Antony For Hair

Antony For Hair is a hairdressing salon located on a side street (Tithebarn Street) in the heart of Bury town centre in Greater Manchester. Now although I appreciate that not many readers of this opinion will live within this locality nor wish to take a train or plane merely to visit a hairdressing salon, I feel that the talent of the staff and the atmosphere of the premises is never the less worthy of recognition. And so I offer you, the good people ...
...friend suggested that I try Antony For Hair. I really did need my hair cut, so I only made an appointment out of desperation and due to past experiences I was rather cynical. Why should these stylists be any different to every other that I had naively put my trust in? Boy, was I going to need convincing.

Yet unbelievably, convinced I was, and for the first time in my life, I left a hairdressing salon with a smile on my face and in ... more

Antony For Hair is a hairdressing salon located on a side street (Tithebarn Street) in the heart of Bury town centre in Greater Manchester. Now although I appreciate that not many readers of this opinion will live within this locality nor wish to take a train or plane merely to visit a hairdressing salon, I feel that the talent of the staff and the atmosphere of the premises is never the less worthy of recognition. And so I offer you, the good people of Ciao, a little taste of Antony for Hair.

Up until a year ago, I had developed a deep aversion to hair salons. I’d lost count of the vast number of times I’d return home from the hairdressers in tears due to disastrous efforts of so called stylists. Maybe it has something to do with me having difficult hair, or maybe I’m just unfortunate, I don’t know; but I would always pay for more experienced stylists to cut my hair and the result was always the same. Disastrous. I would leave a salon with a hair design that would either make me look ten years older or leave looking as though I’d just walked out of a poodle parlour. I would cry and cry and cry. Now I’m not by any means what you may call vain (I’m no supermodel after all), but I do enjoy taking pride in my appearance. So a terrible haircut can make such an impact. Lets face it girls…we’ve all been there.

Then at the beginning of last year a friend suggested that I try Antony For Hair. I really did need my hair cut, so I only made an appointment out of desperation and due to past experiences I was rather cynical. Why should these stylists be any different to every other that I had naively put my trust in? Boy, was I going to need convincing.

Yet unbelievably, convinced I was, and for the first time in my life, I left a hairdressing salon with a smile on my face and in the numerous occasions I have visited Antony’s since I have never once been disappointed.

SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Antony For Hair is an independent salon. In other words it isn’t part of a chain of salons and as such, is the only one of it’s kind. The salon was established in 1989 by Antony himself and has grown in popularity ever since. Not only is it Antony’s objective to ensure that every client is extremely satisfied with their experience at the Salon, but his philosophy also ensures that every member of staff is continually trained to improve their artistic abilities, communication and interpersonal skills even further.

Every designer employed at Antony’s has gone through two years of in-house training in conjunction with the Wella Hair Academy in Manchester. This ensures that every member of staff maintains Antony’s philosophy of care to his clientele, and also ensures that all staff are trained to the very highest of standards whilst encouraging their own creative and artistic flair and signature.

THE SERVICE AT ANTONY’S

At each appointment you will receive a consultation by your stylist. At this time if you ask for a procedure which the stylist believes would not benefit you, they will tell you. This happened to me when I asked for my hair to be chemically straightened. My stylist had suggested that he wouldn’t recommend this procedure on my hair since the chemicals used would not guarantee to remove all of the curl, nor would it last. He suggested that it would be a waste £50. I duly complied with his advice. Following each visit your procedure and/or treatment is logged on to computer, so there is a record for the next time you visit. Very handy if you fail to remember which colour highlights you need. It’s also very interesting to watch each stylist at work while you are waiting for your own appointment. The concentration on their faces and their obvious attention to detail is a pleasure to witness.

At each visit you will be offered a complimentary coffee or tea and biscuit. However you can also opt for a beer or glass of wine instead if you wish. And for those who opt for a lunchtime slot, a member of staff will happily pop out to the shops to buy your lunch for you.

Wedding parties are also catered for. The stylist you request will provide a home service on the day of your wedding to dress the bride, bridesmaid’s, and mother of the bride’s hair. Essential service I reckon when time is of the essence on your big day.

Again at every visit, clients are allocated points, which are logged onto computer. These points can be used against special discounts which are on offer several times per year and for regular customers who require their fringe cut in between appointments, Antony’s offer complimentary fringe trims with no need to book an appointment. Just pop into the salon and a stylist will trim your fringe free of charge.

And while you are enjoying the whole pampering experience, for an additional fee of £15 you can choose to have your car valeted. Antony’s will also arrange collection and delivery. Now that is what I call service! And with the inclusion of a nail and beauty zone in the salon you can also opt for manicures, nail extensions and nail art from the resident nail technician.

PRICES

The cost invariably depends upon your treatment or procedure but also depends on the ability of the stylist. So a typical price to have your hair cut by a graduate will be £18.70; Designer £22.00 and so on, up to £44.20 for the Salon principal (Antony himself). However prices vary also depending on the procedure you are having done. Generally speaking, my hair appointment, which includes highlights and a cut and finish will cost me around £50, except when I take advantage of special offers when it costs slightly over £30. So on the whole these prices are very much in line with other well known salons which don’t provide the same standard of care and service. Discounts are also available to children and students. I take my eldest son here regularly too and it only ever costs around £5.00. So again, very comparable to other salons. But for those who find the cost of treatment a little too pricey for your budget, you will be able to opt for the Academy prices where your hair will be cut by a student under the guidance of a highly experienced designer to the cost of £5.00 for a cut and finish. In this instance satisfaction cannot be guaranteed, but with an experienced member overseeing the whole procedure I doubt that very much can go wrong. And judging by the talent of their current staff, these students are trained and taught very well indeed.

OVERALL

Antony For Hair has restored my faith in the hairdressing industry and I now look forward to my regular visits. The atmosphere of the salon is always bubbly and fun. It’s a lovely atmosphere to be pampered in. The staff are always very friendly and appear to really enjoy and take much care and pride in their work. The turn over of staff is also very low which supports my belief that staff enjoy working here. The downfall of their success however is that you need to book your appointment weeks in advance to ensure a booking. However you may be lucky to secure a late night opening slot if you require more urgent attention. The décor is very Romanesque but simple which contributes to the very relaxed atmosphere, and there is always a selection of up to date magazines for you to peruse at your leisure. So overall I’d highly recommend Antony’s to anyone living in the Bury and surrounding area. Although you do need to book early to avoid any disappointment, it’s definitely worth the wait.

Thanks for reading, :)Sharl.
 

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