Are UK hairdressers good enough?

I have paid a fortune in hairdressing over the years and I have very rarely been completely happy with the results. The best treatments and cuts I have had have always been when I have been abroad. At the moment I go to the Manager of my local Tony %26amp; Guy (who charge a lot) but she is often distracted so I feel I am not getting the treatment I pay for. I have tried other salons but I just feel like I am on a conveyor belt and there is no precission cutting any more. I haven't got the easiest of hair to deal with so I always ask for extra time but I don't always get this even though I am prepared to pay. Do you get a good haircut from your hairdresser? Do you think the training is better abroad? The best cut I have had was in The Beau Rivage hotel, Mauritius where I was in a room with only the hairdresser and she gave me her undivided attention, a wonderful head massage, a superb cut and dry. I like my hair as straight as possible but she refused to use straightners on my hair and said that the British depend on them far too much and it ruins the hair. She actually got my hair poker straight with out them and I was impressed. She did this all in 45 minutes too. She was only young but she certainly did a wonderful job. It's just a bit too far to go back for my next appointment!Are UK hairdressers good enough?
I have to agree with the previous answer, Toni and Guy are nothing special - they're a franchise, and training is pretty conveyor-belt style. The brand has far more quality attached to it than it deserves, and the prices, certainly in the (UK) South, are pretty standard for salon chains. I feel sure you should get a head massage though - that's pretty standard nowadays.





Firstly, I wouldn't recommend going on a Saturday, if you can help it, and also never book the last appointment, because everyone's been on their feet all day and wants to get home. It's not right, but I'm being honest. A lot of the workers are teenage girls, and they have no work ethic or moral responsibility to their clients. Harsh but true.





Secondly - Yes, UK hairdressers rely FAR too much on GHDs. It's incredibly lazy, but due to business plans and competition on the high street, they are forced to squash more and more clients into shorter and shorter gaps, and often don't have time to complete a full and proper service. I don't think it's the training, I think it's the way salons are run in the UK. Tip: When you go in, state at the beginning that you want a blow-dry, not a rough-dry-and-straighten - that should tell them you know what you mean and you mean business!





Thirdly, why do you keep going back when you are not happy? Just because the manager has other responsibilities, doesn't mean to say your hair-cut is any less precise... what is it exactly that you don't like? Is it the FEELING that you've not had the service or attention you expected from what you are paying, or are you not happy with the haircut itself? Tip: I would ALWAYS call up and TELL them you are unhappy and want it recut. They won't want to P you off twice and it should always be free, especially if you are paying for the top stylist. I would also write to the head office and say how you feel about the service - you will most likely get vouchers, and a very different experience the next time you go in.





Lastly, If I was working in Mauritius, I'd be pretty happy with my life too :)Are UK hairdressers good enough?
In my experience you do get a better service abroad as in head massage, nice environment, time taken to style hair afterwards. I think the quality of the cut totally depends on the stylist. I've been going to the same guy here in the UK for years and he cuts my difficult fine hair beautifully but I don't get all the perks with it.


He's expensive but not 拢250 a pop - that's mad!
I go to my local granny hairdressers and my cut is great. One of the girls there was trained by Tony %26amp; Guy and said she was only taught three cuts and she was expected to give everyone a variation on them which sounds bizarre. She said she had a steep learning curve when she started working in this hairdressers as the manager trained during the 70s when trainees were taught more than three cuts!
toni %26amp; guy are the cheapest hairdressers in town,you sound as you've high standards,if that was the case the last place i would be going to is them, you obviously haven't been to a decent hairdresser.
Hi, This is nice to read.Firstly i ran a very unique salon in the midlands.The salon gained UK recognition and so many achievements.My concept was exactly the opposite to the conveyor belt way that most salons seem to have.Unfortunately my family split up with a very nasty ending and two weeks prior to me starting another tour in order to demonstrate my values the shop was shut ( I did Not own the the shop i was a stylist and leader ) But you are so right in saying that some stylists don't seem interested and some owners train the stylists in speedy cuts to make as much money as possible treating the clients as just heads in a chair.I prided myself in training the staff to LOVE the client CONNECT with the client and LISTEN.Importantly open the doors to the PASSION and ART of the industry.There are some great salons out there with great passion and love for what they do and believe me they don't have to be on the high street.Just because someone has been trained by a well established salon does not always been you get the best service as you proved yourself.Since Daisy's Hair Shop closed i cant seem to fit in anywhere else because its like selling my soul to the devil and giving in to my integrity.Watching stylists not being bothered about the client or not watching what they are doing or gossiping about the client whose just helped pay their bills simply cripples me inside.It is not the cost of the hair service it is the LOVE and TALENT ! Good luck ! Karen Tonks UK