Reception

Ok so you are going on vacation and besides the obvious checking to make sure your ticket and passport is secure. Making sure your luggage is still good and that your digital camera has its charger. What is on your to do list before you go? It doesn’t matter if you are male or female, I bet it’s the same thing. You book an appointment at your hairdresser or barbers right?  Of course I’m right we all want to look good in our vacation photos and for those strangers who don’t know us but who we want to think, that this is how we always look, stylish, fresh, put together and beautifully coiffed.

This last trip I took was fairly last minute and as I stressed about if I could fit a hair appointment in before I left. A thought suddenly occurred to me WHY? Why do we all do this mad dash to the hair salon?  With an especially big why when I considered I was going to London a Mecca for famous, fabulous star hair salons. Why would I want to get my hair done in my little town of L.A. (ok to be fair we have great talent here as well, but play along with me for arguments sake). Why do that when waiting for me on the other side of the pond was a city full of incredible talent.

So I started to research and as I suspected there was talent to spare. With one salon standing out a little shinier and more polished than the rest and that is the Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa.

Waterfall and Wash Room

Richard Ward was nominated six times for the British Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards, and has also been a finalist in the London Hairdresser of the Year category. Richard is a favorite of the British Press, writing regular columns in a host of consumer magazines. He features regularly in titles such as Vogue, Harpers & Queen, Tatler, New Woman, Daily Mail, OK!, Hello and Grazia. His long-standing association with Trinny and Susannah throughout their What Not to Wear shows on BBC, and now on Trinny & Susannah Undress has made him the King of the UK TV Makeover.

So I made a last minute booking and I was lucky and they were very kind to fit me in.  As I approached the front of their 5000 sq ft flagship salon space at 82 Duke of York Square, Sloane Square, I was deceived into thinking I was going to a small maybe intimate salon.  That is until I crossed the threshold and discovered a hair & spa wonderland.  I was greeted by the friendly unpretentious staff and given a tour of the salon. The use of space was creative and impressive. Each room was dedicated to a particular function from the Washing Room with a beautiful enclosed waterfall, to the Cutting Room, the Bar, the Colour Zone and eventually the Metrospa.  Every room was immaculate and unique.  All were painted in a different color and all were sleek beautiful as well as very polished and posh.

Another great idea was the bar area, you could order anything from a mineral water, soda, cappuccino to a glass of beer or champagne and if you were hungry there was an incredible food menu with many snack, salad and sandwich choices and a kiddy menu in case they little ones were escorting mommy to the salon.

Colour Zone

I ordered a gassy water and sank back to be beautified. I started in the Colour Zone and had my lengthy outgrown highlights touched up. With an artists precision my stylist matched my current color and even added a mid town for softness. After highlights I went into the Wash Room and watched surfing on Plasma TV screens as the color was washed from my hair.  I was then taken to the Cutting Room and given a fresh look to my tired hair cut.

My hair was blown dry and curled and I felt like a socialite as I left the salon.  The best news is that even though my color and cut were similar to what I went in with, there has been a noticeable change. I’ve had a run in with a very catty woman and I know it’s because my hair looks better than hers. I’ve had close friends and my roommate tell me how good I look and then a day or two later ask me if I changed my hair. 

Richard Ward Metrospa

I am happy to recommend Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa and even more happy to prove a new theory. The theory of WHY go to your tired old salon right before a trip when there is a Mecca of fresh talent to explore in your destination city.

Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa
82 Duke of York Square,
Sloane Square, London, SW3 4LY;
Ph: +44 (0) 20 7730 1222
www.richardward.co.uk

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