Black Pearl & Co is a New York loft-style hair salon in the heart of Wellington City, located above Leuven the Belgian Bar on the corner of Johnston and Featherston Streets. The salon offers a bright, private space removed from the busy streets outside, where clients can relax while a team of dedicated stylists works on cuts, colour and treatments.
The salon is led by Principal/Director Charlee, a hairstylist for over 30 years who has run a salon for almost 20, and who re-launched the business under the Black Pearl & Co name to bring together a collective of talented stylists sharing skills and knowledge. The wider team includes Principal Stylists Eugenie (25 years' experience, trained in France and London), Marouska (specialising in blondes and vivid colours), Harti, Shane, Laura, Angela and Mindy (each with decades of experience), and Weeg, the salon's educator, alongside stylist Kate, creative stylist Carlie, apprentices Khai, Kaatje and Penny, salon assistant Charles, and reception manager Claudia.
Black Pearl & Co is a proud stockist of the professional Redken hair care range, used in salon services and available for purchase, and the salon frequently hosts some of the best training in the industry to keep its team's skills current.
Above Leuven the Belgian Bar, on the corner of Johnston and Featherston Streets, Black Pearl & Co brings a New York loft-style feel to Wellington's hairdressing scene, offering a private, comfortable space away from the bustle of the city outside.
Black Pearl & Co is led by Principal/Director Charlee, who has been a hairstylist for over 30 years and has run a salon for almost 20. Charlee re-launched the business under the Black Pearl & Co name after a vision to bring together a collective of talented people sharing their skills and knowledge under one roof. That collaborative spirit shows in the salon's approach: it's frequently host to some of the best training in the industry, and the team combines using the very best products with continually developing their craft.
The salon's Principal Stylists bring a wide range of backgrounds and specialities. Eugenie has 25 years of experience, having brought her colouring, perming, cutting and styling skills from France and London when she moved to New Zealand 15 years ago. Marouska specialises in blondes and vivid colours, creating bold, bright looks as easily as soft, subtle ones. Harti, Shane, Laura, Angela and Mindy each bring decades of experience and their own creative approach, while Weeg serves as the salon's educator, training and empowering the next generation of stylists. Stylist Kate and creative stylist Carlie round out the client-facing team, supported by apprentices Khai, Kaatje and Penny, salon assistant Charles, and reception manager Claudia.
Black Pearl & Co's services span cut and blowdry work for both Principal Stylists and Stylists, extended appointments for style changes or thick hair, and student cuts with Kate. On the colour side, the salon offers a full highlights range — from partial through to full head — as well as short and long global colour, all available with or without a cut and blowdry. For more customised colour work, balayage, creative colour, on-scalp lightening, colour correction, and Elumen or vivid colours are all quoted individually during a consultation.
Chemical services include chemical straightening, keratin treatment, and perming for long or short hair, while styling covers blowdries and hair-up or ball styling for special occasions. Treatments range from a quick express treatment to bonding, with a metal detox treatment coming soon.
Black Pearl & Co works exclusively with the professional Redken hair care range across its services, and stocks a wide range of Redken products for clients to purchase and take home — helping maintain salon-quality results between visits.
The salon is easy to reach from central Wellington: buses stop outside Kirkcaldie and Stains on Lambton Quay less than a minute's walk away, and it's just a five-minute walk from the train station. New clients are welcome, and the salon recommends a complimentary consultation for anyone unsure exactly what they're after, since listed prices are base prices only and can vary depending on hair length, thickness and the specific service required.
Black Pearl & Co is open Monday from 11am to 7pm, Tuesday to Friday from 9:30am until late, and Saturday from 9:30am to 4pm. Located at Level 1, National Chambers, 15 Johnston Street, the salon offers Wellington City workers and residents a genuinely central option for everything from a quick trim to a full colour transformation.