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Laura Kirby and Katie Wills co-founded Elysian Head Spa in November 2024 to optimize scalp and hair care. With four head spa rooms and a dedicated hair restoration suite, a team of cosmetologists and estheticians is bringing personalized treatments to Central Austin. 

How it started: Wills comes from a background in critical care, ICU nursing and work in a cardiology and heart failure clinic. After spending 15 years in traditional medicine, she was looking for a way to transition into a new role. Wills discovered head spas in 2024 during a trip to Japan and hoped to bring the experience back to Austin. 

Learn more: Kirby has a background in sales and always wanted to venture into the wellness and beauty industry. When Wills introduced her to the concept of head spas, the pair became business partners and friends, teaming up to open Elysian. 

The features: Treatments range from a complimentary hair growth consultation to one-hour and 90-minute head spa services and skin care treatments such as professional peels and facials. 

• 3408 West Ave., Austin

Austin could rein in the use of electronic motorcycles and mini-bikes, or e-motos, in response to lacking local regulations and rising roadway safety concerns.

The big picture: City officials noted that e-motos, a collective term for the throttle-powered electric vehicles, can operate at high speeds and resemble traditional motorcycles rather than slower and more limited e-bikes. Austin doesn't yet have any specific regulations on the books for e-motos, which can drive as fast as 60 miles per hour or more—well above an existing cap of 28 MPH established for e-bikes in Texas transportation law.

Action taken: A recently approved City Council resolution will result in proposed city code changes to define e-motos and their legality, establish when and where they're permitted and set related penalties. It also called for police training updates, a public awareness campaign and the possible dedication of an e-moto recreational area.

Check out some of the most-read stories from the Austin area June 1-4. 

1. The Peach Cobbler Factory now open in Round Rock

2. Liberty Hill annexes property on Hwy. 29 to become commercial development

3. Mountain Mike's opens first Williamson County location

4. Georgetown officials remove local alcohol permit fee

5. Austin raises senior, disabled homeowner property tax exemption by $12K

6. Bastrop's Texas Roadhouse sets late July opening

📈 8 of the nation’s fastest-growing cities are in Texas, census data shows

Texas was home to eight of the nation’s fastest-growth municipalities in 2025 as people continue moving to smaller cities in the state’s large metropolitan areas, new U.S. Census Bureau data shows. Read now.

🎒 $8.4B boost did not shield Texas schools from budget cuts, educators say

Nearly $8.4 billion in new state funding was not enough to save Texas public school districts from budget shortfalls and campus closures, school administrators said June 1. Read more.

🗳️ Texas’ statewide elections are set for November. Here are the candidates on the ballot.

Voters will see 18 statewide contests on the November ballot, alongside all congressional seats, most state legislative seats, eight State Board of Education seats and a variety of local positions. Read here.