Killer Hair is an Auckland hair salon with a story that begins in New York. Founders Steven and Mimi Kelly won a national hairdressing competition in 2004 and spent a formative month absorbing NYC hair and fashion culture — behind-the-scenes visits to houses like Versace and YSL, the Guggenheim, and the city's salons and hidden stores. That trip set the dream: to build their own Killer space.
The salon's journey mirrors its growth. Registered in late 2007, it opened in a little warehouse in Eden Terrace with just the two of them, then spent 13 years in St Benedict's Street's old Masonic lodge before moving in 2023 to the Eco award-winning Ironbank building on iconic Karangahape Road — home to Killer Hair at The Workroom today. Inside, while K Road buzzes, the team creates its own calm vibe, guided by three words: Good, Beautiful and True — a positive, kind, inclusive workplace and a commitment to a sustainable salon.
Specialist hair stylists and colourists here offer a full menu: women's, men's and kids' cuts, blowdries and fringe trims, plus tints, foil highlights, balayage, creative colour, bleach and tone, and gloss. Steven, Artistic Director, is the salon's much-loved King of curly hair; Mimi, Creative Director and Lead Colourist, has specialised in colour since 2003 and adores a balayage. They're joined by stylists including Kenji, Bex and Sandra, and home-grown talent like Ella and Megan, with apprentices training through the NZ National Hairdressing Certificate and the salon's own programme.
Voted Readers' Choice Best Hair Salon in Auckland by Urban List, Killer pairs craft with practicality: free consultations, secure online booking, contactless and buy-now-pay-later payment options, and a completely step-free space. Its 'Killer kindness' extends beyond the chair, supporting World Vision, Ronald McDonald House, Soi Dog Foundation, NZ SPCA and Family For Every Child.
Step in from the lively hum of Karangahape Road and you find something unexpected: a calm, considered salon inside the Ironbank — the Eco award-winning building at 150 K Road that has been Killer Hair's home since 2023. Voted Readers' Choice Best Hair Salon in Auckland by Urban List, Killer Hair has spent nearly two decades earning that kind of loyalty, one perfected haircut and one beautifully blended colour at a time.
The story starts with a competition win. In 2004, founders Steven and Mimi Kelly took out a national hairdressing competition and spent a month in New York City, absorbing everything they could — behind-the-scenes visits to fashion houses like Versace and YSL, a guided tour of the Guggenheim, and the city's salons, clubs and hidden stores. It was a profound experience, and it settled something: their dream was to build their own Killer space.
Late 2007 saw Killer Hair registered as a business, opening in a little warehouse in Eden Terrace with just the two of them. Two years on, the word had spread and a "proper" salon was needed — so began 13 years in St Benedict's Street's old Masonic lodge. In 2023 came another step up: the move into the Ironbank. Being inside the building means that while K Road is very lively outside, the team creates its own vibe within.
Steven, Artistic Director and Lead Stylist, has been cutting since he was 16 and is a master of perfected, detailed and innovative haircuts. A former Salon Manager and Art Director at Toni&Guy, a Davines Visionary Artist and a Keune Guest Artist, he is also Team Killer's cutting trainer — and the salon's King of curly hair, with curly-haired clients delighted to finally find someone who knows how to get the most from their curls. He takes bookings Tuesday to Saturday, with late nights on Thursdays.
Mimi, Creative Director and Lead Colourist, specialised in colour in 2003 and has a gift for visualising what will suit a client. She has mastered a wide range of techniques and, by her own admission, just loves a balayage, working with cruelty-free Keune colour. She's in Wednesdays and Saturdays, and takes colour transformations on other days by consultation.
Around them sits a team built on admiration and education: stylists Kenji, Bex and Sandra joined after years working alongside the founders, while Ella and Megan grew through Killer's own training programme, alongside emerging stylists like Liz and Jacob. Apprentices work towards the NZ National Hairdressing Certificate as well as the salon's thorough in-house training. It all rolls up to three words the salon lives by — Good, Beautiful and True.
The service menu covers the full spectrum of hair. On the cutting side: women's and men's cuts, blowdries, fringe trims and kids' cuts, including a kids' cut finished with a braid or blow dry. The colour menu is where Killer shows its range — tint retouches, tint retouch and refresh, foil highlights from partial to full, balayage up to Master level, creative colour combining tint and foils, bleach and tone transformations, and gloss from roots to ends.
Every price is "from", based on regular hair length and thickness, and consultations are free — the team would rather quote your hair properly than guess. Emerging stylists offer many services too, so there's an entry point for every budget. The salon's creative side lives in its photographic collections — Modern Virtues, Viola, Aristocrazia and Alchemy — editorial explorations of colour, shape and placement that keep the team's craft sharp.
Booking happens online through Timely, with card details held securely to reserve your appointment and a deposit per service that comes off your final bill. Give at least 48 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule — do it in time and your deposit simply follows you to the new slot. Payment is flexible: eftpos, credit card, cash, gift vouchers, contactless TimelyPay or Afterpay.
Allow about an hour for a cut and two to three hours for colour; creative colour and transformations take longer and are best booked after a consultation. Bring pictures — the team genuinely wants them. The space is completely step-free, with parking options behind the Tabernacle Church at the top of Queen Street and in the council car park on Upper Queen Street, plus accessible parks right outside on K Road.
"Killer kindness" is more than a slogan. The team has sponsored Twabi in Uganda through World Vision since 2012, spent years visiting Ronald McDonald House to bring great haircuts to families with unwell children, and donates monthly to the Soi Dog Foundation and the NZ SPCA, as well as supporting Family For Every Child.
Nearly two decades on from that New York trip, the dream has well and truly landed on K Road. Whether you're after a precision curly cut, a Mimi balayage or a full colour transformation, Killer Hair's blend of craft, education and warmth explains why Auckland keeps choosing it.