Studio A Salon

Good service! I had some coloring done by Jessica. She listen to what I wanted, very tentative to details.

The Salon is very nice, high end feeling and clean.
I recently had an issue with them not contacting me to confirm an appointment and inform me that my hairstylist doesn’t work in there anymore but David the owner got in touch with me immediately he hear of the issue, he explained the situation, apologized, offered solutions, a free treatment and discount. This is what a real caring business owner should be.
Thank you David.

I wanted to love this place. I really did. I booked an appointment with Studio A Salon after reading numerous glowing reviews and decided to give it a try after a botched «balayage» job that resulted in highlights. I was so excited at the thought of finally getting my hair color fixed.
Setting: Aesthetically, the salon setting is beautiful. I adore the white color scheme, minimal design and clean look. It definitely has a modern, contemporary and trendy feel to it which I love. They also offer complimentary refreshments such as water or tea while you wait which is nice. The massage chairs while you shampoo are also a plus.
Initial: I booked my appointment with Yessenia. I came in with dark brunette hair with golden highlights. I told her exactly what I wanted, which was an ombré/​balayage with medium ash brown at the top and medium ash blonde at the bottom. She informed me that would it take up to 2 – 3 sessions to achieve that, since my natural hair color is a dark brown. I appreciated that she was straightforward and was completely fine with it when she told me. The stylist was nice but we barely talked throughout the process. I had to initiate the conversation with her, asking her where she was from, what kind of tool she was using, etc. I really like when hair stylists educate me during the process but I didn’t receive that. Honestly, I felt awkward when I asked questions.
Process: The process took 4 hours, flipping between me and another client. Oh man. This had to be one of the most PAINFUL experiences I’ve ever had, from the coloring, shampooing to the blowout. I actually said «Ow!» several times but she would just respond with «Sorry!» and then continue pulling hard on my hair. My scalp felt extremely sensitive and I was afraid every time she grabbed my hair strands. She stated «Your scalp must be sensitive.» No. If you punch someone in the face, you don’t tell them that their face is sensitive! Next, I told her that I wanted my bangs to be left alone, which she did. However, the balayage was blended all the way up to my roots so now it looks strange: my bangs are dark brown and the top of my head has balayage/​lighter color. Check out the pictures. I was hoping for something closer to the pics I provided which was a noticeable medium brown at the top and then gradually blended into a lighter color. I didn’t care if my hair was warm toned at this point, I just wanted it to be a gradual blend. Nope. Didn’t happen.
Don’t get me wrong, the blowout was lovely, the color was pretty (despite being on the warmer side) and the stylist was nice. However, it wasn’t balayaged/​ombred the way I want it to. Maybe she was expecting for me to grow my hair out? Not sure. I still haven’t decided if I want to come back or not for my second session. I can’t justify spending another $ 170 coloring job here or recommending anyone else. If you do book, book it with another stylist there. I’m just really disappointed in the outcome of my hair.

I love my hair!
There are many reasons that I am giving Studio A 5 star review, first I LOVE my hair! Lew is amazing with his coloring and cuts. He is a great listener and I really appreciate how he always makes sure we are on the same page with the outcome of every appointment.
I have been coloring my hair for over 10 years now. I know how challenging it is to describe a desired color and not know if the stylist is understanding you. Lew always makes a point to show examples of color swatches/​pictures and review what we are going to do before putting any color on my hair. I always leave feeling educated and a part of the process.
When I first started going to Lew, my hair had been consistently fading to a «red» tone. I had been dissatisfied with my hair for a long time, over a year. After my first visit Lew was able to get it out/​cover it. After my second visit I have not had the problem at all. I like how Lew educated me that it might take a few visits to get all of the «red» that I was describing out, but that it was perfectly do-​able. I’m more than satisfied that it only took two visits to achieve the perfect color.
I am always happy with my hair after my appointments with Lew, and I always look forward to my next! Not only do I love my hair, my appointments are so fun! Lew is smart, charming, and has a great sense of humor! Random fact I learned at my last appointment, he is a painter and has an art degree!
Again, I love my hair, Lew, and Studio A ! I have no reasons why you shouldn’t love your hair too! So stop making excuses and make your appointment!

I’m reviewing Studio A Salon a month after going to the Salon. I had had a string of haircuts I wasn’t wild about and wanted a low maintenance color solution to lighten my hair. I was booked quickly with Yessenia «Yessie» and she spent almost 3 hours on my hair. I appreciated her dedication when my hair needed some TLC. We decided on a warm partial balayage which was reasonably priced. I added a haircut and trim as well. I might have been a little shocked seeing my hair initially, and sweet Yessie had another staff person helping her blowdry to get me out in time for a work meeting. I have to say, a month later, my color looks SO good. It was exactly what I wanted. It is subtle, but noticeably sunkissed. I don’t live in Houston, but may have to come back for color!

What I love the most is… EVERYTHING!!! I have had amazing results with hair style and color (every time!), but I also just love how amazingly chic and comfortable this place it. Love it. Love it. David is truly an artist. I went to him after losing all of my hair to chemotherapy and wanting an actual style and specific color… without damage. Got it all, and more! And all of the people at the front are so sweet and helpful. I started going at their last location, but am in love with the new one because the shampoo chairs massage me and do some kind of relaxing light show. I let go during that part and just enjoy. It’s so unique and amazing, but I will always come back because of the confidence I feel about the cuts and color, even if you are picky. TIP: If you are blonde and specific about your color (white v. gold, etc.) they will hear you and do this. So important to me.

I have dark hair & I wanted a big change. I had been dying my hair black for years using box color that was looking very boring. I found this salon on Unilocal & called for an appointment due to the positive reviews. The salon is located in the Village with plenty of parking in the back. The staff is nice, the shampoos stations have built in messages and the mimosas are complementary.
My first visit was on March 30^th with Yesenia, she did a partial balayage. It was pretty and subtle, the toner she used was a honey brown but the red copper undertones emerged.
My second visit was on May 11^th with Yesenia. She did partial highlights to lighten my hair. She applied the same honey brown toner and cut my hair in long layers. It turned out looking really awesome when I curl my hair.
My third visit was on July 24 for a second partial balayage. I want my hair lighter on top and darker underneath. Yesenia made my hair gorgeous with a blowout.
Just FYI, they can get really busy on the weekends. You could be there for hours

I searched all over Houston trying to find a salon that I was happy with, and feel so fortunate to have found Studio A Salon. The salon décor is very modern and chic, but still gives off a very welcoming and cozy feel. My stylist is Jessica and I absolutely love her! She is always willing to give advice and truly cares about her clients. She also introduced me to balayage, and my color has never looked better. A few weeks ago I decided to get my hair cut a little shorter than I usually do, and I received a million compliments on how great the cut looked. I am so lucky to have a stylist like her! The rest of the staff is also really nice, and everyone is always so friendly while I am there. I highly recommend this salon and encourage you to book an appointment with Jessica!

(7÷30÷15) I decided to change my rating from 2 to 1 star because of the lack of apology or concern from manager nearly 2 weeks after my review.
(7÷17÷15) I am writing this review strictly based on my experience with my stylist Jessica. Jessica is a talented stylist by all means and she can give you great advice if you are not sure what you want for your hair but I am a client who knows what I want and even bring pictures.
Here is my story…
Visit 1 (March): I told Jess that I wanted to cut my dead ends off so that my hair could grow. She had to take a few inches which was not that bad. I was happy overall with my healthy hair when I left. My only true complaint is that I’ve never been in as much pain as when she does my blowout and washing. Ouch!
Visit 2: I came in for a routine trim but I guess Jess forgot that I was trying to grow my hair out even though I expressed I only wanted to trim less than half an inch because by the time she was finished it was just as short as when I cut it the first time. Again, ouch on the handling of my poor scalp. (in her defense, I never said anything about the pain) At this point I I really wanted to find a new stylist and or salon but I decided to give the her one more shot.
THE HORRIBLE Color and Bangs Visit (June):
BANGS:
I showed her a few pictures of what I wanted for straight across with a choppy edge but she just did one cut and boom. done. I didn’t have the nerve to tell her I hate my bangs.
COLOR:
— I had seen some good photos on color so I did days of research and set my heart on 4 sample photos. This is where I decided she wasn’t the right stylist for me. When I called for my appt. I told them my hair had never been dyed before and that I wanted purple balayage. Jess told me she could do it and we scheduled an appt. Never having dyed my hair before, I put my complete trust in Jess that she could deliver what I asked for (photos of my expectations and what I got in a submitted photo).
— I felt like she was in a hurry when bleaching my hair (the blonde was a little dark), and then completely left out the fact that they were out of purple dye. Instead of letting me know this fact and discussing what I wanted, she decides to take it upon herself to «mix purple toner» (once again refer to that picture). When the toner does not cover all of my healthy ends she cuts off about 2 inches from my hair. Remember, I trying to grow my hair out!
— When I look at my hair dried in the mirror I could not hide the pure disappointment in my eyes. She dyed my hair red! RED! and continuously insisted, up until I paid, that it was purple!!! I am an art teacher… I know what purple looks like and that was not it!
— The horror on my face and painfully forced smile I guess guilt-​ed her into offering to color my hair purple free of charge in a correction visit. I would have never been back if not for the fact it was going to be free. I vowed the moment she lied about the color that I would never again spend a dime at Studio A. Please reader, look at the photo in order to truly know my pain.
The Photo:
Corrections visit (July): My hair is freakin’ dark brown with a smidgen of purple! Every once in awhile I see it shine purple if I’m in sunlight. I’ve seen a photo of one of Lew’s clients with purple hair (
)…Is mine the only stylist there who couldn’t give me what I wanted? That was definitely the last visit. I cannot believe how infuriating this experience has been.
If David wants to created a page for individual stylists I can transfer this review over to Jessica’s and write a good review for the studio’s aesthetics and appeal but unfortunately this is where I have to review. Sorry David.

I saw Lew this past week for a haircut. Honestly, it was a fantastic experience. It’s clear that he knows what he’s doing. He understood exactly was I was asking for. I couldn’t be more pleased. Will be recommending him and Studio A to all of my friends.

Amazing! I came here after another salon gave me a bad dye job and they were able to not only fix it but give me the color I originally wanted. I will definitely be going back.

If I could, I would leave a 4.8, but I love my hair SO MUCH that any misgivings can basically be overlooked.
I found Lew Derkowski through seeing one of my Facebook friends post about her hair (which looked great). I should start by saying that a) I am of mixed heritage and have very curly, textured hair, and b) I never, ever go to salons because I assume people will not know how to handle my hair nor do I do anything fancy with my hair anyway. I decided I wanted to dye my dark hair a much lighter honey-​blonde color (think: Beyonce). I had already been through HELL with two other stylists out of town over the past 6 months trying to get what I wanted (i.e. not the tacky streaks I came in with), so this was a last-​ditch effort before I pitifully box-​dyed my hair back to dark brown.
I was extremely specific with multiple pictures showing Lew the color and style that I wanted. With me being very poorly versed in salon/​style/​color speak, Lew explained everything to me in layman’s terms, which was much appreciated. He is extremely personable and very present on social media (add him!!). He also takes time to look at pictures and ask the customer their preferences to give them exactly what they want. Both appointments were relaxed and I felt like he really paid attention to me while I was in the chair, as opposed to some stylists that flip back and forth between many customers).
Small con: It was a 2-​appointment process when it only really needed to be one (which I didn’t expect, but I was kind of my fault since I booked the appointment incorrectly), but I almost wish I had just cancelled and stuck to just putting my hair through 1 extra round of coloring.
All in all LOVED the experience. Can’t speak for the whole salon (which is super nice and clean), but Lew is GREAT. Highly recommend him, even for my curly girls!!!

Friendly, happy staff and excellent color work. *Massage chairs have a pleasant surprise* Studio A team really takes care of their clients to make sure you have a great experience from the moment you walk in. They always offer you a beverage and address your questions. The interior is clean and modern, with pops of color from artwork by local artists. Well done.
I’ve been getting cut and color by Lew and I love the ashy smoky caramel color that compliments my skin tone. It’s difficult to get that really flattering hair color for Asian skin that’s not too blonde or brassy, but still shows dimension and color for summer. Lew is really a magician with color and I’m excited to see what he comes up with every time. I also have a ton of limpy hair and Lew gave me a lob and thinned out so there’s more volume, its polished enough for work, and still can be curled into waves for the weekend.
I really appreciate the education from Lew regarding which products to use and how to obtain the best results. He’s informational, but not pushy. He also explained to me what he will do during the visit and answers any and all questions I had since I was new to balayage. Lew listened to my needs and takes into account my lifestyle and my maintenance level to give a cut and color that will grow out nicely.
The pricing is fair for the quality of work and experience that you get. I would definitely recommend this salon.

So I will start off by saying that I did in fact find the Salon via Unilocal,and immediately booked an appointment with all the amazing reviews I read, I didn’t think twice! I was greeted and offered refreshments while I waited for my stylist. As another reviewer said, I didn’t get the vibe of being fully wanted there? No one was rude, but it’s just something you can definitely pick up on. I went in for partial Balayage, and honestly left with what I suppose you can call highlights. After showing a picture of what I wanted, and after asking about 3 times to ensure what color I was getting, which was supposed to be blonde, I ended up with golden highlights, and that was still after toning my hair twice. By this point I had already been there for 2 hours with my stylist starting to see other people while I was in the wash chair waiting for my hair to set. I was also back and forth between my stylist and the helper, having the helper do the small tasks like blow dry my hair and wash it. I understand that part, because they seemed to get busy, but it also made the visit seem less personable since my stylist didn’t explain that to me, or the processes we were doing, or pretty much give me any type of information regarding anything we were doing during that visit. I had to continuously ask questions, which made me feel extremely annoying. To be completely honest, I think the helper was more real with me, and answered more of my questions than the stylist in the short amount of time he was with me! Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed in the studio, with the work performed, and with the fact that after the good amount I paid for these «highlights» I’m most likely going to just go buy a box of hair dye to go back to one color.
**EDIT**
After being contacted by the owner regarding the situation, and helping me fix my problem, I can say that I am now totally a fan. The owner was incredibly understanding and talked to me about what had happened which could be a mix of not being used to having lighter hair/​not having the right color on me. Regardless, he is a sweetheart and picked an amazing color for me that I couldn’t be happier with. When you book your appointment, book it with David, is the best! (That I know of so far)

I found Studio A Salon on Unilocal with amazing reviews. The location was easy to find and parking is adequate for the area and size of the building. Most of the staff were friendly and I was always offered something to drink. I suppose I don’t have thick skin and/​or when I am told that everyone is friendly, I expect southern hospitality; I did not get that vibe, which is somewhat fine, I guess. No one was rude, at least. The space is beautifully decorated. The equipment looks state of the art and those massage chairs were really nice.
I only had a haircut from Angel. I did expect it to be pretty pricey, and I guess I got what I paid for. I loved the turn out. Angel also used product to make my hair feel silky smooth when it was originally pretty dry.
I asked for a dramatic haircut. From the beginning Angel was working quickly. It slipped my mind to take a before (length) picture of my hair from the nervousness and excitement of the cut. But Angel didn’t even offer to take a picture.
What I did not like from my experience was that Angel did not seem like he was talkative (which seemed like he wasn’t friendly), so I had to attempt to make small talk, but that didn’t last long. I’m not sure if he is non-​expressive and appears to be unfriendly, was having a bad day, or I was discriminated because I kept asking for the price. I had to ask him what product was used on my hair instead of him educating me. I wish that he would have taught me more about how to take care of my hair without me asking him to. I wish he would have taught me more about hair in general.
But what was most disappointing from this experience is that Angel basically burned my scalp with the blow dryer not once, not twice, but at least in three different spots on my head. I did not want to complain because I trusted his technique and skills. I did twitch and squirm and he apologized, but if one was to do hair as a profession, you should know to not hurt the scalp. Currently, parts of my head feels slightly raw, but I have a high pain tolerance so I’m okay.
Again, I still love my haircut. Angel did a great job on the cut… but watch out for his blow outs. You might have to run out of the chair before he gets to finish.
If/​when I decide to come back, I would like to try someone else.

Wonderful experience! Lew did a partial baylage, low lights, and cut for me and did a phenomenal job! Customer service was great! I’m moving to NC in 3 weeks or else I would be back again-​I highly recommend the salon!

I walked in with over processed highlights and uneven layers. I really appreciate that Angel took the time to consult with me on what I wanted and what was to be expected. I’ve never had any hairdresser ask about my previous color done which I believe gave an insight on what my hair has been thru and what was the best remedy for it. It was truly an art to see the way Angel did the color and cut taking every detail into consideration. I will keep coming back to Angel @ Studio A Salon. I am very pleased with my hair.

I had to make sure Studio A gets the credit they deserve. Of course, not every salon or individual stylist is perfect, but I think Studio A definitely strives for the ultimate happy customer. Like me! If they ever do wrong, I’m sure they would do what it takes to fix the issue. I believe that this current location is a newer spot for them. Like many salons that have taken over the Houston area, this quaint house-​inverted-​salon is mega chÍc, clean and comfortable. The entire team that day was courteous and welcoming from the moment I entered their door. Also, if you get a chance, please take note of the rug they have in the waiting area. It’s super fab. I want it. and I want it now.
I had Gari as my hair stylist (He was highly recommended by Alexsandra N.). «Just give him a chance. You’ll love him!», she said. Like many others, I have had horrific experiences at salons — even ones that had five star ratings on Unilocal.Gari was very mindful of what ‘look’ I wanted to capture and he agreed with my requests. I didn’t show him a picture (as I usually would do), instead, I just had a few specifics. He knew exactly what I wanted and made my vision come to life. I realized that with pictures, the stylist may not see what you see. I think we had fun (ny) conversations and chemistry because he has such a great personality. He was kind of amaze-​balls. Can I say that on Unilocal?Too bad.

New Salon, right next door!
Great service like always, haircut with David.
New chairs, New Place, New Scissors, Same great service.

I absolutely love this place from the moment I stepped inside. It’s right across the street from my other favorite place Simone’s on sunset. I was greeted by very friendly staff and the owner David. My stylist was Gari. Gari listened to everything I had to say and even let me knit pick precisely how I wanted my hair. I am very picky and he never made me feel that I was bothering him or making him flustered with all my requests. He was super professional and such a sweet heart. I love my new hair cut and can’t wait to go back and have him mess with my color too.
They have such a nice décor and nice wash station. They offer numerous complimentary beverages to the customers such as wines, champagne, water, and coffee.
If you’re wanting a new salon to go to because you’re not happy with your current one, or just the fact that you need one, this is the place to go to!