A curated list of the best hair salons in Melbourne
IMAGE VIA @shakirrarees/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY MAEVE KERR-CROWLEY
The ones you can trust.
Whether your fringe is drooping into your eyes, your colour needs a touch-up or you’re looking to completely reinvent your look, finding a hairdresser you can trust is the key to achieving your dream hair. Fortunately, Melbourne is brimming with salons and stylists who know their way around a head of hair.
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From shiny natural colours and on-trend cuts to experimental rainbow shades, there’s a stylist somewhere in the city that’s an expert. To help you find the location for your next treat-yourself day, we’ve pulled together a list of some of the best salons in Melbourne.
Telleish Hair Studio
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A luxury experience with a sustainable touch, Telleish is the salon for those wanting gorgeous hair that doesn’t cost the planet. The Telleish team includes stylists, colourists and precision cutters with a range of experience and specialisations, so no haircut is too hard (or too bold). The salon boasts a New York-loft style as well, with a spacious layout and ’70s-esque details.
G01/89 Gladstone Sreet, South Melbourne
Dan Collins Hair
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Dan Collins is a freelance hairdresser offering everything from short and spiky mullet cuts to long, sunkissed-blonde locks. Tucked in away the creative haven that is the Nicholas Building, taking a seat in Dan’s pristine studio is like sitting with your best friend, except they’re a professional hairdresser with all the haircare knowledge you could dream of.
37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Everyday Salon
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Stache’s sister salon, Everyday, offers ‘everyday simplicity’ with a zero-waste, carbon-neutral approach to hair. Taking a natural, minimalistic approach to styling, Everyday is a great option for those looking for a low-maintenance ’do, some lived-in colour or a textured cut.
169 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Shibui
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A down-to-earth salon that’s worth the hype, Shibui takes an intuitive approach to hair. Up to date on the latest in fashion but intentionally unpretentious, the team is all about tapping into what makes every client unique and finding the perfect look to bring that individuality out. Expect to leave with an uncontrived style that’s easy to keep looking its best.
139 Toorak Road, South Yarra
Bob
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Bob is a natural hair salon that’s all about simplicity. The South Yarra salon is committed to a greener approach to hair and is 100 per cent waste-free. The team are passionate about toxic-free, organic hair products – at Bob, it’s all about protecting the health of your hair and the planet.
Shop 6, 286 Toorak Road, South Yarra
Grace Gold
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Grace Gold’s philosophy is built on providing each client a moment out of their day to relax. Whether you’re looking for a soft-but-dimensional balayage or a bright, blonde transformation, its highly experienced colour specialists work to ensure every hair need is met. The salon being both sustainable and cruelty-free is an added bonus.
395 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Organika
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Founder of Organika, Sarah Di Iorio, was motivated to learn more about healthy hair products after having adverse reactions to colours and chemical products as a young hairdresser. That’s why at Organika, hair colours, dyes, treatments and styling products are all free from ammonia, sulphates and other harmful chemicals. Growing strong, healthy hair is the name of the game.
161 Elgin Street, Carlton
Charlene Fernandez
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Charlene Fernandez is dedicated to making your routine haircut feel like a self-love ritual. An award-winning hair educator (in 2021, Charlene was named ‘Independent Stylist of the Year’ at the Australian Hairdressing Industry Awards) and independent stylist, Charlene’s philosophy puts quality above everything, so you know your unique locks are in safe hands.
77 Union Street, Armadale
Tkay
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At the Tkay Studio, every client is treated to a personalised one-on-one experience from start to finish. Specialising in healthy hair colouring services using only premium products, book in if you’re looking for effortless balayage or lived-in, long-wearing highlights.
199 Swan Street, Richmond
Donna Sheridan
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Fitzroy salon Donna Sheridan is all about ‘great, everyday hair’, and it really makes good on that promise. It’s become the salon to go to if you’re looking for a contemporary, effortlessly cool cut, and as an added bonus, it’s also sustainable.
71 Kerr Street, Fitzroy
Delilah Hair Studio
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At Delilah Hair Studio, nothing’s off the table. The salon’s specialty, however, is curly hair. Having coined its own phrase in ‘intentional tizz’, Delilah works with your curls instead of against them using the art of dry cutting. You’ll be treated to one-on-one attention the entire time you’re in the chair, with no worry that your stylist will dart off mid-appointment to deal with other clients.
2/414 Lygon Street, Brunswick East
Stache
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Stache’s philosophy is simple: it’s about creating hair ‘that embraces creativity and elevated simplicity for the every day’. Its sleek, Brunswick East salon (really, it’s very sleek) is zero-waste, low-carbon and gender-neutral. What more could you want?
Level 1/158 Lygon Street (Entrance via O’Connor Street), Brunswick East
Rubi
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Sitting down with the highly trained team at Rubi Hair is sure to be a safe and welcoming experience. As the experts, they’re there to talk you through every part of your new look and figure out what works for you. As well as cuts and colours, the salon offers specialty keratin treatments to leave you with smooth, luscious hair.
234 Bridge Road, Richmond
Hues Hair
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Hues Hair was founded by hairdresser Jamie Hughes in 2016, after 11 years of working in the industry. The aesthetically pleasing Richmond salon focuses on empowering and educating its clients and prioritises the use of Australian brands, which we love to see.
211 Swan Street, Richmond
Saka Hair Studio
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Aggy Saka’s Brunswick West-based salon specialises in curls, weaves, wigs, braids and twists. Describing itself as a “spa for your strands” Saka offers a range of protective, natural and event styles for all types of hair. Stay a while and get your makeup done, too.
612B Moreland Road, Brunswick West
Toni and Guy
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Toni and Guy is a salon that earned household name status by delivering 25 years of banging blow-waves, creative colouring and hair products that really work. Operating four salons in metropolitan Melbourne, you’re never too far away from an award-winning cut and colour.
579 Chapel Street, South Yarra
Joey Scandizzo Salon
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A three-time Australian Hairdresser of the Year winner, Joey Scandizzo has been cutting hair in Melbourne for over 20 years, so you know you’re in a safe pair of hands. Head here if you’re after the premium salon experience.
168/172 Toorak Road, South Yarra
Madison By Madison
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Madison By Madison is the brainchild of experimental hairdresser, Madison Finn. A favourite of inner-north creatives, she got her start working for iconic Melbourne salon Fur Hairdressing before striking out on her own. She’s drawn to vibrant colours and unconventional cuts, something she touched on when we spoke to her earlier this year for our How I Do It series. “My work pushes the limits with bright fun colours, but in a sophisticated, grown-up way. It’s hot, cool, sexy and fun, all at once,” she said. And who wouldn’t want to be all those things at the same time?
506 Queensberry St, North Melbourne
Edwards and Co
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For a glamorous, celebrity-endorsed salon experience, head to one of the two Edwards and Co locations in Melbourne. Home to some of the city’s most refined hairstylists and makeup artists, the salon specialises in rich colours that last gracefully, touchable texture and a coveted ‘rich-girl hair’ look.
1/22 Punch Lane, Melbourne
Lndn
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Located on Melbourne’s bustling Smith Street, Lndn is the latest salon venture by internationally renowned Australian hairdressers Jamie Furlan and Danni Solier. The salon is inspired by the duo’s time spent in London; taking inspiration from the city’s iconic underground scenes and grimy subcultures. Expect to leave Lndn with editorial-ready hair.
326 Smith Street, Collingwood
Mitch
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Mitch Studio is an aesthetically satisfying salon full of personality. Offering a bespoke, modern experience every time you walk through the door, it’s staffed by an experienced and creative team that’s passionate about making you feel your best. Mitch’s sustainability ethos also means that waste reduction and cruelty-free, environmentally hair products are always a priority.
166 High Street, Ashburton
Gag Hairdressing
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Dedicated to making you feel ‘hot, sexy and fresh’, Gag Hairdressing is a new hair salon in the heart of Fitzroy. From eyebrow bleaching to step fringes and ‘just the tip’ colour, Gag is the go-to for unconventionally beautiful hair.
236 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Xiang Hair
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Having first opened its doors in 1989, Xiang Hair now operates three visionary salons (plus two barbershops) across Melbourne. Armed with a large, experienced team and countless industry accolades, it’s regarded as one of the most skilled salons in the city. Every stylist has undergone rigorous training programs and mentorship, so you know you’re in good hands.
401 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Neel Loves Curls
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Melbourne’s original curly hair salon, Neel Loves Curls is the spot for hydrated, frizz-free locks. Neel specialises in cuts that compliment your natural curl pattern and can leave you with the tools – and products – to help recreate the curl magic at home.
399 B Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Cream
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You’d be hard-pressed to find a Fitzroy local who doesn’t know of Cream. The salon is known for its emphasis on natural and all-rounder cuts and colours (as well as its spritz on arrival, if it’s your first time). Tried and tested by many, your locks are in safe hands at Cream.
Level 1/296 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Spada
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For high-luxury pampering days, the treat yourself attitude at Spada is just what the doctor ordered. The team prioritises attention to detail, individual service and a dynamic environment to help you be your best self. You’ll be tended to with a thorough consultation and equipped with expert maintenance advice to take home with you.
230 Malvern Road, South Yarra
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