New York is supposed to be the city the never sleeps, yet you’ll find few high end salons open late when it’s most convenient for you (or for late-night hair emergencies). The Red Market salon is an exception, and combines excellence and artfulness with sheer convenience. Located across from the Gansevoort Hotel in the meatpacking district, with a view of Pastis, this friendly, cutting-edge salon in a loft has a welcoming, warm vibe and boasts some of the best stylists in the city. Red Market was founded by David Cotteblanche and Renald Ricard, two stylists who worked at both Jacques Dessange International in Paris and Frederic Fekkai in New York City.

I went in for a balayage treatment (highlights hand-brushed onto hair), and met stylist Dana Ionato, who was both elegant and down-to-earth. She listened to what I wanted, which was highlights that would blend in with the occasional (and increasingly frequent) white hairs I see cropping up in the mirror. Then she explained the balayage process and how she would achieve highlights that could blend in with and somewhat mask my multiplying white hairs. Growing weary of constant coloring, I was looking forward to a style that would render it unnecessary, and hoping one was even possible.

And I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I left Red Market completely elated. The result was a natural-looking blend of highlights, white hair and blond hair. I felt I had finally found an impressive, convenient salon that was more in tune with my own late-night schedule – and where I could find the cuts and coloring I want (from what I observed, the cuts at Red Market are equally superb).

Ah, my torrid NYC history of stylist-hopping. It’s scandalous, really. Ever since my move to the city ushered a disastrous split between me and my upstate hair stylist (I really thought she was The One), things just haven’t been the same.

The distress and shame regarding my ever-expanding little black book of one-appointment stands has created a worry line on my forehead that not even the chicest set of shaggy bangs can hide. I can’t understand why none of these credentialed, well-meaning stylists have clicked with me, but of one thing I’m certain: I’m tired of settling for overpriced, underwhelming cuts and colors. I want someone I can trust to expertly wield a set of scissors when – on a whim – I decide to go from long and luxurious to short and sassy. When I take a seat in that swivel chair, I want to experience a bond that is both comfortable and collaborative. I want to consistently walk out of a salon feeling like a new woman. I want fireworks. So imagine my relief when – after years spent combing and sampling the snootiest of Manhattan’s salons and spas – a quick trip within my borough delivered me the relationship I’d so desperately been seeking.

Just off the beaten path in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, nestled amongst vintage clothing shops and art galleries, I discovered Woodley & Bunny.

Celebrating its fifth year, the salon and apothecary is the brainchild of sisters Erin and Misha Anderson (“Woodley” and “Bunny” are their childhood nicknames bestowed by their father, respectively). The shop is a collaboration in every sense of the word – combining Erin’s impressive resume as a runway, print and celebrity stylist (loyal clientele include Lauren Conrad, Vera Farmiga, Shia LaBeouf, Mischa Barton and Zac Efron) and Misha’s diverse background in music, beauty and fashion design (she has held positions at Capitol Records and Rolling Stone magazine). The duo decided to meld their individual philosophies together into a dynamic space that would energize the up-and-coming neighborhood. As Erin points out, only a river separates Manhattan from Brooklyn – why shouldn’t the outer boroughs be offered the same high-end experience?

The East Village is full of great restaurants, bars and boutiques, but a cute hair salon in the uber-trendy hood is hard to come by. Sure, there are a few grooming spots here and there, but it wasn’t until fashion exec Michael Ericson opened chic, cheeky and convenient Birds & Fellas salon on East 6th between 1st and Avenue A that I really started to see the East Village as an all-inclusive part of town. What the salon lacks in space, it makes up for in customer service. First-time customers fill out a brief profile during their appointment, which provides the salon with contact information but also with your magazine and seasonal drink preferences, so they are both waiting for you at your next appointment. The profile also ensures you’ll receive texts, emails or calls for your next appointment or when you are due for a cut or color touch-up. The modern and high-tech décor includes flat screen TV’s that air the salons current promotions, laptops for clients that have extra time and a killer sound system and music. The salon caters to young, creative customers and as Michael (whose official title at the salon is “Chief Instigator of Fun) told me during my appointment, it really is a destination – one where men and women travel to from all over the city.

Birds & Fellas does all the traditional cuts, colors and blowouts, and the expert stylists take their time to ensure you have a great experience and leave with a treatment you love. The result is a feeling of a true “neighborhood salon,” (where you get to know everyone that works there) but with the service and expertise of a higher-end salon. Their well-deserved motto is “Come on in to Birds & Fellas, and give you and your hair a big shot of happy.” One noteworthy treatment that the Birds and Fellas stylists are just raving about is their Keratin Hair Therapy.

For a long time guys lived by the motto “A little dab’ll do’ya” when it came to hair care. They didn’t put too much thought into what brands they were buying and what specialty products were available to them. For a long time, men did not understand for the life of them why their girlfriends and wives had no less than 17 bottles of hair product in the bathroom closet. Well, with the advent of the metrosexual in the late ‘90s and the men-focused product revolution of the early 2000’s, a number of lines – whether new to the market or released by industry bigwigs – have launched with men in mind. And men (myself included) are shamelessly eating it up.

The Guy on the Go

I will admit it, I am high maintenance. I take a little more time than necessary to get ready whenever I leave my apartment. This obviously isn’t the ideal routine if I happen to oversleep or am running behind. Newly launched brand Towel Dry takes all of this to heart in its line of products aimed at the guy who wants to be in and out.

Towel Dry’s two-step process includes a conditioning shampoo and high-performance styler available for all hair types. Armed with only 20 minutes to prep before brunch and the brand’s Thick/Curly hair formula, I was determined to make this a quick and easy morning. The brand is true to its motto – I was ready in no time. Thanks to the styling paste, my mop of curly locks was held in perfect place with little trouble at all. Visit http://www.toweldrymen.com for an inside peek at the products.

To make it even easier than Towel Dry does, some brands are making amazing all-in-one washes that cleanse the hair and the body. Votre Vu’s Formule 1 Men’s 3-in-1 Hair, Face and Body wash delivered the overall haul it promised. The luxury skin-care line’s newest addition to their cadre of men’s product (available at http://www.votrevu.com) has a great fresh scent and left my hair and body clean and fresh all from one little container. For the business traveler, the brand’s 3 oz. size is the perfect carry-on and eliminates the need to carry several tiny tubes of products.

Every so often there emerges a tiny, undiscovered side street in one of Manhattan’s many neighborhoods that takes New Yorkers by surprise. The street suddenly becomes the “it” place with the addition of a chic lounge or bistro here, a high-end boutique or spa there. Before you know it, everyone is flocking to said street, and suddenly it’s not so undiscovered anymore. This season, that street undoubtedly will be Centre Market Place, and much in part to the Pipino Nolita Salon.

Ric Pipino brought his Miami style to Nolita in May and since then word has been spreading about the ex-hubby to Heidi Klum, and not because of his former nuptials but because of his super-scissor work. The new NYC salon is like a little box of treasures, the most notable of which are the three Fendi chairs that look like carved-out black jewels. Design team Rawlins-Calderone worked with Ric to create the neo-classic décor, complete with the use of the Fendi chairs as well as some French 18th-century furniture reupholstered in black latex and floral prints and modern art – not to mention several books on everything from fashion to the history of erotica. The salon also features artistic baubles for sale such fine jewelry by Manon von Gerkan, home décor from Antony Todd and Felix Rey handbags.

While Ric’s cuts and the salon’s endearing interior are drawing crowds, the color phenomenon of the salon lies in the hands of Jean Marc Choffel. A native of France, Jean Marc and Ric worked together on the Miami hair scene for years. In Paris, Jean Marc worked couture fashion shows like Yoji Yahmamoto and Jean Paul Gaultier. He has also consulted for major companies like L’Oreal and Sebastian. His professionalism and experience are immediately recognizable when he starts to speak to you about your hair and the direction you should take it from both a color and cut standpoint. While his thick accent and authoritative handling of your hair may at first intimidate you – don’t let it. Once you settle into his chair, you’ll feel you’re in the hands of an expert who understands that his job is surely to make you feel comfortable, but more importantly to make you beautiful.