The seductive décor of Easton Regal Hairdressing.

Plus, the floating mist creates a

striking effect against the background of the salon’s black wall; an added bonus! If you really want to make sure your clients fall in love with your salon, why not hold a grand opening party like Karen did? She says: “We invited clients, staff and suppliers and everyone was very impressed. “Clients were offered complimentary

styling, drinks and nibbles on the night, as well as a go in our massage chairs, which they all thought was great – it was a job getting some of them out of the chairs.” An average-sized salon with six styling stations will cost around £40,000 for a refurbishment, rising to £200,000 if you buy everything of the highest quality, but it doesn’t have to cost you anywhere near that much. By focusing on one section of the salon, you can change the whole look for a lot less. The reception is an easy area to make a quick impact; it’s the first thing people see. Also replacing the chairs for comfier alternatives will not only improve the look, but the experience too.

Prices start from around £100 per

chair, although if you want longevity, you’re better off opting for a mid to high-quality range; that way you get more choice, and sometimes the option to customise.

Whatever you choose Wendy says: “Go to the showroom to see the

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furniture; it’s important to feel it and try it.” You don’t always have to splash out on new equipment to change the look of the salon though; a good quality chair can be reupholstered every few years, or you can just focus on décor. “It can be as simple as repainting a wall; that has the most impact for as little cost as possible,” says Andy. “We’ve just done one salon which kept the same layout but only had a redecoration and changed the chairs, and everyone’s saying it’s brilliant and that it looks like a completely different salon.”

Whatever you do, you should work with the area you have. Easton Regal Hairdressing has fantastic huge bay windows that bring in lots of light, so Bryn created a dark salon with grey, pink and black colours. He even put in black basins to add to the seductive atmosphere. As with all things, it’s often the smallest details that have the biggest impact: fresh flowers, scented candles and up-to-date imagery are all noticed by the client. The Metropolis salon in Kingston, has been open for 11 years and in all that time the salon’s owner, Robert Masciave, has managed to keep a contemporary feel by updating it regularly with small, cost- effective touches.

He says: “When we first opened

we wanted something with a classic base that we could twist and design in a modern way. If you try to be too modern from the start, by the time the salon’s finished it’s already out of fashion; so you’d be constantly chasing something.

“Instead we’ve always guided the clients to see what we want them to see. They notice what we want them to see in different parts of the salon and it’s these things we update.” When the salon first opened there was a display in the middle of the salon for fresh flowers that received a lot of attention. So, when they recently decided to update, Robert decided to replace these with a tree! “We went and got a huge branch from Richmond Park and shaped it; even though it’s only a branch it looks like a tree in the salon and it didn’t cost anything. It’s a very strong visual.”

The salon also has a lot of galleries and pillars where artefacts and images can be constantly changed to freshen it up, and during the Christmas period Robert projects festive images onto the salon’s ceiling. He adds: “It’s easy to spend a huge amount of money but sometimes it’s not about how much you spend but being clever with it. The money question is how do we want our clients to feel?”