St Petersburg Practical Information: Getting a Haircut

If you’ve been here for a long time and feel your hair is starting to look a bit untidy and really needs a haircut; or maybe you’re just desperate for a new style, don’t be afraid to visit a hair dresser here in St Petersburg!

You may be worried your level of Russian isn’t quite up to the task, but you’ll easily be able to make yourself understood with our handy vocabulary guide here and hand gestures and photographs will help massively! If you’re really worried about it, there are plenty of English speaking hair stylists in the city too.

The Russian word for “hair dresser’s” is парикмахерская and you’ll see plenty of these signs throughout the city, and you can also go to a салон красоты for a haircut – again, there are plenty of these around.

When you walk in you should ask for a hair cut: “Здравствуйте, я бы хотела постричься“. Here you’re using the verb, to have your hair cut, and to ask how much it’ll cost, use the noun: “А сколько стоит стрижка?”

It always helps if you have a photo of the style you’d like so bring that along if you can and show the stylist what you’d like.

Don’t forget the words for long and short: длинные and короткие and of course, the word for hair: волосы!

This is the perfect place to practice your comparatives; ask for shorter (короче) layers, for example.

If you’d just like a trim, try this phrase: “Я бы хотела чуть-чуть подровнять волосы и обрезать секущиеся кончики,” meaning you’d like the ends taken off. The stylist will ask you how much you want taken off: “Сколько обрезать?”, and in reply you can practice your numbers and genitive case!

The stylist will discuss the plan with you, and don’t be afraid to ask for them to speak a bit slower if necessary, and will then ask you to move so they can wash your hair: “Пройдемте, помоем голову.”

Sometimes you just need your fringe cutting so that you can actually see again. In this case, you just want to “постричь челку“.

If you’re after a whole head of colour, the verb “to colour” is покрасить and if your roots are showing, then say this to your stylist: “Я хочу покрасить волосы, а то корни уже отросли.”

You’ll easily be able to communicate with your stylist, and don’t be afraid to get them to repeat things: it’s your hair in their hands!

Be prepared for some questions like:

1. How you wear your parting? Скажите, какой пробор вы обычно носите?

2. Do you want to give it some more shape? Вы хотите укладку?

3. What length of hair would you like? Какой длины волосы?

There are many парикмахерская around St Petersburg, with varying prices. It’s best to steer clear of the salons in hotels as they’re going to be very expensive, and if you feel confident with your Russian, you’ll get a decent hair cut in one of the smaller salons away from Nevsky Prospect.

If you’re feeling brave or want a real change of style, try something a bit different and go for a shaved pattern in your hair! This is a very popular look in St Petersburg and really works well with shorter hair styles. If you still fancy it but don’t want to loose your lovely long locks, try a “secret shave”, where it’s only visible with your hair up in a ponytail!

Good luck!