01: A CONVERSATION WITH THE STUDIO UPSTAIRS FOUNDER, JESS LONGHURST

Can you tell us a little bit about you - where are you from and what do you do? 

I grew up by the beach in Cooly on the Gold Coast, I’ve been a hairdresser for 15 years and I’m the founder of The Studio Upstairs in Burleigh. 

Where is your happy place? 

The beach, it’s my favourite place to be! Most mornings I start my day with a swim in the ocean, it’s so healing. 

What’s your background with hair? How did it all start for you? 

I have been hairdressing for over 15 years now, both in traditional and corporate salons. Initially, it was a feeling I would get when I went to a hair salon - the feeling of someone caring about the way I looked. I’m a very caring and nurturing person, and I wanted to make people feel that way to, so that’s how my passion for hair started. I also found it was a form of art and creativity, it’s a way for me to express myself, and I honestly love it. But I didn’t love how undervalued our craft felt sometimes, so that’s why I started The Studio Upstairs. Before The Studio Upstairs, I was a part-owner of a salon for 4.5 years, but I was getting so run down and sick, and slowly losing my passion for mainstream hairdressing. I would work every weekend, late nights and rarely had any time off. My whole life revolved around work, so I made the decision to change my path, I left that salon with no real idea what to do next. I narrowed it down to two options, go overseas or open my own studio. I really wanted my own space - something light, airy, green and by the beach and funnily enough, The Studio Upstairs space became available to buy. At the time it was a yoga studio, but I just thought, wow this would the most amazing hair salon. And I guess from there The Studio Upstairs was born. 

Almost two years later and it’s a freelance hair salon, event space and content studio. I started The Studio Upstairs because I wanted to not only care about my clients but also my staff and other hairdressers. It was so important to me to help improve hairdressers quality of life, as well as take control of our craft. To this day, many hairdressers put in ridiculous hours with no lunch breaks yet are paid really shitty. We help our clients feel good every day, so I created a space where the freelance hairdressers, and myself, can feel good too. 

 Tell us about The Studio Upstairs experience? 

It’s luxe but super down to earth, and really inclusive. It doesn’t feel like your in a hair salon - it’s more of a loungeroom vibe. You can come in, have a marg, catch up with friends and leave looking better than when you came in! 

 Tell us about your team? 

Everyone is so individual. All of our hairdressers are freelancers, and each of us has a certain way of doing hair, but that’s what makes it so unique and special. We all ended up at The Studio Upstairs for the same reason. They wanted to take control of the life they wanted to live, and part of that is taking control of your job. We’ve all come together, and now, we’re not only a family 

but a really great support system for one another. 

 What makes TSU’s practices different from other salons? 

I think having a team of freelances who truly love their job makes us unique, but it’s the way we work to be more sustainable that is different from other salons. One thing we do is work closely with Sustainable Salons, they help us recycle, reuse and repurpose everything - from the hair that gets cut to the foils and the chemical waste from colouring. The team and I all agreed to give $2 from every single service back to Sustainable Salons to help further develop and operate, and with their help, we’re now a 95% sustainable salon which is pretty cool! 

Why is sustainability important to you? 

Throughout my whole career, I’ve seen what we do as a hairdresser, and traditional and corporate salons have so much waste. It is super important to me and should be to all young business owners, to break the mould and set a stand for business. When I opened The Studio Upstairs, it was always one of my first intentions to do business more responsibility to help the environment and the community. I want to create the smallest footprint possible. Being a caring person in my nature means not only caring for my people and staff but also the environment and the products we use.  

TSU is located in the heart of Burleigh, where do you go for a coffee? 

Crew Burleigh is almost directly below us so they see me the most. I love Crew’s coffee, but Tarte and Seadog are also great! 

 Where do you go for a cocktail? 

My favourite cocktail on the Coast is at Jimmy Wah’s - it’s called the ‘Ginny Wah’. I also love a Spicy Marg and bug roll from Rick Shores, and of course, The Pav.

 What’s your favourite thing about the Gold Coast? 

Our lifestyle! We are so so so lucky that we can live close to the beach, and we definitely have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! To have the ocean as part of my everyday routine is so amazing, and from TSU, we get to look out to Burleigh beach every day! Everyone that sits in a chair is so in awe with how beautiful Burleigh is, we are very lucky. 

 Lastly, what are your future plans for TSU? 

We would love to expand, whether it be another location or bigger studio or branching into beauty. Freelancing now is such a sort after thing, I definitely think we can expand into other areas, not just hairdressing. Stay tuned!!