to pay that day, the bill was for $ 60 plus tax, higher than either of the prices I was quoted! The difference wasn’t that big of a deal but if you’re going to make a point of quoting the price on the phone, I consider that to be a verbal contract and you should stick to that price.

I visited Sei Tomoko Salon on East 4^th for a hair cut due to it’s location (near my new apt.) and the many positive Unilocal reviews. Masae was my stylist.
PROS:
— I was able to get an appointment the same day I called. Initially, my appointment was made for the following day but because I was flexible and encouraged them to call me if they had a cancellation, I was able to get in even sooner.
— Masae took my very long, very thick hair mess and turned it into a layered, healthy looking ‘do. My hair isn’t easy to work with so there’s always a little anxiety on my end when seeing a new stylist (I blame it on a childhood of bad haircuts) but my fears were abated as Masae asked questions about my preferences and cut with precision and skill.
— $ 55 (before tip) for a wash, great cut, blow dry, and style for long, thick hair is unheard of. Well, was unheard of.
— The salon’s atmosphere is very chill and everyone working was nice. The «goodbye!» from everyone as you walk out the door is sweet and fun.
CONS: None
BOTTOM LINE: I look forward to returning!

Highly recommended!
I’ve been to their other location in the East Village, but I went here last night for an after hours hair cut. On Monday nights, if you are willing to be a «hair cut model» for practice, you can get a full wash, cut, & dry for just $ 10! They do make you sign a waiver that says you promise not to sue if they accidentally hurt you, which was a little scary (no one wants to get stabbed by scissors!), but everything ended up being fine.
Nihei was my stylist and she very clearly indicated what she how she would cut my hair. I have been growing out a pixie cut for the past 3 months and I needed to trim the back and reshape the sides, but I didn’t want to lose a lot of length. She understood that, and she very clearly articulated what she was going to do. One thing I loved is that unlike almost every other place I’ve been to, when Nihei said she was cutting to a specific point, that’s where she cut to, no shorter. In fact, she was conservative enough that I told her she could cut off a little more and she happily went back trimmed off a bit more length in the back for me.
My session did include the usual amazing almond smelling shampoo and conditioner, although there was no back/​shoulder massage (which you typically get with a full price hair cut).
When Nihei got to work with her scissors, and I could see that she definitely knew what she was doing. She had told me that she had been cutting hair for over a year already, so I was surprised that she was still practicing on a hair models, but it was nice to know that she was really committed to honing her skills.
She blow dried my hair as she went (after cutting each layer) to see how it looked both wet and dry, and she was able to cut the front of my hair so that I could have a side-​swept bang look that could be styled to either side (right or left).
I did not get the typical post-​haircut wash that they normally give you to get rid of the little cut ends of hair that still stick to your head, but given the price that I paid, I was tremendously pleased with the service and the results.

When I moved to NYC I could not find a salon that would cut hair for under $ 100. A friend finally referred me to Omae at Sei Tomoko and she’s been cutting my hair for ~7 years now. I’ve never had a bad cut, and have had some absolutely fantastic ones. I have super straight hair but she is able to magically give it body. The best part is, I don’t even have to style it for it to look good. I’m talking no product, no blow dry; just wash and go, Omae’s cut does all the heavy lifting.
The staff are all warm and welcoming, too. At my last appointment I was trapped in a torrential downpour on the way there, they gave me a gown to change into and dried my clothes while they washed my hair.
If you want a great haircut in a friendly atmosphere at an affordable price, Sei Tomoko is the place.

Scalp massage with hair washing, shoulder/​upper back massage, green tea or water, my hair cut just the way I like it. all for a total of only $ 45? Who wouldn’t come back?
Aya is truly amazing! She gives an amazing shiatsu shoulder/​upper back massage. not for those who do not like firm pressure. Wish the massage were longer than a couple minutes. I would definitely pay for a longer massage haha.
I’ve continued to return to her as a customer for the past 2 years because of her cuts, but I also love her fun and friendly personality. A nice trim and that shoulder massage today reminded me of why I love her so much!

I love this place. No one else touches my hair but Chieko who is now taking a long leave of absence and it is killing me. Please come back Chieko, please!
Such a lovely, respectful, relaxing experience. You cut your hair and you get a neck/​back massage, they massage your head after washing your hair. This is just wonderful!

I absolutely love this place. The staff is super friendly, the service is amazing, and the price is as low as i gets in the city.
The best thing for me is the massage during shampoo. They place hot towels on your neck and forehead after the shampoo to make you relax and they back to your seat you get a 5 minute neck and back massage.
As for the haircut, it was exactly what I asked.
I had a really relaxing moment and felt really good leaving the salon, which really is the ultimate luxury.
I won’t go anywhere else now!
Thank you!

I’m a huge fan of Japanese hair salons — as they are know for having great flair at combining precision, style, humbleness and mannerism all in one experience! What’s not to love about that!!!
However, I have been finding more salons in NYC charging higher amounts (even one starts the less experienced junior stylists at $ 90) and also having a bit of an elitist attitude (well if you don’t reserve here then it’s your lost and if you cancel 1 day before we will charge you a cancellation fee of $ 80). What goes? What happened to the old simple business model of precision, style, humbleness and mannerism?
Good thing to know the old business model still exists here. This is located in the heart of the East Village, a short walk from the F train stop 2^nd Avenue or Astor Place with the 6 train. I was able to make an impromptu reservation without a problem. The assistant was very nice and gave me a nice shampoo and a quick massage. My stylist (Motoki) was a great guy who pointed out the problems of my previous haircuts including a bad attempt by another Japanese hairstylist to thin the texture of my hair to make a quick buck from me. He then gave me precise recommendations of what I need to do in order for the previous bad haircut to grow out. My stylist here actually STYLED my hair instead of only just trimming it, was much needed as I have difficult hair (which grows like a Chia pet) and a roundish face.
The most surprising element was when I went to settle for the bill. It’s almost 40−50% lower than the more schickie mickie fancy Japanese hair salons charge. Perhaps it would have been easier hiding the prices from you Unilocalers so that you are not hogging up this space and jacking up the prices. But I can’t come here every two weeks since I live in Switzerland, I need you guys to make sure this place is well frequented so it stays open for me when I drop in for my visits. Just make sure you leave an appointment space open for me… Sharing is caring!