Stylist partner network
How Kurli sends a client to your chair
The plain version: what happens on our side, what happens on yours, and what we do not touch.
Most tools that promise to send you clients work the same way. They put your name in a list, sort the list by who paid, and hope somebody clicks. The person who arrives has no idea what they want and books the cheapest slot.
Kurli starts from a different place. By the time someone is looking for a stylist, they have already uploaded a photo, been given four styles that suit their face with a reason for each, and seen at least one of those styles rendered onto their own picture. They know the name of the cut. They have seen it on their head. Then they ask where to get it.
This page explains exactly what happens on both sides of that moment, including the parts that are still being built.
What the client does before they ever see your name
A person opens Kurli and takes a selfie or uploads one. Their browser measures the face on the device itself, so the photo is not sent anywhere at that stage. Then our AI reads the picture and returns four hairstyles chosen for that face, each with a short explanation of why it works, plus one or two to avoid.
Every recommendation has a "see it on me" button. Tapping it renders that exact cut onto their own photo, keeping their face, their skin, and their hair colour. This is the part people spend time on. They flip between two or three options, show a friend, and settle on one.
Only after that does the question of a stylist come up. The intent is already fully formed. They are not browsing salons. They are looking for the person who can do the thing they just decided on.
What happens today when they ask for a stylist
Right now, Kurli's "find a stylist near me" page asks for their location, then shows hair salons and barbershops near them with ratings and review counts pulled from Google, and a link to book. That is useful, and it is honest, but it is nothing you could not get by opening Google Maps yourself.
It also has an obvious hole. Google's ranking knows which salon is popular. It does not know that this particular person wants a curly cut done dry, or a skin fade, or colour correction on box dye. Those are not the same job, and the busiest salon nearby is often the wrong answer.
That hole is the reason the partner network exists.
What changes when you are a partner
Partners tell us what they want to be booked for, in their own words. Curly cutting. Short crops on fine hair. Balayage on dark hair. Skin fades. Wigs and extensions. Colour correction.
We already know which style the client just chose, because we recommended it and drew it on their face. So the match is style first, distance second, rather than distance only.
Your profile shows your name, your area, what you are good at, photos of your own work, and a link that goes straight to however you already take bookings. The client leaves Kurli and lands on your booking page, your phone, or your Instagram.
What Kurli does not do
We do not sit between you and the appointment. We do not hold the calendar, take the deposit, process the payment, or set your prices. There is no commission on a booking that comes through us, and there is no contract to sign.
We do not sell your email address, and we do not pass a client's photo to you. Their face is their business. What reaches you is a person contacting you the normal way.
We also do not promise a volume of clients. Anyone who tells you a number before they have sent you one is guessing.
Where the network actually is right now
Being straight with you matters more than sounding big. The partner directory is being built. Applications are open, a person reads each one, and we reply either way.
Founding partners are the stylists we build the first version around. That means we will ask you what the profile should say, what a useful referral looks like to you, and what would make you take your listing down. If your answer changes the product, it changes the product.
When your profile is about to go live, you will get an email before it does, not after.
Who we are looking for
Not only salon owners. A chair renter with a strong book, a barber who works Saturdays only, a mobile stylist who does home visits, and a colour specialist who takes referrals from other salons are all useful to a person holding a picture of the cut they want.
What we do need is that you are qualified where your country or state requires it, that a stranger can actually reach you, and that you will answer within a couple of working days even when the answer is that you are full. A referral that never gets an answer costs the client more than no referral at all.
What it costs
Nothing to apply, and nothing to hold a listing during the founding phase. No commission on bookings. No lock-in.
If that ever changes, founding partners will be told directly and in advance. We would rather lose a partner than surprise one with an invoice.
Common questions
Does Kurli take a percentage of what I charge?
No. The client books with you the way they would have anyway, and the money never touches us. There is no commission and no booking fee.
Do I need my own website?
No. A page on a booking platform such as Booksy, StyleSeat, Fresha, Squire, or Treatwell works, and so does a business Instagram if that is how you take enquiries.
Will I be sent the client's photo?
No. The photo belongs to them. They may choose to show you the try-on image when they arrive, which many people do, but that is their decision, not an automatic hand-off.
What if the AI recommends a cut I do not think suits the client?
Then you say so, and you are right. Kurli is a starting point for the conversation, not an instruction. Stylists overrule it in the chair every day and that is the correct outcome.
Is this only for salon owners?
No. Chair renters, booth renters, mobile stylists, home-studio stylists, and barbers who work part time are all welcome to apply.
How many clients will I get?
We do not know, and we will not invent a figure. The network is new. What we can tell you is how the matching works and what we are building, which is what this page does.
Can I list more than one location?
Tell us in your application. Multi-location salons and stylists who split the week between two places are handled case by case while the directory is being built.
What happens if I get too busy?
Email us and we pause your listing. You can turn it back on whenever you want. There is no penalty for pausing, and nothing to cancel.
Do I have to use Kurli myself?
No. Some partners use the try-on in consultations because it saves an argument about length. Others never open it. Neither affects your listing.
How do I know a referral came from Kurli?
Ask the client. During the founding phase we are keeping the flow simple rather than adding tracking codes that break booking links, and we would rather hear from you directly about what actually arrived.