Billy is amazing.. I live in the states and every time I'm in London I make sure I make an appointment. I've been his client since 2008..

Finding a good hairdresser is like finding a good man. You have to go through many who just don't understand your needs, who don't listen to you, who think they know better and who try to rush something that coulda been a good thing. So when you do find a gooden (I have heard it happens occasionally) you've got to hold onto them for dear life and never let them go. Ever. Discovered by my flat mate who popped in after work one night and had her hair cut by the the only person available (Are you mad? I was thinking as she told me) it turned out to be the best hairdressers she'd ever been to. So after inspecting her (after all they say the proof is in the pudding) I decided I'd give it a go myself and booked an appointment. The difference with Echo is that it's a tiny Japanese run salon and they seem to have a welcomely different ethos about hair, not to mention superb cutting skills. Junya washed and cut, which was a nice surprise since as I'm used to being shuffled off in different directions for each, before spending the best part of an hour blow drying it to perfection. Although the clientele is mostly Japanese I didn't feel out of place and I actually enjoyed the whole experience. Apart from a terrifying moment when I realised that there was a slight language barrier between the two of us ("I'd like a few sharp layers put in"... "oh you'd like a Pat Sharp, I'll see what I can do" kind of moment) Junya made me feel completely at ease. In the end I got into the spirit of things and said he could do what he liked. I must say it was fantastic, he did all sorts of fancy cutting techniques that transformed my bonce from haystack into seriously hot hair. Hooraaah! I felt like I had stumbled upon the Holy Grail and from that moment on I decided Junya was going to be my best friend (I now understand why some women marry their hairdresser). You're in safe hands here. I promise. As it was my first cut (first of many I hope) I also got a 25% discount and, even better, there was non of that nonsense of trying to sell me stuff at the till. Although it is essentially a walk in salon, I'd advise booking as there are only two seats, with two stylists working at a time so obviously it gets full, fast. read more

Just got my hair cut again. While I'm loving the cut, and I love how I don't have to have an appointment to get a cut at Echo, the price has suddenly gone up £3. That extra £3 has made a women's haircut at this salon cross the threshold from borderline affordability to ecomonic obscenity. My first cut was £32. My last cut was £35. Another reviewer got her hair cut recently for £30. What the fuck, Echo? You are economically unreliable, and, let's be honest here, a bit cheeky. You made me go to a cash machine (that charged me a transaction fee) to pull out money on my first visit, saying you didn't take credit cards, but I saw you taking the credit card of some woman on my next visit! I've had enough of your shenanigans. I love the haircuts I get from Sami, but you're a little too dodgy for my liking and I never know how much I'm going to pay. And another salon has been won over to the Dark Side of rip-off London. Where can a girl get an affordable-but-still-good haircut in this town?? read more

I don't usually like my haircuts. Ever. Very rarely do I like one on the spot, but this one was different. Sami, this adorable little Japanese woman cut my hair with the utmost care, giving me exactly what I wanted. The shampoo bit was amazing because she massaged my scalp, and made sure the water was the perfect temperature. There was this other little Japanese man there who asked me how I had heard of there Salon. They seemed quite amazed and taken aback when I said I found them online on a site called "Yelp." My 30 pound haircut was to my liking and the people working there were so cute. I am a happy camper. read more

Having curly hair can be a real pain. I look like a homeless person every morning, most products just leave it sticky and nasty, and every hat either falls off or leaves me with that lovely "spaghetti upside down on the floor" style after 10 min. But the worst is finding someone who can cut it right. Sure, you can cut it very short and straighten it, but that lasts about 3 days and then looks awful. Enter Echo. And who would of thought that the best pair of scissors to tackle this unruly mop would have been wielded by a bald chap?! But, he not only took the time to cut my hair well, but explained why most folks didn't understand curly hair. That was nearly five years ago, and except for very long trips abroad, I've never let anyone else cut my hair since. I cannot speak more highly of this salon. Also, their prices are extremely reasonable for a bespoke cut in London. You can go to one of the "big name" salons and you will only pay more for someone less qualified, who is likely to be gone a month later in any case. read more

I got my haircut by the owner who was a Lebanese guy. I usually get my haircut at BZar, a Japanese hairdressers but fancied a change and read a review that Japanese stylists also worked here - just not on the day I wanted a haircut unfortunately. What I wanted was slightly shorter hair as my hair was getting quite foppish and long. Was advised that I should have it thinned out, keeping the length - I've had my hair thinned out before and even though he explained that it would give it more height by making it less flat, I was not really convinced. This is because if you thin my hair too much it just looks a bit dry looking. However, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. To cut a long story short although it was thinned out (same length) it didn't look much different, although it felt lighter. And he used clippers on my back and sides to give me a number 2 grade. Clippering on my type of hair is a definite no as it looks crap when it grows out - scissors and comb is the only way to get a good cut. This was dismissed by the guy who told me that having cut Afro - Caribbean hair for years, my hair was a 'piece of piss' to cut. I beg to differ - I'm sure Afro - Carribean hair is difficult to cut, but so is Far East Asian hair with it's own complexities. Anyway after it was cut, throughout the week it just looked crap and didn't style well as when I usually get a haircut. I'm giving two stars because the guy was actually a nice friendly bloke and he only charged me a first time discounted fee of £15. However I definitely won't be going back. Maybe if I had my haircut by one of the Japanese stylists that other reviewers mentioned, things might have been different. Ended up going to another Japanese salon a couple of doors up the same road from them and they sorted my hair out a week later. read more

I normally do more research when choosing a salon, but since my hair is now long and I just needed a quick trim, I optied to try out this salon with some reservations. The price was alright, £28 for first time customers as the sign states on the window. But they tried to charge me £35 and when I asked why not £28 they acted like I was making the deal up until I pointed to the window and they said, "oh you saw that, ok £28..." It was a bit strange. Although I asked him not to layer it, my hair is now a variety of choppy uneven layers, luckily it's long so I can curl it until they grow out. The entire time my stylest talked about how damaged my hair was, which I have never heard from anyone before, then I realized he was setting me up to buy some treatment package. I'm not a big fan of upselling. read more

Still very happy with Echo. I recommended it to a friend (guy) at the beginning of the year who had shoulder length hair that he just gets cut (I say cut, I mean butchered) every 9 months or so. Billy did a great job and this is the first time I have thought short hair suits him. Just got back from taking my sister there for the first time. She has thick, heavy hair that was looking really bad from her last haircut (Tony&Guy - like someone had cut the length with hedge trimmers). Billy kept the length but took off a lot of weight in the ends, giving her movement and layered the front really nicely so suit her face and the way her hair falls at her parting. Lovely blow dry too. She's very happy. read more

I decided on a whim to go and get a haircut today, looked up hairdresser near my work and found this place. I like the sound of the reviews and it was in my price range so I booked. I called at 10am, was in the chair by 11am and out by 12, but in a good way! Its a cosy little salon with what appeared to be two staff and the owner, Billy a lovely Lebanese fellow who made me feel instantly at ease. Salon had a good vibe about it, relaxed and friendly. Another member of staff washed my hair which was delightfully relaxing, over all too soon and then Billy set about his work. He was very thorough, rechecking the cut several times, both when wet and dry and I just loved the cut! All in all a very pleasant, spontaneous event which, lets be honest could have been a disaster but was not thanks to Billy! I have no hesitations in recommending this Salon, enjoy! Oh, £35 by the way, very reasonable as I had a total cut, wash and blowdry. read more

They don't honor appointments. I made an appointment for 3pm. I arrived 5 minutes late, and was told to wait on the couch while 2 hairdressers were attending to 2 customers. I was given no indication of how long I would need to wait, but I assumed that I was next in line. At 3.15pm, one of the customers was done, and the hairdresser asked this other guy who was waiting on the couch to be next. I was surprised but they still did not give ANY INDICATION whatsoever how much longer I would need to wait. I got up and asked what my remaining wait time would be, at which point, the guy was like "urm, I don't know, can you come back a bit later?" What a golden response. I replied that it's ok & if they were busy, I'll just leave. If they can't even honor appointments, which one could argue demonstrates the lack of their organizational skills and attention to detail, do you trust them with your hair and not having to wait ages even with an appointment? read more

Billy is the best he is the only person I allow near my hair as he does exactly what I ask him to. So friendly and nice!

I went to Echo based on the reviews here. I thought it was a Japanese salon, and being Asian, I trusted they would know what to do with my hair. Boy was I wrong! I had a white guy cut my hair and though he was very friendly and patient, I don't think he knew what I wanted and I was very disappointed with my cut. It was cheap enough, 30 pounds but I am going to another salon in two weeks, and hopefully I'll get what I want there. read more

I have been going to echo for a number of years the service is always excellent with great customer service. Efficient appointment service with a great personal touch from all the staff. I would highly recommend if your in London's west end. read more