Best Hair Salons in Des Moines, IA
Compare 49 hair salons in Des Moines, Iowa with Google ratings, services and online booking. The top-rated spot is Salon Bounce with 5.0 stars from 77 Google reviews.
Des Moines has 49 salons and barbershops in our directory, and the numbers are strong across the board: 94% of listings carry a rating, and they average 4.77 stars. Coverage runs from classic barbering to braids, locs, and blowouts, with online booking available at about two-thirds of shops.
What's well-represented in Des Moines
Barbering is the deepest bench in town. Of the 49 shops listed, 20 handle men's cuts and 20 offer fades, and 16 do beard trims — so if you want a specific fade, you have real options to compare rather than settling for whoever has an opening.
The women's side is nearly as deep: 16 salons offer women's cuts, 16 handle styling, and 16 do blowouts. Textured and protective hair is covered too — 13 shops offer braids, 13 handle locs, and 13 offer protective styles. That's a meaningful cluster for a city this size, though for technique-heavy work you should still vet the individual shop, not just the tag.
The booking and ratings picture
About 67% of Des Moines listings take online booking. That matters more than it sounds: shops that let you book online tend to show their real availability, which saves you the phone-tag round before a busy weekend.
On ratings, 94% of listings are rated and the citywide average is 4.77 stars. When nearly everything scores that high, the star number alone won't separate shops. Look at review volume instead — a 4.8 built on hundreds of reviews is a steadier signal than a perfect score built on a handful.
How to use this directory
Start with the service, not the salon name. Filter to what you actually need — a fade, a blowout, box braids — and shortlist from there.
One honest caveat about our service tags: they confirm the work happens at a shop, not that it's the shop's main line. For braids, locs, or protective styles, check the shop's recent photos or Instagram, or call and ask who on staff does that service and how often. Then favor the shops with booking links, and skim a few reviews that mention your specific service before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
- How many Des Moines salons offer braids, locs, or protective styles?
- In our directory, 13 Des Moines shops handle braids, 13 work with locs, and 13 offer protective styles. A tag confirms the service is offered there — for technique-heavy work like this, ask who on staff does it regularly before you book.
- Can I book a Des Moines salon online?
- About 67% of the 49 listings here have online booking. For the rest, call — and calling is worth it anyway for anything that needs a consultation first, like braids or a major cut change.
- How should I read the ratings on this page?
- 94% of Des Moines listings carry a rating, and the citywide average is 4.77 stars. With scores that clustered, review count is the better tiebreaker — weigh a high rating with hundreds of reviews over a perfect one with a dozen.