How much balayage costs in New York
The question everyone asks first, answered first. At Red Market balayage starts at $350 and includes a personalized gloss. Partial balayage — brightening around the face rather than throughout — is $275. Balayage with a base lift is $325, and the Red Market Signature Balayage is $500, adding a deep restorative treatment, a luxury blowout and a take-home pigment shampoo.
Across New York, balayage at a serious color salon generally runs from around $250 to well past $600 depending on length, density and how far the color has to travel from where your hair is now. If a quote sounds low, ask whether a gloss is included — the gloss is what makes the color look finished rather than merely lightened.
Painted by hand, not packed in foil
Balayage means "to sweep" in French, and at Red Market it is done the original way: freehand, with a brush, no foils. Your colorist reads how the light actually falls on your head and where the sun would naturally lift your hair, then places the color there.
That is the whole difference. Foils put color in evenly spaced rows, which is why grown-out highlights leave a stripe. Hand-painted balayage has no rows to grow out of — the color softens as it descends and the regrowth is a gradient rather than a line.
What you get six weeks later
A balayage is judged on how it looks after two months, not on the day you leave. Because the lift sits where the light already hits, there is no urgent root appointment and no visible demarcation — the color simply keeps looking like your hair, gradually.
Red Market has been a downtown color house since the early 2000s, on the second floor at 13 East 13th Street, just off Union Square and University Place — a few minutes from the 4/5/6, L, N/Q/R/W and F/M. Every color service opens with a complimentary consultation.
Good to know
Frequently asked
How much does a balayage cost in NYC?
At Red Market, balayage starts at $350 and includes a personalized gloss. Partial balayage is $275, balayage with a base lift is $325, and the Signature Balayage — with a deep restorative treatment, luxury blowout and take-home pigment shampoo — is $500. Across New York, balayage at a serious color salon generally runs from about $250 to over $600 depending on length and density.
Is $400 a lot for a balayage?
In New York, $400 is a normal mid-range price for a full hand-painted balayage at an experienced color salon, and it is often the price once a gloss and a treatment are included. What matters more than the number is what it covers: whether the color is painted freehand or foiled, whether a gloss is included, and whether the colorist actually specializes in color. Balayage at Red Market starts at $350 including the gloss.
How long does balayage last?
A hand-painted balayage typically holds its shape for three to six months, far longer than foil highlights, because there is no hard regrowth line to correct. Most guests come in for a gloss ($95) between full appointments to refresh the tone rather than re-lighten the hair.
What is the difference between balayage and highlights?
Highlights are usually applied in foils, in even sections from the root, which produces uniform lift and a visible line as it grows. Balayage is painted freehand onto the surface of the hair where light would naturally fall, so it is softer, more dimensional, and grows out without a demarcation line.
Book at Red Market, Greenwich Village
Google reviews
What guests say
4.8 146 Google reviews
-
★★★★★
“Reynald is such a Great stylist, savvy balayage and colorists Don’t know any better in Ny and Bal Harbour shop for 20 years . Romain and Saudi are great too. A must they have a réel french Stylist and barber, I heard they open soon in Palm beach … can’t wait to go there !!!!!”
— Jonathan caillat mail
-
★★★★★
“I recently returned to Red Market Salon after a couple of years away and had the best experience. Kelsey is an amazing colorist and created the perfect balayage highlights for my face and coloring. She really knows her craft! Plus, she's really fun to talk to 💇♀️”
— Mary Perez
-
★★★★★
“I’ve been seeing Kelsey since her days of working at a different salon in Hoboken NJ and BELIEVE ME, there is no other stylist in the world that I would make the trip into NYC to see, but Kelsey is just the best! I have dark brown Hispanic hair that has a horrible tendency to pull super brassy but Kelsey has figured out how to combat that without totally frying my hair and she is just the master of BLONDE. Kelsey is always super responsive and always makes time for me. I hadn’t seen her in 2 years because I was giving my hair a bleach break and growing out my natural brown to get it all healthy and regain some length after some stress induced hair loss. But I saw her this week for a low maintenance blonde balayage and she NAILED it. So glad to have my lighter locks back 🥰 and my newly sprouted grays hidden 😒. Kelsey is the ultimate, book her, you won’t be disappointed.”
— Kat Terkowski