The best way to find a hairdresser is to ask someone with hair that you like: Who does your hair?
So we asked men and women we spotted on the street, in the Metro, at parties, in malls. We asked fashionable Washingtonians we know to tell us about their stylists. In all, we heard from several hundred men and women.
What follows is not a list of the area’s best salons—there are many more good stylists about town—but the names we heard repeatedly from happy clients with nice hair. We also looked at the portfolios of many area stylists, to see their other work.
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Great Hair | Salons in DC | Salons in Maryland
Great Choices for Color
Jolie Laide Salon,12705 Braemar Village Plaza, Bristow; 703-330-8111; jolielaidesalon.com. One client who moved but travels back from New York tells us she won’t let anyone but Jolie owner Kate Herzig cut and color her hair. Jason Holloway wins raves, too. Women’s cut: $55. Men’s cut: $30. Color: $50 and up. Highlights: $95 and up.
Salon Bleu, Tysons Galleria; 703-448-1300; bleu.com. This big, stylish salon has four American Board of Certified Hair Colorists on staff. Cut: $55 and up for men, $75 and up for women. Color: $105 and up. Highlights. $145 and up.
Tangerine Dream Beauty Bar, 1137 Walker Rd., Great Falls; 703-759-4014; tangerinedreamsalon.com. “No one thinks I color my hair,” says a fan of stylist Lisa Duryea. “Need I say more?” Owner Robin Lee Harmon is also a pro with dye. The salon’s Web site shows each stylist’s work. Cut: $39 and up for men, $54 and up for women. Color: $64 and up for women, $55 for men. Highlights: $100 and up.
Longtime Favorites
Ronnie Elias Salon, 2952-I Chain Bridge Rd., Oakton; 703-255-1114; ronnieeliassalon.com (under construction). Owner Ronnie Hier does consistently good work and keeps his stylists on top of new techniques. Cut: $45 and up for men, $65 and up for women. Color: $70 and up. Highlights: $105 and up.
Sugar House Day Spa & Salon, 111 N. Alfred St., Alexandria; 703-549-9940; sugarhousedayspa.com. Sugar House, which is set in a 200-year-old townhouse, is known more for spa services than for hair, but we’ve seen some good work come from some of its stylists. Cut: $40 and up for men, $65 and up for women. Color: $65 and up. Highlights: $100 and up.
Tranquility Day Spa & Salon, 10360 Portsmouth Rd., Manassas, 703-257-7200; 15125 Washington St., Suite 304, Haymarket, 571-248-4150; tranquilitydayspa.com. This well-run salon keeps abreast of trends—the owners also run a styling academy. Also a good choice if you like a salon that gives back: It has donated services to everything from Locks of Love to local teachers. Cut: $32 and up for men, $45 and up for women. Color: $35 and up. Highlights: $83 and up.
Why Drive to Georgetown?
Noufal Haircolor Studio, 8605 Westwood Center Dr., Suite 160, Vienna; 703-893-7711; noufalhairstudio.com. Joey Noufal has handled celebrity heads from HGTV’s Vern Yip and Foo Fighters frontman David Grohl to politicians and foreign royalty. His prices may be a bit high for the ’burbs—cuts with him start at $78—but if time is valuable to you, he and his staff offer a simultaneous color- and-highlighting technique, saving up to 90 minutes a session. Cut: $35 and up for men, $55 and up for women. Color: $60 and up. Foil highlights: $85 and up.
Loyal Followings
Dolce Vita Salon, 6829 Elm St., McLean; 703-821-3166; dolcevitasalon.com. Clients travel to this salon from as far away as Annapolis and Florida. Besides cuts and corrective color, Jean Paul Achour is an expert at extensions, while his brother Sam handles curly heads. Cut: $55 and up for women, $40 and up for men. Color: $75 and up. Highlights: $110 and up.
Salon Cielo, Tysons Galleria, 703-821-8136; Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, 703-415-0406; Lansdowne Town Center, 571-333-4590; saloncielo.com. For the money—$40 to $55—you can get a very good cut here. Color: $55 and up. Highlights: $95 and up.
Salon Daniel, 6828 Old Dominion Dr., McLean; 703-893-5000; salondaniel.net. This pleasant salon has been in business more than 20 years, earning a loyal clientele. Many of Dila Gayed’s male and female clients, for example, have been with her for ten or more years—one flies back from Germany for appointments. Cut: $40 and up for men, $65 and up for women. Color: $65 and up. Highlights: $95 and up.
Beautiful Blowouts
Hair Gallery, 1800 N. Oak St., Arlington; 703-243-6886; hairgalleryweb.com. This friendly, relaxing salon in Rosslyn does blowouts starting at $30—cheaper than many Georgetown spots just over the Key Bridge. Owner Fatima Amir and her team do great cuts, too—and every service comes with a heavenly vitamin-E-oil scalp massage. Cuts: $28 for men, $55 and up for women. Color: $70 and up. Highlights: $80 and up.
Good Bets at the Chains
You can get a good hair cut at a chain—if you know who to ask for. Here are stylists who earned multiple raves.
Hair Cuttery, haircuttery.com. In Arlington (3307 Lee Hwy.; 703-527-9669), Dee Bui has a way with men, women, and kids alike—and gives great shampoos. Cut: $16 and up. Color: $49 and up. Foil highlights: $70 and up.
PR at Partners, pratpartners.com. In Shirlington (2900 S. Quincy St., Arlington; 703-998-6500), Neat Sothy-Sullivan is said to stay up on trends and be a joy. Cut: $35 and up for men, $45 and up for women. Color: $55 and up. Highlights: $95 and up.
Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.
