Search Google for a hair salon in Hamilton and, on 26 October 2026, the first name in the local results was Ross & Co Hair Design in Queenwood: 586 Google reviews and a perfect 5.0. Its second salon, in Cambridge, has 265 more at 4.9. In a series where we have reviewed salons with no website, salons with one website for three branches and salons that never answer a review, Ross & Co is the one that does nearly everything by the book. So this review asks two questions. For customers: is it worth paying about double what other Hamilton salons list for a haircut? For salon owners: what exactly is Ross & Co doing that the rest of you could copy, and where does even a five-star salon leave room to grow?
Quick answers
- Ross & Co Hair Design has salons in Queenwood, Hamilton (5.0 from 586 Google reviews) and Cambridge (4.9 from 265), checked on 26 October 2026. Only four of the 851 reviews give three stars or fewer.
- Customers praise the welcome (335 written reviews), the coffee, head massages and atmosphere (265), and colour work (161). Trish, the owner, is named in 100 reviews; Lisa and Maddie in more than 50 each.
- It is a premium salon. A cut and style costs $108.15 to $123.60, including a wash, styling and scalp massage; Hamilton salons on Fresha list cuts from about $40 to $55. Colour starts at $72.10 for an express retouch and balayage at $228.66.
- New clients get $50 off their first colour. Bookings need a deposit, cancellations need 24 hours’ notice, and adjustments are free within 7 days.
- SEO4 Audit Score: 21 out of 30, the highest in our salon series so far.
Is it worth it?
If you want a long appointment with a consultation, a head massage, a good coffee and a colourist who checks the shade with you, the reviews say yes, almost without exception. If you want a quick, cheap trim, this isn’t the salon, and its policies on deposits and late cancellations are stricter than most. Read them before you book.
Contents
- Two salons at a glance
- What 851 Google reviews say
- Is it worth the price?
- Ross & Co budget check
- The rules to know before you book
- The four low reviews
- How it compares in Hamilton
- Can you check them?
- What other salons can copy
- SEO audit
- SEO4 Audit Score
- Where a five-star salon can still grow
- For salon owners: your reviews and your own app
- Common questions
Two salons at a glance
| Hamilton (Queenwood) | Cambridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Address on Google | 2 Queenwood Avenue, Queenwood | 38 Thornton Road |
| Phone | 07 853 3483 | 07 595 0599 |
| Google rating (reviews) | 5.0 (586) | 4.9 (265) |
| First Google review | May 2016 | June 2023 |
| New reviews, last 12 months | 78, all answered | 68, all answered |
| Reviews at 3 stars or fewer | 3 | 1 |
| Names customers mention most | Lisa (56), Maddie (45), Trish (44) | Trish (56), Courtney (11), Matthew (9) |
| Booking | Online through Kitomba, or by phone | Online through Kitomba, or by phone |
Tip: click or tap any chart or screenshot to see it full screen.
Trish Ross started the business in 2013, according to the salon’s About page, and the company was registered in 2014. The Cambridge salon opened in mid-2023. Both are Wella Professionals salons, and the website’s pitch is about the team as much as the hair: Trish writes that she has stepped back from the chair to train up-and-coming stylists.
What 851 Google reviews say
730 of the reviews have text, and almost half of those talk about how the visit felt before they get to the hair: a warm welcome, friendly staff, a team that seems to like each other. One reviewer noticed the stylists’ manners towards each other, not only towards clients. Coffee comes up in 41 reviews and head massages in 40. Fifteen reviewers say they were nervous before the appointment, often about colour or a first visit in years.
Colour is the work people come for. 161 reviews mention it, from grey coverage to “lived-in” blonde, and the salon builds a bond-protecting treatment into its blonde prices. 145 say the stylist listened, explained or checked along the way.
Trish is named in 100 reviews across both salons, more than anyone. In Hamilton, Lisa (56) and Maddie, also written Madison or Madi (52 across both salons), have their own followings. In Cambridge, Courtney and Matthew are the names that come up after Trish’s.
The reviews tell a business story too. Hamilton had six Google reviews in its first three years online, then 76 in March and April 2019 alone, which looks like the moment the salon started asking. The reviews have kept coming ever since, and since 2021 the two salons have together added between 84 and 158 reviews a year. The latest burst was seven Hamilton reviews on 3 April 2025, all five stars.
Five stars, one problem
The trouble with a perfect 5.0 is that every new client walks in expecting the coffee to be perfect too.
Is it worth the price?
Ross & Co publishes its prices on its salon services page:
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Cut and style (wash, cut, styling, scalp massage; same for teen girls) | $108.15 to $123.60 |
| Express retouch colour | from $72.10 |
| Toner | from $70 |
| Retouch colour | from $118.45 |
| Global colour | from $136.99 |
| Minimum foils | from $149.35 |
| Three-quarter head foils | from $169.95 |
| Full head foils | from $221.45 |
| Balayage | from $228.66 |
| Late-night appointments | +$15 |
| Hair-up consultation (redeemable) | $25 |
Against what Hamilton salons list on Fresha, that is about double: a style cut from $40, a wash and restyle from $55, a scissor cut at $52. The comparison isn’t like for like, because Ross & Co’s price includes the wash, the styling and a scalp massage, but customers notice. Price is the one complaint that turns up in the four-star reviews: one calls it the most expensive haircut they have had, another felt it was a lot for half an hour, a third says they will go back to their old hairdresser on cost alone. None of the four-star reviewers who mention price complains about the hair.
Two things soften it. New clients get $50 off their first colour, and the loyalty programme gives regulars reward dollars, which the salon says usually add up to about $60 a year, to spend on products and treatments.
Ross & Co budget check
Ross & Co budget check: what a year of hair costs
Pick your usual service and how often you go. The calculator uses Ross & Co’s published prices, takes off the new-client discount and the loyalty rewards the salon says most clients earn, and adds the late-night surcharge if you need it.
Prices: rossandco.co.nz salon services page, viewed 26 October 2026. They are “from” prices, so treat the totals as a minimum. The new-client discount is $50 off the first colour service. Loyalty rewards: the salon says most clients earn up to $60 a year, redeemable on products and treatments; the calculator assumes $60. The late-night surcharge is $15 a visit. A budget check, not a quote.
How the calculator works
Prices come from Ross & Co’s salon services page, viewed 26 October 2026; they are “from” prices, so totals are a minimum. Visits a year are 52 weeks divided by the gap between visits, rounded down. The new-client discount ($50 off the first colour) applies once. Loyalty rewards are taken as $60 a year, the amount the salon says most clients earn; they are spent on products and treatments, not cash. Late-night appointments add $15 a visit.
The rules to know before you book
Ross & Co is unusually clear about its policies, and they are firmer than many salons’. From the FAQ on its website:
- Deposits. Online bookings take a deposit, credited to your bill on the day. Cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice and you lose it.
- No-shows. Cancel within 10 minutes of the appointment, or don’t turn up, and 50% of the missed appointment is added to your next visit.
- Not happy? Tell the salon within 7 days. Adjustments are free; refunds are considered only where appropriate, and not if you change your mind about the style.
- Children. From age 12 only, at the adult price, because the appointment takes the same time.
- Hair-up for an event. Book a $25 consultation first; it comes off the final bill.
- Late nights. Two evenings a week, with a $15 surcharge.
The four low reviews
Of 851 Google reviews, two give one star in Hamilton, one gives two, and one gives one star in Cambridge. One of the Hamilton one-stars has no text. The others describe a cut that ran out of time (2018), a $350 colour at the Cambridge salon that the customer felt left the regrowth showing (2024), and a cut that took off more length than asked (Cambridge, 2025).
The salon has answered three of the four, and here its approach changes. Ross & Co’s replies to happy clients are warm and personal. Its replies to the last two low reviews are firm: one says the salon can’t find the person in its client records, another that it looked into the reviewer’s profile. Both may be fair. A future client reading them, though, sees a salon defending itself, and on a page where 99.5% of reviews are glowing, the tone of the other half-percent stands out.
Overheard in Queenwood
The hardest brief in hairdressing is also the most common: “Can you make it look like I haven’t had it done?”
How it compares in Hamilton
In Google’s local results for “hair salon hamilton nz”, Ross & Co came first. Kess Hair & Beauty in Centre Place has far more reviews, about 1,800 at 4.9, and Edge Cut, Colour & Beauty has 633 at 4.56 and gathered 202 in the last year. D’Lux Hair & Beauty is the one to watch: a perfect 5.0 from 109 reviews, 76 of them in the last 12 months, with replies to 95%. None of them combines Ross & Co’s rating, its volume and its reply rate.
| Salon | Google rating (reviews) | New in 12 months | Reviews with a reply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ross & Co Hamilton | 5.0 (586) | 78 | 82% |
| Edge Cut, Colour & Beauty | 4.6 (633) | 202 | 12% |
| Fabrik | 4.9 (146) | 33 | 61% |
| North Hair Studio | 4.8 (126) | 33 | 13% |
| D’Lux Hair & Beauty | 5.0 (109) | 76 | 95% |
| Kess Hair & Beauty Centerplace | 4.9 (about 1,800) | not collected | not collected |
Can you check them?
- The company. Ross and Co Hair Design Limited (NZBN 9429041277379) was registered on 12 June 2014 and trades in Hamilton City and the Waipa District as a hairdressing service. Trish Ross is its director, and the website introduces her as the owner. Status on 26 October 2026: Registered.
- Wella and awards. The website calls the salons Wella Professionals salons and “award winning”, and links to industryawards.co.nz without naming an award. We couldn’t confirm a specific award online. Kitomba, the salon software company, published a customer success story about the salon in August 2023.
- Complaints and news. We searched for news stories and Commerce Commission actions about Ross & Co Hair Design on 26 October 2026 and found none.
What other salons can copy
From here on, this review is for salon owners. Customers can skip to the questions at the end. Here is what Ross & Co does that most of the salons we have reviewed don’t:
- It collects reviews all year round, and has since 2019. 146 new reviews across the two salons in the last 12 months. M2 Hair Salon got 13.
- It answers every one, by name. All 146 reviews from the last year have a reply, most naming the client and the stylist. The Cut Co answers 3% of its reviews.
- It publishes prices. Every colour service has a “from” price, which answers Google’s “how much does balayage cost” question before a client has to ask.
- It writes its rules down. Deposits, cancellations, adjustments and children’s cuts are all in the FAQ, so the argument never starts.
- It rewards the second visit. $50 off the first colour gets new clients in; loyalty dollars bring them back.
- It shows its people. Reviews name ten stylists, and the website quotes clients by name.
SEO audit
What people see when they search “ross and co hair design reviews”
Google suggests the search as people type, along with a separate one for Cambridge, and answers on a phone with the salon’s profile, its 5.0 and Google’s own review topics: 63 mentions of a welcoming atmosphere, 24 of head massages. Below it come the salon’s own testimonials page, Facebook, the Kitomba case study and a “9 Best Hair Salons in Hamilton” list that includes Ross & Co. Nobody advertises on the name. This is what owning your own name looks like.
The Google profile
The Hamilton profile has everything we look for: Book online, Website, Call, opening hours, services, a short description, products with prices and a review summary. Google’s address, 2 Queenwood Avenue, and the website’s, “Herbert Road, Queenwood village shops, Chartwell”, describe the same shops in different words; matching them exactly is a small, free win.
The website
rossandco.co.nz is built on Squarespace and covers what a salon site needs: services with prices, both locations with tap-to-call numbers, an FAQ, loyalty rewards, careers, client reviews and a Book button on every page. The page title names Wella and the Waikato and the description is written for people, not robots. On a phone, the first thing a new visitor sees is a full-screen “$50 off” sign-up that covers the page until it is closed. It works as an offer; Google prefers pop-ups that don’t cover the main content on mobile.
- The main heading says “Your Waikato hair experts”. Neither Hamilton nor Cambridge appears in the title or the first heading, though they are the words people search for.
- The home page has seven main headings (H1) where one would do.
- The site has basic WebSite schema but no LocalBusiness schema telling Google the two addresses, phone numbers and hours.
- All services sit on one page. A page for balayage and a page for each salon would give Google more to rank.
- 34 of the home page’s 54 images have no alt text, and the footer still says © 2023.
- We couldn’t run PageSpeed Insights on the day: the test didn’t finish. We will add the result when it does.
SEO4 Audit Score: 21 out of 30
The same thirty yes-or-no checks we use for every business. 21 is the best score in our salon series so far; Ace Hair Salon and The Cut Co scored 12 and M2 Hair Salon 4. The score measures what customers and Google can see online, not the quality of anyone’s hair.
| Part | Passed | Failed |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews (7/10) | Rating 4.96 and 4.93; 851 reviews; 146 in the last 12 months; replies to 88%; personal replies; low reviews 0.5%; stylists named in well over 10% of reviews | 7 Hamilton reviews on 3 April 2025; 1 of 4 low reviews (2018) unanswered; no second platform with 10+ reviews confirmed |
| Search (6/10) | Clean Google names; phone and website match; meta description; tap-to-call; HTTPS; own site first for its name | No Hamilton or Cambridge in title and H1; mobile speed not tested (scored 0 for now); no LocalBusiness schema; no separate service pages |
| Marketing (8/10) | Clear promise; prices; adjustment policy; real photos; online booking; reviews on the site; balayage price answered; no competitor ads | Wella status and awards not verifiable online; no social post in the last 60 days confirmed |
How we score
- Reviews: (1) rating 4.8 or higher; (2) 100 or more reviews; (3) 20 or more in the last 12 months; (4) no day with 5 or more reviews in the last two years; (5) replies to most reviews; (6) replies to every review at 3 stars or fewer; (7) replies are personal, not one template; (8) reviews at 3 stars or fewer under 5%; (9) a second platform with 10 or more reviews; (10) staff named in 10% or more of reviews.
- Search: (1) the Google name has no added keywords; (2) the Google phone and website match the site; (3) service and suburb or city in the page title and H1; (4) a meta description; (5) mobile PageSpeed score of 50 or more; (6) LocalBusiness schema; (7) a page for each main service; (8) tap-to-call on mobile; (9) HTTPS and no broken key links; (10) the business’s own site in the top 3 for its name.
- Marketing: (1) a clear promise above the fold; (2) prices or “from” prices; (3) a guarantee explained; (4) licences or memberships that can be checked; (5) real photos or examples of work; (6) a quote or booking within two clicks; (7) reviews shown on the site; (8) a social media post in the last 60 days; (9) the top “People also ask” question answered on the site; (10) no competitor ads on the brand name, or the business defends it.
- Each check scores 1 or 0. For a business with several branches we score the brand. A check we couldn’t run on the day scores 0 until we can, and we say so.
Where a five-star salon can still grow
Ross & Co doesn’t need a rescue. These are refinements, and most take an afternoon.
| What | Why, from our data | Effort | Likely effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Put Hamilton and Cambridge in the page title and main heading | People search “hair salon hamilton”; the site says “Waikato” | Low | Medium |
| A page for each salon and each main service | One services page; two salons; balayage and blonde are the bestsellers | Medium | Medium |
| LocalBusiness schema for both addresses | Only basic WebSite schema today | Low | Medium |
| Calmer replies to the rare low review | The last two low-review replies read as defensive | Low | Medium |
| A smaller pop-up on phones | The $50 offer covers the page on arrival | Low | Low to medium |
| Match the Hamilton address everywhere | Google and the site describe it differently | Low | Low |
| Spread review requests out, not on one day | Seven on 3 April 2025 | Low | Low |
| Show the awards and Wella status with names and links | “Award winning” without an award named | Low | Low |
For salon owners: your reviews and your own app
Ross & Co’s review record wasn’t built in a month. Here is how long it would take your salon to get there:
Salons: how long to build a Ross & Co review record?
Ross & Co’s Hamilton salon has 586 Google reviews and added 78 in the last 12 months. Fabrik has 146 and added 33. Put in your own numbers and see how long it would take your salon to pass them, if they keep their pace.
146 and 586 are the Google review counts of Fabrik and Ross & Co Hair Design (Hamilton) on 26 October 2026; the calculator lets them keep their pace of the previous 12 months (33 and 78 a year). Reviews alone don’t decide Google’s map: distance, categories and the website count too. The defaults are an example, not any salon’s figures. A year is 48 working weeks.
Quote and Job Organiser: SEO4’s free app
Quote and Job Organiser is a free Android app on Google Play. We built it for tradies, and salons use it for the jobs that need a quote first: colour corrections, balayage, bridal and event hair. No account, no subscription, no ads, and your data stays on your phone.
- Quotes with your own prices, NZ GST and a quote number.
- A PDF on the spot, sent by email, SMS or WhatsApp.
- An accepted quote becomes a booking, with the client and price carried over.
- Notes and photos for each client, so the formula is there next time.
Salons that already run on Kitomba or Fresha usually want something on top: a loyalty card, a text when a regular is due for roots, a review request that names the stylist. Send us your idea, even if it’s written on the back of a colour card. We build custom apps for salons and any other trade, and it costs less than most owners expect. We have been known to work faster after a good flat white and a slice of something from the Queenwood shops. Tell us what you need.
Common questions
Its customers think so. On 26 October 2026 the Hamilton salon in Queenwood had a 5.0 rating from 586 Google reviews and the Cambridge salon 4.9 from 265. Only four of the 851 reviews give three stars or fewer. Reviewers praise the welcome, the coffee and head massages, and colour work.
On 26 October 2026 its website listed a cut and style at $108.15 to $123.60, including a wash, styling and scalp massage. Colour starts at $72.10 for an express retouch, $118.45 for a retouch and $136.99 for global colour; full head foils start at $221.45 and balayage at $228.66. Late-night appointments cost $15 extra.
Yes. New clients get $50 off their first colour service by signing up through the offer on the salon’s website. Regular clients earn loyalty reward dollars, which the salon says usually add up to about $60 a year, to spend on products and treatments.
Online bookings take a deposit, which is credited to your bill. Cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice and you lose the deposit. Cancelling within 10 minutes of the appointment, or not turning up, adds 50% of the missed appointment to your next visit. If you’re not happy with your hair, contact the salon within 7 days for a free adjustment.
At Queenwood in Hamilton (2 Queenwood Avenue, in the Queenwood village shops; phone 07 853 3483) and at 38 Thornton Road, Cambridge (phone 07 595 0599). Both take online bookings through Kitomba.
Sources and how we checked
- Google reviews: SEO4 collected every public Google review of Ross & Co Hair Design in Hamilton (586) and Cambridge (265), and of Edge Cut, Colour & Beauty, Fabrik, North Hair Studio and D’Lux Hair & Beauty, on 26 October 2026, with date, stars and owner reply. Themes and names are keyword matches in reviews with text. Low reviews are paraphrased, and we don’t name reviewers.
- Google search: “hair salon hamilton nz”, “ross and co hair design reviews” and related searches, 26 October 2026, from New Zealand. Results depend on where and when you search.
- Prices, policies and team: rossandco.co.nz home, salon services, about and loyalty rewards pages, viewed 26 October 2026.
- Hamilton prices: Fresha listings for Hamilton Central, viewed 26 October 2026.
- Company: NZBN register, Ross and Co Hair Design Limited, viewed 26 October 2026.
- PageSpeed Insights could not complete a mobile test on 26 October 2026.
- Screenshots of Google and of rossandco.co.nz are used for review and criticism and credited in each caption.
About this review
SEO4 is not connected with Ross & Co Hair Design. They are not our client and did not pay for or see this review before publication.
If you work at Ross & Co and something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will correct it: contact SEO4.
Corrections: none so far. Facts checked on 26 October 2026.
More from SEO4
Want to know what your salon would score?
We read every review, check your Google profile, your website and what people find when they search your name, and compare you with the salons down the road. Then we tell you which fixes come first. Hamilton, Waikato or anywhere in New Zealand.