The GA Salon Queensway steers away from the conventional haircut experience with impressive results…
There I was thinking I was going for a regular haircut – although the GA Salon Queensway is certainly not your conventional high street hairdressing salon. With a focus on natural, curative products and hair colour, the space is decked out with a flower ceiling and touches of Italian glamour including wood and gold, while the salon’s signature blends, which contain 100% natural and organic herbs, roots and flowers, are displayed on the wall.
I was welcomed by upbeat Italian senior stylist Luca, who looked after me from the backwash to when I left the salon. “Tell me everything!” said Luca. I explained that I needed a few inches cut off my long, heavy hair, and some long layers to take the weight out.
But it’s when he got out the elastic bands that I knew things were going to be a little different.
Now I’ve been to a lot of top London salons and I’m used to having different hairdressers work their magic on my hair, so I rarely get apprehensive or nervous. In fact, considering we’d only just met, I felt weirdly at ease. “You’re the first client I’ve ever had who hasn’t told me I’m crazy at this point,” Luca told me, as he sectioned my hair into six ponytails.
But I didn’t bat an eyelid and let Luca carry on with the tried and tested layering technique, which was actually invented by the salon and has even been named after one of their clients. “Think about an Italian woman emerging from the sea, shaking her hair out and it falling into place effortlessly – that’s the aim,” Luca continued. It sounded good to me!
And I was right to trust in the talented stylist – as my hair was being air-dried I could see that it looked great, even before any styling had taken place. I decided on an undone, beachy blow-dry, which Luca created with a brush followed by tongs, “to make sure it lasts”.
He also cut my curtain fringe just the way I like it – and those who know me know how fussy I am when it comes to my fringe. I always say that the proof of a good haircut is how it looks after you’ve washed it for the first time at home, and my verdict is that this was an excellent haircut. My hair is much easier to manage and it fell into place beautifully when I blow-dried it.
If you’re looking for a new salon in London and are happy to leave your hair in the hands of some unconventional stylists, check out GA Salon Queensway as I think you’ll be impressed – I certainly was.
GA Salon Queensway
2 Wellington Terrace
Bayswater
W2 4LW
