LFF REVIEWS: URBAN RETREAT HAIR SALON HARRODS

I’ve had some dire hairdressing experiences in the past year. After a particularly appalling hair cut in December (I ended up with a ‘Lego’ haircut – you know, the kind of angular style only a Lego figure sports), I decided to go on strike and forgo hair salons for good. So after 6 months my hair ended up in the sorry and confused mess that you see below. 

Recently, I realized an intervention was needed; I could no longer swan around fashion events looking like something the cat dragged in. Which is where Urban Retreat comes in. I received a super-swishy blow-dry courtesy of Urban Retreat and Fashion Monitor at LFW, so I reached out to them to see if they could help me overcome my hair restyling phobia. UR kindly obliged and booked me in for an appointment in their Harrods salon.

So you might think it would be slightly intimidating to get your hair cut in Harrods. And I am not going to lie; I did feel a little nervous on my ascent to the 5th floor salon/spa.  However any nerves I fast melted when I met my lovely and extremely charming stylist Josh. Harrods’ PR Marie had suggested I book in with Josh if I was looking for a fashion-forward hair style and I am so pleased that she did; Josh was young, full of enthusiasm and a whole lot of fun!

The style I had settled upon for my new look was grown out bangs ala Alexa Chung. I bought a magazine tear-out to illustrate my point, but Josh barely needed to glance at it because he already knew the look I wanted. ‘Don’t worry, you are going to look HOT’ he assured me.  Which, is what every girl wants to hear from their hairstylist isn’t it? I don’t need to understand the science behind my follicles, just make me look good and I’ll love you forever!

Photo creds: Susi Smither and Katie Jackman.

I asked Josh if he thought the fringe should be side-sweeping (my comfort zone) and he recommended a softly centre-parted style because ‘it’s sexier to show a bit of skin’. After my shampoo, I came back to find a world-famous red head seated near to me receiving a blow-dry. I always associate Harrods with celebrity clientele and was amused to find my point proved.

The hair cut itself was a super-speedy 20 minutes, during which Josh asked me if I was excited several times (I really was!) and if I felt ‘Chung-like’ yet (I did!). Blow drying took a further 10 minutes during which Josh used techniques he had picked up on a recent trip to Brazil to create softly tousled waves. Once dry, he trimmed my fringe and finished the look off with the smallest amount of hair spray; this impressed me since there’s nothing worse that leaving the hairdresser with head full of gunky product. An efficient 45 minutes after taking my seat and the restyle was complete, which meant I still had time to make a party I had been invited to in the Kings Road Anthropologie store.

Dungarees: River Island. Shoes: Next. 

My only criticism of the whole Urban Retreat Experience is that the salon isn’t easy to locate inside Harrods. After reaching the 5th floor I had to take quite a walk through the sportswear department and I felt there was a lack of signage. But that is a minor complaint. Three days on from embracing bangs and I am in LOVE with my new hair style! It has washed well and looks equally on-trend when blow dried straight. And what Josh and Urban Retreat really delivered (that so many other hair salons fail to create) was a fun and feel-good experience.  I left the salon swishing my hair feeling, (in the words of Josh) pretty hot! A big LFF thank goes to Josh and Marie at Urban Retreat for a fab experience x

A women’s cut & restyle at Urban Retreat Harrods starts at an affordable £60, for further information visit the website.