I was very excited to try this hair salon as it seemed like such a hidden gem - at the time when I visited, there were only three reviews, all of which rated Noppera at 5 stars. The place is a one man show run...
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I was very excited to try this hair salon as it seemed like such a hidden gem - at the time when I visited, there were only three reviews, all of which rated Noppera at 5 stars. The place is a one man show run by a man named Sei, and it is located in the basement of MEY, another hair salon. The two hair salons used to be one company, but they split in early 2020. Before MEY, Sei also worked at other places in NYC including Sassoon.
Sei was courteous, pleasant to talk to, and knowledgeable. He had to spend the first five minutes while I was there to fix another client's bangs, and he was so apologetic about it, even though I did not mind at all. When he asked me what hairstyle I had in mind, I showed him the Pinterest inspiration board I had compiled ahead of time. He explained to me that the shorter above-the-shoulder cuts with my East Asian hair would be awkward and produce an outward flip to my right hand side at the ends, and if I did not want that look and was unwilling to style it every morning, then I should go for a slightly longer cut. I went with his advice and he gave me a beautiful cut that I walked out very happy with and am still happy with the day after! He spent over an hour on my hair. It is obvious that he is skilled and dedicated at his craft. He also graciously allowed me to use his fridge to store the birthday cake that I had picked up nearby before coming to the appointment.
Sei specializes in cutting. He does not currently do any perming, coloring, or other services. As he explained to me, "My passion is creating shapes out of nothing." He used to work on photoshoots styling models' hair too, but he no longer does because he didn't get the satisfaction of cutting. His services and prices are listed on the Noppera website and he is by appointment only.
P.S. The vintage-themed decor is beautiful! Love how he transformed this basement.
P.P.S. For COVID Sei is meeting each client outside and taking their temperature before letting them inside.