Meet Anna Harris of Ulms Hair in Camberwell

A hair salon that has been in Camberwell for more than 40 years is continuing to thrive.

Ulms Hair, located in the Burke Hill part of the precinct, started trading across the road from its current location and has been in its existing premises for about 35 years.

Co-owner Anna Harris runs the business with her husband Greg. She worked extensively as a hairdresser and as an educator before taking the leap to run her own business.

“I thought about starting a business as it was something I was interested in doing. It came down to good timing as the original owners of Ulms Hair wanted to sell the business just as I was looking to take one on,” Harris said.

Harris kept on all the staff members who worked for Ulms Hair to make the transition as smooth as possible and to retain their loyal clientele.

The salon boasts an impressive team of long-standing staff, with some who have been with the business for more than 20 years.

“Having a consistent staff member base definitely adds to our customer service angle. Having familiar faces that clients can come back to and trust is really appealing,” Harris said.

A service to suit

Ulms Hair offers a range of services including haircuts for men, women and children. In most cases, clients can choose to have their hair cut by a senior stylist or principal stylist, depending on the level of expertise they seek.

Styling services include blow waves for all hair lengths, irons, curling and upstyles, while colour services incorporate foil highlights, tints and balayage/ombre.

Hair extensions, including micro bead and tape, as well as reconstructive treatments and keratin smoothing treatments are also on offer.

The salon also, uniquely, offers a Braid Bar. Clients can come in and select a style from a catalogue of braids – and the best part is that this service starts from $30. Glitter roots can be added for a small fee.

Harris said the Braid Bar had become incredibly popular as clients seek out a unique look for weekend events and special occasions.

“People like that braids are a bit different. They’re also surprisingly long lasting – you can sleep in braids and they still look great when they’re tousled and not too neat. A lot of our clients wear them for a couple of days at a time,” Harris said.

As part of their service offering, Ulms Hair likes to give back to the community. The salon participates in the Colour with Care program – for every colour purchased from La Biosthetique, a donation is made to Doctors Without Borders, an organisation that delivers emergency medical aid to people in need. The salon also donates 20c for every Facebook ‘like’ they receive to breast cancer research.

A commitment to clients

If there is one thing that Harris and her team are passionate about, it’s quality service.

The continued success of Ulms Hair is built on giving clients a professional and exceptional experience.

Harris said it pleases her every time a client leaves the salon with a smile on their face because they are happy with their hair.

In large part, this comes down to having a good understanding of what the client would like and offering advice on what would look best on them, said Harris.

“It’s always about working with what you’ve got and making the most of it. It’s about striking the balance between being creative with hair and meeting the client’s needs,” she said.

Part of offering a premium service meant giving clients an attractive and comfortable salon environment, too.

In April 2015, the salon underwent major renovations to make it more functional and inviting.

Wooden elements warm up the space while copper features, such as lampshades, add a homely touch. The layout of the salon was also redesigned to open the space and make it easier to move around.

Harris said the salon needed a refresh and the modern look of the space has been well received by her clients.

It’s this commitment to constantly bring value to clients that drives Harris and the team at Ulms Hair.

“We just want to continue doing beautiful hair and exceeding our clients’ expectations,” Harris said.

Visit the salon

Ulms Hair

925 Burke Rd, Camberwell

Phone: (03) 9882 6969

Visit the Ulms Hair website