Some businesses simply occupy a place in a city. Others grow up with it, becoming a part of its fabric. For nearly five decades, Hair Benders Internationalé has spent its years cutting, coloring, teaching, traveling, and evolving, while generations of Chattanooga clients have made our chairs part of their own stories.
A Salon With an International Pedigree
In 1990, HBI became a member of Intercoiffure, the invitation-only international organization of salon owners and hair artists. Today, HBI remains Chattanooga’s only Intercoiffure salon. Our stylists have presented their work on Intercoiffure stages from New York and France to Italy and Brazil, exchanging ideas with artists from around the world and bringing that perspective back to Tennessee.
That international connection continues to shape the HBI experience today. Our team remains engaged with the larger professional hair community, continuing to learn from artists, educators, and innovators around the world while bringing new ideas and techniques back to Chattanooga.
Nearly Five Decades in Chattanooga
Since opening in 1978, HBI has grown into one of the Southeast’s largest salons, but size was never the real ambition. The pursuit has always been better work.
That pursuit has taken HBI far beyond Chattanooga. Throughout the decades, our team has sought education in Paris, Milan, London, New York, Miami, and other centers of hair and fashion. HBI’s continuing education has brought our artists into the orbit of some of the industry’s defining names, including Vidal Sassoon, Jacques Dessange, and Pivot Point founder Leo Passage.
Long before trends traveled instantly through social media platforms, HBI was learning internationally and bringing that knowledge home. The salon also developed a tradition of creative and trend work beyond Chattanooga, from Paris and Milan trend shoots to editorial-style photoshoots designed to keep artistry and experimentation part of the culture.
The HBI Standard
Education Is Part of the Work
We have long operated as a teaching house, developing stylists through structured, hands-on education and continuing training rather than simply placing someone behind a chair. That culture extends to our relationship with Redken. As a Redken Black Elite Salon, HBI and our expert stylists have access to professional education, product innovation, and evolving techniques from one of the industry’s most established professional haircare brands.
Our team includes Redken Color Certified hair color specialists as well as a Redken platform artist. From dimensional blondes and balayage to gray blending, rich brunettes, and carefully formulated hair color, technical knowledge sits behind the artistry.
Recognition Earned Over Time
There are accolades that arrive after a good year, and then there is recognition that follows you for decades. For 21 consecutive years, HBI took first place in the Hair Salon category of the Chattanooga Times Free Press “Best of the Best” awards. Eventually, we chose to step away from the nomination and make room for other salons to be recognized.
Today, that history of recognition is reflected in the work of the current HBI team. Our stylists continue to bring their own perspectives, specialties, and creative approaches to the salon, building on the standards that have defined HBI for decades.
Everything Comes Back to the Chair
Every appointment begins with a conversation. Our expert stylists take the time to listen to what you like, what is not working, how you spend your mornings, and what you want from your hair six weeks from now as much as today. From there, the service becomes personal.
Across HBI, our expert stylists provide cuts, color, highlights, balayage, styling, extensions, smoothing and texturing treatments, hair restoration, and special occasion hair. Our Gunbarrel location extends the experience further with full-service spa offerings, including facials, nails, lashes, brows, and waxing.
Nearly Five Decades, and Still Looking Forward
HBI has never stayed relevant by standing still. Generations of stylists have contributed to the salon’s evolution, and today, the expert stylists and beauty professionals who carry the HBI name continue that work. The fashions will change. They always have. Our responsibility is to keep learning, keep listening, and know what is worth bringing back to Chattanooga. After all this time, that may be the most HBI thing of all.
Come Take a Seat
Nearly five decades of HBI history have been written one appointment at a time. Today, that story continues with a new generation of artists, educators, and beauty professionals carrying HBI forward. Visit us at Gunbarrel in East Brainerd or Northshore in North Chattanooga. Contact Hair Benders Internationalé or book your appointment and become part of what comes next.
