A review of the new Nicky Clarke Mayfair salon: One of London’s finest hair salons

Nicky Clarke Mayfair hair salon Carlos Place ground floor image

Boasting an exclusive team of award-winning stylists and technicians, it is no wonder that Nicky Clarke’s Mayfair hair salon is widely recognised as being amongst the best hair salons in the world. With a client base that spans British to overseas royalty, including a veritable who’s who of celebrities; if you want the look, then this is the place to get it.

Originally opened in 1991, Nicky Clarke Mayfair is located on the glamorous yet discrete Carlos Place, just off Mayfair’s prestigious Berkeley Square and only seconds away from the site of the original Nicky Clarke salon. I had the unique privilege to check-in for an appointment for a colour and blow dry.

Nicky Clarke Mayfair hair salon Carlos Place ground floor image

On arrival at 9am the salon was already a hive of activity, with a vibrant atmosphere permeating from the understated elegance of the ground floor. After being warmly greeted by the receptionist, I was courteously ushered downstairs where the colour studio was lavished with rich mahogany fixtures and marble flooring that simply oozed of sophistication.

Nicky Clarke Mayfair hair salon Carlos Place entrance

I promptly found myself with champagne glass at the ready and in the hands of the salon’s head colourist, Emilie Venturini. Highly passionate about her trade, Emilie’s experience and expertise is unrivalled, which became evident to me immediately. Working with my needs always in the forefront of her mind, her eye for what suits and what doesn’t and her vivid and accurate envisioning of my finished hair colour meant that my hair was subtly given a new lease of life smoothly and expertly. Completely conditioned in a way not known to other salons, I had a new colour that looked deep, rich and expensive without a hint of brassiness.

Nicky Clarke Mayfair hair salon Carlos Place colour studio

Nicky Clarke Mayfair hair salon Carlos Place blow-drying in progressWith my stunning new colour now set and champagne bubbles adding to my delight with the results, I was then given the full red-carpet treatment by the utterly fabulous hairdresser to the stars, Lee Radley. Lee had actually worked with Nicky Clarke back when they were both at John Freida, before combining forces again when Nicky opened his first solo salon. When it comes to both hair styling and the ever-essential salon gossip, Lee is a master. Having worked in almost every environment from fashion, print and media shoots to private parties and Royal weddings, Lee is one of those rare breeds of hairdresser who strives to make you feel like a Princess in the making, and always succeeds. The list of celebrities and royals whose hair Lee has personally cut and styled reads like a bucketlist of people I want to meet before I die, and I would have been happy to simply listen to stories, let alone have my hair crafted into a masterpiece under his deft hands.

Nicky Clarke Mayfair hair salon Carlos Place blow-dry image of me with Lee RadleyFeeling utterly spoilt, I left the salon feeling a little deflated that the whole experience was over, although my hair feels like it’s going to enjoy the benefits of hairdressing excellence for a while to come yet. Having been lucky enough to have been given oppurtunities to visit many of London’s top salons, nothing could have prepared me for the service and the results I received at Nicky Clarke Mayfair. Undoubtedly one of the most luxurious salons I have ever been to, it is one I will be both returning to myself, and recommending wholeheartedly to others.

PS. I also got word of a Gentlemen’s Grooming Vault, a private, mirrored room resembling a luxurious and highly bejewelled cave, that offers hair cuts, fine shaves and grooming experiences for its male clientele, so clearly no need for the gents to miss out on this experience.

Written by: Atoosa Zand – 12/7/12

Photography: Arteh Odjidja – www.artehcreative.com

 

To book your appointment today visit www.nickyclarke.com

Tel: (+44) (0)020 7491 4700

Nick Clarke
11 Carlos Place,
Mayfair,
London,
W1K 3AX

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