Frankly? Overpriced! (Toni & Guy)

Member Name: Delicate_Orchid1

Product:	Toni & Guy
Date:	28/11/05 (1914 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great customer service, I got what I wanted

Disadvantages: Uncomfortable sinks, overpriced

***Background***

Those who know me well are aware of my extreme phobia of letting anyone near my hair. This stems back to some unfortunate teenage experience, with two perms that went madly wrong. And it is also due to a 'friend' persuading me to cut off all my lucious blond hair (which reached down to my hips), leaving me with short hair, barely touching my chin. It took me years to get my hair back to a decent length!

For the past 11 years I had been going to the same favorite hairdresser. Problem: That hairdresser is based in New York. That was fine when I was a student zigzagging across the Atlantic every 4 to 6 months and could afford to have a few split ends, but with my new career path I surely need to have the right hair to go with those expensive suits I bought the other day.

My phobia of getting the wrong hair cut lead me to book an appointment with probably the most famous hair salon in the UK, Toni & Guy.


***The salon***

The salon was nicely air conditioned and cozy. At the entrance there were leather couches on which customers could wait for their stylists.

The salon itself was spacious and clean. The only annoying thing about the whole get-up was the danceclub music playing in the background, which I suppose is part of the 'trying to be hip' generation. While I hated that part of it, some other customers might enjoy it.

The other slight annoyance was this cleaning girl in a skirt that was about 3 inches to low-cut, constantly walking around and spraying cleaning products on tables and mirrors. She was doing this throughout the entire cutting process. While I do like the fact that the salon was clean and tidy, I did not appreciate having to constantly breathe in the cleaning products.


***My experience***

Arrival:
I got to the salon about 10 minutes prior to my appointment and was surprised when the receptionist had a few issues trying to find my booking. My name was taken down wrongly and the only way they could identify was by my mobile number. Oh well, just a minor hick-up!

My stylist showed up before the scheduled time and immediately asked me what I wanted. I explained that all I wanted was a wash, cut and dry, get rid off the dead ends, nothing too fancy.

The stylist then lead me to her table, only to ask me exactly the same question again! Not much of a listener, eh? This time she seemed to get ot all right, though. She played with my hair a bit and made a couple of suggestions, making sure I was alright with it before she proceeded to lead me to the shampooist.

Hair wash:
I was looking forward to this part, because I had heard many good things about the hair wash experience at Tony & Guy. It was therefore very disappointing to discover that the neck rest for the sink was the most uncomfortable neck rest I had ever experienced. I was honestly laying my head back hoping that the experience would end soon to avoid the need of having to book a neck and shoulder massage straight afterwards!

My hair was shampooed and rinsed three times with various lovely smelling Tigi bedhead shampoos and conditioners. Had it not been for the uncomfortable neck rest, I would have considered this pure luxury.

The shampooist did massage my head somewhat, but it was not nearly as good as I expected. The only goof thing about the massage was that it distracted me from the pain in my neck!

Customer care pre-cut:
After the hair wash, I was lead back to the stylist's table. I was slightly dizzy and my neck was still sore and stiff.

I was offered a drink, but I refused. The shampooist then proceeded to bring me a selection of magazines to flick through, which, while wasted on me, was a very nice gesture.

My stylist then arrived and offered me yet another drink.

The cutting process:
I am not generally someone who likes to chit-chat while I get my hair cut, because I feel like the stylist should simply FOCUS ON MY HAIR!!! I was therefore pleasantly surprised that the extent of the conversation I had with my stylist was very little. She asked me to tip my head forward, she asked where my accent was from, and she complimented my beautiful hair colour (a bit of ego massaging is always good).

Once the cutting was done, she asked me as to my preference of blow drying. I had never been asked this kind of thing in the past, so I did not quite know what to say. I just asked her to blow-dry it straight. I was given another generous helping of some lovely Tigi product to make my hair smell all flowery, and off she went to blow dry my hair.

This was probably the best part, because it felt like a true head massage. She was very gentle with the blow-drying. Usually this process hurts a bit, because my hair is very fine. She really took her time to make this a pleasant experience.

She then added a bit more of lovely product, some Tigi serum that I need to check out very soon!

Post-cut:
I was given the obligatory mirror to have a view of my hair. The verdict? Well, I got exactly what I asked for. She tidied up the ends, she did not cut too much off and she kept it simple without gimmicks.

I then asked her a couple of questions. Instead of rushing me out, she actually sat down and talked to me. She told me that I should come back every 6 weeks or so and that she would still be working in this salon for at least a year. All the necessary information in case I wanted to come back some other time.

She then led me to the reception. Another pleasant surprise: She did not try to sell me the whole range of Toni & Guy products. She simply asked if I wanted to purchase any products. When I said 'no', she was absolutely fine with that. From previous salon experiences I know that they generally attempt to relieve your wallet of all its contents and max out your credit card in the process.

The shocker, however, was the bill. A simple wash, cut and blow-dry of easy-to-cut straight hair, a job that took less than 40 minutes, came to a staggering £38 - plus the obligatory tip. Gulp!!!


***The overall verdict***

I am happy with my experience, but I am not sure it was worth £38. I got what I wanted, but would I not have gotten this for less elsewhere? My stylist happened to do everything right, but would someone else not have done the same elsewhere? Or would another stylist in the same salon have taken off too much and left me unhappy?

Would I recommend it? Only if you are fussy with your hair and if you have the money. I personally will try and look for a cheaper option. Any suggestions for a good hairdressing chain in London at cheaper prices?



***Further info***

www.toniandguy.co.uk

Summary: Good service and results with a hideous price tag attached to it.