I really hate having my haircut - and it seems I'm not alone. Loads of you wrote comments on my last review saying that you may well hate the dentist….but you hate getting your haircut even more! Myself, I find the whole process incredibly boring and I never like what they do to my hair. Usually I cannot wait to get out of the salon so I can give my hair a good old brush through. Unfortunately, getting one's hair cut is a necessary evil that one has to under go at least every 8 to 10 weeks. I must have been to at least 10 to 12 different hairdressers in my town, and have no loyalty whatsoever to any one stylist or salon. I am easily lured into a rival salon by the news of a discount or a free haircut. Hence, Saks opening in my home town and the promise of a 50% discount was more than enough to get me to make an appointment.

~ THE ROOTS ~
Established in 1974, there are now over 100 Saks salons throughout UK. All their staff have been trained at the Saks Academies so that they are up to date with all the latest innovations in hair and beauty treatments. Saks salons can also be found at David Lloyd Leisure and Health clubs in UK. As well as hairdressing services for both men and women, most Saks branches offer beauty treatments (massage, botox injections, nail care, teeth whitening, hair reduction to name but a few). Saks also sell their own brand of styling accessories (called Saksessories) as well as gift vouchers and hairstyling products.

~ SHORT BACK AND SIDES ~
The salon in Chichester opened in November 2004 and is all newly installed and painted. It's incredibly spacious and very clean. However, it is rather stark inside with a cold grey slate effect floor and pale walls. It lacks warmth, and the situation is not helped by the fact that the salon is always half empty. There is no real buzz or enthusiasm to the place. I have now been there a total of three times, and on all three occasions it was just me, another client, our hairdressers and some other staff wandering around aimlessly. The telephone does not ring much and the rap music they were playing was hardly welcoming.

~ A MERE SNIP ~
The staff are friendly enough, but there is a definite lack of enthusiasm to the whole salon. I know it's a new salon, and it takes time establish and build up a client base, but they just seem to be more and more despondent with each subsequent visit I have made. They go through the motions, but it just feels like they're killing time until they can all go home. My stylist always sits me in her chair and asks me what I would like done. She seems to listen carefully to the answers, but she has never once offered any suggestions or improvements. I would like to hear her opinion - I'm not the expert - she is.

~ WASH & GO ~
I have an extremely sensitive scalp so I hate having my hair washed by anyone else except me. The hair washing in this salon is the usual scenario of asking if you are comfortable (how can you be when you neck is precariously balanced on a piece of hard plastic ….), and is the water too hot/cold (I can't hear you - you've just sprayed half a gallon of water into my ear canal). As hair washing goes, it's a fairly painless process. Unfortunately there is never any complimentary soothing head massage when the conditioner is put on. That's a shame as I always think this is the most enjoyable part of getting one's hair cut nowadays.

~ A CUT ABOVE THE USUAL PUN ~
The stylist always takes ages over cutting my hair and I have been impressed with her cutting skills. My hair is rather thick so I always ask for it be well thinned out, as it's the only way I can control it in the ensuing weeks between haircuts. She always does a good job of this, and my hair usually remains manageable for a good few weeks afterwards.

~ THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT ~
I like to drift off into a semi-conscious state in the hairdressers, so I'm not overly fond of hairdresser chit chat (No, I haven't booked a holiday yet this year…). However, if the hairdresser wants to make some small talk when we first get together, that's fine by me. Yet at Saks, no attempt to interact with the customer has been made on any of my three visits - no personal questions or recognition at all. Just a couple of initial queries on the state of my hair and how it's been for me, and that's the extent of the social interaction. Maybe they just don't teach them social niceties at the Saks Academy (or I'm just too scary to talk to..). On the plus side, if your hairdresser doesn't want to talk to you, Saks have all the latest glossy girlie magazines so you can catch up on your reading.

~ BLOW IT ALL ~
It always takes forever and a day to dry my hair properly as it's so thick, but the stylist is gentle yet through at it, even though it must really make her arms ache. I prefer it if they ask you if you want loads of gunky styling products put on your hair before they add them. Once dry, she always give my hair another through thinning and trims up any loose bits.

~ WAVE (GOODBYE) ~
£30.00 to £40.00 for a standard cut and finish
£65.00 to £70.00 for full head highlights
£40.00 to £52.00 for a tint or colour
Dependent on booking junior, senior or principal stylist.

~ THE HIGHLIGHTS ~
The first visit gave me a 50% discount as the salon was newly opened. For my next two visits, my stylist gave me £10.00 discount off a cut and blow dry. She did lavish lots of care and attention on my haircut and she definitely took her time over the cutting. However, I do feel that this was possibly because she had nothing else better to do.

~ THE LOWLIGHTS ~
I don't know if I want to go back to Saks. On my next visit I will have to pay full price for a cut and blow dry, and I think £35.00 is too much to pay. The lack of enthusiasm from the staff plus the half empty salon puts me off a bit. If there is more buzz to the place next time I go past, I may well venture in and book an appointment. Meanwhile, I will be scouring the local paper for any other hairdressers offering spring discounts….

~ SALON LOCATOR ~
I visited the new Saks salon in Chichester. For you nearest Saks hairdresser you can log onto the locator at:-

http://www.saks.co.uk or telephone 0845 600 5959

Head office:
Saks Hair and Beauty
55-59 Duke Street
Darlington
DL3 7SD