At the age of 36, I’ve finally accepted my hair for what it is and found a cut, style and colour that works for me. Being blessed/cursed with incredibly thick hair, I could never have the wavy, choppy bob I always wanted as a child or have a fringe that didn’t get greasy just walking past a chip shop. So, being a customer who knows exactly what I want and what my hair needs, I visited Vidal Sassoon in Manchester City Centre for a style refresh and signature shine treatment.
Located just off the main high street the Sassoon salon is on a lovely peaceful corner, once inside and the scent of hair products fills your lungs you feel like you’re in a small sanctuary of calm and pampering rather than mere feet away from the street performers and hustle and bustle of Market Street.
VIP treatment at Sassoon Salon Manchester
Staff whisk away my coat and shopping bags, and I’m taken to a chair ready for my consultation with senior stylist Louise. I always pre-warn a new hairdresser about the amount of hair I have; some recoil in horror, but most are eager to have a go at a real full head of hair. Louise is thrilled to have the opportunity and loves my undercut and its practicality, and thinks we can still achieve a bit more weight taken off by cutting in more around the back. I tell her whatever makes it thinner! A phrase I’m sure most hairstylists rarely hear.
Off I go to the sink to get my hair washed, and apprentice Jacob says he immediately recognises me. I, flattered at being recognised, assume he means from my TikTok account as I am a full-time influencer, but oh no, he’s a former student of one of my sisters, who is a secondary school teacher. I blame getting the Vidal Sassoon celebrity treatment for my delusions of feeling like a local celebrity.
While giving me a fabulous hair wash, complete with 10 10-minute head massage, Jacob tells me about his love of the course he is currently completing with the brand. That only a few months in, he is already cutting hair and colouring and his passion for what he is speaking about is wonderful to see.
Jacob applied the Wella Glaze and Seal Topcoat to my hair for 10 minutes after my wash. It smells amazing and feels nourishing and relaxing on my head. After a thorough rinse, I’m taken back to Louise, who goes over what she intends to do to my hair. We’re not taking anything off the length at the front, but we’ll be cutting choppy layers into the back to take off some of the weight and framing it around. I say I’d like it styled into loose curls as I’m going out for a meal with my husband later.
For the next hour or so, we put the world to rights, laugh about what we used to wear to the clubs in the early 2000s, the good and bad restaurants in Manchester and why men just can’t seem to get anything right (standard). But between all that, the cut and styling is carried out so professionally, each stage checking if I’m happy and even stating the products she uses that I might be interested in.
Louise uses the O&M Gold Smoothing Balm and Frizzy Logic Shine Serum to tame my thick mop into a sleek and shiny bob, then adds O&M Desert Dry volumising Dry Texture Spray at the end to really define the style and add a bit of oomph.
The results
Before I know it (and finished yapping!), my hair is ready for the big reveal, and without even needing to see it, I can already say it feels better, lighter and more manageable. With subtle curls and natural-looking waves, the style perfectly frames my face, and the back is perfectly sculpted just at the top of my neck.
I’m happy with the cut, but absolutely thrilled with how shiny my hair looks. Being naturally mousey blond, it very rarely looks shiny, but the treatment most certainly made a difference, and even with curls, the style looks glistening and shiny under the lights.
I thank Louise for the wonderful job and the top banter and head to get my belongings where a gaggle of Sassoon hairdressers are just finishing for the day and are gushing over my hair and outfit and once again make me feel like a celebrity. And isn’t that how you should be made to feel after a haircut? Book an appointment here and feel like a VIP every visit.
Sassoon Salon Manchester
1 Marsden Street
Manchester
M2 1HW
