Rijeka woman nearly fainted after seeing €107 bill for highlights

A haircut and color appointment in Rijeka left one customer questioning how quickly salon prices are rising. She said she paid €107 for highlights, toner, a two-centimeter trim, hair thinning and drying at a salon outside the city center.

The Reddit user said the same service had cost €68 in June of the previous year. She added that the price had increased by between seven and 10 euros every three months. “I don’t know about you, but my income hasn’t risen enough to cover such a price increase,” she wrote.

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I have shoulder-length hair, had highlights and toner, cut two centimeters, thinned my hair and dried it. 107 euros, outside Rijeka city center.

Her post triggered a broader discussion about the cost of hairdressing in Croatia and nearby countries. Women in Zagreb said they paid between €120 and €200 for highlights and toner. One commenter mentioned a friend who had paid €300, or even €500. In Varaždin County, the same service reportedly cost between €50 and €80, while one woman from Split said she paid about €30 at a neighborhood salon. Another commenter said balayage cost €45 in Bosnia.

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I don’t know about you, but my income hasn’t risen enough to cover such a price increase.

Many participants focused on pricing transparency. They said numerous salons do not publish price lists, and that final bills can exceed estimates even when customers ask about prices in advance. Some said they had started cutting their own hair or buying dye from drugstores.

Salon owners, however, pointed to higher rents, utility bills, professional cosmetics, taxes and a shortage of skilled workers. Hairdressing prices have risen faster than overall inflation, the discussion said, while the introduction of the euro encouraged some prices to be rounded upward. Demand, commenters noted, has nevertheless continued, suggesting that many customers still regard salon visits as a luxury they do not want to give up.

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I cut my own hair.