Code Salon is a senior-stylist house. Most chairs are filled by colorists and cutters with ten or more years of practice, plus continuing education in specialty techniques. Each stylist works directly with clients on long-term relationships rather than rotating through quick service.
Key Takeaways
- Six stylists at 561 Castro Street, second floor.
- Owner Aric Congdon: color, cuts, curly hair, keratin, hair extensions, Korean perm, Japanese thermal treatment.
- Kara Rigo specializes in blondes. Stella Menendez and Deniz Erol are senior colorists. Vincent Potter is the master cutter.
- Keely came from Little Sparrow and takes new-talent bookings at junior pricing.
Professional hair color services contribute an estimated 39% of total salon industry revenue, and senior stylist roles typically require 8 to 15 years of practice plus continuing education in specialty techniques (Modern Salon, Facts on Hair Color Users). Code Salon’s team sits in that senior tier across most chairs, with junior bookings available through Keely while she builds her client base.
This page introduces the team at 561 Castro Street as of 2026. Bookings for any stylist are available through Fresha. Consults for big services like color correction, gray blending, and extensions are $25 and credit toward the booked service.
Aric Congdon
Owner. Master colorist and cutter. Specialty programs lead.
Aric runs Code Salon and takes the most complex bookings on the roster. The specialty list is wider than most stylists in San Francisco: curly hair (cut and color, both), gray blending, Keratin treatments, hair extensions, Korean perm, and Japanese thermal treatment. The last two are rare in SF and Code Salon is one of the few shops doing them well.
Pricing reflects the specialty work. Cuts run higher in the senior range. Base color starts at $200. Single-process color starts at $300. Curly cut $350 flat. Curly color is similarly priced to standard color but takes longer because of curl-pattern protection technique. Gray blending and color correction are consult-required and priced hourly.
Best fit for clients with complex hair history, specialty service needs, or anyone who wants a long-term relationship with a master stylist who can handle every situation.
Kara Rigo
Senior Colorist. Blonde specialist.
Kara is the team’s go-to for blonde work. Highlights, balayage, blonde refresh, and the kind of dimensional work that turns flat single-process blonde into actual depth. Her chair is the right call for clients who want a blonde stylist who has dialed in lift, tone, and placement over years of practice.
Base color starts at $135 in her chair. Single-process color starts at $200. Highlights and balayage start at $300, with the final price moving up for long or dense hair.
Best fit for blonde clients, anyone wanting to go blonder, or clients with existing blonde maintenance who want a stylist who treats blonde as a primary specialty rather than just another service.
Stella Menendez
Senior Colorist.
Stella handles color across the spectrum. Single-process, dimensional work, balayage, color correction, and toning. Strong reputation among Code Salon regulars for getting tone right consistently and for handling complex correction work.
Base color starts at $135. Single-process color starts at $200. Highlights and balayage start at $300. Color correction is hourly after a $25 consult.
Best fit for clients who want a senior colorist with broad range, especially those bringing in color history that needs careful handling.
Vincent Potter
Master Cutting Specialist.
Vincent is the team’s primary cutter. Precision work, modern shapes, and the kind of cut craft that makes a haircut grow out gracefully over months rather than getting awkward at the six-week mark. Strong reputation for cuts that work with the client’s natural hair pattern instead of against it.
Cuts in Vincent’s chair sit in the senior range, $200 to $250 typical. Every cut includes wash, consult, and finishing blowout.
Best fit for clients who care about the cut more than the color, or anyone wanting a senior cutter to handle a significant style change.
Deniz Erol
Senior Colorist and Cutter.
Deniz handles both color and cuts at the senior level, which is a rare combination on most salon teams. Single-process, balayage, highlights, color correction, and modern cuts all sit in his chair. Best for clients who want one chair to handle the whole appointment without splitting between two stylists.
Base color starts at $135. Single-process color starts at $200. Highlights and balayage start at $300. Cuts sit in the senior range. Color correction is hourly after consult.
Best fit for clients who want a one-chair full-service appointment with a senior stylist who can do both sides of the work well.
Keely
Junior Colorist and Stylist.
Keely came over from Little Sparrow and takes new-talent bookings while she builds her client base at Code Salon. Senior-tier care at junior-tier pricing for clients open to working with a stylist on the way up rather than at the top of the senior range.
Base color starts at $135 in her chair. Single-process starts at $200. Cuts sit at the lower end of the standard range. Same product lines, same techniques, same approach as the senior team.
Best fit for clients who want a quality experience at a more accessible price, or new SF arrivals testing the salon before committing to a senior chair.
How to book
Online booking through Fresha is the fastest path. Book any stylist directly. Senior chairs (Kara, Stella, Vincent, Deniz, Aric) book four to twelve weeks out for new clients. Keely’s chair has more near-term availability while her book builds.
Consults for color correction, gray blending, and extensions are required before booking the actual service. The consult fee is $25 and credits toward the cost of the booked work. Consults can be booked online through Fresha alongside regular appointments.
Phone bookings are available at (347) 925-8225 for clients who prefer to call. Most appointment management happens through the booking platform once the first appointment is set.
About Code Salon
Code Salon is a senior-stylist hair salon in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. The shop sits at 561 Castro Street, second floor. Open daily, 8 AM to 8 PM. The salon publishes its full pricing rather than quoting on the day of the appointment, and offers specialty services including curly hair, color correction, gray blending, Keratin, hair extensions, Korean perm, and Japanese thermal treatment alongside standard cut and color work.
Yelp profile sits at 4.7 stars across roughly 1,145 reviews. Contact info. Castro salon context guide.