In a city surrounded by salt water and flooded with sunshine, looking after your locks can be a delicate dance, and choosing the right salon for you is an undeniably sacred act.
To help you find the best people to entrust with your crowning glory, our team of local editors has rounded up the very best hair salons in the Harbour City – from celeb-approved spots in Surry Hills and Paddington to an award-winning sustainable salon on the Northern Beaches.
Read on for our top picks of the very best hair salons in Sydney.
Having styled the hair of everyone from Cate Blanchett to Kendal Jenner, Nicole Ritchie to Miranda Kerr, it’s no exaggeration to call Anthony Nader one of Australia’s very best hair stylists. And despite his celebrity credentials, Anthony still brings the most warm, friendly, non-judgemental energy to his beautiful Surry Hills salon.
Address: 100 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, 2010
Situated just off Queen Street in the leafy heart of Woollahra, this intimate salon is a truly divine space to spend a few hours, with exceptional hair cuts and colours a very welcome bonus. Candles burn and fill the space with a beautiful woody scent, there’s rosé on tap, and when the sun is shining, you can sit outside in the plant-filled atrium while the colour does its work on your locks.
Address: Level 1/107, Queen St, Woollahra, 2025
In the heart of Paddington – arguably Sydney’s fashion capital – you’ll find Paloma, a super chic, sustainable salon that claims to take a “sensory approach to self-care”. What does that look like? Ceremonial-grade matcha on arrival and neck massages with relaxing Vedic oil blends. Sign us up. The team will listen to your needs and carefully execute your cut and style while you sit back and relax, creating looks that they refer to as “undone yet elevated”.
Address: 320 Oxford St, Paddington, 2021
If you’re looking for a top-tier salon in the centre of the city, this one is the go. Born in Bondi back in 2023, Koda Cutters – the cult-favourite salon known for its artful approach to colour, cut and style — opened its second outpost in 20xx, found on level one of Sydney’s historic Queen Victoria Building.
Helmed by creative director Diane Gorgievski and designed by interior darlings Arent&Pyke, the space itself is reason enough to visit: glossy terrazzo floors and sculptural features flooded with light through wide heritage windows that open up onto the city skyscape.
But it’s not just a pretty face. Alongside the typical treatments (expert cuts and colours and perfectly sleek blow drys), Koda Cutters QVB offers one of Sydney’s only hair facials – a five-step steam treatment combining an aromatherapy massage, scalp clay, hydration mask and steam bliss, with the option to finish with a signature K-Blow so you’re ready to take on the city’s best bars.
Address: Shop 14/ Level 1/455 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
With a focus on sustainability, education, and inclusivity – this pastel-hued haven walks the walk when it comes to being an LGBTQIA+ safe space, and takes meaningful steps to make the space accessible for all abilities and neurotypes. The talented team of stylists are specialists at handling hair of all textures, and from the cutting and styling to every other element of the salon experience, the theme of art-meets-innovation carries through – this is a hair salon worthy of its ultra-trendy Newtown home.
Address: 7 Wilson Street, Newtown, 2042
On Surry Hills’ Kippax Street, you’ll find Edwards and Co: the Sydney outpost of a salon known for its "future-proof" colour techniques. Time Out Sydney’s Food and Drink Editor visited a few months ago, and the shine is still strong on her buttery blonde highlights – so we can personally vouch for their excellent, long-lasting colour treatments. The minimalist, warehouse-style space is big and beautiful, and home to a talented team of stylists on hand for on-point cuts, rich colour treatments and luxe, bouncy blow drys.
Address: Level 1, 99-103 Kippax Street, Surry Hills, 2010
This trendy boutique salon has a perfect dose of the buzzy, nightclub energy that nearby Kings Cross is known for. Up a staircase just off Victoria Street, in a beautifully designed studio, the music is pumping, and you’ll walk out with a fresh new look – ready to hit the dancefloor. Founded by global colour educator Michael Kelly, Salon Her specialises in transformative colour, holistic hair health, colour corrections and bespoke consultations.
Address: L1/227 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, 2010
The talented teams at Cov Hair (led by chief stylist and colourist wizard Yoav Cohen) view hair as “a vessel of self-expression…something powerful that can define us, brand us, and change us,”, so it’s safe to say that you’ll be in attentive hands. Hailing from the trendy French city of Marseille, Yoav brings a fresh, cool, cutting-edge approach. The peachy toned Mosman salon is the original outpost, and the Surry Hills salon opened in 2024.
Address: Office 1/700 Military Road, Mosman, 2088
A personal favourite, A Studio is a multi-disciplinary creative space that proves that businesses don’t need to follow a blueprint to create something beautiful. Part hair salon, part meditation studio, the tastefully minimalist space is located just steps from Oxford Street, so it’s super easily accessible. Led by co-founder Gareth Martin, the team of stylists are fun, welcoming, and seriously know their stuff.
Address: 155 Little Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, 2010
This multi-award-winning salon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches has gained an incredibly loyal 5,000-strong client base since opening its doors, and for very good reason. Not only do the team here offer exceptional cuts, colours and styling treatments, they’re also committed to making the world a better place – to date, they’ve donated more than $100k to charity, and their sustainability initiatives are second to none.
Address: 9/11-25 Wentworth Street, Manly, 2095
Marrickville's Tooth and Nail – Toothies for short – was founded back in 2017 by two best friends on a mission to create an inclusive salon/ barbershop for all walks of life. Their team of talented stylists (and most-recognisable team member, resident dog Brando) have helped them to realise that vision – with Toothies now a go-to for Sydneysiders of all identities looking for a welcoming, unintimidating salon experience and a trendy new 'do.
Address: 373 Enmore Road, Marrickville, 2204
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Founded way back in 1968, this salon has been tending to the locks of Sydneysiders for decades. Located just off Phillip Street in the heart of Parramatta, it’s a beloved salon for the people of Western Sydney, offering everything from keratin straightening treatments to balayage colouring. The salon now has outposts in Carlingford and Camden too, but the Parramatta outpost is the OG (and just steps away from some of Parramatta’s best eateries).
Address: 35-37 Phillip Street, Parramatta, 2150
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