What: Botanical Hair and Scalp Treatment and Blowdry
Where: Urban Escape Hair, Prahran
Duration: 90 minutes
Hair Therapist: Craig and Claudia

Experience:

• A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of trying out some of the hair treatment and styling services as a guest of Urban Escape Hair. I won’t lie; I purposely arranged the appointment just the day before I headed to Queensland for the Problogger Event just so I could have swish-swish hair. You cannot not get your hair done when you’re going to be meeting 450 bloggers!
• My first impression of the salon was this: oooh, looks very urban chic! Fancy chairs, huge almost ceiling-to-floor mirrors, seats that aren’t cramped close together thus giving you personal space (very important!) and minimalistic yet stylish decor all around. It’s the type of hair salon I’d go for.
• I had the pleasure of meeting the salon owner and director, Craig Withers, who gave me a tour of the salon. He even showed me the staff room! I usually sneak a peek at staff rooms when I’m at hair salons when I need to use the restroom. This time, I was actually shown one. Ahh the little things that bring a smile to my face. 😛
• Craig recently won the Micro Business Award category at the 2014 Telstra Business Awards. The salon was also a winner of the 2014 Australian Achiever Award for excellence in hairdressing customer service. When chatting with Craig, it really is no wonder why he won. I was really inspired to hear his love and passion for the salon and the hairdressing business.

• Most of the really chic decor I saw in the salon was made by Craig. He designed the interior of the salon and DIY-ed a lot of the decor. For example, he upcycled old crates and even his brother’s bicycle tyres to be made into mirrors that are used to show the clients the back of their heads. Genius! He designed and made the bar in the middle of the salon.
• The theme of the salon is eco-friendly and sustainability. Everything in the salon has a place and purpose. There’s even an atrium where the salon staff brought cuts of their own garden’s plants to grow.
• Standard blowdry treatments are usually 45 minutes at most hair salons but the ones at Urban Escape Hair are usually about 1 hour 15 mins long. The extra 30 mins go into focusing on the clients’ comfort e.g. a welcome neck and scalp massage, and a hand massage during a hair treatment at the sink.
• My experience started off with the most glorious hair and scalp massage I’ve ever had. Ever! I told Claudia she has magic hands because when she was giving me another scalp massage during the actual hair treatment at the sink, I fell asleep. Now I usually only fall asleep during facials or body massages but never during a hair treatment. It really was that good.

Products Used:
Urban Escape Hair uses AVEDA products but, erm, as I had my eyes closed enjoying the treatment, I didn’t pay attention to the exact products they were using. All I can tell you is that they smell pretty damn good on my hair. 😛

Verdict:

• Craig’s ethos for the business is something everyone in the hairdressing industry should strive for: it’s not about the person behind the chair, it’s about the person on it. The person on the chair (i.e. YOU) always comes first. He’s about making the clients look and feel like a million bucks when they walk out of the salon.
• That was exactly how I felt at the salon. It wasn’t just because I was there to try out their services for a potential review (I never guaranteed a review for the salon prior to my appointment). It was very clear how well the staff treated their customers.
• Craig gave me what I expected and more: incredibly soft swish-swish hair. That blowdry lasted from Thursday to Saturday night, when I needed my hair to look its best during the Problogger Event conference.

• I know that the hair experience and results should be the best thing one takes from his/her time at a hair salon but for me, it was the presence of the resident dog, Duke. I have never seen a dog roaming around a hair salon before and Craig assured me that Duke doesn’t eat what he’s not supposed to and doesn’t disturb clients at all.
• You know me, I love dogs and when I laid eyes on Duke, who is a Blue English Staffordshire bull terrier, I absolutely fell in love. He just celebrated his first birthday not long ago and he’s one of the most gentle dogs I’ve ever met. He comes out to the salon area once in a while to see what’s going on, has a quick sniff around and then goes back into the staff room where his little corner and bed is. He’s such a darling; just 1 year old and already a gentle giant! Oh what a sweetheart. If you love dogs, I guarantee you will also fall in love with Duke like I did. Mind you, this fellow weighs over 20kg and Craig just picked him up like a puppy to pose for a photo!
• The experience of getting great service, gorgeous hair and having Duke around was such a pleasure. It truly was one of the best beauty experiences I’ve had. Oh, and if it helps, all guests get free WIFI. 😉
• If you’re at the Prahran area, I highly recommend checking out Urban Escape Hair. If you’re not keen on dogs, don’t worry. Just let the staff know and he’ll stay inside. But if you love dogs, get them to call Duke out pronto! I’ll definitely be back. 🙂

Hook me up!
Urban Escape Hair
554 High Street
East Prahran Village
VIC 3181
Tel: 03 9529 7845
Email: info@urbanescapehair.com

Special deal for Beautyholics Anonymous readers!

15 % off all services (for initial visit)
PLUS
Complimentary botanical hair &/or scalp treatment (value $54.00) – this treatment is freakin’ awesome!
Complimentary travel size shampoo & conditioner for all colour services.

Please mention Beautyholics Anonymous when booking.
Valid until 31st October 2014.
(Excludes services with Salon Director)

Was this a complimentary service? Yes, I was a guest of the Urban Escape Hair. The Botanical Hair and Scalp Therapy is AU$105 for 60 minutes.