Kim Robinson versus La Coco Hair Salon (SG) Review

Freshest report as of now. Unique review of these 2 hair salons. This post is best viewed with a computer/laptop, not mobile phone.

The same printout of a haircut (6 color photos on 1 sheet) of Lee Min Ho's best hairstyle during his Beijing concert "My Everything" was shown to these 2 hair salons.

Kim Robinson                              Versus                      La Coco

Date of haircut: 7 Feb 2013                                         4 Apr 2013 
Time:  5.30 pm                                                              4.30 pm


Price: $138                                                                    Price: $53.50 

Stylist: Eric Lim                                                             Stylist: Soo Bin
Haircutting Skill: Definitely knows hair                 Haircutting Skill: Not so good

Wet Cut                                                                             Dry Cut

Hairwasher (Male smoker): Bad (+reeked of smoke)        Hairwasher (Female): Weak
Massage service: Super Bad                                           Massage service: None

Service on haircutting floor: Flawless          Service on haircutting floor: Good

Front desk service: Newbie-ish.          Front desk Korean man: Unfriendly, proud

Drinks offered: Yes                                                            Drinks offered: No
Snacks offered: No                                                             Snacks offered: No

Waiting time:  Immediate 1st time, walk-in
2nd time free touch up 15~20 mins waiting, with appt                 Immediate, walk-in

Number of visits: Twice (2nd time free touch-up)         Number of visits: 1

Stylists were randomly assigned to me.

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Results:

First of all, it's only common sense that all salons should do dry cuts. In the past, I used to wonder why salons cut hair when wet. As a child, my mom used to cut my hair dry and she said wet hair clumps and is difficult to cut properly.

Wet hair will become a shorter length when dried.  Stylists have to take note and make allowance for the length differences and design deviation when doing wet cuts, otherwise the result during wet cut will become inaccurate.


Kim Robinson:  The back end was the smoothest cut I have ever had. Eric really knows how to cut following the natural lay of the hair in that area. The hair lies down smoothly at the back end.

He also knows when to stop cutting.

However. I had wanted the back end to be shaped towards a V at the center, and he was not able to achieve that. Instead, the back end looked undecided, but he said it would "grow" into a V.  It didn't.

He was also unable to create the "waves" along the hair at the front like in the printout photos. He said it was a styling effect, even though it looked not merely a styling effect but a method of cutting.

He was unable to produce the different lengths of hair at the front. Neither could he create cuts that would enhance volume. 

At the start, he had suggested I perm my hair, but didn't give me a reason.  I declined since I know from reviews that perms take much more cash than imagined and I don't want my already fine hair to be ruined.

The return visit was 10 days later. This was a free touch-up. Reason was the back end looked very undecided and the front part looked too long without any bounce or different lengths.

There was about 20 mins waiting time as Eric was attending to a long-haired woman.

The result = the touch-up made the front part a little too short and still without the different lengths that would give it some definition and volume. The back was untouched as he didn't see any problem there, even though that's the part I came to get fixed because it didn't look like what I wanted. Overall, it looked a little unbalanced.

Will I be going back?  $138 that lasts just 2~3 weeks, and not perfectly satisfied. No.
If it were less steep, I might consider trying their other stylists.

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Results:

La Coco:  Soo Bin provided attentive service. But she started to panic and hurry when another customer waiting for her showed up a few minutes into my haircut.

Before this, at the start, when she saw the printout I showed her, she suggested that I perm my hair to create the volume and waves. The perm would cost $120 on top of $50 for the haircut. A hair treatment would be added in if I took the perm because the perm is "chemicals" that would damage the hair.

At first I said I only brought $60, because that's what the front desk man said when I called to ask. But she didn't understand and waited for me to consider getting a perm. So I said "next time" after she mentioned chemicals and needing treatment.

She looked disappointed and said without a perm, creating volume would be difficult.

I was thinking, if she's good, she would be able to create volume without resorting to perm. I know this because I have watched Celia at Reds salon do this for me (amazing just watching her).

I told Soo Bin to try creating the look without perm, prepared that if it was bad, I would just go to QB to get it fixed.

At first,  she tried making conversation but was inadequate in expressing herself in English. Neither could I speak Korean.

My recommendation for customers who don't know Korean =  learn a few words essential to conveying what you want done. 

Despite her care in trying to understand what I wanted, she still misunderstood.

I had wanted different lengths to the front part, and gestured with scissoring my fingers but she still lifted my hair in her fingers and cut straight across.

At QB, the stylists know this style of cutting different lengths. So, I am surprised Soo Bin and Eric don't know this technique. I think stylists should pick up techniques from one another across different salons, rather than just study at a school or work at a few salons.

Certain stylists have their own special technique and it would be good if other stylists also know it, although it would not be beneficial to the stylist who came up with it (no longer unique or his/her trademark).

For the sides, I said "thinner" and gestured the pointed sharp look. But Soo Bin must have thought it's "shorter" and cut the sides too short.

The back end, she understood that cutting too short would produce a stick-up effect on my hair. An observation also made by Eric. But even then, she cut the back end rather too short. It sticks up now.

For the back upper portion, she succeeded Eric in creating volume, simply by cutting the bottom end flatter and layering upwards in shorter lengths so that the upper part now has a fuller form. This is what I have been trying to get Eric to do, but he didn't get what I mean.

While I am pleased with the back volume, the front and sides and back end are too short. Although I had requested shorter hair and supervised it, the outcome was an expected disappointment.


Will I be going back? No. Not satisfied.

There was a reviewer who said he switched to other salons because of communication problems with La Coco's stylists.

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At first, I actually wanted to try the $20 salon at Basement of Marine Square. It's something like QB but they do washing and styling. Can't recall the name.

Then I was considering Kenaris and Jiwon.

With the negative reviews for Kenaris, I haven't been able to bring myself to try, although I stood outside their salon recently. I remember the reviewer who said the result was very bad compared to a previous time even though it was the same stylist.

For Jiwon... maybe next time.

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Previous post = Town Council, RC & Stupidity
http://therevolutioner.blogspot.sg/2013/04/for-breakfast.html