If you've just arrived in Astana — for work, EXPO, a long layover, or a permanent move — finding a hair salon in English is harder than it should be. Most salons here run entirely in Russian or Kazakh. Google Maps reviews are 95% Cyrillic. The receptionist who picks up the phone may not speak the language you book in. And the city is large, so distance from your hotel matters.
This guide is written by SuperMe — yes, we are one of the salons listed here, and we'll be transparent about that. But our goal is simple: tell you what to actually expect, what to pay, and what questions to ask, whether you book with us or somewhere else. Astana's English-speaking beauty scene is small, and we'd rather you have a great visit than a confused one.
The honest landscape: what "English-speaking" actually means in Astana
Almost every salon website in Astana will tell you they "speak English." In practice, this varies enormously. Here are the three levels you'll encounter:
Level 1 — Basic English at reception only. The administrator can confirm a time and price, but the stylist working on your hair only speaks Russian. Your consultation about what you actually want will happen through translation apps. Workable for a simple cut. Risky for color.
Level 2 — One specific stylist speaks English. Most upscale salons have one or two team members with conversational English, usually because they trained abroad or worked in international hotels. You can get an excellent result, but only if you book that specific person and they're available.
Level 3 — Whole team operates in English. Stylists, colorists, manicurists, and reception all communicate fluently. This is rare in Astana — we know of only a few salons in the entire city that operate this way end-to-end. SuperMe is one; there are others.
For a cut and blow-dry, Level 1 or 2 is usually fine. For balayage, color correction, or anything where the difference between "subtle highlights" and "fully blonde" matters — insist on Level 3 or book a stylist who has personally trained or worked abroad.
What you should pay (real 2026 prices)
Prices in Astana are roughly 60–70% lower than equivalent premium salons in London, New York, or Dubai — and quality at the top tier is genuinely comparable. Here's a realistic price benchmark for premium English-speaking salons in mid-2026, based on current market rates on the Left Bank:
| Service | KZT | USD (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| Women's haircut | from 7,000 | ~$15 |
| Men's haircut | from 7,000 | ~$15 |
| Blow-dry / styling | from 4,000 | ~$9 |
| Single-process color | from 19,000 | ~$40 |
| Balayage / highlights | from 30,000 | ~$65 |
| Keratin treatment | from 35,000 | ~$75 |
| Bridal hair | from 25,000 | ~$55 |
If you're quoted significantly more — for example, 50,000+ KZT for a basic cut — you're in a tourist-targeted boutique inside a hotel, and you can almost certainly find equivalent quality nearby for less. If you're quoted significantly less (3,000 KZT for a full color), it is a budget local salon, which can be excellent for a simple cut but is generally not where you want a complex color treatment as a foreign visitor.
Most salons accept Visa, Mastercard, and the local Kaspi payment system (which most foreigners can't easily use). Cash in KZT works everywhere. Some premium salons accept USD or EUR but at a slightly worse rate than the bank — pay in tenge if you have it.
Where the English-friendly salons are clustered
Astana is split by the Esil River into the older "Right Bank" (Sary-Arka, Old Astana) and the modern "Left Bank" (Esil, EXPO, government buildings, all the international hotels). Almost every English-friendly premium salon is on the Left Bank, in the Mangilik El Avenue corridor between EXPO and the Ritz-Carlton.
Why this matters: if you're staying at one of the major international hotels, you're 5–25 minutes from these salons by taxi (Yandex Go, InDriver, or Bolt — all operate in Astana, all have English app interfaces). If you're staying on the Right Bank, budget 30–40 minutes for the trip across the river, especially during morning and evening rush hours.
Approximate travel times from major hotels to the Left Bank salon district:
- Hilton Astana — 5 minutes
- Ritz-Carlton Astana — 7 minutes
- Sheraton Astana — 15 minutes
- Rixos President Astana — 20 minutes
- St. Regis Astana — 25 minutes
- Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ) — 18 minutes
How we'd evaluate any salon before booking
Before you commit to a stylist, especially for color or any treatment over $40, run through this short checklist. It works for any salon in Astana, ours included.
1. Confirm the language level in writing
Send a WhatsApp message in English describing what you want. If the reply is fluent and addresses your specific question, you're in good shape. If the reply is short, generic, or clearly translated, expect Level 1 service.
2. Ask which products they use
For color, the answer should include at least one of: Wella Koleston, Schwarzkopf Igora, L'Oréal Majirel, or Redken Shades EQ. For bond protection, ask if they use Olaplex or K18. If they can't name brands, that's a yellow flag.
3. Ask to see the stylist's portfolio
Most stylists in Astana have an Instagram account with their work. Ask for the handle. Look for variety, color accuracy in photos, and recent posts (within 60 days). For balayage and color correction specifically, ask to see before-and-after shots, not just finished looks.
4. Confirm total time
A women's cut and blow-dry is typically 60–90 minutes. Single-process color is 90–120 minutes. Balayage is 3–4 hours. Keratin is 3–5 hours. If a salon promises balayage in 90 minutes, the result will reflect that.
5. Ask about cancellation and consultation
Premium salons offer a free 10-minute consultation before color appointments. If they refuse, or if they require full prepayment for a service over $50, look elsewhere.
What to bring and what to ask for
The biggest source of disappointment isn't language — it's vocabulary mismatch. "Blonde" in English-speaking countries usually implies cool, ashy tones. In post-Soviet salons, "blonde" historically meant warm, golden tones. The same word, very different result. The fix: bring photos.
Save 3–5 reference images on your phone before the appointment. Include both your goal and what you do not want. If you're showing color references, photos taken in natural daylight are far more accurate than indoor flash shots.
Useful phrases to know, in case you do need to negotiate without an interpreter:
- "Just a trim" — explicitly mean 1–2 cm only. Otherwise local convention is often 4–5 cm.
- "Cool tone, no warmth" — critical if you don't want golden or copper undertones.
- "Long layers, not short layers" — short layers are still very popular in Astana and may be a default suggestion.
- "Toner only, no lift" — useful for refreshing existing color without lightening base.
- "Lived-in look" — communicates that you want low maintenance with grow-out.
Booking: WhatsApp wins, every time
Forget calling. Astana salons reply on WhatsApp faster, in better English, and with the option to send reference photos directly. Our average reply time is under 5 minutes during business hours (10:00–20:00 daily). Most premium competitors are similar.
Online booking systems (often using a platform called Altegio) work but are usually in Russian. WhatsApp is the universal channel — and you'll have a written record of what you booked, with whom, at what price.
About SuperMe PRIME (full disclosure)
We've been operating in Astana since 2014. Our team includes stylists trained at the Toni & Guy academies in London, and our entire reception, color, and styling team operates in English. We're located on Mangilik El Avenue, 6 minutes from EXPO and the Hilton, 7 minutes from the Ritz-Carlton.
We currently hold a 4.7-star rating across 1,051 verified reviews on Google and 2GIS. Around 30% of our regular clients are expats, diplomats, EXPO visitors, or international business travelers. The other 70% are Astana locals — which we mention because a salon that survives only on tourists tends to lack the rigor that comes from serving locals who notice every detail of every visit.
We are not the cheapest salon in Astana, and we're not the most expensive. Our positioning is the same quality you'd expect from a Toni & Guy salon in London or a similar tier in Western Europe, at Astana prices.