How much do haircuts at Singapore's most popular hair salons cost?

Thanks to an ill-advised bob that took forever to grow out, I somehow managed to avoid expensive hair salons for the past year or two. But now that my hair is out of shape and my split ends are taking over my life, I'm on the hunt for a good hair salon to visit. It's also coincidentally the season for pre-CNY haircuts so… Might as well.

Last I remember, a basic wash-cut-blow service was $28, but those days are behind us - a typical ladies' haircut can now cost up to $80+. Thankfully (and surprisingly), the saving grace is that festive surcharges seem to have also phased out. Most of the popular mid- to high-end hair salons no longer charge extra for the Lunar New Year.

Here's a breakdown of how much basic haircuts will set you back in Singapore. Tip: you might want to sit down for this.

TOP 10 HAIR SALONS IN SINGAPORE - HOW MUCH DO THEY COST?

APUJEONG HAIR SALON 

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Apgujeong Hair Salon is a hit with the younger crowd - not only do they specialise in Korean haircuts and styles, they are very affordable.

Haircuts begin at $20 for short hair. For medium to very long hair, it's $23 to $35, which is still considered cheap for a Korean hair salon. Men's cuts are fixed at $15. Lucky bastards.

Their director and lead stylists are all Korean, so if you want locks that'll attract your oppa eye candy, try your luck at any one of Apgujeong's 11 outlets.

KIMAGE HAIR SALON 

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Trendy hair salons have been popping up in the recent years, but Kimage is pretty much a household name. Like Apgujeong, there are 11 Kimage outlets, most of which are located at shopping malls.

At Kimage, a haircut will cost $40 (it's the same for men and women), which is what passes for "affordable" these days.

If you want to save even more, you can make an appointment to have your hair done by their junior stylists at Kimage Cove. The prices are dramatically lower - it's only $20 for a haircut.

The junior stylists are also able to do chemical services like colouring (from $50), perming (from $50) and rebonding (from $100).

If you're worried about botched jobs, Kimage offers a 10-day guarantee. You can always head back for another session if anything goes wrong.

SHUNJI MATSUO 

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Shunji Matsuo is another super popular hair salon chain in Singapore. There are 6 outlets, and the curious thing is that the prices are different for all 6 of them.

The most affordable outlet is the one at Siglap - prices start at $43 for a ladies' cut and $38 for men's. The 2 most atas outlets are the ones in Orchard. At Ngee Ann City and Orchard ION, the same services will cost you $60 / $52 and $65 / $55 respectively.

If you're heading to town but don't want to pay a limb for it, the outlet at Far East Plaza is slightly cheaper ($50 / $45).

NEXT HAIR SALON 

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Next has 2 outlets, one at Holland Village and another at Nassim Road. You may think that they're both in fancy districts so they should be the same price, but you're wrong.

The one at Holland Village charges $45 for a basic haircut, which is mid-range and relatively affordable. The one at Nassim Road, however, charges almost double that amount - prices start at $75 (men and women).

For Next at Nassim, the prices depend on the stylist you choose. For instance, Kan Chan and Veena Loh are both senior stylists, but their rates are different ($75 and $85 respectively).

BLACK HAIR SALON

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Despite its name, Black Hair Salon is actually famous for painting your hair all shades of the rainbow. Just check out their Instagram page.

But while a unicorn mane will undoubtedly set you back several hundreds of dollars, a basic haircut at Black Hair Salon is $48 for ladies and $40 for men.

Black Hair Salon is located at Capitol Piazza, which is easy to swing by if you work in the CBD.

PICASSO HAIR STUDIO

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Picasso seems a direct competitor of Black Hair Salon - they've got the same prices ($48 for women) and they're also popular for their fun-coloured looks.

They're also both at the CBD too. Picasso Hair Studio has 2 outlets; one near Bugis MRT and the other near Tanjong Pagar MRT.

That said, Picasso Hair Studio seems to have promotions and discounts more often. Follow the Picasso Hair Studio Facebook page for the monthly deals.

SALON VIM

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Hitting the $50-mark is Salon Vim, the local blogger's favourite.

Salon Vim has as many influencer ambassadors as colours on their hair dye palettes. Tricia Ong, Xenia Tan and Mong Chin are just a few of the bloggers who get their hair done at Salon Vim.

That influencer-inspired haircut will cost you $50, which is expensive in my opinion. There are 2 salons, one in Bugis and the other at Wisma Atria.

NUMBER 76

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The OG Number 76 is a famous hair salon in Tokyo, known for its salon-cafe concept. Number 76 has 4 outlets in Malaysia, and just 1 outlet in Singapore.

Number 76 Singapore is located at Orchard Central, and although originally from Japan, the founder of the chain Daisuke Hamaguchi is based here.

Of course, the $56 haircut will only buy you a senior stylist haircut. A cut by the managing director is $98.

CHEZ VOUS HAIR SALON

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As you would expect of a hair salon named "Chez Vous", this Orchard Road hair salon is pretty pricey.

Perhaps it's because they don't have any plain ol' "stylists"? At Chez Vous, the most affordable tier of hairdressers are called Associate Directors who charge $75 for a ladies' haircut.

Ouch. With that money, you can get your hair done by a chief director elsewhere. But if you've got the money to blow, why not?

Unlike many trendy salons that are known for their outrageous dye jobs, Chez Vous is actually known for their superior haircuts. If it's a contest between having colourful hair for a week and waking up to manageable hair every day, the latter definitely has my vote.

ART NOISE 

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The last hair salon in this list is the Japanese Art Noise at Holland Village. They charge a whopping $86 for a haircut.

Whether or not you want to take the chance with almost a hundred bucks is up to you, but I probably won't unless I come into an unexpected windfall.

To their credit, their haircuts are probably awesome and the whole Japanese vibe is legit (everyone there is Japanese). But take note: You may have to explain your needs to the receptionist cum interpreter, who will then explain it to the stylist.

If you want to take the plunge, Art Noise actually offers a neat 20 per cent discount for new customers, making it $68.80 per haircut.

This article was first published in MoneySmart.