Some people fly in from Ibiza to stick to their preferred hair stylist; I trotted up from Brighton to visit Philipp Haug at his contemporary stand alone salon in Fitzrovia. At just over a year old, it has really made a home for itself in the friendly Goodge Street pocket of town, boasting floor to ceiling glass frontage and view of the bustling area.
Inside, it is filled with homely touches, helped along by design guru, Erik Munro, to emanate a warm and relaxed vibe and included a wallful of contemporary art to put you at ease if you are planning a big new do, or cosy enough to share your innermost secrets with your snipper.
Working together as a collaborative team with he works closely with his wife, Siobhan, who was awarded British Hair Colour Technician of the year in 2021, as well as session stylists and scissor pros:Julian, Dan, Clare, Richard and Dora who have worked together for decades, it is like being welcomed into an extended family.
I arrived on a rare balmy March day and felt a tad frazzled, but I was soon put at ease by the offer of a barista coffee or prosecco. Against my usual urge, I opted for a coffee as I was heading for an acupuncture session post ‘jooozz’! Set just off the bustling Goodge Street, Haug is a vibey salon but is definitely not pretentious. The stylists are all cool, but not scarily cool and the music was not overpowering, so I could quite easily enjoy a chat.
I must admit, I wasn’t here for a new do as I am a big advocate of my faithful Chanel bob; but I was keen to get my hair analysed and treated with some lovely Schwarzkopf products as a result of the unique hair analysis. My mission for the day was to get a personalised treatment plan as a result of the groundbreaking hair scan; and as a member of the Green Salon Collective, all products were guaranteed to be recyclable, whilst waste metal, plastic and hair is taken care of responsibly and not sent to landfill, so you can rest assured that you will be enjoying a guilt-free afternoon of pampering whatever you come in for!
Known for their innovation, Schwarzkopf has designed a tool to allow hairdressers to understand the hair beyond the style and cut, and paired with an innovative app, takes the salon experience to a whole new level. Along with a questionnaire, the cutting-edge technology was able to analyse my hair to give me a personalised product experience which gave readings on everything from breakage to inner hair strength.
My hair was rated 82% healthy, which I was over the moon with, and I was prescribed a cocktail of hair treatments and masks which I luxuriated in for about thirty minutes, before being whisked back to the chair for my tidy up and blow dry. The result was a high gloss, precision trim, healthy hair and that elusive ‘flick factor’ as I trotted off down Oxford Street.
HAUG LONDON
19 Rathbone Street, Fitzrovia
London W1T 1NE
020 3376 2630