Salon Vela

The first time I went to Salon Vela and got a haircut from Jessica, I loved it. Months later, 3 months postpartum, I wanted to chop my hair into a simple bob — nothing complicated, just a short, clean cut with thin face frames. My hair was falling out, always tied back, and giving me headaches. I desperately wanted something easy to manage so I could feel human again. To make it worse, it was my birthday weekend, and I wanted to treat myself to a haircut that would help me feel better. When I called I specifically asked for Jessica, but I couldn’t make the times she was available. The salon gave me a list of other stylists. They quoted me $65 and told me Kendall, a "level 1 stylist," could take me. I checked their website — Jessica was also listed as "level 1," so I figured no problem. At no point did anyone tell me Kendall was still learning, still a student, or not ready to do a bob haircut. If they had, I would have waited or gone elsewhere. The haircut with Kendall took nearly 3 hours. She split my hair into a million tiny sections, moved painfully slow, and kept stopping to fuss with my hair. She was gentle after I told her I had a sensitive scalp, which I appreciated, but the actual cut? A disaster. I rushed out to get home to my baby, but once I looked closely at home, I realized my hair was an uneven, jagged mess. So yes — I had to spend my birthday weekend with a botched haircut that made me feel worse than before. I’m not confrontational, but I messaged Kendall on Instagram. To her credit, she admitted the cut was uneven. I gave her a second chance — against my better judgment — because I thought maybe with guidance she could fix it. She told me her boss would help her. That gave me some reassurance. When I went back, she apologized and sat me down. I asked about her boss. She went and got him — he came out from the back (where he was eating lunch), looked at my hair, pointed out everything she did wrong, and gave her instructions on how to fix it. He reassured me that they had "practiced over the weekend" and she’d be able to do it. Then he left after 5 minutes. So there I was again, sitting in Kendall’s chair. For the next 2.5 hours she brushed my hair nervously over and over, looking like a deer in headlights, hoping it would somehow fix itself. Meanwhile, I watched the boss and another stylist take multiple clients each — they both did two full clients, started on third — while I was still stuck there with Kendall struggling and making no real progress. By that point, I was crying in the chair. Imagine: 3 months postpartum, hair falling out, hoping for a haircut to make you feel better — and instead sitting there for hours while the stylist is clearly clueless and the boss, who admitted she messed up, refuses to fix it. When I finally asked him to step in and please just fix my hair, he brushed me off. His exact words were "Nobody has time for you. You’ll have to come back again. I can’t fix it for you today." Let that sink in: I came back specifically because Kendall messed up the first time. I gave them a chance to make it right. Instead of fixing it himself — which would have taken him 20 minutes — he chose to take her other client and leave me sitting there in tears getting experimented on. If he was going to take any client, it should have been me. That is basic accountability. I told him I couldn’t keep coming back — it’s a 35-minute drive each way, plus another 3 hours sitting in that chair. I said I didn’t want to come in a third time. His response? A shrug and: "We’ll just refund you. I don’t know what you want me to do. My niece has been waiting for me. Nobody can fix your hair today." That’s it. After nearly 6 hours wasted across two visits, tears in the chair, and a botched haircut, his solution was to brush me off and refund me.

Emily did a fantastic job with my wash and blow dry. She was quick with my blow dry despite my long hair! She identified my hair needs and made sure to use the best products for me. I got 4x yesterday alone. I feel amazing and my hair looks great. She takes the time to get to know you, but also respected when I needed quite time. The salon was shockingly nostalgic with a beautifully remodeled inside.

Chris is amazing! He was so patient and took the time to answer all of my questions. He shared so many helpful tips and tricks for keeping my hair healthier and better, and I could tell he genuinely cares about what’s best for his clients. Even though our appointment ran a little longer, he never rushed me and made sure I got a beautiful blow out. My hair hasn’t looked this good in years! I’ll definitely be coming back and recommending him to my friends!

Salon Vela and Ron are the real deal. His knowledge of products and chemicals is top notch. He colored my hair with an ammonia-free product because I’ve had trouble with them in the past, and the color turned out spot on! I also had a smoothing treatment that was formaldehyde free, and my hair is so soft and smooth. I will definitely go back to Ron and his staff. They know hair and I recommend them highly!

Mallory always takes care of me! I’ve been seeing her for almost a year working to grow out my hair and improve texture as we go and things grow out and I couldn’t be happier with my results. I’ve been to Salon Vela only once before Mallory so I was with another stylist and they were also super attentive and friendly. I felt like I was really being listened to and still do. Mallory is a super effective communicator and explains intentions and plans in a way that’s easy to understand and makes me feel included in the process. I can’t celebrate this place enough. No matter how far I have to drive, as long as I’m in the general Austin area I will find my way back here. It goes without saying that the staff is very friendly and welcoming. I feel like all of the products I’ve been recommended have worked wonderfully for my hair, and now that I have everything that works for me ritualistically, I’m not ever recommended things I wouldn’t need, which is transparency I didn’t expect but that I really appreciate. I adore this place.

Mallory is a hair wizard! She has expertly managed my multiple hair personalities for the last 18 months and counting. From midnight brown to red to bronde, giving me iconic bangs, and never letting a gray peak through, she’s dealt with me in all seasons. 13/10 recommend and that’s not just because she knows things about me some of my family members will never know. She’s one in a *insert average number of human hairs here*.

I’ve been going to Ron at Salon Vela for many years and I am always delighted with my hair when I leave. He always takes the time to make sure I will be happy with the result before he begins. I keep my hair long and he takes just enough off to keep it happy and healthy with layers that work perfectly for my hair type. These stylists are excellent and you won’t find better care and customer service. I will never go anywhere else!