Vain

My hair isn't anything special, but Sara Thompson at Vain Salon makes it looks amazing. I've been getting cuts, color and highlights from Sara for a while now and will never go to anyone else again. She knows hair texture and what kind of cuts go well with face shape, body type, etc. I get compliments on my hair (cut and color) everyday, and thanks to Sara, I finally have confidence in my lucious locks. You will not be disappointed if you try her out! I've heard it through the rumor mill that she's a bad @ss with guy-cuts too....Check her out! Pros: Sara Thompson, Location, Environment, Service, Products more

I tried a bunch of different places when I first moved to Austin and Vain was by far the best. I've been going to Joey for years now, and she's still terrific. Great color and cut. Pros: Joey is the best! more

I have been following Buffy for a few years now, and she has given me some of the best haircuts I've ever had. I can't get over the fact that my hair can look so good with very little effort on my part because Buffy cuts the shape into it so well. I also tried color from her for the first time yesterday and it's gorgeous! I love that the two of us can collaborate on coming up with what will work for me--not only am I excited about my new look, but Buffy was also very invested in it. She spent 3 and a half hours with me (I asked for a lot of things!) and we were both ecstatic about the finished product. If you want to have cool hair, and you want other people to notice your cool hair, you should be going to Vain. Pros: styles you don't have to mess with Cons: I can't stop looking in the mirror? more

Ive been going to Penny for years and she is the best!I just love the way she cuts and colors my hair I always get tons of compliments,I have to drive pretty far to get my hair done but she is worth it!!! more

I've been getting my hair cut and styled with Buffy for the last couple of years. I do not trust anyone else with my hair. She's creative and knows how to give a unique look that is specifically tailored to her client. I love that I can come into the salon and tell her to do whatever she feels like and I will leave the salon rocking an incredibly chic and stylish hair do. I've had dozens of hair styles done by Buffy and not one of them I was disappointed with. (I've also had my hair done by Tifffany when Buffy was booked solid and loved the cut as well.)\r The salon itself is inviting and fun to come to. The staff is wonderful and very helpful. Everyone is very positive and talented. I never leave Vain disappointed. Pros: service, staff Cons: parking is tight more

My hair is extremely frizzy and difficult to cut and tame. I went to many places before I found Joey at Hairy Situations. She knew exactly what my hair needed and suggested products so that I could keep my hair in check long after I left the salon. She is very open to ""tweaking"" your cut to your specifications, and has great ideas if you have no idea what you want. I love Vain's decor and attitude. Additionally, they have fantastic product lines that can accommodate all types of hair. Most of all I appreciate what Joey and the other stylists are doing -- making styling and coloring an art form. Pros: location, stylists, products more

I wouldn't go anywhere else! I've been a customer at Vain since they opened a few years ago. I actually followed Shawna there. If you are looking to be adventurous, want to try something new and fun she is one to see. The owner has done a fabulous job at making the cute house a great comfy place to relax and get beautified. Well worth every penny!!! Pros: Most creative staff and super nice Cons: Parking is a little tight sometimes more

All of the people that work at Vain are amazing. I have been going there since it opened, and I not only love my hairstylist, but everyone else there is wonderful as well. If you don't have a place you love, you HAVE to try this one! You won't regret it! more

I had my favorite hair cut at Vain by Crystal. I got compliments on it everywhere i went. I have gotten my hair cut in beverly hills for several years, and the style at Vain was up to par with what i was used to. I noticed some people said there was some attitude from the staff... I say, try going to a big city like los angeles (where new clients are actually turned away) and Vain will seem like a giant peace of angel cake! \r Anyway, great hair cut and style, cool atmosphere! Pros: cool stylists, edgy not stuffy, great hair Cons: tiny parking lot more

I've gotten several haircuts and color treatments done to my hair this year alone by Lindsey and each time it has turned out amazing. She's always been attentive with my needs throughout the process of getting my hair done, has made sure I know how to maintain the colors that have been put in, and has always produced a hair style that has been equal or better than the vision I've had for it. The colors are always dead on, the styles are edgy without being rediculous, and the entire expirence has been great. Plus, she's always willing to work me in, within reason of coarse. I've gotten some pretty horrifying hair styles done in my past, and I can honestly say that she is the best hair stylist I've been to. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is decerning about who touches thier hair. Pros: Style, decorations, products, and staff Cons: Location more

time now for MARY & I to acknowledge the coolest, most creative and exciting ""SALON"" in Austin/\r \r Every 3 1/2 weeks we travel from Georgetown to Vain to get the latest and greatest ""dos""\r \r The entire staff are terrific but.SARA is our special creative lady.\r \r You won't be disappointed by this awesome Salon.\r \r Mary & David Pros: everything about it is TOP SHELH more

She does awesome color and cuts!\r I was referred to her by a friend after seeing her color and cut.\r I was forever looking for a stylist so I went and will never go to anyone else!\r I've been coloring my hair for over 20yrs so I've been to many people and by far Sara has been the best!\r I'm not one of those people who go as often as I should so she will color and cut my hair so that by the time I do go it's not looking too bad. I am currently putting 3 colors in my hair and she uses the best mix of colors. She also gives the best massages when washing your hair!\r The only downside was it was a little hard to find and the parking is not so great.\r But totally worth it!\r \r Pros: Sara's color and cuts Cons: parking more

I was in Austin for 2 years before discovering Vain and Joey. It was wonderful. I have curly dark hair. Stylists often give me the same layered hair cut at differing lengths, or do something really interesting which looks great straigtened but like an awkward teenage boy when curly. Joey has solved this dilemma. She has consistently given me a great haircut that gets unanimous compliments. She is extremely pesonable and friendly without breaching the boundaries of professionalism. She works diligently and will not let me leave until I am completely satisfied--which usually means my haircut lasts over an hour. Unfortunately, I moved 2 months ago and am about 2000 miles away from Vain. I have been too afraid to go anywhere else in spite of the directions Joey wrote down for my future stylist. I was delighted to find out that I have to go to Austin in January where I will take the opportunity to get my hair cut. Until then, the transition will be fine since her cuts grow out wonderfully. more

hair highlighted recently by Joey. i was not completely happy with the result, but then again my hair is such that it would be challenging to predict with 100% accuracy how color will look in the long term. At first I was very indignant, after all I rarely spend big money on myself and so getting this done was a big deal for me. After calming down I called the salon and explained that the color faded quicker than I expected and what can we do about this, etc. Joey added more vibrant pieces that same day and it looks so much better, just needed a little tweaking. If you don't like your cut or service, talk to them. They want to to be happy. Also have not experienced the ""rude receptionist"" yet. more

Joey Miller has created one of the best salons in Austin. I have followed her for over 6 years and there is no one else that can cut and color my hair. If I had to go to someone else I would go to Buffy or one of the other girls I have watched Joey teach and work with. Have you ever had a stylist that you could just plop down in her chair and just say hi and she knows pretty much what to do? Joey helped me go from brunette to grey to blond with some rich chocolate streaks and kept my cut edgy and easy. I am a breast cancer survivor and when I was going through chemo my hair fell out. It does not fall out all at once and pretty soon I was sick of sweeping up my hair and cleaning out the drain in my bath tub. I made an appointment to have it buzzed. We had a blast. At one point I had a mohawk going up the side of my head. We played for an hour and a half with my new look. Laughter is the best medicine. My hair is coming back in now and Joey has invited me to come in for a scalp treatment tomorrow and we'll talk about what will look best while it's growing back in or whatever. I can't wait. more

Let me just say do not waste your time on this place. Joey is nice and does decent color, but it not worth the price tag nor is what you have to put up with. I had one hair cut that I actually loved the whole year I had gone here. I went back and asked for a repeat and received something different. It took me 4 OK cuts to get tuned to the one I actually loved then blah. What is up with that? Also, the receptionist has way too much attitude and creates situations out of nothing. She assumes you are a problem when you are not. When conversing with her you feel like she is the customer and you should be servicing her. I am sorry Joey this is just the way she is representing your salon. \r In addition, when you call and get a price for your haircut before coming you should pay that price when you check out not $20 more. It is just good business if you are going to raise your prices to inform your clients you are doing so before you cut their hair, not after.\r I am sincerely sorry for your loss whomever it was Joey, really I am. I have lost many people I care for this year, so I really can empathize. If you read this Joey your receptionist told me she was not going to have an new appointment for me and hung up on me. Your receptionist is just terrible, the lack of professionalism has gotten to me. I will not be returning when I return to Austin, but I get the impression you do not want my business anyway. Pros: Chic, decent cut, good color Cons: bad service receptionist, problems getting appointments, un-notified price changes more

Once posted on yelp, but diluted with self-serving salon employees giving the salon high reviews. Believe that the haircuts are good, but service stinks. (p.s. I can second the receptionist's incompetence-flaky and not really paying attention to her job)\r \r I've been a loyal Joey Fan for years, following her from Hairy Situations to her own new Salon. While her cuts always render me complements, I will not return to her for a few reasons. \r \r First of all, her prices went up from 50 to $60 for a regular cut. Granted, this is pretty much industry standard and not a big deal. But, depending on the day, the cut will take anywhere from 20 -30 min (not including shampoo time). Her attention to detail has fallen off and my cuts no longer seem well executed or finished always seem rushed.\r \r She gets easily distracted, trailing off to talk about things and not cutting your hair for minutes at a time. One of her skill strengths in the past was her ability to listen -- but she has not nailed 3 of my last cuts and overlooked my explicit instructions about texture and length. My last haircut was just plain terrible.\r \r Despite all these technical issues, she does not value her customers anymore. Asking people to model for shows and photoshoots -- and then not compensating them for their time and then instead charging them for cuts and color when they are doing you a favor? Just plain unprofessional. \r \r I've heard that another long-time customer of hers has cancer and was losing her hair. Joey charged her full price ($60) to buzz cut it for 10 minutes. \r \r Where is the loyalty to her customers? \r Sure she gives a good cut, but is it worth it? Pros: good cuts most of the time Cons: lack of customer service and loyalty, overpriced more

Spend just a little time here and you'll just look like you're vain. OK . . . this is from a guy's point of view. Vain's stylists and all personnel have always been good to me. Everything from being patient with me as I try to work a cut into my schedule, to getting water for me as soon as I get in the door, and even has magazines that aren't 5 years old. I don't know how they cater to such a wide variety of clients, but I've seen it all here. Nobody needs to feel like they have to be beautiful to walk in the door, because you'll look beautiful when you walk out of it! As far as stylists go, Tiffany is the best. She does great men's cuts (don't have any experience with her women's cuts.) Tiffany cuts mine and the hair of my 2 best friends. She has done a variety of styles for us from super blonde to dark and rockstar long, from short to shorter, conservative to crazy. I like to leave a lot of the decisions up to her, she's the artist. Once she gets to know you, she will be able to easily give suggestions on styles that will suit your needs. I'm a gemini, so she's always changing my hair. I think there is a little vanity in my star sign that goes a long way. PS - guys, they even got me to pluck the eyebrows and dye my lashes. It was like the poor man's face lift and wasn't as scary as I expected. Pros: Nerds to Rockstars get treated with respect here and leave the salon making the world a prettier place. Cons: Parking can get tight when crowded more

First off, it takes a lot for me to be moved to a point of frustration necessary to write a negative post on any small business. I've been going to Vain pretty much since it opened. In that time, I've had several negative experiences with the scheduling of appointments, and overall attitude of the staff. The latest was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. After screwing up another appointment, the receptionist coupled her incompetence with enough attitude to make me look for another salon. Vain, in attempt to be the chic, east Austin salon it wants to be, misses it's goal by lumping too much attitude with too little service. This may play better in LA or Dallas, but in Austin it transates as ""wanna be"" shallowness. The haircuts aren't good enough for the attitude, and I would suggest going somewhere else. In the end, Vain is a dime a dozen hair salon that doesn't appreciate its customers. more

I am new to Austin, and I have tried out one other salon which ended up being a not so good experience. I tried Vain at the urging of a friend who goes there and who has lived in Austin for awhile. \r I have to tell you, I was amazed with the staff! They know their stuff!\r I had an appointment with Mark, and he was so great about consulting with me on what I wanted in a hairstyle. I left the salon with a great style that I love, and even better, he gave me a look that I can TOTALLY create at home! \r The price of the cut is so much better than most of the salons in Austin. I just really have to say that some salons are ALL talk here in Austin, but Vain knows what to do! Forget all of the ""trendy"" places, save your time and your money and go to Vain. Pros: Great staff, resonable prices, relaxed atmosphere, GOOD HAIR Cons: Parking was pretty tight and the sign is hard to see from the street more