Hair Salons in Chinatown Worth Knowing (2026)

Chinatown quietly hides one of the densest, best-rated clusters of hair salons in Singapore. Up the shophouse staircases and second-floor units, you pass Japanese cut-and-colour institutions, perm specialists, curly-hair experts and 50-year family salons, one after another. The ratings here are genuinely stacked, several of them running into the thousands of reviews.

We pulled the best-rated hair salons across the Chinatown area, sorted by how deep their reputation runs, so you can match the chair to what your hair actually needs. Every salon below is a real, well-reviewed local business.

Here are the Chinatown hair salons worth knowing.

Where Chinatown keeps its salons

The scene splits across a few short streets. Neil Road and Duxton lean toward the polished and the Japanese-trained; Keong Saik has the boutique, design-aware end; and People’s Park pulls in the affordable, high-volume family salons. Getting there is easy: most of these sit a short walk from Chinatown, Outram Park, Maxwell or Telok Ayer MRT, so you can slot a cut into a lunch break or a weekend lepak around the neighbourhood.

A quick note on reading the list: several of these are Japanese salons, and we have flagged that where it applies, because the Japanese head-spa and precision-cut style is a real reason people travel across the island for a Chinatown chair.

1. Hairstudio Flamingo

Leading the pack, and it is not close on volume. Flamingo’s Neil Road flagship holds a perfect 5.0 rating across thousands of reviews, which puts it in the top fraction of a percent of salons anywhere in Singapore. Founded by Ryu Marco and billed as one of the city’s leading Japanese hair salons, it runs on a bench of long-serving Japanese stylists (Ayumi, Tomo and Aki among them, each with a decade-plus behind the chair) handling cuts, colour, perms and treatments.

Best for: Japanese-quality cuts and colour from a genuine five-star institution.

It is the kind of place that has earned its reputation the slow way, one satisfied client at a time. If you want a safe, high-craft first booking in Chinatown, start here.

Location: 3A Neil Rd, #2F, Singapore 088805
Instagram: @hair_studio_flamingo
Book: Hairstudio Flamingo on Glamingo

2. RULER Japanese Hair Salon

Just off the flagship pace, RULER has spent more than a decade on South Bridge Road building a following that runs into the thousands of reviews at a 4.9 rating. It is a Japanese salon through and through, with an all-star Japanese top-stylist team (Satoko is a repeat name in the reviews) plus local senior stylist Joseph, and it leans into head spa and scalp care as a signature alongside precision cuts and colour.

Best for: a decade-deep Japanese salon for head spa, colour and precision cuts.

Reviewers single out the one-on-one care and the calm, unhurried room. If you want craftsmanship with a bit of ritual to it, RULER delivers.

Location: 76 South Bridge Rd, #01-00, Singapore 058706
Instagram: @ruler.singapore
Book: RULER Japanese Hair Salon on Glamingo

3. AUGUST Hair Salon

Over on Mosque Street, AUGUST holds a 4.9 rating across hundreds of reviews and positions itself as the trend-forward option in the business district. The team, with Terrence, Raen and Jovyn all named regularly by happy clients, is known for creative colour, contouring cuts for him and her, and a strong line in perms. The owner personally replies to reviews, which tells you how much the reputation matters to them.

Best for: trend-forward perms and creative colour in the business district.

Reviewers repeatedly praise the friendly, no-hard-selling feel and the patience over colour advice. A confident pick if you want something a little more modern than a maintenance trim.

Location: 36A Mosque St, Singapore 059514
Instagram: @august.hairsalon
Book: AUGUST Hair Salon on Glamingo

4. haarAttic

A near-20-year name in the neighbourhood, haarAttic’s Neil Road flagship carries a 4.9 rating across hundreds of reviews (it also runs a Boat Quay outlet). The stylists get named a lot in the reviews, with Dex, Bong, Bao Liang, Kelvin and Syitah all called out, and the salon covers perms, balayage, highlights and colour, with a treatment-and-massage element that reviewers describe as genuinely soothing.

Best for: a long-established salon for perms, balayage and a relaxed chair.

People come back for the meticulous, unhurried service in a peaceful room, and the pricing is transparent right down to the tier. A dependable all-rounder with real longevity.

Location: 7A Neil Road, Singapore 088807
Instagram: @haarattic
Book: haarAttic on Glamingo

5. Featherz Studio

Featherz has built its whole name on one thing: the perm. Sitting on New Bridge Road with a 4.8 rating across hundreds of reviews, this award-recognised studio is where you go when a curl is the point, whether that is a natural, soft wave or one of its signature named perms. Senior stylist Tyler is the face most reviewers mention, praised for detailed consultations and explaining every step.

Best for: perms, from soft natural curls to statement waves.

First-time permers in particular rate the way the team talks them through what will actually suit them. If your search history is full of “perm near me,” this is the specialist.

Location: 23 New Bridge Rd, #03-01, Singapore 059389
Instagram: @featherz.studio
Book: Featherz Studio on Glamingo

6. HairForm

Tucked on Teo Hong Road, HairForm holds a perfect 5.0 rating across hundreds of reviews and a wall of awards to match. Founder Michael Chiew, whose editorial work has appeared in the local magazines, is the name reviewers keep coming back for, with senior stylist Sharon also in the mix. The salon is known for contouring cuts, precision colour and highlights, and it also handles bridal work.

Best for: award-winning colour and contouring cuts from founder Michael Chiew.

The reviews are almost uniformly glowing, and the owner responds to essentially all of them. If you want a colour specialist with a genuine competition pedigree, HairForm is a standout.

Location: 29 Teo Hong Rd, Singapore 088335
Instagram: @hairform.sg
Book: HairForm on Glamingo

7. Jin Hair

For heritage and value, it is hard to beat Jin Hair, a family salon in the basement of People’s Park Centre that has been running since the early 1970s. Founded by Emily and now led alongside her daughter Priscillia (Pris, as the reviews affectionately call her), it holds a 4.8 rating across hundreds of reviews. The menu spans colour, scalp treatments, perms, cuts and head massage, at prices that reviewers consistently flag as refreshingly affordable.

Best for: a 50-year family salon for affordable colour and scalp care.

The recurring theme in the reviews is warmth: friendly staff, no hard selling, and a stylist who teaches you how to care for your own hair. A lovely, unpretentious neighbourhood institution.

Location: 101 Upper Cross St, #B1-63 People’s Park Centre, Singapore 058357
Instagram: @jinhairbeauty
Book: Jin Hair on Glamingo

8. Love Hair

A boutique salon on Keong Saik Road with a 4.9 rating across hundreds of reviews, Love Hair is the eco-conscious, curly-friendly pick. Founder and head stylist Toni built the salon around healthier hair, using fewer chemicals and gentler products, and the team has real specialists on the bench: Jane is the go-to for curly hair, while Jake is repeatedly named for colour rescues and blonde work.

Best for: curly-hair specialists and gentler, lower-chemical colour.

If you have curls that other salons have tried to fight, or you simply want a colour service that goes easy on your hair, this is the considered, design-aware option in the area.

Location: 23 Keong Saik Rd, Singapore 089130
Instagram: @lovehairsg
Book: Love Hair on Glamingo

9. Key’s Japanese Hair Salon

Also on Neil Road, Key’s is a Japanese salon with a perfect 5.0 rating across a couple of hundred reviews and one signature twist: a head spa is included with every menu item. Founder and director Daiki Funayama is the name clients return for, some for years, praised for reading exactly what will suit you even when you walk in unsure. Alongside cuts and colour, the salon does perms, styling and treatments.

Best for: Japanese cuts with a head spa included in every service.

Reviewers describe a calm, minimalist room and an experience that feels refreshing rather than rushed. A quiet gem a minute from Maxwell MRT.

Location: 7 Neil Rd, Singapore 088807
Instagram: @keys.singapore
Book: Key’s Japanese Hair Salon on Glamingo

10. Telja Studios

For the men, Telja is the bespoke one-chair studio on Duxton Road, holding a 4.9 rating across its reviews. Founder Chups (the brand name is Icelandic for “to believe”) runs an appointment-only, image-consulting approach rather than a production line: the cut is built around your hair and your look, not a template. Reviewers, some of whom fly in from overseas for it, rate the consistency and the personalised hair tutorials.

Best for: bespoke, one-chair men’s haircuts on Duxton.

It is deliberately low-volume and considered, so book ahead. If you want a men’s cut with genuine thought behind it rather than a quick tidy-up, Telja is the one.

Location: 30 Duxton Rd, #02-00, Singapore 089494
Instagram: @teljastudios
Book: Telja Studios on Glamingo

Quick-pick guide

Salon	Best for	Rating	Book
Hairstudio Flamingo	Five-star Japanese cuts and colour	5.0	Book
RULER Japanese Hair Salon	Head spa and precision cuts	4.9	Book
AUGUST Hair Salon	Trend-forward perms and creative colour	4.9	Book
haarAttic	Perms, balayage and a relaxed chair	4.9	Book
Featherz Studio	Perm specialists	4.8	Book
HairForm	Award-winning colour and contouring cuts	5.0	Book
Jin Hair	Affordable colour and scalp care	4.8	Book
Love Hair	Curly hair and lower-chemical colour	4.9	Book
Key’s Japanese Hair Salon	Japanese cuts with head spa included	5.0	Book
Telja Studios	Bespoke men’s haircuts	4.9	Book

How to book your Chinatown haircut

The easiest way to lock in any of these is a booking request on Glamingo: pick the salon and a time that works, and they confirm directly with you. It works even for the smaller shophouse studios that keep quieter hours, so you are not stuck refreshing an Instagram DM.

Whether you are after a Japanese precision cut, a first perm, a colour refresh or a bespoke men’s trim, Chinatown has a genuinely top-rated chair within a few minutes of the MRT. Pick your specialist and book in.