Jay is Hair God. His owner/wife/partner LiSA is Hair Queen. This can get long, but I feel I need to tell you MY PERSONAL experience before getting into how 100% my hair was done. I am a colorist who had to do her own color through Covid. My boyfriend thought it would make a nice anniversary gift to get my hair "color corrected" by calling and making an appointment for "just a few foils on the top". Mind you, I have the head of hair that people have said no. It's just too thick. Jay somehow ended up with me booked as his last client of the evening - he didn't fret whatsoever even tho both him and I (as a colorist) knew this was going to take some time! He never gave me an attitude about my hair being thick and doing a FULL HEAD OF HIGHLIGHTS plus whatever other magic he did. This is the ONE TIME I DID NOT have to worry and even tho it took quite some time, He never got an attitude, and he was thorough. I should've reviewed the first and second time I went in. However I did go back for a blowout and left with hair I am obsessed with - for the holiday weekend! So I will put pics of after the first session at the salon and then 2 days ago when I went in for a blowout! Thank you so much Jay and Lisa! You two run a beautiful shop and are friendly courteous and I have gotten so many compliments!!!!! read more

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First time here yet never coming again. I asked for ash brown LOW lights. The hairstylist did not know what those were yet proceeded anyways to bleach my very dark black hair into WHITEblonde via bleach for over an hour. I didn't say anything because I haven't gotten any sort of bleach in years so I decided to trust the "professional", boy was that a mistake. After 3 hours I had silver gray strips and was asked if I liked it. I politely told her that I did not and it was not what I asked for and if she could make it ash brown. She proceeded to smile and stare at me like I was stupid and told me that the photo i showed her looked like my hair. It in fact did not. I again calmly explained to her for the 5th time I wanted my hair to be ash brown. This is a very specific and widely recognized color in the hair dye industry. I continued to explain what ash brown was, a light cool toned brown, kind of like milk tea. She then went to the back and put dye in my hair. I did not know what color it was but I was hoping it was the color I asked for. It was in fact not. I asked after she put it on and she told me it was medium blonde??? Cherry on top, she told me it was the same color she had in her hair!! Oh wow. I again did not say anything because I had been there for so long I just wanted to go home. She continued to say that what I asked for was not what I "truly wanted"and I didn't "know what I want" because she said I suit the warm tone better. I in fact look horrible in warm tones, I wear silver jewelry and am a deep winter complexion. I think she thinks I must look in warm tones because that's what she look better in I guess idk. As a person of color, do not come here, my Asian hair is now completely damaged and I spent $235 on fried hair that I am not happy with, wasting 3 1/2 hours of my time. I still left a decent tip and paid all that money but now regret being so polite about it. This is my first time writing a review ever but I am so upset, I had to say something atleast so others will not make the same mistake. I regret ever walking foot into this building. read more

Love this salon! I have been using them since I moved to Middletown. The owners Jay & Lee are awesome run a very professional shop. My stylist Josie never disappoints and I rarely go in with a plan. Highlights always come out on point! Appointments run on time and never drag on. The supporting staff is always a delight too. Highly recommend them for basic cut or intense coloring! read more

I was looking for a much needed haircut and coloring and decided to try this place out. I am SO so happy I did. I had the pleasure of having Lee do my color and cut and she did such a fantastic job. I've never felt like I've gotten a color and cut this good. I would recommend this spot to anyone and everyone!! Thank you so much Lee and team. I will definitely be back read more

I Highly recommend Nicole James salon. The staff is extremely welcoming and accommodating. The beautiful Cassandra is amazing!!! She cuts and colors my hair. She is a true artist, Its so hard to find someone who is consistent. Cassandra is at the top of her game. I've never left this salon disappointed. read more

Nicole James Salon - Hair Salons Near Me - Middletown, New Jersey

Really wonderful salon. Clean, modern, and welcoming. I had Josie cut my hair on the recommendation of someone else, and I am so pleased I went to her. I hadn't cut my hair in about a year, and she made me feel comfortable and ready for a trim. Josie also helped me find the right product for my dyed hair, which I have begun using. (And it's has done wonders for me so I wish I had known about it before.) Josie is a fantastic stylist who takes a lot of factors in consideration when dealing with hair, which I thought was amazing. She knew how the dye was affecting my hair, which way to cut with my part, and how to deal with my texture. She also blew out my hair the right way, and it lasted for a good couple days. It would have lasted long had I not gone to the gym and sweat into it. As for the salon, it is super-duper clean and tidy. The staff are very friendly and if you're a new face in there, everyone makes sure you feel welcome. Josie and everyone at the salon were wonderful to me during my first time there, and I am excited to go for a trim soon! read more

Nice and cozy place, flexible hours, my kids love this place. Highly recommend Laura!

Love this salon! Went about a month ago to get color and hi-lights. Stylist Laura did my hair and I was so pleased! She is a sweetheart who clearly knows her job. I was very impressed with the friendliness of the staff and the owner Jay is so very personable. I went back a second time for a touch up and again everyone was so welcoming. They do a great job and it's easy to get an appointment there. I would highly recommend this salon. Thanks for the great work! See you again soon. Kathy C. read more

I have had two people there cut my hair. Usually it's Jay and I trust him 100000% to cut my hair. I swear there must have been some days I've sat down and just said "do whatever is gonna make me look pretty" and he's done just that. Today was nice though because I got to have a girl named Danielle do my hair. Usually I'm pretty nervous about having new people cut my hair but she did such a fantastic job. she also waxed my eyebrows and that was done perfectly as well. The other bonus is that this salon is pretty cheap. 40 for a cut and 10 for eyebrows. And to be done so well is such a steal. read more

Such a beautiful Salon! I scheduled two appointments one for me and one for my boyfriend. He had Josie and she did above and beyond for him! I thought I got a new boyfriend out of the deal lol. I had Laura and she cut my hair exactly as I needed I wanted shorter length enough to tie back but give it a little more look then just one long boring length. read more

I have been seeing Cassandra for 3 years and she is amazing!! She always does a great job and listens to what you want to do. The staff is so friendly and welcoming! I won't go anywhere else :) read more

Nicole James Salon - Hair Salons Near Me - Middletown, New Jersey

i gave this salon two stars because everyone there is friendly, courteous, and booking appointments is pretty easy, although if no one answers the phone you have to leave a message and wait for a call back. they don't seem to have online booking which is pretty standard since the invention of the internet. anyway, i had been frequenting a very high profile ($$$) salon in the city by my office for many years but i am now telecommuting due to covid and wanted to find a salon closer to home. i read the great reviews for this place, called and got an appointment the same day (yay!) with jay. nice man, but he is very old school in both technique and vision. i have very good, healthy hair but it is extremely thick. i asked him to please thin it out at the crown but was a bit shocked when he went in with regular shears, chopping out long clumps of hair. i bit my lip and let him finish. typically professional haircutters in the twenty-first century will select thinning shears for this job, but whatever. i have a very relaxed, laissez faire attitude about hair. thankfully, it grows back. i didn't fret as a good blow out will hide a multitude of sins. i asked him to blow it out, keeping it very full and curling up at the ends. but jay decided my very healthy hair couldn't be blown out because it is somehow too wavy. this is news to me, as no hairdresser ever has had a problem blowing out my hair. he then suggests i need a keratin treatment (i do not) and proceeds to flat iron my entire head. at this point i lose all hope of a new, bouncy 'do. i realize this style is preferred by many, but not me. and even though i now look like morticia adams with my long, dark hair plastered to my scalp i am happy the assault that had just been committed on my head is now over. but wait, there's more. jay took a step back, looked at me and said, "i think we need to thin out your brows. clean out all this under here ...and more here..." now hold on, 70s disco king! step away from the brows. they don't need your "help". they aren't too bushy or unkept or anything of the sort. they are in fact, perfect. and i'm not kidding. strangers come up to me all the time and ask where i get them done. they are professionally groomed ...first, by anastasia of beverly hills herself, and now meticulously maintained by me. i couldn't get out of that chair fast enough. when i got home my husband took one look at me and said, "ohhh, you look (long pause) ...nice." but even after this initial ordeal, a new day came and i found myself in need of a blow out. i figured i'd go back to this salon and try a different stylist. this time i got jay's wife. i'd hoped i'd have better luck with her, as she is a woman ...with hair. so i get my hair washed sit down in the chair, i tell her i'd like it blown out full and bouncy with the ends flipped up. but again i walk out of there with the complete opposite of what i asked for, as these people apparently have some kind rule against the use of blow dryers as a styling tool. seriously. she used a flat iron! okay, i'm done. i am not interested in giving them a third chance to strike out so i'm calling it quits. i suppose it is easier and faster to run a flat iron down someone's head than to actually STYLE hair. or perhaps they just don't know how? i'm sorry. i don't mean to be harsh but this place is far from adequate. but if you need a quick haircut for your kid or your dog, i wouldn't hesitate. good luck. read more

Great salon!!! I moved here from north jersey and needed to find a new salon. we had been with the same back home for 17 years. when I made our first appointment for my 16 yr old son and my 12 year old daughter Jay and his wife were amazing! They made us super comfortable and cut both of their hair as well if not better than our old salon up north. My daughter wanted a small streak of blue in her hair. They accommodated the request and did a ridiculous super job. It was small and cute without looking tacky for her age. She was so happy and we felt great to be in a new town with a great salon for our family. Jay is the best as well as his super kind staff. read more

I got my hair done by Jay, I believe he is the owner. I have never EVER been so satisfied with a color. We had a 10-15 minute consulation before the service and he understood exactly what I wanted. He suggested styles and other things. THIS GUY KNOWS HOW TO DO HAIR!! I am definitely coming back to this salon. I have never felt so much trust for somebody with hair. read more

I've been coming to Nicole James salon for several years for a Men's haircut. I followed my stylist, Laura, there, who I've been using for over 20 years. She is terrific and the rest of the team is friendly and accommodating. Great place, reasonably priced, and super convenient hours! read more

Went to this salon on a whim, and went to Danielle . I received highlights, a gloss, and fabulous cut and even better blow out! Danielle was very pleasurable and personable! Plus My picky self loved every inch of my hair! Sitting next to the owner he seemed so passionate and was super friendly and welcoming as well. Not only are they great, so are prices. Will definitely return to Danielle she was Awesome! read more

Went here to get my hair done. A young girl took care of me and she didn't seem to know what she was doing. I left with my hair uneven!! The reason I'm giving this place 4 stars is because they owner kept coming to check on my hair to make sure the girl is not completely ruining my hair. They also have pretty reasonable prices and the place seems clean. read more

I will never go here again. I came to my appointment with a couple pictures of what I wanted. The stylist WRECKED my hair. She was obviously unfamiliar with the style, and instead of admitting it, or using the reference pictures I'd brought in, she just kind of went to town on my hair. She clipped the right side of my hair too high (almost to the center!) and then, I guess worried about wrecking the other half, would not clip my left half at all - just giving it a trim. I looked like an asymmetrical mess - not even in a "cool" way, in a "the person who did this doesn't know what they're doing" way. There were about two times when she was taking off the gown and I said, "what about the left side?" and she would refasten the gown and trim a tiny bit, then start to undo the gown. By about the third time I realized I was just wasting my time. I was told to come back if I didn't like it, but if I tell you three times it's not right and you don't fix it, there's no point in my making a trip to tell you a fourth time. I had to go to another salon to get it fixed. The stylist say me down, took a look at my hair and said, "never go to whatever salon did this to your hair again" read more

I have extremely fine hair. Jay is the only stylist I ever went to who can make my hair look good. If I wear extensions, he does an amazing job putting them in and styling them I now have my daughter and sister going to Nicole James and they too are totally satisfied. Jay truly has a gift that is lacking by most stylists. I am so grateful to have found him. The salon is clean, charming, and everyone is professional and friendly. read more

I've been getting my hair cut by Jay for over ten years and I've always got a great haircut. Great location and a friendly atmosphere. Highly recommended. Go on cinco de mayo or Halloween for a great time!!!! read more