Ava Brooks
Founder & Master Colorist
Opened Velvet Strand in 2016 after a decade between New York and London. Blondes and big corrections are her love language.
Velvet Strand Hair Studio
COLOR THAT TURNS HEADS
naturally
Hand painted balayage, glossy brunettes and blondes that grow out kind. Our colorists live for the fine print.
* or give us a call at (512) 555 0147
hello, gorgeous
Life is short. Your hair should be the fun part.
Every appointment here starts with a real conversation and ends with hair that behaves at home, not just in our chairs. Some salons hand you a mirror and a bill. We hand you a plan, teach you the five minute version of the blowout, and remember your coffee order the next time you swing by.
Come as you are. Leave as the version of you that keeps catching glances in shop windows.
Fresh off the chair
Looks we love right now
obsessed
GOLDEN HOUR BLONDE
Balayage
CURLS, LEFT ALONE
Dry cut & definition
BRAIDS THAT MEAN IT
Protective styling
BalayagePrecision CutsBlowoutsExtensionsBraidsKeratinCopperBridalBarberingGloss
Straightforward pricing
All Hair Services
no surprises
Popular picks with prices you can plan around. The full menu, with every treatment and detail, lives on the services page.
Signature Cut & Style
$85A real consultation, a precise cut, wash and a finish you can copy at home.
Full Balayage
$220Hand painted, toned and sealed with a gloss. Lived in color that grows out easy.
Blowout
$65Deep clean, round brush, and bounce that survives a Texas porch evening.
Keratin Smoothing
$280Frizz gone for about three months. Wash and go becomes an actual option.
Men's Cut
$55Scissor or clipper work with a hot towel finish and zero forced small talk.
Event Updo
$120For weddings, galas and every night that ends up in someone's camera roll.
the pillow test
Great hair does not happen by accident. It happens by appointment.
est. 2016
Six chairs, one loud playlist, zero attitude.
The short version
A neighborhood studio with a loyal streak
homegrown
Velvet Strand started above a coffee roastery with two chairs and a borrowed hooded dryer. Nine years later we have six chairs on Rainey Street, a team that trains constantly, and clients who followed us through two renovations and one very dramatic 2021 flood.
2016
The year we opened
6
Chairs on Rainey Street
14k
Appointments served
4x
Team training per year
Who you will meet
The people behind the chairs
the crew
Noor Haddad
Senior Stylist, Cutting Lead
The one people fly in for. Noor cuts dry, thinks in shapes, and has never once pushed a fringe on the undecided.
Scarlett Reyes
Extensions & Editorial
Trained on set with photographers, so she knows exactly what reads on camera and what quietly falls apart.
Jo Callahan
Barbering & Texture
Sharp clipper work, easy laughs, and the calmest hands in the shop for curly and coily cuts.
Take the salon home with you.
We stock the small batch products we actually use behind the chair, nothing that needs a chemistry degree to understand. Ask your stylist to build a routine you can keep up with, then grab everything on your way out. We would rather sell you one bottle that works than five you will forget under the sink.
Word of mouth
What clients tell their friends
blushing
I showed Noor one blurry photo from 2019 and she nailed it. Three coworkers have booked since and one of them moved apartments to be closer. That part might be unrelated.
First salon in Austin that asked what my mornings actually look like before picking up scissors. Ten minutes of my routine changed everything about the cut they gave me.
Ava fixed color two other salons gave up on. I nearly cried at the mirror. Then she taught me how to keep it looking like that at home without a single fancy tool.
one last thing
Saturday chairs go fast
If you want a weekend slot, book a week or two ahead. Weekday mornings are the insider secret, plenty of room and the coffee is still hot.