Looking for a cheap haircut in Amsterdam? As you may know, hair salons in Amsterdam are not particularly well-renowned for offering really cheap haircut deals – unlike many places around the world.
What you will find is many high-end barbers, hairdressers and hair stylists that can charge a significant sum for a cut! As an example, well known Dutch hairdresser chain Cosmo Hairstyling now charges around €37 for men and €48 for women for a standard wash and cut.
This article is written for those of you on a tighter budget. We will look at 6 places around the city which can offer a reasonably cheap haircut. Now as prices have been creeping up in Amsterdam this generally means from around €15-20.
Our first port of call is the De Pijp district just south of Amsterdam’s inner centre. Here you will find a number of budget hairdressing salons and barbers clustered around the area which can get you a cheap and decent haircut in Amsterdam.
List of 6 Cheap Hair Salons in Amsterdam
1. Nederlandse Kappersakademie
The Nederlanse Kappersakademie (Dutch Hairdressing Academy) is a hair training school which has locations in Amsterdam, Amersfoort, Den Haag and Rotterdam. The Amsterdam outlet is on Weteringschans next door to the Albert Heijn supermarket near Weteringcircuit.
The Nederlandse Kappersakademie offers cut-price haircuts to the public which gives students a chance to practice on clients. A supervisor is always on hand to offer advice and provide quality control of each cut.
The basic price for a men’s haircut is €13.95, a women’s cut is €14.95. A child cut (aged up to 10) is €9.30.
A women’s cut and blow-dry is from €17.55 and colour treatments start at €39.95; for men a beard trim is €7.20.
Personal experience: I had no appointment. You go to the reception and give your name. I was called after about 10 minutes waiting and brought into the cutting room. This was very busy with about 15-20 people getting cuts (the place seems popular with locals – from female students, young business men to old ladies). The men’s haircut took quite a long time – at least an hour, as the student was a little inexperienced but did include a wash and head massage. The cut was fine in the end and was finished off by the supervisor.
Nederlandse Kappersakademie, Weteringschans 167, 1017 XD Amsterdam
Open 0900-1630 (Mon/Sat), 0900-1730 (Tue-Fri), closed Sundays.
T: +31(0)20 626 3430
2. Pieter Bas Kapsalon
Further down the Ferdinand Bolstraat not far from Albert Cuyp markt is the Pieter Bas salon, an institution in De Pijp which has been offering cheap haircuts for men and women in Amsterdam for over 60 years. No appointment is required. A dry cut (no wash) costs €19.50, a cut and wash is €22.50.
Personal experience: Pieter Bas always seems quite busy and they generally have 4 or 5 staff cutting hair. Clientele is a real mix from around the neighbourhood plus the occasional passing tourist. Sometimes I have had to wait up to 30 minutes to get a cut.
Quality of the cuts has varied somewhat (from excellent to ok) depending on staff member – but they are very quick and are used to English speakers. Reader feedback has been mixed.
Pieter Bas Kapsalon, Ferdinand Bolstraat 50, 1072 LL Amsterdam
Open 1000-1800 (Mon), 0930-1800 (Tue-Fri) and 1000-1700 (Sat), closed Sundays.
T: +31(0)20 671 3107
Pieter Bas has another 3 salons in the Amsterdam area. Locations are at Van Woustraat 88 (De Pijp), Overtoom 554 and Reigersbos 143 (south-east Amsterdam).
There are also 2 salons in Amstelveen at Kostverlorenhof 152 and van der Hooplaan 166.
3. Kapsalon Straal
Kapsalon Straal is another independent budget hairdresser in De Pijp located on the Ceintuurbaan close to van Woustraat. It offers walk-in cuts for €18. We have had no cuts here so can’t comment further.
Kapsalon Straal, Ceintuurbaan 386, 1073 EM Amsterdam
Open 0900-1800 (Mon-Sat), closed Sundays
T: +31(0)20 379 5148
4. BrainWash
BrainWash is a large chain of budget hairdresser’s originally from the south of the Netherlands. It has expanded into the north of the country and now has some 200 salons. It has 5 franchises in Amsterdam including Ceintuurbaan (De Pijp), Rijnstraat (Rivierenbuurt), Overtoom (near Leidseplein) and east Amsterdam. The other location is in Amsterdam North (Mosveld 119).
Brainwash offer haircuts with no appointment necessary and charges a fixed rate of €19 for a wash, cut and dry. Children up to 11 years pay €15.
Personal experience: I have had a few cuts at BrainWash. It is popular so I had to wait a good while. It feels a bit more modern than some of the traditional Amsterdam barbers, although the bright orange decor reminds of Easyjet, the budget airline! Perhaps this would be a reasonable budget option for women.
BrainWash Amsterdam
Ceintuurbaan 188-190/Overtoom 64/Rijnstraat 25/Land van Cocagneplein 42/Mosveld 119
Open 0900-1800 (Mon-Fri) and 0800-1800 (Sat).
Outside of De Pijp we list 2 other budget hairdressers in Amsterdam:
5. Kapsalon Bianco
This outfit is located on the Rozengracht near the tram stop just before the Lijnbaansgracht canal. It is 5 minutes walk from Westermarkt. Started in 2002, it has multi-lingual staff and caters to ‘European and exotic hair’.
Bianco charges €22 (men) and €25 (women) for a dry haircut. A wash+cut costs €15 and €19, respectively. We have no experience so can’t comment further.
Kapsalon Bianco, Rozengracht 196, 1016 NK Amsterdam
Open 0900-1900 Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri/Sat; 0900-2000 Thu, closed Sundays.
T: +31(0)20 422 8625
6. De Knip & Wax Studio
This is a budget hair salon based in Amsterdam Oost (east Amsterdam).
Women pay €19.50 for a standard dry cut, €21.50 for a wash and cut and €22.50 for a wash, cut and blow dry.
Again, we have no personal experience so can’t comment any further.
De Knip & Wax Studio, Insulindeweg 511, 1095 CV Amsterdam
Open 0930-1800 Mon-Sat
T: +31(0)20 370 6938
Dutch hair-dressing glossaryheren – men |
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This map and article was originally published in 2012 and has been regularly updated. Last update 31 March 2022.
