JR Salon

I first decided to go to JR salon because I do a lot of charity work, and it seemed that every time I was at an event, there was always a donation from JR Salon. I wanted to support this business so I decided to give it a try.
The services are fantastic I find them at a very up-​front, competitive price. I am especially always impressed with the color as I have a lot of hair and they do it quickly and for a very reasonable price. I also love that the tipping is included so I do not have to guess as to what would be a great tip to give.

Amazing Amazing Amazing. Sara is fantastic. I’ve have 3 of my friends to go her and they have all walked away with a color that they loved. If you want a stylist who listens and talks out your goals with your hair color then Sara is it.
JR is a beautiful salon and the staff is super friendly. I would recommend this place to anyone.

I’ve been here three times and have usually been happy with my haircut. They wash well.
First visit: Great experience, got a free facial with my golocal card, the stylist was nice and I got the haircut that I wanted for $ 50. I was happy for 8 weeks.
Second visit: Slightly less of great experience, was told that the facials are only on Tuesdays, previous stylist had left and I got a new stylist, Dang, who did a great haircut. He even told me some helpful tips about my unique hair lines. My cut stayed looking great for 12 weeks! $ 50
Third visit: Haircut was $ 60. When did the price raise? Same stylist as the second time, but he barely did a consultation and he ignored the one thing that I did say. I specified long layers, and he cut them short in the back. So my hair is like Jennifer Aniston in 1996 and also like Alizee’s hair (the flipping out kind) In the back, a weird bend forms in the longer layer where the short layer ends (2″ up). I kind of hate it, but everyone else says it’s ok.
I called, and they made me a free appt with another stylist to fix it. I have 24 hours to decide if I want to do that… or just wait a month to maintain my ability to have a ponytail without too many ends falling out at the nape of my neck.
JR Salon can be really great and it can be so-​so.
No tipping, different stylists charge different rates, you get water or tea, shampoo services and products are great, they offer you a hand massage when they rebook you, stylists don’t push products. I just get a little headache because there is so much fragrance in the hair products. 24 hours later and I am still smelling so fine my head hurts. I will ask for no fragrance shampoo in the future… Is there any?

I love this place!
I’ve been here about 3 – 4 times and have never had a bad experience. I first came a couple years back when I wanted to chop off all my hair for a new do. Notice– I had no idea what I wanted to actually do– just chop it all off. I made an appointment and had a lovely stylist help me on creating a style that I loved (she has since moved to JR downtown).
I loved everything about the experience. I was greeted with a glass of wine, treated to a relaxing shampoo, complete with head massage and herbal relaxation and a hand massage with lotion during my cut.
Since my first appointment, I came back a couple of times to keep up my hairstyle. However, the past year I’ve been growing my hair out and I can’t justify paying $ 50 for a trim :(I do miss the shampoos/​massages though.
Ladies– Do not doubt the greatness of JR. It is beyond wonderful!

I answered an ad on craigslist for a free haircut. It was from a stylist in training named LaTashia. I have super straight hair, and it can be difficult to cut. She did an amazing job, and I was super happy. That was maybe 1−½ to 2 years ago, and the only reason I haven’t been back is because I’ve been only doing freelance work, and haven’t had the money to afford her. I’ve continued to get other free haircuts from trainees on craigslist, since then. I’ve only paid for one haircut, and it was from a cheap place right by my home.
LaTashia was awesome. Thanks!

I got my hair cut here again this morning by LaTashia this time. It was very similar to my great experience last time (see my previous review). La Tashia was very skilled and I’m pleased with my haircut. I’m looking forward to going back. It’s so nice to be pampered once in awhile.

So I will say that I had a somewhat normal vibe here. It was kind of silent but I didn’t mind it much. My haircut was scheduled with the owner and while it was kind of on the expensive side I figured it would be worth it (considering she used to work for different designers at fashion week, or so I was told).
After letting her know what I wanted she started cutting away and taking away my dead ends. Then I realized that when she was done I basically received a haircut that I could’ve paid 30 dollars for at a TGF instead of the 140 I shelled out to receive a blunt haircut all around… no definition, texture, nothing.
The only reason I’m giving it 2 stars is because my boyfriend received free coffee (waking him up in the morning) and the nice styling product they put in my hair. Other than that I will continue my search…

I have tried A LOT of different hair salons, both in Austin and Houston. I should probably preface by saying that I have naturally curly hair, and as most curly-​haired girls know, it’s really difficult finding a stylist who knows how to properly cut your hair. Most of the time you end up walking out with your hair blown out straight, and you don’t realize the effects of the horrible haircut until after your first wash at home.
What I really liked about JR salon is their attention to detail. My stylist, Frankie, started my first appointment by asking me how often I wear my hair curly vs. straight, how I would like my hair to look, and what types or realistic results I could expect from my next few haircuts. She did such an amazing job and it was only after going to Frankie that I realized how awful my previous haircuts had been — bad layering, too many layers, and cuts that led to even frizzier hair. Frankie also taught me how to properly style and blow dry my bangs.
The haircut included shampoo, blowout, and a free hand massage at the end of the session. The best part is that your fee is all inclusive. This salon doesn’t even accept tips. I’ve tried on several occasions to tip Frankie because she just does such an amazing job, but they won’t let you.
It’s a shame I moved to Houston because I haven’t found a good hair stylist since Frankie. I would seriously consider driving to Austin every couple of months just to get a haircut at JR salon.

The review would have five stars, but I always believe in leaving room for improvement. Where would you go if you’re already on top? :-) Besides, this was my first visit; I’ll be more than happy to revise the star count upwards after subsequent visits. Everyone at JR Salon were great. I have been struggling with all of the hipster salons in East and South Austin who say they know how to texturize and give hip cuts. Sadly, none of them have delivered.
I was a little apprehensive going to JR Salon since they are Aveda concept and I have been down that road already, but I am glad I went. Besides I have an important job interview on Monday and my hair looked like crap after the last cut. My stylist Frankie gave me an excellent cut and is well versed in the art of texturizing short, sporty, men’s cuts. I like the complementary hand massage too.
My hair looks great. It sporty and hip. Moreover I am ready for that job interview.

So, a year ago I got a deal for $ 50 worth of work for $ 25 for JR… I finally used it last week.
I don’t even feel like I got my $ 25 worth… it was a really odd experience.
I made the appointment, but wasn’t able to get the services I originally asked for because they didn’t have an esthetician. I got the restorative scalp treatment and an express facial.
The woman that did my services told me that she didn’t usually do these things, that she is a colorist.
When she did the scalp treatment. I was expecting more of a scalp massage, and she completely missed the middle part of the back of my head and neck the entire time. It was really strange. Her fingers never touched that entire area during the «scalp treatment» or when rinsing it.
The facial that I got felt strange when I was getting it. It didn’t feel like it was moisturizing or doing anything to my skin. I am going to assume that the same oils/​creams/​whatever were also used on my hands. As we were driving home, I am telling Mark that my skin feels really weird and dry and that I didn’t enjoy the treatments much, at all. Mark then turns to me and says, «Hey, there’s white stuff all over your face.»
I look in the mirror and, sure enough, there’s white stuff all over my face like someone had taken talc and mixed it with lotion, then applied it to my face. I don’t have oily skin at all, so I am not sure what was used or why…
The entire process I was never told «I am going to use this on your face» or «i am using this on your scalp»… nothing; just silence. Very strange. I felt more like I was a burden to her than a customer.
We get home and my hands are so dry they are starting to hurt. My face feels like someone has sucked every ounce of moisture out of it and looks awful.
I rinse my hands and face off and apply tons of moisturizer.
My hair doesn’t feel any more «conditioned» either. It didn’t even have an Aveda product scent to it.
I doubt I’ll be back.

From the friendly check-​in staff, offering of tea or wine, to Jim’s warm greeting and excellent skills at not only cutting/​styling, but advising me on how to style my hair at home to keep it looking as close to salon fresh at home— JR Salon provides a cool, not cold environment to come see your personal «hair Doctor!»
I’ve asked JR Salon if there was any chance of offering clients at least chair massage, using students from the school of massage therapy down the street? That would round off the salon visit nicely.

I am now on my 4^th consecutive visit to this salon. They have turned me into an Aveda loyalist for sure. I migrated here from another salon primarily due to the cost savings. I can’t say I have saved a TON of money — but it is about 15% lower than what I was paying. My cuts are around $ 60 and my color is usually $ 50. I’ve been super pleased with the cuts and the color that I’ve received at JR.
They are always consistent, thorough and take the time to talk me in or out of the right style for my face shape and lifestyle. I appreciate that my stylist there (Terry) won’t let me get myself into a cut/​style I can’t maintain financially or time-​wise.
I love the free hand massages during the treatments too — that’s a nice touch.
OH — and they take AMEX which for me personally is a BIG plus.
My only complaints are a) they do push products on you kind of hard here and b) I always end up with some color staining around my head because they aren’t always super thorough about putting the protectant where it needs to be. It always washes out and isn’t a huge deal– but it’s a minor inconvenience until I shampoo again.

I have been going to JR Salon for several years, after I admitted to myself that driving to my hometown just to get a haircut was ridiculous. In that time, I have had two stylists, and for the past year I’ve been going to see Jessica, who is GREAT! She styled my hair for my wedding last year, and did a fabulous job, and so I’ve been going to her ever since. She is a great listener and cuts exactly how you describe what you want, but also has great suggestions for you. The salon itself is a great experience — I look forward to my spa-​like shampoo, complimentary glass of wine, and hand massage for about ten weeks! I have recommended JR Salon to other friends, who have had good experiences there as well.
I will say that over the years I’ve been going there, the cuts have gotten more expensive. I started out with a different stylist a few years back at a $ 35 cut, then after 6 – 8 months her rate went up to $ 45, then $ 50 or $ 55 I think. Anyhow, she left and I started with a different stylist at $ 40, and now the rate is $ 50 for her. It does help that the salon has a no-​tipping policy.

I LOVE JR SALON!
I can’t believe the kind of service I receive at this place and the quality of haircut I get for what I pay — 50 bucks! Sure, it’s great they don’t take tips — but after leaving this place — I want to give the biggest tip imaginable.
Jim is AWESOME. His cuts are awesome. Every time he cuts my hair — I FEEL awesome. He’s definitely up to date with the latest styles and trends and he knows the kind of cut that works for you. Just don’t walk in with hair like Courtney Love expecting to walk out like Megan Fox.
I also really like the Aveda products they use on my hair — that they don’t try to pressure me to buy when I leave. When I have the extra cash — I’ll pay for the product — always hoping that if I use the same stuff Jim uses, my hair can magically look like he makes it look every time I leave that place — but I can’t ever master it. The guys’s got mad skills.
I’ve recommended this place to a few of my girlfriends and they refuse to go anywhere else! Try it.
Oh yea — and bang trims are free. Yep — they’re awesome.

I was called in twice for a Model
Once for Platinum Blond
Second for a angled bob.
The Color turned out fantastic her name is Megan she also did my mom’s Highlights which look awesome. The shampoo with the Tea-​Tree smell is awesome :)
The Cut I was a little less than pleased with how short it turned out but I’ve always have bad «Short» haircuts, but it’s grown out and needless to say I did enjoy the feeling of all the bad hair being cut off.
Will like to go back again!
Love&Rockets
–Lauren
p.s It always seems like reception is Cold/​Distant =/​oh well.

I’ve been going here for @ 5 years now. I took a break and went somewhere else when the first stylist I used to see (Jessica, who left for Jackson Ruiz/​was promoted) left. I returned about a year later. Anyway, it seems like I started to like a stylist and then they would get promoted to the ‘mothership’ aka Jackson Ruiz. Apparently until recently the two were affiliated but the partners divided that shit and now JR is one beast and Jackson Ruiz is another. so this means less turnover maybe? Which is good I guess. Explaining my hair and peccadilloes to a new person every time I go in gets old fast.
Moving on. This place has changed considerably since I started going here. Yeah, they have nice Aveda stuff and yeah the mark up on that shit is crazy. Hello Sally Beauty, I think you hear me knocking and I think I’m coming in. As for spending $ 27 on a bottle of Aveda shampoo? As my mother would say (yes, I have one) «In THIS ECONOMY?!» As Gwen would say «Ain’t nothing going on but the rent.»
They don’t hard sell products so points for that. As for all of these reviews saying you get a drink (when I DID get one it was room temperature tea, so that must mean I’m an MVP there?) and hand massage and aromatherapy… Who dat? Really? And @ the Girl Who Got The Red Wine… what’s the secret knock? I can’t even get a water the last few times I’ve been in. Not a huge deal but when you start off getting that stuff and then on each visit something is dropped I start to get a complex. And trust this, enough shit gives me a complex. The guy behind me in the store peering at my groceries? The bank teller giving her co worker the side eye when I roll up to cash a check? I don’t need to worry that I suck and people hate me and that’s why I’m not getting said rubs/​aromatherapy/​free drinks.
The music. Let’s pick a basic theme and stick to it. Switching from soulful R &B (hey, it’s not me but who am I to deny Brandy’s many fans?) to electronica then jumping to house music will make me clench my butt cheeks and count down the minutes until I can escape the aural assault. It feels like listening to the ipod shuffle of a new coffee house employee trying to show how ‘ecclectic’ his tastes are. Just stop it already.
And! My stylist left their employ (not sure what happened to her) so they kindly referred me to someone else. This stylist had experience according to them but she over layered my hair in the front. This is a huge pain as the Texas humidity make me look like Krusty the Clown now until oh, 5 months till it grows out. Good thing I’m married because I’d wager I’d be in for a very long dry spell if you smell what I’m cooking. It would have been a great cut but on a different head (i.e. different hair texture). I’ll admit my hair is hard to cut for that reason so, to be fair– that might have been part of it.
I thought I was pretty clear in what I wanted but alas I still got a ton of layers. She barely spoke to me and pulled my hair so taut when drying I felt my scalp heating up. It seemed like she was rushing through it and barely even returned my small talk (sitting in stony silence like someone just farted on a crowded elevator) here and there. No aromatherapy (they usually use the blue oil and let it sit on your head for a minute, warm towel. it;s nice when it happens which is not often anymore) and the neck massage that goes with it is also a thing of the past.
The dryer sounded like an airplane in my ear so when a girl stood in front of me and asked me something 3 times (I had a total Marlee Matlin moment) and I bellowed out ‘WHAT’S THAT?” she wanly asked me if I wanted «a complimentary Aveda aromatherapy hand massage’ (almost said in one breath) but she said it in the most plaintive, dejected way that I felt horrible for her. It’s like when you go to Amsterdam and see ‘ladies of the night’ leaning, holding up doorways and half assedly making offers but you KNOW their heart is not in it. NOT EVEN. I kid here but point is, girl was tired and the energy level just kind of went with the whole place at that point. Worn out and hanging in there. Not bad but not a place you relish hanging out as a treat. And if you’re like me, you don’t get your HAIRS cut a lot so when you *do* go it’s like yay, pampering time! Except now it’s not.
The front desk girls were pleasant — not a hint of attitude. This place confirms appointments too and I know they charge your card on file if you no show without a 24 hour cancellation. That policy is more than fair I think.
It could be so much more, seems like the quality has gone down hill in terms of consistency. When I first went their whole no tip, head rub. hand rub aromatherapy gig was a good hook. Now it’s not even offered and I GUESS you could say ‘hey where’s my (insert free thing here) but then that’s a whole other bag of a

I had two previous reviews of this place. This is my final verdict: This place is TERRIBLE and I encourage everyone to AVOID it.
First, I got the WORST haircut of my entire life here in November 2006. It took OVER A YEAR to grow out. So I will never try that again. Other reviews back up their spotty hair styling services. It’s a risk unless you know the stylist.
However, I then tried the waxing/​facial services and loved the aesthetician. In October 2009, I asked my parents for a gift card for Christmas, and they bought it from the JR Salon website.
In March 2010, I found out there was a new aesthetician. I tried to use the gift card and was told it would no longer be honored because as of January, they formerly split from JacksonRuiz. When I explained that the card was a Christmas gift and my parents bought it in good faith for this location, the girl was very rude and very unapologetic. Although she let me use the card, she told me, quite nastily, it would be the last time they’d let me use it there. There is $ 80 left on the card. I’d have to use it at the Jackson Ruiz location downtown.
I have been a loyal customer and have spent a lot of money at their salon. I even came in an hour early today when they changed my appointment. And I was just treated like crap. If she had been nicer, apologetic, SOMETHING, I wouldn’t be so angry.
I will fight for a refund from the downtown location and I will not, under any circumstances, return to this salon. That is not how you keep customers and I won’t reward places for bad customer service. There are many salons in Austin, and I will become a loyal customer somewhere else.

I was fortunate enough to secure a spot as a hair model for Ann, who is in training there. Even though I did not have to pay because it was a training session, they treated me as a regular customer from start to finish. A complimentary beverage was offered upon my arrival. Ann discussed the cut, washed my hair, massaged my head (bliss!), cut, blow dried and styled my hair, and then finished with a hand massage (bliss again!). Both Ann and her instructor were efficient, friendly and professional.
Don’t know how other people do it, but I get free haircuts by looking through the «free» section on Craigslist. From time to time, different salons will post requests for models for different types of cuts or for hair colour. For the past two years, I’ve gotten great haircuts this way.
Anyhow, it’s been one week since my classic bob cut, and it still looks and feels great. No need to fuss with a blow dryer if I don’t want to. Just brush — everything falls back in place — and go.
Thank you, Ann.

When it comes to JR Salon, you know you’re going to get a great haircut no matter what. I’ve been here twice already, the staff is well trained and extremely professional, and my hair always looks superb at the end of my visit. Maria cut my hair on this visit and did an excellent job!
I’ve struggled to find a competent hair salon that meets my picky demands. Everyone has a different style of cut, what makes these guys so great is that they can do anything you want and always meet or exceed expectations. I never have to micro-​manage them or fuss with them about making sure I get what I want because it always comes out great in the end.
At the end they’ll also give you a facial and a hand massage on top of your haircut, which makes it a pleasant experience. In the end this is one of the better haircut and salon experiences I’ve had in Austin, and I highly recommend them!

I was WAY overdue for a hair cut and didn’t feel like driving all the way down to Barton Creek Mall for my usual cut at Visible Changes. A coworker recommended JR Salon. I called on a Wednesday afternoon and made an appointment for Friday morning with no problem.
Upon arrival, I was greeted by friendly staff and a clean, modern looking salon. I liked the feel of the place. Angela was my stylist who gave a great consultation and asked a lot of questions before going at me with scissors.
The shampoo with scalp massage was relaxing, and I loved the eucalyptus oil they rub on your hairline (then finish off with a warm towel). Very relaxing! The cut and style were great and I did enjoy the short hand massage. For $ 40 (and no tipping necessary, loved by cheapos like me), you can’t go wrong with this place! They did recommend products but didn’t push me to buy anything.
4 stars instead of 5 for only being open until 6pm on Fridays and closed on Sunday/​Monday. But hey, stylists have lives, too!