I have been attending my local Saks Hair and Beauty salon in Newcastle for about 5/6 years now. I first went there upon the recommendation of a close friend after I had a disasterous experience in my usual salon. The Saks price-tag was more than I had previously been used to paying, but I decided that maybe this was a case of 'paying for what you get' and so took the plunge. That and the fact I was informed they offer a range of wines and beers (along with tea, coffee, mineral water and fruit juice) to sup during your visit! Who ever said I was easily bought?!
Background:
Saks Hair and Beauty (they boast) is the UK's leading 'high street salon group'. Founded in Darlington, Co.Durham in 1974, the group quickly expanded when it started franchising in 1981, branching out into beauty franchising in 1994. The group now have over 80 salons countrywide. Saks recently opened their first international salon in Belgium and are the nominated hair and beauty company for David Lloyd Lesuire group. Saks even provide exclusive hair and beauty treatments for British Airways personnel at London's Heathrow Airport!
Treatments and Products:
Saks provide a wide range of treatments including 'hairdressing, massage and body treatments, facial and
eye treatments, non surgical lifts, nail care, complementary therapies, pampering packages, permanent hair reduction, teeth whitening and botox'. Not all treatments and services are available at all salons, but the group also have a range of accsessories (called 'Saksessories'!) so that you can pamper yourself with salon quality products at home. The most popular of these products are 'Saks Ceramics' hair straightners, which apparently have a number of celebrity endorsements and sell in their thousands every month. For those of you who are interested, they come in three sizes - 'Micro', 'Large Professional' and 'Large', retailing at £80, £75 and £70 respectively. Although pricey, they are raved about by everyone I know who owns a set! I have not (yet) splashed out on a set of these myself, but they are used regularly on my hair in the salon, and the results are impressive - poker straight hair in double-quick time.
Saks in-salon products of choice tend to be from the various L'Oreal professional ranges - everything from shampoos and conditioners to hair masques, styling products and colour treatments. With the exception of the colour ranges, all other products are available to clients to buy, so if your stylist uses something you particularly like, you can continue using it at home between visits too. My hair styling product of choice is the excellent L'Oreal Professional 'TechniArt - A.head Web' - a wax that I now wouldn't be without! I have generally found the quality of the products used in-salon very good and most smell delicious and leave your hair looking healthy and gorgeous!
Service:
I have only ever attended my local Saks salon, so my opinion is based only on my experiences there, but it is probably worth noting that Saks and their staff have won numerous awards in recent years, both for their expertise and innovation as well as excellent customer service.These awards include:
HSBC Franchise Award British Franchisee of the Year British Hair Business Manager of the Year British Beauty Marketing Strategy Award (3 consecutive years) British Beauty Customer Care Award (3 consecutive years) British Hairdressing Awards British Beauty Salon of the Year British Beauty Therapist of the Year British Electrologist of the Year Pantene Pro V Best Salon of the Year
Impressive non?! My local salon only offers hairdressing and nail treatments, so I cannot comment on the beauty therapy range, but the list of awards perhaps help give some indication of the quality of service you can expect from a Saks salon. An independent market research survey revealed that 97% of Saks clients felt the customer service offered in the salons was 'excellent'. All Saks staff are well-trained atttending regular refresher sessions and courses at the Saks Academies (based at various salons throughout the country) and also within their own salons. The Saks Art Team is a group of creative individuals from throughout the company who are responsible for creating the Saks 'look'. They contribute to the training of staff ensuring they are at all times up-to-date with the latest trends and styles. Staff also regularly meet at organised events to exchange ideas and knowledge.
So all this sounds very impressive, but how does it work in practice? The very fact I have been attending the same salon for some years now will hopefully act as some endorsement. The salon I attend is modern, clean and well-staffed. With regard to hair styling there are number of different levels of staff available from Stylist, through to Senior Stylist, Principle Stylist and Director. You obviously pay more the higher the level of the stylist, but in my general experience and that of friends, the quality of all staff is very good and so if cost is an issue, you will still find a stylist to suit. Prices also vary from salon to salon, so I didn't feel it would be too beneficial to list them here. However, I have my hair styled by my salon's Principle Stylist and a cut and blow-dry costs £38.50. Saks do offer discounts to students and O.A.Ps, and also run various incentive schemes with a range of local employers. I currently get a 20% discount as my employer promotes the Saks business in their newsletter.
A typical appointment with a Saks stylist begins with a consultation in which you will be offered advice and given a chance to discuss any problems you have had with the health and manageability or styling of your hair. Once you and your stylist agree on a style, colour or treatment programme, the stylist will describe exactly what they intend to do to achieve your look. It's at this point you are usually offered the all important beverage! Usually your hair will be washed (if you are having a wet cut) by a junior member of staff, your hair will be cut by your stylist, but colour and blow-drying can often be carried out by other members of the team. This is perhaps the one downside of the service offered at Saks, as I sometimes feel that when you pay for a Senior/Principle or Director stylist they should oversee the whole appointment. However, generally each senior member of staff will have a junior member of staff who works exclusively with them and therefore has been trained by them and has observed their work intensively. They are therefore usually adept and confident in what they are doing. So far I have no mishaps to report (although my own stylist can be a little over zealous at times and has been known to cut off a little more than I would like!). Accidents do happen however, and I know of a couple of friends who have had colour treatments go wrong. Saks have always been very accomodating in making sure the mistakes are corrected promptly however, and will offer follow-up appointments for free.
Stylists will always ensure you are happy with your style before leaving the salon and will offer further advice on how to maintain and style it at home. The bonus I find with Saks is that they offer free 'maintainance' between appointments. So if like me, you have a fringe that could do with a tidy-up 3 weeks before your next visit is due, the staff are happy for you to call in when you're passing and will duly attend to it!
Overall, I have never found the Saks staff anything less than friendly, helpful and well-trained. The atmosphere of the salon is welcoming, there is usually music playing at an acceptable level in the background and of course there are the impressive refreshments and usual supply of magazines and papers to read while you're under the dryer! My local Saks salon is open 6 days a week (closed on Sundays) and offer several late night sessions (Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays) - ideal for fitting in around my work schedule. As a regular, I never have much problem getting an appointment when I need one, but if you're a new customer you may need to be a little bit flexible at first before you can secure a time slot and stylist you're happy with.
As someone more than a little obsessed with their hair (ask anyone who knows me well!) and who insists on quality customer service, Saks ticks almost all the boxes on my list of what a good hair and beauty salon should be. The only box left unchecked is that they are yet to add vodka and coke to that drinks menu, but hey, guess I can't have everything right?!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
i think that it was a very good review i worked at one in south east london ad found the staff all fun to work with an it was great to be able to have a glass of wine with the cliets!!!!
Pmshack99 13.05.2005 13:09
it sounds pretty good but i have a bit of a hairdresser phobia for some reason! ive only been to the hairdressers about five times in my life and have never enjoyed it. maybe ive just been going to the wrong salons! paula x
exceptional by (8%):
very helpful by (92%):
