Top cities for walk-in haircuts

Choosing a city for a walk-in haircut

If you're new to a metro, a few rules of thumb apply. Suburbs almost always have more walk-in chain locations than the urban core, because the chains' typical real-estate footprint — a 1,200 to 1,800 square foot inline retail bay — is easier to find next to a grocery store than in a downtown high-rise. Affluent inner-ring suburbs (think Plano outside Dallas, or Bellevue outside Seattle) tend to have especially heavy coverage because the chains pursue dual-income households who value speed.

Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings are the busiest times at virtually every walk-in salon in the country. If you can get there midweek between 10 AM and 2 PM, you'll often walk straight into a chair. Sunday afternoons are also typically quieter than weekday evenings.