Two stylists from the Loop let down their hair
By Katie Schweitzer
Photograph by Sarah Carmody
Martina Mulchek and Brandie Saulsbery have 10 tattoos, 13 piercings and nearly 60 hair extensions between them. But the pair behind Loop styling salon V. Vegaz Style has only one trade secret: They’ll never tell the meaning of their salon’s name. Ask anything else, and they’ll dish like their clientele—one minute they’re gabbing about a night at the bar, and the next they’re debating Social Security. V. Vegaz celebrates its first anniversary this month, and, in honor of that momentous occasion, Mulchek and Saulsbery were more than happy to open up.
Their style: Two years ago, Mulchek became the city’s first stylist certified in the Curly Girl method, which suggests curing limp locks and dry scalps by nixing almost all shampoos. Saulsbery followed, and now 75 percent of their clients are on board.
That doesn’t prevent spontaneous requests; people have been known to burst through the door and say, “Who here can give me a Mohawk?” The team has been doing plenty of them on “Punk Rock Saturdays,” when the salon stays open until midnight and offers discounts on extreme stylings while local bands perform.
On giving back: V. Vegaz is hair-obsessed, but the salon has also been behind charity-driven functions since its inception, including Hairball, a variety show at The Pageant benefiting shelters for battered women. “You’ll see the city’s freakiest and the most conservative in one room,” Mulchek says.
On pet peeves: Mulchek and Saulsbery can’t stand the transient nature of St. Louis, where the artistic community often loses its most talented members when they move to the coasts to claim fame. “They’re here, and they should stay here,” Saulsbery says.
Mulchek is more direct. “We want to own this city someday.”
V. Vegaz Style | 6174 Delmar | 314-725-7900 | v-vegaz.com
