The salon I will talk about in this review is that of Saks Birmingham Temple Row and my experience as a first time customer there. I am a Saks virgin and have no idea what the others are like. It has no reflection on the company as a whole.
~Why Saks? ~
It was my sister's graduation today and I wanted to look my best. My hair hasn't been cut in 2 months and was getting out of condition. I was thinking about salons to go and for some reason this one popped into my head. I think it was the fact I had a discount voucher for this store and £20 worth of leisure vouchers which could be used at this outlet that persuaded me to give it a whirl.
~Booking the appointment~
This was relatively straightforward. I found their contact details via their official website. I called them up initially to ask about their rates. I had a fast response in terms of waiting for someone to pick up the call. The guy on the phone introduced himself and the salon name and sounded very polite and friendly. When he told me the cheapest he could offer was £36 for a wash cut and blow-dry I was abit hesitant as it was little over my budget (less than £25). Then he asked me if it was my first time. As I said yes he immediately offered me a discount of between £25 - £34. This was abit over my budget but with the vouchers I'd only be paying less than £15.
~Availability of last minute bookings~
Most top hairdressers you have to give them a few days notice. Not this time which I was really surprised about. When I asked if I could have an appointment today he replied we have had some cancellations and so was
able to squeeze me in. Didn't ask me which stylist I wanted which didn't really matter because I'd never been to the salon before. Instead he told me I'd be having it with Jordan and that it had all been sorted.
~First impressions~
As I walked into the building the place was spotlessly clean. No hair on the floor or towels lying about which is always a good sign. I was greeted by a man in a clean suit. He was well spoken and well groomed and offered me a drink whilst I waited for the stylist to turn up. He then offered me a seat.
~The Stylist~
Jordan turned up and was rearing to go with so much enthusiasm. In fact he started the consultation dead on the time of my scheduled appointment. I was well impressed.
~The Consultation~
This is the first stage of my haircut which is often missed out by many hair stylists. You can go to Supercuts and they will tell you your hair is damaged and just slam any product onto your hair with no consideration that everyone is different. Here they actually went through strands of my hair and test its durability by picking out at random from all areas of your scalp. Afterwards he looked at my scalp itself and told me that it was dry. Once this was complete, Jordon told me exactly he would be using in my hair. He then recommended me some products relevant to my bad hair condition and explained to my why and how I would benefit from using them. I have had my hair cut in Supercuts, reflections pee-wees and never have I had the same service as here. Or I would be given a consultation but not in so much depth as this one. This was a pleasant surpise compared to my past experiences at other salons.
Jesi's ( a ciao member) question
Did they ask if you had sensitivities to anything? l have problems with anything containing lanolin ~ and as l am asthmatic, some scents also make me wheeze .
Answer
Yes he did ask me if I was allergic to any products. I said no so he was able to use them on me. As for whether any of those he used in my hair contained lanolin I don't know. I'm sure if you asked them if you could read what's inside they'd be happy to tell you. There was plenty of opportunities for me to have a read of the ingredients during my consultation as he left the bottles in front of me throughout the haircut.
~The Cut~
The cut itself was very quick which isn't normal for any hair salon. At pervious ones I could be in there for hours and come out feeling dissatisfied with the end result. In fact once I paid £20 for a hair cut in Supercuts and had to go back because to my horror the lady had cut it out of shape and I looked a mess. Here I was in and out within 20 minutes. Despite being quick he paid attention to detail and even kept asking me if it was ok and whether I wanted more of or to leave it as it was. Whilst he washed my hair he did the full head massage which was very relaxing and soothing and somehow managed to get the water temperature just right. I can go to Supercuts or pee wees and sometimes the water can be too hot or too cold even after adjustments are made.
Were you pleased with the blow dry too - did it take long?
Answer
I was pleased with the overall experience including the blow dry. I have been to Toddys and Supercuts where they take over 40 minutes to blow dry your air. In Saks the whole visit took about 20 minutes. He didn't spend too much time with the blow drying and still managed to get results. Even my sister commented on the fact that "It's the best haircut you've had in a long time." In terms of his routine, he cuts then blow drys then cuts after blow drying if there's a need.
~The Price~
This is when it hit me home. I went to the till point and got a shock when the guy who served me said it would cost me £44. I then had to explain to him about the telephone conversation I had earlier then managed to negioatate for a 30% discount which brought the price down to £30.80. With my vouchers this came down to £10.80.
~The Embarrassment~
When I was happy with the price and it came down to paying for some reason the machines were not accepting my card. I thought at this point the guy would get angry with me but he kept his cool. He even suggested going to the cash point and or even the bank. I apologised to them about it and he seemed quite content. He even gave me instructions on how to get there. During this embarrassing time, he never lost his temper which would have probably happened by now in other places. This was very re-assuring for me. It's never happened before and I'm hoping it won't again.
Eventually I managed to get it sorted. I think we were both relived.
~Overall~
From my experience today I would definitely recommend this salon to others. Why? Well for the simple reasons I felt they understood my needs. They managed to find and use products in my hair to cope with the dry scalp and fine damaged hair. Friendly staff sympathetic to your needs and I personally felt they had your interests at heart.
The only downside is the price and no loyalty card scheme which other places such as Supercuts and pee -wees seem to offer. I did ask the receptionist before I left and he mentioned that it might be something they will look into. Saks are a new and upcoming Hair and Beauty salon company and haven't been around for long so who knows what would happen in the future.
Personally, if I didn't have vouchers to part pay for it, I don't think I would have paid £44 for a haircut, despite the excellent service. However if they offer incentives such as loyalty card schemes, where you earn every time you spend to contribute to future visits I may reconsider.
~Additional Information~
There is only one branch in Birmingham city centre which is the one I visited on this particuliar occasion. It can be found on Temple row within the Great Western Arcade next to Natwest and opposite the House of Fraser. It is about a 5 minute walk by foot from Snow Hill station and roughly 10 minutes from New Street Station. There are 2 other branches in Birmingham situated on the outskirts in Sutton Coldfield and Solihull respectively.
If you want to know more about Saks for opening times or where your nearest one is go to www.saks.co.uk.
Since writing this review I have also been to the Saks salon in Oldham who too offered a simuliar service but their prices are much more reasonable. I was charged just under £31 for a wash cut and blow dry with a senior stylist and given £20 worth of discount vouchers for future visits. So if I use the vouchers that's only £11 for a haircut. Bargain!!
Thanks for reading!
Pictures of Saks Hair&Beauty Salon
Photo taken just after I had the haircut at Saks Birmingham
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Great review, don't know what materials were used but @ £55 for 20 mins that works out to £132 per hour this is the rate somebody in the Legal Profession would command. Fuzzy98 below seems to have a had a similar treatment but as she is in the hairdressers for 1.5 hrs @ £55 the relative cost to her is £36.67 per hour. Not going to hairdressers like you do is the cost reasonable as you came over as a bit shocked at the cost. But still an informative review and I like the way you put in the questions and answers. David
Fuzzy98 09.08.2007 17:52
Whoops, i missed out the word "me"!!!! It currently reads as though my hairdresser was trying it on with me rofl Not case guv - honest! hehe xxx
Jul 19th, 2007
(Aug 24th, 2007)
exceptional by (10%):
very helpful by (90%):
