Brooklyn Salon Increases Undisclosed Fee After Sustainability Claim Fails

Allyson Hurley, owner of the Brooklyn-based salon Hair & Co BKLYN, increased a mandatory service fee from $8 to $9 after a customer challenged the charge. The fee was not prominently disclosed in the salon's advertised pricing and was initially presented as an environmental service fee linked to membership in Green Circle Salons.

Green Circle Salons later confirmed that the salon's program was paused, contradicting the justification for the charge. In response to a customer inquiry and a report filed with the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Hurley removed the reference to Green Circle Salons from the business website. The charge was rebranded as a general service fee intended to cover software and water-conserving showerheads.

Hurley defended the mandatory fees as a "necessary part of business" to offset post-pandemic expense increases while maintaining affordable base prices for services, such as a $20 bang trim.