The consult comes first
We look at your hair history before we mix anything. If a colour needs two visits, we say so at the start, not halfway through.
About Vrinelo: A Small Salon With a Long Memory
Vrinelo is a Cremorne hair salon that has spent twelve years on colour and bridal work, keeping the appointment list short enough to check every head twice.
Our story
Started above a bike shop, still on the same street
Elise Navarro opened Vrinelo in 2013 with one chair, a second-hand basin and a notebook for colour formulas. The lease was short and the rent was low, which gave her room to work slowly.
That habit stuck. Twelve years later the salon has two chairs, a proper colour bar and a booking list that still leaves gaps between clients. We do not double-book. We do not hand your colour to someone who has not read your notes. The person who plans the appointment is usually the person who carries it out.
Most of our clients come from Cremorne, Richmond and South Yarra. Some have been with us since the bike shop days. A few bring their teenagers now, which is its own kind of review.
2013
first chair opened
2
stylists, no call centre
72%
clients who rebook
The first chair, now retired to the back room. We keep it as a reminder that slow work pays the rent.
What we believe
Four things we will not rush
These are the rules we keep in the salon. They are not marketing lines. They are the reasons some appointments take longer than you might expect.
Placement over trends
Balayage should sit where your part and growth pattern ask for it. We use photos as a conversation, not a template to copy.
A finish you can repeat
The blow-dry is part of the service. You should leave knowing how the shape sits with the tools you actually own at home.
Honest timing
We block the chair for the full appointment. Nobody gets moved along because the next client is waiting in the doorway.
The people
Who will be holding the brush
Two stylists and one part-time assistant. That is the whole team. You will meet the same faces each visit, which is the point of booking a small salon instead of a production line.
Elise handles most colour corrections and bridal trials. Marco takes the cutting chair and the longer blow-dries. Sophie keeps the colour bar stocked and the appointment notes in order.
Meet the bridal service
Elise Navarro
Founder and colour director
Opened Vrinelo in 2013. Trained in Milan and Melbourne. Specialises in corrective colour and bridal work.
Marco Ricci
Senior stylist
Joined in 2018 after six years on Chapel Street. Cuts, blow-dries and the kind of finish that survives a Melbourne winter.
Sophie Tran
Colour assistant
Keeps the formulas, the patch tests and the appointment notes in order. Learning the colour bar one mix at a time.
Join the team?
We hire slowly
We add a chair only when the appointment list demands it. If you are a colourist who likes a quiet salon, send a note through the contact page.
Get in touch
The work
What twelve years of colour looks like
A selection of recent finishes from the salon. Some are first visits, some are corrections, and one is a bride who came back a year later for a gloss.
Milestones
A short timeline
We have moved furniture, changed colour lines and survived two lockdowns. The address has not changed since 2013.
Find the salon
2013
One chair, one basin
Elise takes the lease above the bike shop and starts with a notebook and a colour line she still uses today.
2017
The second chair
Marco joins part-time. The appointment list grows enough to justify a proper colour bar and a second mirror.
2020
Closed, then reopened
Melbourne lockdowns shut the door for most of the year. We kept notes on every client and reopened with a longer appointment slot.
2023
Ten years on Cremorne Street
No big party. A few clients brought cake. We replaced the basins and kept the first chair in the back room.
Now
Still two chairs
The booking list stays short. The patch tests stay strict. The colour formulas live in a notebook, not an app.
In their words
A client who has been here since the beginning
"I started coming when it was one chair and a kettle. Eleven years later I still book with Elise. She remembers what my hair did last summer and adjusts the plan before I sit down. That kind of memory is worth the tram ride."
Hannah Wright
Client since 2013
Come and see the place
The salon is a short walk from East Richmond station. If you are booking a first colour, leave a note about your hair history and we will set aside enough time.
Book a visit
What we do now
Two services we know inside out
Balayage & Colour Transformation
Hand-painted lightening, custom toner and a gloss finish. We map the placement around your part, your growth pattern and how often you want to visit. The result should grow out without a hard line.
Read the colour service
Bridal Hair & Makeup
Trial, wedding morning and a finished look that holds through photos, dinner and dancing. We build the schedule around your dress, your venue and the weather, with room to breathe.
Read the bridal service
Next step
Book a chair or ask a question
If you have read this far, you probably want to know how to book. Call the salon, send an email or use the contact form. We reply between appointments, usually the same day, and we will tell you honestly if a colour needs more than one visit.