10 of the best hairdressers in Manchester

This well-established hair salon in the Northern Quarter recently upped sticks to premises that are a little more off-the-beaten-track than the original RCNQ site on Stevenson Square. The new, slightly smaller salon is just a few minutes’ walk away, on a side street off Tib Street. And while it doesn’t get the same passing trade, word-of-mouth keeps it busy. 

A salon with a celebrity hairdresser behind it always comes with high expectations. At Trevor Sorbie Manchester, they live up to them; while it might be the famous name that brings people in, it’s the team on the salon floor that keeps them loyal. 

Established in 1985, Snippers 2 hair salon on Victoria Station Approach has withstood two bombs, two recessions, and the complete transformation of this part of the city. And it’s still going strong.

Amy-sha Mother of Hairdressing is a laid-back, family-friendly, independent salon in the heart of Didsbury. It’s relaxed and welcoming but their cuts have a bit of an edge to them. Everyone will ask where you had it done. Other loyal clients will know at once where you had it done. Every cut is unique but there’s a signature cool confidence about each one.

With a bunch of prestigious awards to its name, Melissa Timperley Hair Salon is one of the top places to go for haircare in Manchester. 

Palace Barbers, or to give it its full title, Palace Barbers Unisex Hairdressing at Afflecks, is much-loved by Mancunians for many reasons. One of them being Steve, the Debbie Harry-obsessed owner who runs the place.

Winner of the UK’s Best Independent Hair Salon, you’d expect Antonacci Hair & Beauty to be at the top of its game – and it is.

Seamus, the owner of McCrory Hair, has been in the trade since 1978 but there’s nothing old-fashioned about this fresh, creative salon up by Manchester Uni on Oxford Road. 

If you’re looking for a hairdressers that will take your rainbow-coloured, spiky mullet dreams and turn them into reality without a bat of the eyelid, Hex Hairdressing off Cross Street is the one.

Like a WeWork for hairstylists, the Whitworth Street Creative Studio is a shared working space for hair stylists in Manchester city centre who each trade independently under their own brand.