A Jewellery Quarter salon and a city-centre one can be a short walk apart and still feel like different trades. The Quarter’s hair salons in Birmingham tend to be small independents with a speciality, while the business district works around office hours and late evenings. Four of the five below are in the Quarter and one is on Edmund Street. The numbering organises the list and isn’t a ranking.
Specialist or all-rounder?
This is the decision that matters most, and people often get it backwards. They book the salon with the most reviews, then ask it for a cut it rarely does. If your hair is very curly, or you want a Japanese-style layered cut, a specialist beats a generalist every time.
An all-rounder makes more sense for a household. Think of it like a family GP against a consultant: one sees everyone, the other sees one kind of problem very well. Life changes like a house move often bring a fresh cut, and anyone dealing with the property side can look up trades on Home Repair Listing.
1. Pickles & Co.
Pickles & Co. works from a large building on Kenyon Street, just off Caroline Street, and builds its colour work around NAK, the Australian hair colour brand. Balayage, extensions, styling and barbering are all listed, so two people can book side by side. Its site shows Wednesday and Thursday hours running until 9pm. That’s the detail that counts if you work nine to five.
2. Wood Hair Salon
Wood Hair Salon on Carver Street is the one to pick for Korean- and Japanese-inspired styles, and it also lists perming alongside cuts, colour and balayage. If you’ve been saving screenshots of soft, layered East Asian cuts, this is where they’ll make sense to the stylist. It closes every Tuesday. Bring photos rather than descriptions, since a term like ‘wolf cut’ means slightly different things to different stylists.
3. Spring Curly Hair Salon
Spring Curly Hair Salon on Caroline Street is built around curly hair and the idea of a curly community. Curls are often cut dry, curl by curl, because wet hair hides how far each one springs back. Ask how they cut before you book. Straight-haired clients won’t get much from a specialist like this.
4. Benjamin Ryan Hair
Benjamin Ryan Hair is the city-centre option, in Maddox House on Edmund Street. It opens at 9am on its working days and stays open until 8pm on Thursdays and Fridays, so an appointment fits either end of an office day. Closed Sundays and Mondays. For someone working near Colmore Row, a lunchtime trim here costs less time than a trip out to the Quarter.
5. MA•TÔ hair
MA•TÔ hair describes itself as a small, inclusive salon and barber shop, based in Izabella House on Regent Place. One room for any hair type suits households that don’t want to split visits between a barber and a salon. It’s also open on Mondays, when Pickles & Co. and Benjamin Ryan aren’t. Being small, it needs booking ahead.
Before you book
- Save two or three photos of the result you want, and one you don’t.
2) Ask for a patch test if colour is involved, usually at least 48 hours before the appointment.
3) Check the salon’s late nights against your diary, since they differ a lot here.
4) Book a consultation first for any major change of length or colour.
FAQs
Do I need a patch test for hair colour in the UK?
Most salons insist on one, usually 48 hours before colour, to check for a reaction.
How often should I book a trim?
Every six to eight weeks for short cuts and roughly every three months for longer hair. If you’re redecorating at home meanwhile, Home Interior Media covers interiors.
Should I tip at a Birmingham salon?
It’s optional. Around 10% is common if you’re happy with the result.
Can I book a cut and a beard trim together?
Yes, at salons that also list barbering, such as Pickles & Co. and MA•TÔ hair. Changing your look sometimes goes with changing a room, and Home PR Designs is one place to read about home design.
Book by hair type, then by hours
Decide whether you need a specialist before you look at reviews. Curly or East Asian-style cuts point to Caroline Street or Carver Street; a weekday evening slot points to Pickles & Co. or Edmund Street. Home PR Digest can wait for another evening. Book the patch test this week.
