Hairclubbing: A Revolution For Hair Salons

Haven’t heard of HairClubbing? Where have you been for the past five years?

Personally, I’ve been having babies and trying to get more than two hours sleep in a row, but if you’ve been a busy Belle About Town – there’s no excuse. Hairclubbing is a revolution in hairdressing pioneered by funky Soho salon Blade Hairclub. Found in Frith Street this bustling venue offers an innovative approach to hairdressing, combining social hub with stylish salon.

Step in and you’re greeted with a beaming smile and view of a sleek coffee bar, dotted with iPad menus. The basins and style stations all also feature iPads for customers to browse coffee, cocktail or beer menus, or to catch up on their favourite series on Netflix.

The idea of Blade’s is somewhere for people to socialise as well as stylise. Whether you’re popping in for a blow dry before a night cut, or a full cut and colour, you can take your time, bring a friend, and enjoy the atmosphere of an underground Soho drinking den.

Downstairs is a full bar stocking premium spirits and organic teas and coffees. The venue hosts regular jazz nights where customers can immerse themselves in the laid-back atmosphere whether they’re in for a consultation or not.

My visit was paid on a rainy Monday morning, and as I entered Blade’s I wasn’t in the best of moods. Rain, trains and grumbling Uber-mobiles had left me less than charming. But as owner Julia opened the door and ushered me to a stool to peruse the organic tea selection, explaining each innovative ingredient as she flicked the iPad screen left to right, I started to mellow. Stylist Ben smiled at me from across the room and promised me his undivided attention in just a few minutes. In the meantime I took a tour of the split-level building and immediately fell in love with the place.

Ever since a particularly traumatic visit to Toni & Guy – which left me looking like The Wizard of Oz’s Scarecrow on my daughter’s christening day – I have had an exaggerated fear of hair salons. Think dire hairdressing followed by the crappiest customer service known to man, and you’ll understand why I only get my hair done every six months under complete duress. I don’t see the occasion as an appealing one.

But Blade’s bucks the trend of what’s expected from a salon. No bright, intense lights, no sterile salon feel, it’s all about comfort and putting the customers at ease. And with staff who genuinely seem happy to be working there, they’re already a step ahead of the aforementioned T&G that I visited.

Ben took me to my chair, chatted about my wants (not to look like the Wizard of Oz’s Scarecrow) and paid attention to my particular personal requirements (got two young kids – need something that takes minimal, minimal, MINIMAL effort) then set to work. We chatted throughout, but talk wasn’t intrusive, and there was so much going on around us it was easy to fall into a comfortable silence and just listen to the world happening around us.

Hairclubbing is all about transforming a regular and often tedious necessity into a pleasurable and social experience – and time spent well. Created by prominent Soho stylist Julia Olofsson and musician-turned-entrepreneur D.T. Stroo, Blade Hairclub was born from their desire to create a happy, unpretentious, and friendly place to get your hair done and hang out – alone or with friends. Julia told me: “The idea came from the realisation that something was missing from London’s hair and social scene, so the we set out to create the absolute antithesis to impersonal and uncomfortable salons where mechanical small talk, dull waiting times and homogenised cuts are matched by warm wine, cold coffee and well-thumbed magazines.” And believe me, the idea is working.

Having spent a little under two hours at Blade’s, I was ready to emerge back onto the West End’s streets with a fab new look, and a much more relaxed disposition (thanks, in part, to the most delicious Earl Grey and Triple Sec cocktail I’ve ever tasted). It was still raining so Julia handed me an umbrella to take on my way and protect my glam new look, and then thanked me for coming. Believe me Julia, the pleasure was all mine!

• Blade Hairclub can be found at 26 Frith Street, Soho, W1D 5LD. Go to www.bladehairclub.co.uk for more information, or call 020 7734 4932.