Oh, I have a complicated relationship with the internet.

I'll be honest: occasionally, I go on Reddit to gauge what people are saying about us. I know I probably shouldn't. But something in me always feels compelled to investigate how people are perceiving and experiencing Queen of Swords. Call it a sixth sense or hypervigilance, but I built this company with my blood, sweat, and tears, so every now and then I dip my toe into those murky internet waters.

Sometimes it fills me up. Someone will describe their experience at Queen of Swords and I'll feel so proud. So certain we're doing something right. And sometimes I read something that stops me cold.

One comment said we only do shags and mullets.

Only?!

I sat with that for a minute.

My first instinct was to get defensive. I didn't reply. But I kept thinking about it, because I knew there was something important inside that comment. Not about what we're doing wrong, but about what we haven't communicated clearly enough.

So let me say it now…

We do shags. We do mullets. We love them. Our artists are genuinely skilled at cutting them, and if that's what you came here for, you're in the right place.

But we also do the French bob that turns heads without trying. The long layers that move like water. The pixie that grows out so gracefully you're never quite sure when you last had a haircut. The curly cut that finally makes sense of the hair you've had your whole life. The balayage that looks like you spent a summer somewhere beautiful.

We do all of it. What we don't do is one-size-fits-all.

Here's something I think about a lot. Almost every client who comes in asking for "more shape" shows up with pictures of shags. And I get it. The shag has been everywhere. It reads as I made a decision about my hair. When someone sees one and thinks, I want that, what they're usually responding to is the feeling of it. The movement. The intention. The sense that the haircut was designed for a human being.

What they don't always realize is that a classic haircut has all of that too. Shape isn't a trend. Shape is design. And design lives across the entire spectrum — from the quietest classic to the boldest statement.

Think about Caroline Bessette-Kennedy or Olivia Rodrigo. Long, effortless hairs that seemed to do nothing and somehow did everything. That is a shape. That is a decision. It just didn't announce itself.

A French bob has shape. Long layers have shape. A pixie has shape. A beautifully cut curly haircut has shape. Classic is not the absence of intention. Classic is a shape too.

So what actually makes a great haircut or great color?

Does the shape harmonize with your face and body? Does the color enhance the natural warmth of your skin tone, or add contrast that makes your features come alive? And does this haircut work with your actual life, not just the version of your life that exists in a saved folder on your phone?

That last one matters more than people expect.

The haircut that felt right five years ago might not be right today. Maybe you just had a baby and need something low maintenance. Maybe you're going through hair loss and want to rethink everything. Maybe you're in the middle of a big life change and want your outside to catch up with who you're becoming. Maybe you've had the same haircut for ten years because it is so deeply, perfectly you and you shouldn't change it. We keep records of color formulas and cut details for exactly that reason. Some things are worth protecting.

Our artists aren't just cutting hair. They're helping you figure out what you want. Sometimes that means helping you find the language for it.

I've written before about the time I sat in Chris McMillan's chair and he said something so true that it made me cry. He saw the fear underneath my request. He saw what I actually needed, not just what I asked for. That story is here if you want to read it.

I think about that experience a lot when I think about what happens in a really good consultation. It isn't just about picking a look off a mood board. It's about someone actually seeing you. Where you are right now. What you need from your hair in this chapter of your life. That's what our artists do every day, across both locations, with every kind of client and every kind of hair.

Whether you're looking for a curly shag in Bushwick, a sun-kissed balayage in Ridgewood, a clean classic bob, long layers, or a pixie you've been thinking about for years, the process is the same.

We sit down. We ask questions. We listen.

Then we create something that feels unmistakably like you because at Queen of Swords, we've never had a house style. We've always had a client style.

That's what we've always done. We just haven't always said it out loud.

If you've ever hesitated to book with us because you weren't sure if we were your kind of salon, I hope this helps. If you have no idea how to describe what you want, that's okay too. Bring a photo. Bring three photos. Tell us how much time you want to spend on your hair in the morning. Tell us what your last haircut was and how you felt about it. Tell us what chapter of your life you're in right now.

We'll take it from there.

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We Do More Than

Shags & Mullets

(And Here's How to Ask for What You Actually Want)

Oh, I have a complicated relationship with the internet.

Sometimes it fills me up. Someone will describe their experience at Queen of Swords and I'll feel so proud. So certain we're doing something right. And sometimes I read something that stops me cold.

One comment said we only do shags and mullets.

Only?!

I sat with that for a minute.

My first instinct was to get defensive. I didn't reply. But I kept thinking about it, because I knew there was something important inside that comment. Not about what we're doing wrong, but about what we haven't communicated clearly enough.

So let me say it now…

We do shags. We do mullets. We love them. Our artists are genuinely skilled at cutting them, and if that's what you came here for, you're in the right place.

We do all of it. What we don't do is one-size-fits-all.

What they don't always realize is that a classic haircut has all of that too. Shape isn't a trend. Shape is design. And design lives across the entire spectrum — from the quietest classic to the boldest statement.

Think about Caroline Bessette-Kennedy or Olivia Rodrigo. Long, effortless hairs that seemed to do nothing and somehow did everything. That is a shape. That is a decision. It just didn't announce itself.

A French bob has shape. Long layers have shape. A pixie has shape. A beautifully cut curly haircut has shape. Classic is not the absence of intention. Classic is a shape too.

So what actually makes a great haircut or great color?

Does the shape harmonize with your face and body? Does the color enhance the natural warmth of your skin tone, or add contrast that makes your features come alive? And does this haircut work with your actual life, not just the version of your life that exists in a saved folder on your phone?

That last one matters more than people expect.

Our artists aren't just cutting hair. They're helping you figure out what you want. Sometimes that means helping you find the language for it.

I've written before about the time I sat in Chris McMillan's chair and he said something so true that it made me cry. He saw the fear underneath my request. He saw what I actually needed, not just what I asked for. That story is here if you want to read it.

Whether you're looking for a curly shag in Bushwick, a sun-kissed balayage in Ridgewood, a clean classic bob, long layers, or a pixie you've been thinking about for years, the process is the same.

We sit down. We ask questions. We listen.

Then we create something that feels unmistakably like you because at Queen of Swords, we've never had a house style. We've always had a client style.

That's what we've always done. We just haven't always said it out loud.

We'll take it from there.

We Do More Than

Shags & Mullets

(And Here's How to Ask for What You Actually Want)

Oh, I have a complicated relationship with the internet.

Sometimes it fills me up. Someone will describe their experience at Queen of Swords and I'll feel so proud. So certain we're doing something right. And sometimes I read something that stops me cold.

One comment said we only do shags and mullets.

Only?!

I sat with that for a minute.

My first instinct was to get defensive. I didn't reply. But I kept thinking about it, because I knew there was something important inside that comment. Not about what we're doing wrong, but about what we haven't communicated clearly enough.

So let me say it now…

We do shags. We do mullets. We love them. Our artists are genuinely skilled at cutting them, and if that's what you came here for, you're in the right place.

We do all of it. What we don't do is one-size-fits-all.

What they don't always realize is that a classic haircut has all of that too. Shape isn't a trend. Shape is design. And design lives across the entire spectrum — from the quietest classic to the boldest statement.

Think about Caroline Bessette-Kennedy or Olivia Rodrigo. Long, effortless hairs that seemed to do nothing and somehow did everything. That is a shape. That is a decision. It just didn't announce itself.

A French bob has shape. Long layers have shape. A pixie has shape. A beautifully cut curly haircut has shape. Classic is not the absence of intention. Classic is a shape too.

So what actually makes a great haircut or great color?

Does the shape harmonize with your face and body? Does the color enhance the natural warmth of your skin tone, or add contrast that makes your features come alive? And does this haircut work with your actual life, not just the version of your life that exists in a saved folder on your phone?

That last one matters more than people expect.

Our artists aren't just cutting hair. They're helping you figure out what you want. Sometimes that means helping you find the language for it.

I've written before about the time I sat in Chris McMillan's chair and he said something so true that it made me cry. He saw the fear underneath my request. He saw what I actually needed, not just what I asked for. That story is here if you want to read it.

Whether you're looking for a curly shag in Bushwick, a sun-kissed balayage in Ridgewood, a clean classic bob, long layers, or a pixie you've been thinking about for years, the process is the same.

We sit down. We ask questions. We listen.

Then we create something that feels unmistakably like you because at Queen of Swords, we've never had a house style. We've always had a client style.

That's what we've always done. We just haven't always said it out loud.

We'll take it from there.

Building an Ethical Business Under Capitalism