Toa Payoh is one of Singapore’s oldest HDB towns, and it wears that history well. The town centre around the MRT station, HDB Hub and the sheltered blocks of Toa Payoh Central is packed with neighbourhood salons that have kept the same regulars for years, and the hawker centres along Lorong 1 and Lorong 8 are some of the most loved in the north-central heartland. If what you want from the beauty salons in Toa Payoh, Singapore, is “cheap and good”, this is the estate that defined the phrase.
This is not a listicle. It is a proper guide to building a beauty day out in Toa Payoh, from your first appointment to your last, with the best spots to know for each treatment category.
Why Toa Payoh Works for a Beauty Day
Almost everything in this guide sits within a fifteen-minute walk of Toa Payoh MRT. The old Toa Payoh Mall cluster of Blocks 177, 183, 185 and 186 is linked by covered walkways, so you can move from a hair salon to a nail studio to a facial room without stepping into the rain. Lorong 4 and Lorong 1 are a short stroll away, and Braddell MRT is handy for the northern end of the estate.
The operators here are built for regulars rather than passing trade. Prices sit well below town, price lists tend to be posted plainly, and many salons have been run by the same owners for a decade or more. It suits anyone who wants dependable work at heartland prices, and it rewards people who are happy to swap a glossy fit-out for a stylist who remembers how they like their fringe.
Morning: Start with Hair
Kimage Toa Payoh
Kimage at Toa Payoh Central is the name most people have in mind when they search for a hair salon in Toa Payoh Central. It is part of one of Singapore’s longest-running hair salon chains, backed by its own hairdressing school, and the outlet sits on the ground floor of Block 177, a minute from the MRT. The menu covers the full range: cuts, colour, highlights, perms, rebonding and treatments.
Kimage prices by stylist level rather than one flat rate, so the cost of your cut depends on whether you book a senior, leading or master stylist. If you are reading Kimage hair salon (Toa Payoh) reviews before you book, the consistent theme is that the experience depends on the stylist, so find one you like and stick with them. Colour and chemical work is quoted after a consultation, which is worth doing in person before committing to a big change.
Location: Blk 177 Toa Payoh Central, #01-128, Singapore 310177
Price range: Priced by stylist level; chemical services quoted on consultation. Opening hours: Weekdays until 9pm, weekends 10am to 7pm.
Book: Book on Glamingo →
Creatif Hair Group
For the most literal answer to “cheap and good hair salon in Toa Payoh”, Creatif Hair Group on Lorong 1 is the budget pick. It is a no-fuss neighbourhood salon covering cuts, rebonding, colour and perms at heartland prices, the kind of place regulars use for a dependable trim between bigger appointments.
Book by WhatsApp or phone. Walk-ins work on quiet weekday mornings, but call ahead for rebonding or colour, which need a longer slot. It is a short walk from Toa Payoh Central, so it pairs easily with the rest of the day.
Location: 123 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, #01-513, Singapore 310123
Best for: Affordable cuts, rebonding, quick weekday appointments
Book: Book on Glamingo →
If you want a few more options for a Toa Payoh haircut, including owner-run salons for perms and rebonding, our guide to the best hair salons in Toa Payoh covers the wider shortlist.
Mid-Morning: Nails
Paint By L Nail Bar
Paint By L Nail Bar on Lorong 2 is an independent nail bar named after its owner, with a couple of manicurists doing gel sets, nail art and pedicures. It is almost always busy, and for good reason: reviewers say even very small or weak nails are filed and coated carefully, and that the team gets a design right from a single photo.
Bring a screenshot of the look you want. Doreen is the manicurist regulars name most for detailed nail art, and the team will help you choose a shade that suits your skin if you cannot decide. Book ahead rather than turning up at a busy hour, though short-notice express slots do come up when there is a gap.
Location: Blk 116 Lorong 2 Toa Payoh, #01-146A, Singapore 310116
Price range: Classic gel manicure with in-house design, promotion $68 (usual price $118)
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 11am to 9pm, weekends 10am to 8pm.
Best for: Nail art copied from a photo, careful work on small or weak nails.
Book: Book on Glamingo →
Zhi i-Brow Nail Spa and Beauty House
Zhi i-Brow Nail Spa and Beauty House sits in the Block 183 stretch of Toa Payoh Central, which makes it the easiest stop if your hair appointment is at Kimage. The menu runs from manicures and pedicures to threading, eyebrow embroidery and facials, so it works as a one-stop beauty room if you want nails and brows tidied in the same visit.
Message or call ahead to check availability, particularly at weekends, and confirm prices when you book.
Location: 183 Toa Payoh Central, #01-252, Singapore 310183
Best for: Manicures, pedicures and brow threading in one visit.
Book: Book on Glamingo →
Lunch Break
Toa Payoh is a hawker town first, and lunch is where it earns its reputation. A few spots worth walking to between appointments:
Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee at Toa Payoh West Market and Food Centre on Lorong 1 for a Michelin-listed plate of Hokkien mee; it closes in the early afternoon and on Mondays, so go early and expect a queue. Chey Sua Carrot Cake, upstairs in the same food centre, is a long-standing Bib Gourmand name for crisp white carrot cake if you are passing in the morning. Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Market and Food Centre has around 80 stalls and is the easiest choice for a group that cannot agree on what to eat. Everything here is cash-friendly and cheap, so lunch barely dents the budget.
Afternoon: Facial
Pretty Relax Spa
If you searched for a facial in Toa Payoh and want the honest value pick, Pretty Relax Spa at Block 177 is it. Its classic facial is one of the lowest entry prices in the estate, and the spa runs long hours every day of the week, which makes it easy to fit around everything else.
Pretty Relax also covers body massage, head spa and foot spa, so it works as a one-stop afternoon if you would rather not move between venues. As with any value spa, ask for the full price of add-ons before the treatment starts, and stick to a single session on your first visit.
Location: Blk 177 Toa Payoh Central, #01-142, Singapore 310177
Price range: Classic facial $48
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 10pm.
Book: Book on Glamingo →
Casa Beauty Toa Payoh
For something more targeted, Casa Beauty on Lorong 4 is the newer Toa Payoh branch of a salon that built its name in Tampines. It works with European skincare lines including Maria Galland and JYUNKA, and the menu runs from personalised facials to skin booster treatments.
It sits about five minutes from Braddell MRT, so it pairs well with an afternoon at the northern end of the estate. Prices here are higher than a basic heartland facial, and first-trial rates are advertised, so confirm the full menu price when you book.
Location: 95 Toa Payoh Lorong 4, #01-60, Singapore 310095
Price range: Fusion Meso skin booster facial advertised at $388 for a first trial.
Best for: Skin boosters, brand-led facials, a step up from a basic facial.
Book: Book on Glamingo →
Toa Payoh has a deeper facial scene than these two, from organic-led spas to face-slimming specialists. Our guide to the best facials and aesthetics in Toa Payoh covers nine of them, and if you want to know what a fair price looks like before you book, this facial price guide breaks it down.
Late Afternoon: Lashes and Brows
The Prestige Eyebrow & Lash Specialist
Finish the day with lashes or brows at The Prestige Eyebrow & Lash Specialist on Lorong 4. As the name suggests, brows and lashes are the focus: eyebrow embroidery, lash extensions, threading and lip blush, with waxing and IPL hair removal on the menu too.
A lash set is the right last appointment of the day, when you are happy to lie still with your eyes closed. For semi-permanent work such as embroidery or lip blush, book a consultation first and ask what the touch-up costs before you commit.
Location: Block 73 Toa Payoh Lorong 4, #01-597, Singapore 310073
Best for: Lash extensions, brow embroidery, threading.
Book: Book on Glamingo →
Evening: Wind Down
End the day at Creamier on Lorong 1, the handcrafted ice cream shop that started life in Toa Payoh and is still a neighbourhood fixture after moving across the road from its original unit. Its current home is at Block 131, a short walk from Toa Payoh West Market. If you would rather eat properly, head back to Lorong 8, then walk it off in Toa Payoh Town Park as the temperature drops.
If you are planning a bigger hair change on your next visit, this hair colour price guide covers what you should expect to pay for colour, highlights and balayage across Singapore.
Building Your Day: A Sample Itinerary
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 10am | Haircut or colour | Kimage or Creatif Hair Group |
| 11:30am | Nails | Zhi i-Brow Nail Spa or Paint By L Nail Bar |
| 12:30pm | Lunch | Toa Payoh West Market or Lorong 8 Food Centre |
| 2pm | Facial | Pretty Relax Spa or Casa Beauty |
| 4pm | Lashes or brows | The Prestige Eyebrow & Lash Specialist |
| 6pm | Dessert or dinner | Creamier or Lorong 8 Food Centre |
Not every appointment needs to be on the same day. Plenty of Toa Payoh regulars spread these across the month, a cut one week and a facial the next, and that is the real appeal of the estate: good, honest work at heartland prices, all within walking distance of the MRT.
Find and book all the salons in this guide on Glamingo. Browse by treatment, area, and price range to compare options across Toa Payoh and book directly, without the back-and-forth.
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