What Are the Typical Services Offered at a Premium Hair Salon?
- Chris Puan
- Apr 30
- 6 min read
By The Parlour SG | Kovan, Singapore | Hair Care & Salon Tips
Not all hair salons are created equal. Walk into a premium hair salon (we'd like to be considered one!) and the difference is immediate, from the consultation before a single scissor is lifted, to the products on the shelf, to the way your stylist talks you through exactly what they are doing and why. But beyond the atmosphere and the coffee, what actually separates a premium salon from the rest? And what services should you expect to find?
If you are looking for a hair salon in Singapore that offers more than a quick trim, here is a breakdown of what a truly full-service, premium hair salon delivers, and what each service is really about.
1. Precision Haircuts: More Than Just a Trim
At a premium salon, a haircut is never just a haircut.
You will get a consultation first, your stylist will assess your hair texture, density, face shape, and lifestyle before picking up the scissors. Cuts are priced by stylist level: at The Parlour SG in Kovan, a stylist cut starts from $80 and a director cut from $100, both inclusive of shampoo, blowdry, and style.
The difference at this level is technique. A premium stylist cuts for how your hair behaves when it dries, not just how it looks wet on the chair. For clients with curly or textured hair, this matters enormously. Curls cut dry (or at least accounted for when dry) will fall completely differently from curls cut wet and stretched.
At The Parlour, every haircut includes a shampoo, blowdry, and style; no add-on charges for the basics.
2. Custom Hair Colour: From Root Touch-Ups to Full Transformations
Colour services are where premium salons really pull ahead. A basic all-over colour starts from around $185 to $250. But the real craft lies in the custom techniques: balayage, foilyage, ombre, and multi-dimensional colour blends that are hand-painted and personalised to your skin tone and natural base.
At The Parlour, custom colour ranges from $200 to $700 depending on technique and hair length. Foil highlights start from $200. These are not off-the-shelf colour jobs, each application is tailored to how your specific hair takes colour, which varies significantly between Caucasian hair, Asian hair, and colour-treated hair.
Premium salons also stock professional-grade colour lines and offer add-ons like K18 molecular repair ($40) or a toner ($40) to refine the final result. These details are what make the difference between a colour that looks great for two weeks and one that ages beautifully for months.
3. Smoothing Treatments: The SG Essential
Singapore's humidity is relentless, and for many clients, a smoothing treatment is not a luxury, it is a practical investment in manageable hair. A premium salon will offer multiple options and explain the differences clearly.
At The Parlour, the signature smoothing treatment is the Cezanne Keratin Smoothing Treatment, priced from $300 to $650 depending on hair length and density. Cezanne is formaldehyde-free, which makes it safer for frequent use than older Brazilian blowout formulas. It works by restoring bonds in damaged hair, reducing frizz, and cutting styling time significantly, often by half.
The result is not pin-straight hair but healthier, smoother, more manageable hair that still moves naturally. For clients with fine, straight hair or thick, curly hair, the outcome looks and feels different, a good stylist will set realistic expectations before you commit.
4. Professional Hair Treatments: Repair, Strength, and Moisture
Beyond smoothing, a premium salon stocks professional treatment lines that address specific hair concerns: dryness, damage, thinning, and scalp health. The Parlour is one of a small number of salons in Singapore stocking the full Kevin Murphy treatment range, covering anti-ageing, thickening, moisture, and strength.
A standalone Kevin Murphy treatment with blowdry starts from $75. As an add-on to another service, it is $40. For clients who colour frequently or deal with humidity-related dryness, a regular treatment is the difference between hair that survives the Singapore climate and hair that thrives in it.
Olaplex is also available as an add-on, the bond-building treatment that has become a standard in premium salons globally for protecting hair during chemical services.
5. Styling Services: From Wash and Blow to Bridal Hair
A full-service premium salon handles more than everyday cuts and colour. Styling services include:
Wash and blowdry: from $50 to $80
Updo styling: from $120, for events, dinners, or special occasions
Bridal and fashion styling: from $350, including bridal trials, editorial looks, and fashion show styling
Just curls (curl definition and styling): from $50
Makeup application: from $120, with a combination updo and makeup package available from $310
Bridal services at a premium salon go beyond the wedding day. Expect at least one trial session, consultation on how your hair behaves under humidity and movement, and a stylist who has worked on bridal looks across different hair types and cultural styling traditions.
6. Hair Extensions: Length, Volume, and Options
Premium salons offer hair extensions through consultation rather than off-the-shelf. At The Parlour, extensions are quoted individually after assessing your natural hair, your desired result, and the method best suited to your hair type. Brands like Bellami Professional are used, premium Remy human hair that blends naturally and holds up to colouring and heat styling.
Extension methods range from clip-in (temporary, no commitment) to tape-in and nano ring extensions for a more permanent result. A good stylist will always factor in your natural hair density and lifestyle before recommending a method.
What Makes a Premium Hair Salon Worth It?
At the premium end, you are not just paying for the service itself. You are paying for:
A proper consultation before any service begins
Stylists trained in multiple techniques across different hair types
Professional-grade products: Kevin Murphy, Olaplex, K18, Cezanne
Honest advice about what will and will not work for your hair
Results that are designed to last and age well, not just look great on the day
The Parlour SG in Kovan has been serving Singapore since 2012, working with clients across all hair types, straight, curly, fine, thick, colour-treated, and everything in between.
View our full services list or book an appointment online, we are 5 minutes from Kovan MRT.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose a hair stylist for curly hair care?
Choosing the right stylist for curly hair is one of the most important decisions you can make for your hair health. First, look for a stylist who explicitly lists curly hair as a specialisation, not just someone who says they can handle all hair types.
Ask whether they cut curly hair dry or wet, because curls need to be assessed in their natural state to understand how they will fall after the cut. A good curly hair stylist will factor in your shrinkage, your curl pattern (from loose waves to tight coils), and how your hair behaves in Singapore's humidity.
Here at The Parlour in Kovan, our stylists have experience across all curl types and can recommend the right combination of cut, treatment, and product to keep your curls defined and manageable. We also carry Kevin Murphy and Olaplex, both proven for curl care. During your consultation, ask to see previous work on curly hair clients similar to your texture before committing.
How much should I expect to pay for a full head of highlights at a professional salon?
In Singapore, a full head of highlights at a professional salon typically ranges from $200 to $500 or more, depending on the technique, hair length, and the salon's stylist level.
Here at The Parlour SG, foil highlights start from $200 for a stylist application. Custom techniques like balayage, foilyage, and ombre, where the colour is hand-painted rather than foiled, start from $200 and can go up to $700 for very long or thick hair requiring multiple hours of application. The variation in price reflects genuine differences in time, technique, and skill.
A balayage done well requires an experienced colourist who understands how to work with your natural base and skin tone; done poorly, it fades unevenly or looks flat. It is worth investing at a salon that does colour consultations before the appointment, so your stylist can assess your starting point and set realistic expectations for the result.
What are the typical services offered at a premium hair salon?
A premium hair salon typically offers a full range of services across cutting, colour, treatments, smoothing, styling, and extensions. On the cutting side, expect tiered pricing by stylist level, with all cuts including a proper wash and blowdry.
Colour services range from root touch-ups and foil highlights to custom balayage and full transformations. Treatment options at a premium level include professional lines like Olaplex, K18, and Kevin Murphy for repair, moisture, and strengthening. Smoothing treatments such as Cezanne or Brazilian blowout address frizz and humidity.
Styling services cover everything from everyday blowdries to bridal and event styling. Extensions are offered by consultation, typically using professional Remy human hair brands.
What sets a premium salon apart is not just the menu of services but the consultation process, the quality of products used, and the stylist's ability to customise every service to your specific hair type and lifestyle.
Check out our other articles on haircuts and such:
Comments