The Upper Hand Salon: Royal Oaks

Jill is incredible....my hair is more healthy than it has ever been....and my great lengths are amazing! I have friends that cannot believe how natural my hair looks and I average 2-3 compliments on my hair daily....If you are looking for great hair....you have found the spot! Pros: The best my hair has ever looked! more

Absolutely fabulous! Jillian is the best and I wouldn't go anywhere else! She is great at what she does...always listens and gives her honest opinion. She is truly talented ..the cut, color or extensions always come out amazing! She is so personable and funny as well, which definitely helps pass the time! The staff is always friendly, the salon is always clean and someone is always asking if you need something, whether it be a drink or a magazine. Prices are also good, especially when you consider the service you receive. Would recommend The Upper Hand at Royal Oaks and JILLIAN to anyone and everyone!! Pros: Jillian, atmosphere more

Jillian is the best stylist - she gives honest feedback, and is very talented.? Every time she does my hair, random people compliment me on it - it is awesome - she just does a great job and I would recommend her to anyone!! Pros: Jill knows what she's doing Cons: nada more

First of all I must say that I have been on citysearch before and have tried at least three other stylist before I found Jillian and lord knows it was worth the wait. I waited awhile to write a review because I wanted to be sure. Not only does she know her ""stuff"" and is always talking in numbers to her assistant, she is funny, and caring. Every time I come in she looks different too! I love the fact that she is constantly changing her style. I highly recommend Jillian to anyone. Pros: jillian Cons: front desk didn't acknowledge me when i came in more

If you ever want to try Hair Extensions, you've got to go to Serena @ Upper Hand - Royal Oaks. Not only does she use the best product - Great Lengths Hair Extensions - but she is a pro at putting them in. I have been to 3 other salons in Houston who tout their expertise in Great Lengths Hair Extensions, but with each of those, my extensions fell out in less than 2 months! Serena's extensions last me a full 4 months & they look gorgeous! They are expensive, but worth it for someone like me who has always had fine, hard to style hair. Serena also does great cuts & styles. Pros: Serena is a great hair stylist more

Trying to find a new salon in a city you just moved to can be daunting. I figured I would give the Upper Hand a try since the majority of the reviews here on citysearch have been good ones. I went and had my hair cut and styled by Katie approximately 3 months ago. She did an awesome job giving me a textured inverted bob cut - she never rushed through the appointment, and she always listened to what I wanted done, and she was warm and all around pleasant to have as my hairdresser!! And this is all lot for me to say because I am very picky when it comes to my hair and the person who is doing it. She also made it sure ahead of time that it was no problem to come in the next day if I needed any sort of ""touch up"" with regard to the cut. Sometimes you don't notice something that could be fixed or done differently until you've already left the salon and are at home. I came in the next day without an appointment and she fixed exactly what I wanted. Again, she never rushed me. All in all, my appointment with Katie was an enjoyable experience, and I have scheduled another appointment with her for next week and I'm really looking forward to having her as my hairdresser again. I highly recommend her! -Michelle more

Just wanted to let you know that I enjoy the creative Hair Style that I recv while I am in the Hands of Phillip more

I went to upperhand two weeks ago for color,First of all the place looks messy to me ,then i had this stylist who didn't even listen to what i asked her for ,she just did whatever she liked and know my hair is too blonde ,dry and dont get me started on the styling !Way too over priced,over rated i will never go back. Cons: messy and too expensive! more

Before coming to The Upper Hand I have been to several other well know salons in Houston. I have been searching for that one hairstylist that listened and actually understoor hair; not only how to cut and color but what differnt textures and thicknesses would do if cut differently. When I sat in Serena's chair I didn't even need to tell her my concerns, she saw all of my problem areas and addressed them even before I said anything. Not only did Serena see the difficult areas she also knew how to conceal them. Now a few weeks later my color and cut still look fabulous and natural. Finally I have found the stylist for me!!! Pros: Very knowledgable hairstylist Cons: there were none more

I've been going to Jillian for several years now and I love her! My cut and color always look great! I would highly recommend her. Pros: Courteous, Well trained, good listener, thorough Cons: wish it was closer to my house more

In the Upper Hand Salon at Royal Oaks, I have always received the best attention. SERENA has been my stylist for almost two years now, and my hair has never been in better hands. She has always been patient with me and my hair needs, and her first concern has always been my hair's health. She cuts very well, and does a very detailed and beautiful job with highlights and coloring. She is careful and always remembers what I like and what she has done previously to my hair. I really recommend SERENA because of the attention she pays to details and how she has taken care of my hair. Pros: Serena is a great stylist, they use the best quality hair products Cons: a little expensive, but the hair products are really the best and stylists are really good more

Carri....colored and fixed my hair for bridal protraits and my wedding. She is the BEST colorist on the planet! She is also sweet and super friendly which makes for a nice experience while visiting an upscale salon. THANKS AGAIN CARRI...u are AWESOME and I will see you again soon!...Stephany Pros: love the atmosphere and location Cons: absolutely none more

Love Jillian to pieces--she listens to what you want but at the same time will give you her honest opinion if you ask for it. She made me feel comfortable right off the back, and now that I'm a regular, she will try to squeeze me in when I really need her. And I know when I'm ready for a new look that I can put it into Jilian's competent hands! more

I will be very objective. Here's what I liked about the place: 1). nice and friendly people, 2) I was offered refreshment ...this is where everything I liked about the place stopped. Upper Hand Royal Oaks is supposedly one of the highly rated salons in Houston. I've seen many high rated salons in Chicago and Upper Hand doesn't even come close and here's why: I wasn't given a tour of the salon (I had no idea where the restroom is or anything else for that matter), I wasn't given a smog (I had very expensive tee shirt on.. thanks god it was black otherwise it would be ruined by color), there was no place to put my purse (my stylist put it on top of the garbage can in front of the mirror!!!! lady next to me had her expensive purse sitting on the floor); Their chairs were uncomfortable (I had my hair colored and cut, so I spent two and a half hours in that chair ...my back was hurting because the back of the sit is made out of wood and it was rubbing against my bra), employees didn't look stylish at all.. if you're in the beauty industry, you should look beautiful. I was also disappointed with my stylist, seemed like she was not confident at all, no first consultation to understand what I do daily with my hair, what I like or dislike etc. She barely knew how to blowdry my hair and she was very slow. I'm sorry, but when you charge $70 for a haircut, you better know how to blowdry it too. I had to finish my own hair with a flat iron. Any self respecting stylist will not allow her client to touch/fix hair while in their chair. All in all... this salon is below average in my book and their services are not worth the price they are charging. No wonder the place was empty on Friday evening (normally one of the busiest times for salons). Total disappointment! I gave this place two stars for the sheer fact that the people were nice, otherwise it would get no stars from me. I will NEVER go back to this salon again!!!! My manicure and pedicure sucked too!!!! Pros: friendly people Cons: services are not worth the money more

Seriously, Jennifer Macaluso is the bomb when it comes to hair. She has been working her magic for nearly 20 years (though you'd never know that to look at her) and her experience, as well as an innate sense of shape and color for each individual, will send you off looking like you just stepped out of page in Vogue. And best of all, she's equally adept with men or women and all types of hair. more

I moved here from California and am VERY picky with who cuts my hair since I had the same hair stylist for many years. I had been to a couple of salons around Houston and was not satisfied. Well I decided to try a salon close to where I live and I stummbled upon Jillian. I have to say I found 'my girl' for my hair and am so exicted. She is really friendly, gives her opinion, and although she has only been doing hair for a few years, she knows what she is doing and I am extremely satisfied...I am definitely recommending her to all my friends. more

The Upper Hand at Royal Oaks is an all around great salon. I have had all the different services there. I appreciate their cleanliness. Jillian is my hair stylist for color and cuts. It's nice to have someone who can do both. My hair always turns out great. My hair is medium-long and wavy in texture. Jillian is sweet, attentive, and talented. Pros: Courteous staff more

after reading all of the reviews on here it seemed that i should give jillian a try after all of the crazy episodes ive had with my hair! the reviews were right...she listened to what my problems were and fixed my hair the way i wanted in the first place! she was sweet too...so that always makes the experience more enjoyable...although she had three clients at one time she made me feel like i was her only client! i highly recommend for everyone to give jillian a try! Pros: sweet staff Cons: uncomfortable chairs!!!!!!! more

I recently had my first experience at the Upper Hand at Royal Oaks and I must say I was extremely impressed with everything. I have recently moved to Houston and have had a few bad experiences (and awful haircuts!) and was about to give up on finding a salon as great as the one I had in Seattle. After reading the reviews here I decided to give it a try. I had Danielle and she gave me one of the best haircuts I've had in a long time! She took me back right on time and really listened to what I wanted and didn't rush through it and only finished when she knew I was 100% happy. The rest of the staff was also very helpful and friendly and I got the impression that they really cared about customer service, unlike other salons that are constantly running behind and then rushing through your cut so they can get to their next client. The salon itself is very hip and trendy feeling, without being intimidating, and was really clean. My only complaint is that their chairs are VERY uncomfortable and my bum was pretty sore by the time I was done. It's a very minor thing in comparison to the service. If you're looking for a great salon in the west houston area then you should definately try The Upper Hand. You won't be dissappointed! Pros: on time, friendly, skilled stylist, great location with lots of parking Cons: uncomfortable chairs! more

im usually really skeptical about where to cut my hair, but when i decided to go to the upper hand it was so worth it.I bookedd my appointment for the next day and got it...they sayed my stylist would be Nancy,turns out she's great she listens to what you want (every detail) and adds in the right suggestionsIt's like she knew exactly what i wanted even without a picture.If you're a busy person and don't have much time,she's perfect! She did my hair in a hours time. wash cut and blowdry.It was done fast and it looked great.The service was fast and fabulous for about 55$. more