Pearl Salon and Skin Studio

Pearl Salon and Skin is now closed. The Staff of Pearl (Kathy, Vera, Brett and Sydnie) has moved to Mark Thomas Studio at 1601 W 38^th st. The Phone number is 512−459−6900, call today to book you appointment with your Pearl stylist!

This is a great salon! Amazing customer service. Jessie does a fantastic job of keeping the place up and running like a well oiled machine. He stays on top of the staffs schedule and always give reminder calls or updates. He is a total professional and very easy on the eyes! All those looks and brains are put to good use.
The salon itself offers a fantastic array of services. We typically stick to hair services but after seeing a couple of Kathy the estheticians clients (one coming the other leaving) I may need to add this to my list. Their skin looked amazing!
We love Sydney and she has been doing my families hair for years. She is part artist part genius. That being said the other stylist do a fantastic job as well, we have never used them but we see their work and it speaks for itself!
Their prices are very reasonable and the décor is the right amount of tranquil yet hip without all the snark.
If you are looking to change stylist and or you are new to town and need a great stylist, this is your place!

love, Love, LOVE this salon! The stylists are all so friendly and nice. Like another Unilocaler said, it’s more like a retreat than your typical visit to a salon. I left feeling like «I love it!», which is the type of experience you always want. I told my hair stylist that I couldn’t stop looking at myself in the mirror. I highly recommend Pearl Salon.

I ended up at Pearl because of Unilocal and Unilocal alone, so I wanted to pay the favor forward to others.
Between being relatively new to Austin and also being an infrequent salon-​goer, I found myself trying two new stylists at an Aveda salon elsewhere in the area. The first visit was fine — not rave-​worthy — but the second stylist I saw more recently suggested that her only known/​recommended method for taking out some volume from my ultra-​thick hair was to shave off hair from the sides of my head. I walked out before she could touch my hair!
Not wanting to subject myself to a third stylist at that same salon, I went instead to Unilocal to see what I could find near my apartment that was well rated. Enter Pearl: right at 360 and Westlake. The Unilocal reviews (one clearly begrudging customer aside) and a website that clearly stated services and prices were enough to get me to make an appointment.
I called on a Friday at lunch and asked for any women’s hair cut opening that day: an hour later I was in the salon with Samira. I thought the shampooing was especially relaxing and lovely. As for the cut, my request to preserve length but thin out as much volume as possible was not met with a recommendation of shaving the sides of my head, thank goodness! I was very pleased with the cut, the finishing, the service, and the overall atmosphere of the salon. Samira was lovely. Low-​key and friendly, she clearly was ready to follow my lead when it came to both direction (I gave her a general idea of what I needed and she ran with it, listening when I piped in with extra feedback but not fussing for reassurance) and chit-​chat (I generally prefer to just chill and watch when I’m getting a hair cut, and enjoyed that she didn’t force conversation).
I’ll be returning for sure (I would consider using their waxing services in particular based on reviews!), and would recommend Pearl to others. A few extra notes:
— There was a mix of clientele there (age, gender) while i was there for my appontment, which I always find o be a good sign
— I like a place where I can include gratuity on my credit card! This, thankfully, is more and more common these days, but I’ve been turned down enough times in the past to still appreciate this service.

Pearl is more than a salon, it’s a great 2-​hour retreat where your quaff is healthier shinier and more beautiful when you leave. What I love is that they can work with all hair types. So whether you have thick hair, like me, that literally turns into SNL’s Rosannadanna hair at the slight drop of humidity, or like my other friends where Austin summers deflates volume, Pearl Salon has a talented stylist to transform your hair into a manageable master piece.

Simply put, I love Brett.
Every time I visit him, I walk out prettier and happier than when I came in. He isn’t pushy with selling me upgraded services or products, but still keeps me informed about all my options and new additions. AND HE LISTENS! He listens carefully to my requests and concerns, and talks to me about what we could do before starting anything. He is also willing to show me how to use styling tools, so that I can do my own hair without him. Best of all, he doesn’t waste my time. I get in, we talk, he works, I leave. Perfect.
And the rest of the staff is nice too. You can really tell that everyone likes each other, and is willing to make everyone’s client feel comfortable. One day I came in after work, starving because I didn’t get the chance to eat lunch. The front desk person offered me water, and I asked if there was a snack machine. He said no, but offered me some cake and snacks leftover from a birthday party earlier that day. Later, the birthday girl came by the chair and offered me more of her cake. How sweet! I can tell they all get along with each other, and it makes the environment much more relaxing.
Anyway, I feel really comfortable here, and I always look forward to my appointments.

Amazing service. Great location. Finally found a place worth coming back to after a using bazillion Groupons!

I had several great cuts at Pearl Salon. I regret that I can no longer think of the name of the stylist (she is blond, originally from Russia?) and would continue to see her for cuts if I still lived in Austin. She did the best swing bob on me I’ve ever had.
On a not so great note, I did have highlights/​lowlights done once and for some reason the color was dripping onto my face out of the foils! It ended up looking fine, but it was weird!

Once again, Christine and the rest of the staff at Pearl Salon have out done themselves. I just cut about 12 inches from my hair and they did an amazing job! Thank you!

I LOVED my hair cut from here. I have curly hair so not only am I super picky about my hair stylist but I’m not very brave at trying new places. I walked away not only in love with my hair dresser but I am a new bumble and bumble fan! Will come in again.

5 Stars for Brett and the Pearl Salon! I have to admit that leaving Downtown and all of the fantastic hair and salon places that inhabit it didn’t make sense to me as I saw it in my rear view mirror the first time I headed to Pearl. However, upon first setting foot in Pearl and having Brett perform his coiffure magic on me, there is no other place for me!
The place is inviting, trendy yet always has a sense of privacy. Everyone is always kind and the friendly reminders are a Godsend. My glass of wine and/​or margarita are always appreciated. Kudos for the light fixture over the shampoo area and the fact that the place ALWAYS looks put-​together! On another more impressive note, Pearl is 1 of 3 places in town that is licensed to sell Kerastase of Paris products. Any salon that is willing to take the degree of pains needed to be given approval to market these products is an industry leader.

Darren, Darren, Darren… where have you been all my life? I too had been searching for a new place to get a good «do» and stumbled upon Darren on Craigslist… Hey I’ll be honest — I was looking for a cheap or free deal to get a «model» cut/​color done like I have done before. I needed a new look to go wow the «x» at a family function. I got a little nervous when he had an opening within a few days. I use to have to books months in advance for my guy in NY. Well I was more than please with the results. First of all I think he really listened and spent a lot of time with the style and color. And the magic shampoo hands just made it awesome as well. The salon itself is also very nice. A bit too cold (a/​c wise) that day. But the coolest lava lamp I’ve seen in decades. I got a good look and tried it for a week. I have a lot of (thick) hair and was having a little problem with making it look the way he had intended so I went back in for an adjustment. And a half hour later I liked the cut even more! I have gotten compliments galore and will refer all I know to him. (besides — he has a referral program that can earn me a free service so what the heck) (tell him I sent you!) I will be back again and again… and the products are great too

5 Stars is a big statement, I know, but there aren’t star portions and I’m feeling generous today. :)
I was a little unsure of what to expect as I had found Pearl Salon and Darren through Craigslist, but I was very pleasantly surprised. As someone said before, Pearl is a gorgeous mix of chill and classy, homey without kitsch. I want to take home all of the furniture there, no joke. Clean, airy layout, and relaxing environment. +1
First off, the staff at Pearl was really great about keeping in touch with me when we were playing a bit of phone tag while trying to confirm my appointment. They also were happy to open the salon early so I could get my services done before going in to work at 11am (Thanks Bethany!), so I was very happy about that. +1
I had a great wash/​shampoo (no water dribbling down my back or in my ears!) and the most wonderful blow out that I’ve had in years. My hair hasn’t looked this good in ages :). Darren was great about a) making sure my hair fit my lifestyle (no ridiculously high maintenance styles for me), b) answering questions about doing my hair at home, and c) keeping on schedule. I was most impressed with how he was able to use his creative judgement and experience to make my hair look great, but also bring in elements of what I wanted/​liked. +2
On a personal note, I’m not «chatty Cathy» when I get my hair done, and my experience with stylists can be hit or miss because of this, but Darren was a great balance between working and conversation. +1 for that.
–¼ star for not having a working credit card machine at the moment (supposedly down for an hour or so)… thank God I had cash otherwise I’d have been S.O.L.
Still, I’m going back when my hair grows out and I’ll be recommending the salon and my stylist (Darren) to my friends.

I agree with Bree – Jessica is awesome! She always does an fabulous job – the only time that people tell me that my hair looks good is when I’ve gone to her (gee, thanks people). Plus, she’s super fun, easy to talk to, and the salon is gorgeous. The front lobby has the most beautiful, comfy furniture that I would love to have in my house if I had money. Seriously, I honestly pondered if I could fit the tufted loveseat in my little sports coupe. I love the location of this salon – it makes me feel like a sophisticated Westlake lady, but in a good way.

I have been going to my hair stylist, Jessica Taylor, for years now. She recently moved to Pearl Salon when it opened. The salon is great, very cozy and welcoming. Jessica does some awesome highlights and cuts and I refer everyone I know to her, including strangers who compliment my hair.