Join KOHORT, Work at Melbourne's Co-Working Hair Salon

Run your own business inside a co-working hair salon on Bridge Road, Richmond. 50/50 commission, flexible memberships, dedicated chair, in-house retail and a peer group of seven working stylists.

What KOHORT Offers Stylists

KOHORT is a co-working hair salon in Richmond, Melbourne, designed for stylists who want to run their own business without the overhead and isolation of going fully solo. We offer a genuine independent-practitioner model inside a beautifully spacious Bridge Road studio, backed by seven experienced colleagues, a shared back-bar, dedicated colour processing areas, and an in-house retail wall you can actually sell off.

Here is what joining KOHORT looks like in practice.

50/50 commission-based model. The core arrangement at KOHORT is a clean 50/50 split on services. No complicated tiers, no progressive cutting-commission grid, no product commission nonsense. You do the work, you keep half, the studio covers the other half and everything that comes with it (space, utilities, back-bar, booking infrastructure, marketing support, retail inventory). It is the simplest commercial structure available to a freelance Melbourne stylist and it scales with your column.

Flexible memberships. Alongside the commission model, we offer flexible memberships to suit the shape of your working week. A stylist running four full days with a loaded column has different needs to a stylist building back a book two days a week, or a senior specialist working project-based bridal and event hair. The membership structure can flex to match. Contact the KOHORT team for current options and rates.

Dedicated chair, dedicated space. You get your own chair in the Bridge Road studio, reserved and set up to run your bookings. This is not a hot-desk arrangement. The chair is yours on the days you work, and your clients know exactly where to find you.

Dedicated colour processing areas. Separate processing zones mean nobody is sitting under a dryer in someone else's foils queue. For a colourist running three to four colour clients a day, that is the structural difference between a calm appointment and a chaotic one.

In-house retail you can sell off. KOHORT stocks Kerastase, Davines, Olaplex, K18, L'Oreal Metal Detox and Bhave on the retail wall, and you can sell any of it through your chair with margin retained. Your recommendation, your product, your sale. No cap, no quota, no retail-team split.

Community. KOHORT is seven stylists working independently but alongside each other. The peer group is one of the biggest reasons stylists stay. Technical chat, honest feedback on a tricky colour, a second opinion on a balayage placement, a backup when a client cancels last minute. The camaraderie of a salon without the politics of one.

Freedom, flexibility and simplicity. Three words we put back at the centre of every conversation. You keep full control of your pricing, your branding, your Instagram, your client relationships, your calendar, your styling. KOHORT provides the room, the infrastructure and the community. The rest is yours.

Who We Are Looking For

The co-working model at KOHORT works best for experienced, independent-minded stylists who take their craft seriously. A few specific profiles we see thrive in the studio:

• Experienced senior stylists moving out of traditional commission-grid salons who want to own their column and their pricing without starting from scratch.
• Freelance stylists who have been renting chairs or working from home and want a professional studio environment with back-bar, retail and community.
• Salon owners downsizing out of a traditional lease who want to keep their team close without the overhead of running a whole space. We have accommodated small-team moves in the past.
• Specialists with a defined niche (pixie, colour correction, bridal, extensions, barbering, Asian hair) who want to book at specialist pricing without fighting for chair time in a generalist salon.
• Stylists returning from parental leave rebuilding a book at their own pace, with the flexibility to work around the days that actually work for your life.
• Client-driven stylists who care more about the long-term relationship with the people in their chair than about hitting weekly retail targets.

What runs across all of those profiles is a commitment to quality. KOHORT is built on a 631-review, five-star legacy from Billie Jean Hair, and the bar for the work is high. We do not hire on personality alone, and we do not take stylists who are looking for a place to coast.

The Space

KOHORT is at 234 Bridge Road, Richmond VIC 3121. The studio sits on the north side of Bridge Road between Lord Street and Docker Street, in the most active stretch of inner-east Melbourne.

The room itself is purpose-designed as a co-working studio rather than retrofitted from a high-volume salon. Light-filled, spacious, calm. Natural light floods the cutting chairs through the day. Dedicated colour processing areas sit away from the main floor so foils and lightener services are not stacked on top of cutting and styling clients. The back-bar is professionally stocked with Kerastase, Davines, Olaplex, K18, L'Oreal Metal Detox and Bhave. There is a shared shampoo bay, dedicated retail display, and a consultation bench that actually accommodates a real conversation with a client.

The location is unusually good for a Melbourne hair studio. Bridge Road is one of the most dense and active strips in the inner east. The Cremorne tech precinct is three minutes south. Collingwood, Fitzroy and Abbotsford are minutes north. South Yarra, Toorak and Prahran are a ten to fifteen minute drive south across Punt Road. Kew, Hawthorn and Camberwell are over the Hawthorn Bridge. The MCG, AAMI Park and Melbourne Park are all walking distance. Richmond Station is a ten minute walk, East Richmond Station is six minutes, and the 48 and 75 trams stop directly outside.

This kind of catchment is why stylists with established books do well at KOHORT. The foot traffic and organic local reach of Bridge Road Richmond is hard to match anywhere else in inner Melbourne.

Current Team

KOHORT is seven independent stylists plus Michelle as part of the broader studio family. Meet the team:

• Sheree, twenty-plus years, pixie and short-hair specialist, senior colour correction.
• Zoe, considered cut and colour, strong blonde-focused balayage and foilayage.
• Billie, thirty years in colour, editorial balayage, currently welcoming existing clients only.
• Taylah, Studio by Taylah, editorial and creative cutting.
• Sheridan, Sheridan May Hair, bridal and event specialist plus soft natural balayage.
• Grace, foundational colour and natural blonde, trained at Biba and Billie Jean Hair.
• Elodie, glass-hair and high-shine blonde.

Michelle works from the KOHORT space alongside the team. For the full team profile page, visit Stylists.

Each stylist brings a distinct specialty to the studio, and the mix is deliberate. KOHORT is not structured for seven identical generalists. We are structured for specialists who complement each other, and who can refer back and forth when a client's brief fits someone else's chair better. That referral culture is how we make sure every client lands in the right column.

Who's Thriving at KOHORT

The best way to understand what life at KOHORT looks like is to look at the stylists running their businesses here now.

Sheree has built a tightly booked calendar in her KOHORT chair after two decades in Richmond hairdressing. Her pixie and colour-correction specialty pulls clients from Fitzroy, Hawthorn, Kew, South Yarra and the Melbourne CBD. The co-working model lets her run long, unhurried colour correction bookings that would not fit inside a traditional commission salon's fifteen-minute cutting grid.

Taylah operates Studio by Taylah inside KOHORT with her own Timely booking system, her own branding, and her own creative cutting focus. The co-working model lets her build a distinct sub-brand while sharing studio infrastructure.

Sheridan runs Sheridan May Hair as her own business inside KOHORT, with a strong bridal and event pipeline. Having a dedicated event specialist inside the studio means the wider team can refer wedding-party bookings cleanly to her chair.

Grace came through training at Biba and Billie Jean Hair and stepped into her independent chair at KOHORT when she was ready to work at her own pricing. The studio gave her a runway to build without the pressure of a standalone freelance setup.

Elodie books her glass-hair specialty through Instagram DM and runs her column on her own terms. The studio supports her specialty without forcing her into a standardised booking system.

The through-line: every stylist at KOHORT is running a business that actually fits their life, not a role that has been shaped around somebody else's roster.

How to Apply

Applying to join KOHORT is simple. There are two paths:

1. Apply via Muse Avenue. Our active recruitment listing is at museavenue.co/s/kohort-vic-richmond. Muse Avenue is Australia's leading platform for independent beauty and hair professionals, and it is where most of our formal applications come through. The listing has the current status of available space, membership options, and the full application process.

2. Email the studio directly. Send a note to salon@kohort.com.au with a short introduction, a link to your Instagram or portfolio, a rough sense of your current book size and specialty, and the days you are looking to work. A senior member of the KOHORT team will reply and arrange a conversation.

From there, the process typically involves an informal coffee, a studio visit, and a trial day if both sides are interested. No long application forms, no interview panels. Just a genuine conversation about whether the fit works.

FAQs for Stylists

What is the commission structure at KOHORT?

A clean 50/50 split on services, with flexible memberships layered on top depending on the shape of your week. Contact the team for current rates and options.

Do I bring my own tools and product?

Yes. Every independent stylist at KOHORT brings their own colour, their own shears, their own foils and their own tools. The back-bar at the studio carries Kerastase, Davines, Olaplex, K18 and L'Oreal Metal Detox for treatment, finishing and retail, but your colour line and cutting tools are your own.

Can I sell my own retail at KOHORT?

Yes. KOHORT's in-studio retail is our shared range (Kerastase, Davines, Olaplex, K18, L'Oreal Metal Detox, Bhave). If you have a separate line you want to sell to your clients, we can accommodate a stylist-specific retail arrangement on request.

Who owns my client relationships?

You do. Your clients are your clients. Your booking system, your communications, your Instagram, your branding, your pricing. KOHORT provides the studio infrastructure, not a client book.

Do I set my own prices?

Yes. Every stylist at KOHORT sets their own pricing for every service. The studio does not impose a price list.

What booking system does KOHORT use?

Most stylists book through the shared Shortcuts OLS system at kohort.com.au/stylists, which is maintained by the studio. Taylah and Sheridan use Timely. Elodie books through Instagram DM. The choice is yours, depending on what fits your existing setup.

Can I work part-time at KOHORT?

Yes. Part-time is welcomed, particularly for stylists returning from parental leave, building a new book, or working project-based bridal and event hair. The membership structure flexes to match.

What are the studio hours?

Studio hours run across a standard Tuesday to Saturday week, with late-night options on Wednesday and Thursday. Exact operating days depend on the stylists working, so there is flexibility to shape the week.

Does KOHORT accommodate apprentices?

KOHORT is structured for senior independent stylists rather than formal apprenticeship programs. That said, we have accommodated late-stage apprentices who are finishing training and moving into independent practice. Contact the team to discuss.

What if I am based outside Richmond?

That is fine. Most of our stylists live in the inner-east suburbs (Richmond, Collingwood, Abbotsford, Fitzroy, Burnley, Hawthorn, Kew) but we have had applicants travel from further afield. Bridge Road is unusually reachable by tram, train and car.

Is there a trial period?

Yes. We typically run a trial day or two so both sides can make sure the fit works before formal commitments are made.

What if I want to bring my small team?

Salon owners downsizing out of a traditional lease have brought small teams to KOHORT before. The logistics depend on available chair space, so contact the team early if this is the path you are considering.

Apply Now

The fastest way to apply is through our Muse Avenue listing at museavenue.co/s/kohort-vic-richmond. For direct conversations, email salon@kohort.com.au or DM @kohortstudio on Instagram.

KOHORT Studio, 234 Bridge Road, Richmond VIC 3121. Phone 0423 979 900. We are always open to the right stylists, and a good application goes a long way. Come build your business with us.