Karen Becerra, Hair Stylist

Karen Becerra is originally from Mexico but has been in Houston since she was 5 years old. We’ll definitely call her a Houstonian. I interviewed Karen as she took a quick run to the beauty supply store to pick up 18” extensions for a customer. On our drive over, we talked about how great Escalante’s queso is, Houston’s ridiculous traffic, and how much we both enjoy the movie “The Count of Monte Cristo”. We then moved on to discuss her time at Urban Retreat, traveling, her clients, and her latest obsession- her three month old son. I was actually taken aback when she told me she’d just returned from maternity leave, she looked way too refreshed! I didn’t think that was possible with a newborn baby. The benefits of working with co-workers you admire in a relaxing environment clearly pays off.

Karen has been a stylist for 10 years and has been at Urban Retreat for 5 years. She specializes in Japanese Straightening and permanent hair extensions. Japanese Straightening takes 5-6 hours to process and keeps hair straight for 4 or more months, depending on how often the client washes her hair. Permanent hair extensions are weaved in and can last 4-6 months. Karen enjoys giving her clients her full attention and providing the very best customer service to her clients. She’s been focused on rebuilding her clientele since she’s returned from maternity leave and seems to be off to a great start! Karen focuses on the integrity of her client’s hair and likes for it to be shiny, healthy, and touchable.

Karen has 2 younger sisters that are Chanel make-up artists at Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. I told Karen I couldn’t focus on the rest of her sentences because I was calculating the generous discounts and gifts she must receive! Neiman’s and Sak’s?! Great job sisters! Karen lives in Sugarland with her husband and son and enjoys traveling. Urban Retreat has various contests for their stylists to win trips to workshops and seminars. This is a great perk because it’s a vacation for the stylist as well a time to learn new skills and techniques. Karen has won numerous trips and has traveled to San Francisco, Cancun, Venice, Las Vegas, and Paris for educational classes to further hone her skills. She has taken classes in business, cutting and coloring techniques, and attended workshops about the philosophy of curling taught by Luigi Murenu. In case you didn’t know, Luigi is the stylist to the super A-Lister’s such as Madonna, Armani, and Viktor & Rolf. He also styles various runway shows including Pucci, Maxmara, Gucci, Ferragamo, Givenchy, and Valentino. Not a shabby resume.

Karen genuinely cares about her clients and her favorite thing about her job is building relationships with her clients and helping them look their best. She says she’s easily inspired by nature, beautiful things, and working with other talented stylists.  Karen’s hours are Tuesday- Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Karen is at the Urban Retreat Spa and Salon Main location at 2329 San Felipe, Houston, TX 77019. For more information or to book an appointment with Karen, call Urban Retreat Day Spa and Salon at 713.523.2300.