Sixteen salons and barbershops are based in the valley, which is a lot of scissors for a town this size. Visitors and locals share the same chairs, so a haircut can be a walk-in on a slow winter day and a planning job in August, when the town is full.
Pick the shop for the job, not the sign. For a plain clipper cut and a shave, a barbershop. For color, a salon that talks about color. And if you are in town for a wedding, ask early about bridal hair.
Downtown
In the Stanley Village shops on Big Thompson Avenue, Glacier Lily Beauty covers hair, nails, skin and a small boutique under one roof. Cuts, color, lived-in color and blowouts lead the hair menu, nails run to Gel-X and gel pedicures, and there are facials, waxing, lashes and brows, spray tans and makeup.
The room does a lot of the work at Village Barbershop, an old-fashioned shop on West Elkhorn next to Big Horn Restaurant. Antiques, good music and friendly barbers make a short wait easy to sit through.
Gel manicures are the usual order at this East Wonderview salon, done with attention to detail in a clean, inviting shop with massage chairs. The menu goes well past that: acrylics, dip powder, French manicures, nail art, pedicures with callus removal, Brazilian waxing, brows, eyelash extensions, facials and microblading.
Next door to the Sugar Shack on Virginia Drive, right in the middle of downtown, Kim Sheumaker runs The Vortex. Kim has thirty years in hair, has worked under three master barbers, including the one at Hombre Barbershop here in town, and works as a licensed cosmetologist.
On West Riverside Drive, next to Canine Hair Design and China Garden, Today's Nail keeps it simple: manicures and pedicures. The owner comes up more than anything, and the work is careful, with acrylic trims, tidy nail shaping and polish that goes on clean.
Down on Pine River Lane, next to Animal Hospital of the Rockies and a short walk from Estes Park Brewery, this salon does cuts, color and styling by appointment. Haircuts are what it's known for, and the friendly staff come up nearly as often.
By its own description the best little hair house in Estes, Pati's Hair Care does razor, scissor and clipper cuts, plus highlights, perms, tints, foils and sets, for men, women and children. Pati owns it and shares the chairs with stylists including Mary Beth and Leisa, with Molly handling weddings and special occasions, makeup included.
Right by Bond Park on East Elkhorn, in Unit 203, a salon and a barbershop work under one name at Luxe + Lather. The salon side covers cuts, styling, balayage, perms, brow shaping, waxing, manicures, pedicures and bridal work.
Around the valley
Curly hair and color are the two things people bring up most about Salon Margaux, along with stylists who listen and then do what was asked. The color work runs on European systems and products made with organically derived ingredients, and the menu covers foils, glosses, root retouches, full highlights and Gail's dimensional blonding.
Wedding hair is one of the jobs that brings people to this small salon on South St. Vrain, next to Wendy's Optical Boutique.
Hydration treatments make sense in air this dry, and Shear Magic Day Spa keeps them on a menu that also pays attention to curly hair. Cuts, kids' cuts, bang trims, color, highlights, blowdries and regrowth treatments cover the hair side, with manicures and pedicures so a cut and nails can happen in one visit.
Wedding hair is where Estes Park Salon has made its name, fitting for a town that hosts so many mountain weddings and elopements. Packages cover brides, bridesmaids, moms and flower girls, with makeup, trials and elopement packages that include travel, and the look leans soft glam and boho.
Call first. Classic Hair Designs on South St.
Tucked into a unit on South St. Vrain, in the same building as Karst Electric and Fanciful Floral, Third One is a plain barber shop under a mile from downtown.
Juniper Lane is mostly auto shops and contractors, which makes a salon an odd neighbor, but Create-A-Cut is there, about a mile from downtown. Little else is listed, so call ahead for services and appointments.
Old Hollywood is the specialty. Meghi Tornquist, a licensed cosmetologist with more than a decade behind the chair, does vintage 1940s and 1950s hair and makeup, and she lives the part: rockabilly pinup style, car shows and all.
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The sixteen are a mix. Barbershops include Village Barbershop on West Elkhorn Avenue, which lists straight razor shaves, and The Vortex Barbershop on Virginia Drive downtown, with fades, tapers and beard trims. Third One Barber Shop has a listing with no description. Hair salons run from color-focused Salon Margaux to full-service Glacier Lily Beauty in Stanley Village, which adds nails, skincare and a sauna studio.
Nail work is its own corner: Paradise Nail & Spa lists acrylics, dip powder, waxing and lashes, and Today's Nail is listed without details. Bridal hair shows up in several places, including Estes Park Salon, Shear Magic Day Spa, Pati's Hair Care and Luxe + Lather Salon and Barbershop. Eight of the sixteen are marked open weekends, which helps if you only have a Saturday. Call ahead for hours, since small shops often change them with the season.
Some listings carry no description at all, including Appearance Plus Hair Salon, Create-A-Cut and Today's Nail, so call to ask what they offer. Walk-ins are a gamble in summer, when visitors fill the books, and a better bet in the slow months. Weddings bring the same squeeze, so a bridal party should call as early as possible and confirm who is available for which service.
Yes. Village Barbershop on West Elkhorn Avenue, The Vortex Barbershop on Virginia Drive downtown and Third One Barber Shop are listed, and Luxe + Lather pairs a salon with a barbershop. Call to ask about walk-ins.
Estes Park Salon, Shear Magic Day Spa, Pati's Hair Care and Luxe + Lather Salon and Barbershop all mention bridal work. Call early to ask about scheduling for a wedding party.
Paradise Nail & Spa is a full-service nail salon, and Glacier Lily Beauty, Shear Magic Day Spa, Classic Hair Designs and Estes Park Salon also list nail work. Today's Nail is listed without details.
Eight of the sixteen listings are marked open weekends, including Glacier Lily Beauty, Village Barbershop and The Vortex Barbershop. The listings do not give hours, and small shops change them with the season, so call before you head over.
