The Upper Hand Salon: River Oaks

Trish has been cutting & coloring my hair for years. I get stopped on the street almost every week because someone wants to know where I get my hair done. She does an absolutely amazing job. I have short hair and wouldn't trust anyone else. Pros: great cookies Cons: cons? more

I have gone to the The Upper Hand for two years now. What brought me to this salon oringinally was when I followed Carrie from another salon to this one. The Upper Hand is amazingly clean, modern, and inviting. I HIGHLY recommend Carrie for coloring. She has always listened to exactly what I want, adding her own professional touch. She has not only colored my hair from red to platinum blonde, but I had no awkward ""inbetween"" orange or brassy tones. I will not trust my hair with anyone but her, simply because I trust her judgement so much. Her skills alone would keep me coming back to her, she is also sweet as can be also. Overall, every expierence I have had with Carrie and The Upper Hand has been more than satisfactory! Pros: exactly what i want everytime Cons: $$ more

I've been going to Trish for a number of years and she is all about customer service! I love my haircuts and enjoy the time I'm at the Upper Hand. I have taken pictures in of colour and Trish advises as to what will work for me and what won't. I went against her advise one time as I was sure I knew what colour I wanted - she was right, I wasn't. So now I go with her recommendation(s). And her new assistant Jess is a doll too! Very attentive and helpful. more

I just spent a small fortune ($250) on a cut and color by Trish and her colorist Jess. I brought in several photos of the color that I wanted and discussed them with Trish before she began. She explained that she would go darker, but that within a week my hair would lighten up to the color that I wanted. This sounded strange to me but she assured me to trust her. It has now been one week and the color is still much too dark and looks nothing like the photos I brought in. I have called the salon everyday now for three days in a row and left a message explaining this to the receptionist. NO ONE has called! The rudeness and lack of customer service is shameful. Do not make the same mistake I did, avoid this salon. Cons: Will not fix their mistakes more

I just moved back from Dallas. I was able to find this salon. I was looking for a new hairdresser. I am Blonde and very picky when it comes to highlight's. Sarah's first time doing my hair did a perfect job. She also gets very close to roots. She listened to my request & my color turned out just like I wanted. I would recommend Sarah. The front desk personnel are great too! They were able to work me in on short notice. I give this salon 5 star easy! Pros: Sarah is very educated in color. Cons: None more

I always read the google reviews before trying out a new place. The reviews for this place were pretty good, so I decided to go for a haircut. BIG MISTAKE! I don't know who wrote the reviews, or if they were in their right minds, because they TOTALLY BOTCHED MY HAIR!!!! All I asked for was a trim, but what I ended up getting was a a weird haircut that falls above my shoulders. I specifically asked for a TINY TRIM because of my upcoming honeymoon (I wanted to keep my hair long for it). The lady who cut my hair also didn't have the proper training to even keep it symmetrical, and gave me choppy bangs with ragged edges.I love styling my own hair every morning and have been doing so since I was a teenager. However, I've been wearing ponytails since my visit with Upper Hand, because I just can't wear my hair down. It's impossible to style. I even went back for a correction, and while they managed to find me someone (not the same person who messed up my hair the first time), it didn't fix the problem. My friends and co- workers are in utter shock of what Upper Hand has done to me!!! I have never written a review for anything before, but I am so furious and don't want anyone to go through what I did. Save yourself the time and money, go somewhere else!!!! p.s. I've never written any reviews before, so I was surprised to see that my google review I wrote last night is no longer there this morning. I'm re-writing it on city search. Pros: Salon has nice interior Cons: Incompetent hairdresser more

Fun place to go to. Sarah is great , was never bored great convo and hair. Love it will totally go back Pros: Sarah Lindsey, Atmo more

I just moved here from Beaumont and i was looking for a new hair salon i came across The Upper Hand on the internet and decided to give it a try . I loved my hair Carrie is the best i have really dark hair and she made me into a blondie again she's great. I loved her personality , even though she was busy and probley exsausted she made me feel like i was so important she always had a smile on her face. The staff was really friendly. Mikey is Carrie's assistant and she is a pro with the blowdryer, Sarah is another assitant and she gives awesome shampoo's. The faclity is very nice and everyone's very nice they will make you look your best i highly recommend them!! Pros: In a good area Cons: The parking is too small more

Ashley ( the smashing red head) is amazing! I just moved to Houston 5 months ago. I needed to find a hair dresser that could make my hair a beautiful blonde again! I have gone to 4 other salons looking for someone to make me beautiful again! I had so many huge disappointments in the past year that I was getting very frustrated! I found the Upper Hand Salon through the web and knew I had found what I was looking for. The receptionist set me up with Ashley Schouweiler. I am so thankful to have her taking care of me! She listens to what you want and delivers. If you want to look beautiful again, go to Ashley. I?m so excited I had to share! Mindy Pros: Ambience is wonderful, friendly staff, great parking, outstanding service Cons: Pedicure more

A completely relaxing environment, very good customer service and Sarah Lindsey is the best and most concentrated hair stylist I have ever had do my hair. I changed my entire look and it came out better than I would have ever expected with the help of her input. Pros: Everything is great! more

I have semi curly hair, but it is so thick! When I would get my hair done, it would look good when I left, but then when I fixed it myself, it would go crazy. When Sarah colored, cut and styled my hair, i left feeling gorgeous and could recreate the style on my own the next day! Sarah does a great job understanding what you want, and then producing it! I recommend her to anyone that compliments me on my hair. She will never let you look bad :) Cons: not a thing more

I have crazy half wavy, partially straight, curly when it wants to be hair and have never found anyone who can incorporate all of this into one style until now. Sarah at Upper Hand rocks my world! The style she gave me lets me go curly when I want and still looks great when blown straight. more

After extensive researching after a botched hair job at one of the top salons in Houston (Albert Luis), I found Upper Hand. I had looked through all the comments on this website and decided to get my hair done with Trish. It was the best decision I have ever made! I felt like I knew Jessica (her assistant) and Trish for years! Trish is the ONLY hair stylist that has ever gotten hair color RIGHT! I naturally have dark hair, and every single person before her has always made my hair orange/have a red tint! My hair is a GORGEOUS dark brown, the cut could not suit my face better. Everyone at work has commented on my hair, as well as people I have never met before in my life! It was a wonderful experience, great atmosphere, and I plan on being a loyal customer for a very long time. Trust me, it is worth every dollar! Pros: Amazing Haircut & Color, Wine, Atmosphere, Friendly Staff Cons: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! more

When you hear the name of a business and the words ""Salon"" or ""Day Spa"" attached to it, most people think it's going to be stuffy and full of women without a single man in sight. The Upper Hand is not one of these places. Rachel (the manager) and her staff keep this salon upbeat and current in style, technique, and atmosphere. Both men and women can feel comfortable here no matter why they are there. Pros: Color, Cuts, Ambience; Complimentary Wine, Coffee, and Soda! Cons: Parking lot is a little on the small side more

Best Hair Cut and Color in Houston! Paula Parker is not only a great stylist for cut but also the best for color! I have red tones in my hair and she is the only one who can give me that beautiful accent without it turning brassy. Her cuts are the best too! She is a perfectionist and takes such pride in her work. It shows in every detail! She is also a lovely person and a pleasure to be with! more

Paula gives me the best haircut and color that I have ever gotten... I live in LA and my whole family as well as my best friend fly to Houston to get Paula to do our hair- and believe me- we have tried every big name in LA and there is no one like her!!! She is AMAZING with cuts and color and is perfection with hilites... She understands face shape and gives you a haircut that compliments your face, hair and body- not just the trend of the week... What is really cool is that she uses Aveda as well as other color lines because she had hew own Aveda Concept Salon for 20 years and is still allowed to buy Aveda- which is an all natural product, but no one else in the salon is able to use it...She doesn't work for The Upper Hand, so you have to call her number 713-529-8670 - to set up an appointment- Trust me- she is not cheap, but she is worth every penny... I have gone for three months without a haircut and it still looks as good today as it did when she cut it!!! Pros: No one better Cons: small parking spaces more

Aside from being the most handsome and personable stylist that I have ever seen , Phillip Valt is AMAZING at what he does... He listened to exactly what I wanted, and more importingly what I didn't want... He made me feel like a beauty queen while I was in the salon, and I left looking as if I were one... I cannot say enough about this talented man... He gave me a FABULOUS haircut and blow-out, not to mention the hi-lites that all my girlfriends are jealous of... So induldge yourself and make an appointment with Phiilip... You cannot go wrong with this one!!! Pros: Phillip Valt Cons: the shampoo person was not as personable, and it took a bit to get shampooed. more

I recently moved back to Houston and discovered that my favorite salon had closed. With a little cyber-stalking, I tracked down my stylist at The Upper Hand River Oaks. I'm so glad I did, because Mikey is THE best. Not only does she always deliver a great hair cut - and a perfect blowout - she is infinitely cheerful and makes the salon a fun place to visit. She also does great men's styles; my husband has never looked better! Pros: top-notch color, cut, and style; great atmosphere Cons: pricey more

I could laud all day about this salon's professionalism and expertise. Honestly, I don't know where to begin, so I'll start with my most recent hair-do! more

This is my first time on any review site but I feel compelled to share my experience so no one goes through this again! After reading rave reviews on Citysearch I signed up for a Haircut & Color from Carrie at River Oaks Upper Hand and ended up with the worst haircut I have ever received! Pros: Ambience Cons: Skill of Hair Stylist more