For Tweezing Only
Sania’s Brow Bar, 48 W. 20th St., third fl.; 212-247-1129; saniasbrowbar.com
In 2005, Sania Vucetaj opened what was then the city’s first tweezing-only brow bar. In the two decades since, nothing much has changed except the location. Vucetaj moved from her midtown spot to a large loft in Flatiron, where she and her daughters still offer just one service (to clients such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Olivia Culpo, and Rihanna). Vucetaj is the only person Allure beauty writer Jennifer Hussein trusts to touch her naturally full brows — she leaves them looking clean and never overdone, Hussein says. The same goes for actress Lucy Bandoh, who has been going to Sania’s for two years and says she gets her brows exactly as she likes them — neat. “I never have to worry when I step foot in Sania’s,” Bandoh says. (From $85.)
For Custom Tinting and Unibrow Maintenance
Azi Sacks, 205 W. 20th St.; 202-360-1852; azibrow.com
After opening her New York studio in 2020, Azi Sacks quickly became famous through a whisper network of celebrities, beauty writers, and people who generally obsess over seeing the right person for the right treatment (including Naomi Biden, Chloe Fineman, and a slate of Wilhelmina models). “I heard about her from a model and then from a CEO,” says Yasmin Gagné, who had to wait months for an appointment. It was worth it, Gagné says: “She has a remarkable eye. She says, ‘Here are some things I want to emphasize, and here are some things we need to work on.’” Sacks encouraged Gagné to grow out her unibrow, a feature a few of her clients have. Sacks uses the same technique on all her clients, unibrow or not: tinting (she mixes a custom combination of pigments to get the most face-flattering shade), then careful tweezing. (From $250.)
For Cheap Threading and Waxing
Omni Beauty Salon, 152 Fifth Ave., Park Slope; 718-789-8887; omnibeautysalon.com
At Omni, a three-chair brow bar in Park Slope, threading and waxing services are just $15 — and one can be in and out in under 15 minutes. In that time, your brows will be thoroughly tended to, says fiber artist Renee Francisco, who’s been a client for close to two years. “They’re super-detailed — they won’t miss a hair and really take into account what you’re looking for,” says Francisco, who always requests just a cleanup. She religiously sees the same technician, Rachana, who talks over the service and shows her exactly what she’ll be doing. Clients are given handheld mirrors to guide the technicians and correct any mistakes before they happen — comforting for those who have been overwaxed in the past. (From $15.)
For New Age Microblading
Durumi, 41 Varick Ave., No. 207, East Williamsburg; sakileetattoo.com
Saki Lee opened her Brooklyn shop two years ago with a menu of exclusively tattooed beauty treatments — semi-permanent freckles, brows, and lip blushing among them. Aleksandra Phillip, who has alopecia, heard about Lee through a friend, and after scrolling through pages of shockingly natural-looking brows on the salon’s Instagram, she decided to make an appointment. Before her treatment, the pair talked through exactly what Phillip wanted — full and natural brows. Although she was nervous, she felt immediately comfortable in the airy, clean space and says the whole thing was less painful than she expected. Best of all, “she gave me the brows I’ve always wanted,” Phillip says. “It has boosted my self-esteem so much.” For clients seeking treatment owing to a medical condition, the service is 20 percent off. (From $650.)
For an Easy Stop-in
Lotus Threading Salon and Spa, multiple locations; 718-770-7340; lotusthreading.com
With five salons across the city (each right by a train stop), Lotus is easy to pop in to in a pinch. Elaine Hunt, who works at a nonprofit, says she has never waited more than ten minutes for an appointment at Lotus’s Bed-Stuy salon. She heard about it from two co-workers, who are so devoted they travel from Bushwick and Sunset Park, respectively, to get their brows done there. Her first appointment was also her first post-COVID. “We were dealing with a pretty serious eyebrow situation,” Hunt says, but even with so much new growth, she says the threading wasn’t too painful, was very fast, and was extremely cheap. “It was way too inexpensive,” she says. “I was like, ‘You girls need to charge more.’” Especially given the results: perfectly clean brows, comparable to more expensive grooming she’d gotten in the past. (From $8.)
For Long-lasting Lamination
Wink Brow Bar, 7 Greenwich Ave.; 646-430-2436; and 216 Court St., Cobble Hill; 917-715-0513; winkbrowbarstudios.com
Brow lamination is essentially an eyebrow perm in which the hair is softened, reshaped, and set to look more uniform and full. Wink has been performing the slightly niche service for years. The whole thing takes about an hour, but “the end result is stunning, and I really don’t have to worry about putting on any brow product until my next appointment,” says Meagan Fiddes, a beauty publicist. Ali Ivanoff, a freelance communications director, agrees that the results are startlingly long-lasting. She usually goes every two months, she says — in between, her brows look full, neat, and generally put together. Ivanoff says, “They’re ready to go as soon as
I walk out of the door.” (From $90.)
For a Face-Specific Approach
Jimena Brows, 431 Broome St.; 347-888-103; jimenabrows.com
Jimena Garcia operates from multiple locations. In New York, it’s from an art-filled studio at the Broome Hotel and from Chanel’s Atelier Beauté. She does a residency in L.A., does pop-ups in Paris and Sag Harbor, and even makes house calls. Her dedicated clients follow her to wherever she happens to be. Dianna Cohen, CEO and founder of hair-care line Crown Affair, flies in from Miami every three months so Garcia can shape and tint her brows. “She really knows how to make your face look so elegant,” says Cohen. But there’s not one formula. “It’s never a one-size-fits-all approach,” says aesthetician Crystal Greene, who’s been following Garcia since 2015. “We all have different brow shades, density of hair. She really looks at your face, and even your personality, and figures out what best suits you.” Greene likes to keep her brows full and natural looking, which Garcia achieves solely by tweezing. Laney Crowell, CEO of the beauty brand Saie, says after her first post-pandemic appointment with Garcia, “I literally looked like a different person. I mean, your face looks more lifted after she does your brows.” (From $225.)
