Schnips PHd — the PHd stands for Professional Hair Design — is a long-established hair salon on Melanesia Road in Kohimarama, Auckland, with almost 40 years in business. Home to an exceptionally experienced team of stylists the salon describes as being at the top of their profession, it has built its reputation on consistently high standards and the guiding motto: "We aim for perfection, excellence will be tolerated."
Services cover cuts for a brand-new image or an update to your current look, styling tailored to you and the events you attend, and chemical services for anyone tired of too much frizz, wave or curl. Colour work includes semi permanent colour and regrowth or refresh tints, while perms and keratin treatments — including the Brazilian Keratin Treatment offered by stylist Manny — are arranged directly with the salon.
Appointments can be made by phone on 09 521 8088, booked online, or arranged by dropping in. Online bookings are checked during working hours and confirmed by email, and the team asks clients to allow processing time when booking colour services. VIP members collect reward points towards free products and are automatically entered into prize draws throughout the year.
The salon is open Tuesday and Friday 9am–5pm, with late nights on Wednesday and Thursday until 8.30pm, Saturday 9.30am–4.30pm, and is closed on Mondays and Sundays.
Schnips PHd — the PHd stands for Professional Hair Design — has been a fixture of Kohimarama's Melanesia Road for close to forty years. Just up the road from Mission Bay, the salon has outlasted trends and fashions by sticking to a simple idea: the team's professional reputation is only as good as its last hair-service. That philosophy, paired with a famously ambitious motto — "We aim for perfection, excellence will be tolerated" — has made Schnips PHd one of the bays' most enduring hair destinations.
The salon describes its stylists as an exceptionally experienced team at the top of their profession, and longevity like theirs doesn't happen by accident. Maintaining consistently high standards, they say, is what ensures clients always look and feel magnificent when they leave the chair. It's an ongoing commitment rather than a one-off promise, and it's the reason so many Aucklanders have trusted the team with their hair across decades.
Schnips PHd covers the full spectrum of professional hairdressing. Cuts are a cornerstone — whether you want a completely new image or a refresh of the look you already have. Styling is another strength: the team will create a look to suit you and the event you're attending, from everyday polish to occasion hair, and the gallery of female hairstyles on the salon's website gives a good sense of the range on offer.
Chemical services round out the menu, aimed at anyone tired of too much frizz, wave or curl. That's where the Brazilian Keratin Treatment comes in. Stylist Manny currently offers the BKT as a limited-time promotion, valid until 30 August 2025, and it includes a complimentary cut and blow-dry with every treatment. Manny is described as warm, professional and passionate about helping clients look and feel their best, leaving hair smooth, fresh and beautifully styled. Colour services are also a regular part of salon life: semi permanent colour carries a 30-minute process time, while a regrowth or refresh tint takes 45 minutes before the wash, cut and style.
Booking is deliberately easy — call the salon on 09 521 8088, book online, or simply drop in. There are a few practical things worth knowing before you book. All hair colours, perms and keratins need time to process before the wash and style, so allow for those processing windows when planning your visit. Perms and keratins can't be booked through the online system; the salon asks you to contact them directly.
Online bookings are checked during working hours, so if you request a slot outside those hours it won't be confirmed until the team has checked it and sent an email. And if an hour passes after you've requested a booking without an email arriving, the salon asks you to give them a call or send a message to [email protected] to make sure your request came through.
Loyalty is part of the Schnips PHd experience. VIP members collect reward points that translate into free products, and they're automatically entered into draws to win prizes throughout the year. For a salon that has kept clients coming back for decades, the VIP programme is a natural extension of those long relationships.
The salon sits at 33 Melanesia Road, Kohimarama. Opening hours are generous by salon standards: Tuesday and Friday run 9am to 5pm, while Wednesday and Thursday are late nights until 8.30pm — ideal for an after-work appointment. Saturdays run 9.30am to 4.30pm, and the salon is closed on Mondays and Sundays. Late-night slots are popular, so booking ahead is wise.
Whether you're after a keratin treatment to beat the frizz, a colour refresh with a team that knows exactly how long the process takes, or simply a cut from stylists who've been perfecting their craft for decades, Schnips PHd offers the kind of seasoned, standards-obsessed service that only comes with genuine experience.