Last week, I decided that I needed a haircut (badly), but there was a problem. My local hairdresser had recently moved to a different location on the other side of town. Always up for a change, I started looking round on the net for salons in Swansea. I came across the Good Salon Guide, which had a few highly rated salons in my home town so I compared prices. Then, I found a five star salon which was of a reasonable price! I gave them a ring, and a friendly woman took my details and gave me a booking for two hours later with one of their designers. My sister wanted her hair cut too so she got an appointment after me with the same designer.
Before I describe the visit, I'll tell you a bit about the business.
Andrew Price Salons -------------------------- Andrew Price was born in Lichfield, and trained there as an apprentice. He quickly worked his way up the ranks and finally became manager of a busy salon. Andrew often holidayed in Tenby, and whilst there, noticed a distinct lack of up-to-date salons. He quickly snapped up this gap in the market, and so Andrew's first salon was opened in Tenby in 1988. This quickly became a success due to the high quality of service. A second salon was opened in Carmarthen in 1989, closely followed by the Haverfordwest salon in 1991. Next was the opening of the Llanelli salon in September 1999, the Swansea salon in July 2000, and the Andrew Price Training Academy in February, 2001.
The Swansea salon is the flagship of the Andrew Price Group. The building sited in the city centre has been a huge success, so much so that it
also houses the training academy. A second salon in Carmarthen is in the pipeline - so you can see that the company is doing very well.
The salon endorses the use of Wella products, has an award from Investors in People, and is a member of the National Hairdressing Federation. As I also mentioned above, they have five stars in the Good Salon Guide.
Mission Statement ----------------------- "To raise passionate proud hairdressers providing excellence and quality." - and they do!
The Website --------------- The Andrew Price website is very useful to prospective customers, as it contains all the information you need. Within the website is the history behind the business, information about all the salons, price guides, contact details, careers information, services available, and many pictures of styles and the salons.
The Visit ----------- The salon is a tall building, set in the centre of town about two minutes walk from the main shopping area. From the front it looks quite small, but the building is actually quite long. From outside, the salon looks very neat and well maintained. It almost looks clinical, but there are some plants around the entrance to give it a welcoming look.
On entering the building, you will be greeted by the receptionist, and the first thing you will notice is how clean and tidy the salon is. We gave the receptionist our appointment times, an attendant took our coats to hang them up, and then we were told to take a seat. The seating area was just to the left of the reception desk, and it was so elegant. There was a brown/burgundy leather three-piece suite to sit on, and in front of it was a solid wood table with a vase of white lilies in the centre. On the table, there was a few portfolios and photo albums full of styles. A few moments later, the receptionist came over with a clipboard and asked us to fill in a simple form as it was our first time there. They didn't ask any probing questions, just name, address, phone number, email, and where we had heard of the salon. About two minutes later, the designer greeted us and asked us to follow him upstairs to the ladies salon (downstairs is the mens).
Upstairs was a bright salon buzzing with people. Again, I was impressed by the cleanliness of the place! The floors were a wooden beech, there were big windows, and the walls were white with pictures of models here and there. The setup was a refreshing change: at one end there were three comfortable seats with sinks, and a whole unit stacked full of hair dyes. The rest of the space was taken up by double sided mirrors running down the centre of the room, with a seat in front of each mirror. In one corner, there was a little "bar" where refreshments are served. All the stylists were dressed in black, with perfect hair - all of them looked very presentable.
The designer sat us both down in front of the mirrors, and as my appointment was first, he gave my sister a magazine to read and complimentary refreshments to drink. Just so you know what you want, there is also a little menu in front of each mirror.
With each of us, he asked what we would like done, and gave us some ideas for style. He also asked how we usually style our hair, then explained exactly what he was going to do so that if we didn't like it we could easily change our minds. I was lead over to the sinks and sat down, a cape was put on me, and a towel and rubber mat round my shoulders to stop water and stray hair running down my back. The designer was very gentle - unlike some hairdressers I have been to in the past who seem to wrestle with your hair! Washed and conditioned, I was led back to the mirror. And off to work he went - always checking with you before he cut a lot off your hair. Each product that was used was also explained so you know exactly how to style your hair at home. He wasn't very chatty - although none of the stylists seemed to be - but he seemed to be really concentrating on what he was doing, which is nice!
Also, all the hairdressers I've been to in the past just wash, cut and dry your hair and that's it. Not here: it was washed, conditioned, cut, dried, straightened, then cut some more for an extra choppy style. Once mine was done, I relaxed with a magazine and a glass of water while I waited for my sister.
Styling over, and we were led back downstairs, where the designer helped us with our coats (I felt really pampered by that, as it doesn't happen very often!), and we went back to reception. A lovely young lady gave us both a booklet with prices and so on, and explained that we could use a voucher in the booklet next time we came for a £5 discount. She also gave us a loyalty card each (which in truth is an appointment card), which states that your 10th appointment is on the house! A quick goodbye from the designer and the receptionist and off we went.
Both appointments lasted 45 minutes each so as you can tell they were pretty thorough. I will definitely go back again as I felt my needs were listened to, and the designer did a very good job on my hair. My sister had more of a drastic change than me by recommendation of the designer - she had it cut a lot shorter - and it really suited her.
You can choose who you would like your hair cut by: designer, senior designer, master designer, manager/franchisee, or Andrew Price himself (subject to availability). Prices start from £20.00 for a cut and finish with the designer, to £45.00 with Andrew Price. Gents cut and finish goes from £15.00 to £32.00. I think the designer does an excellent job, and it seems to be a very good price compared to some other well-known salons e.g. Toni & Guy - approx £30.00, Mark Jermin - approx £32.00 etc. Colour treatments range from £12.00 to £46.00, and perms from £19.00 to £50.00. They also do some specials, such as wedding packages (price on request), conditioning treatments from £6.50, hair straightening from £5.00, and the Andrew Price set (hair is set and put up into desired style) which is £24.00.
Summary ----------- + Excellent communication between the stylist and customer + Excellent customer service + Good prices + Very clean and presentable - Some treatments are expensive - If you want Andrew Price, it might be a long wait on the waiting list
Not much chance of me getting to Swansea anytime soon but a very good review for those who can. The premises and personal treatment are just as important as the cut and style so you covered that well. Sounds like a really nice place. Congrats on the Diamond too.
kurt187 06.09.2006 15:23
good review chicken! x
lizawithaz 03.06.2006 17:57
Great review- and it got a diamond!! Great stuff :-) Liz xx
Advantages: Nice, modern environment, well looked after by well trained, friendly staff Disadvantages: Parking sometimes, which is outside the salon's control, it's Haverfordwest in general!
ciao-for-now 16.06.2008 (16.06.2008)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Andrew Price Salon
Advantages: Nice, modern environment, well looked after by well trained, friendly staff Disadvantages: Parking sometimes, which is outside the salon's control, it's Haverfordwest in general!
ciao-for-now 16.06.2008 (16.06.2008)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Andrew Price Salon
Apr 14th, 2006
exceptional by (4%):
very helpful by (96%):
