The sisters first opened The Studio in Hutto in 2010, but their first salon, Regina’s Hair and Nails, opened in Austin in 1990.
Two decades later they moved farther north due to family needs, Gonzales said.
The number of employees at The Studio has grown from three to 17 since first opening.
One aspect of the business Gonzales and Sanchez highlight is the fact that it is a teaching salon.
“We hire our team right out of beauty school before they have any bad habits,” Gonzales said. “They spend about six months or so with one of the learning leaders who has a lot of experience.”
That teaching mechanism translates into another aspect of The Studio that separates it from many other area salons, she said.
Through a tiered system based on an employee’s experience—six being the highest tier—clients have several options for each service offered.
Gonzales called The Studio “recession proof” based on that tiered model, which assigns price points based on the experience level of the stylist. Gonzales said she is at the highest tier, but there are many other options.
Another point of evolution for The Studio involves the number of clinical-grade services offered.
Sanchez and Gonzales listed as examples clients who have diabetes who may need toenail reconstructions, or an oncology patient who may need specialty hair services, including extensions or wig maintenance.
To keep up with new innovations in clinical-grade and general salon services, Sanchez and Gonzales frequently attend classes throughout the country, and in June both are attending the first ever medical nail symposium in California.
“We’re not finished growing,” Gonzales said. “We still have growth and changes [on] our horizon.”
The Studio
106 East St., Hutto
512-642-6591
www.thestudiohtx.com
Hours: By appointment, and Tue.-Thu. 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sun.-Mon. closed
