Salon review: RUSH Kensington

Where: Rush London, 26 Kensington Church Street, W8 4EP Tel: 020 3468 1503

 

Treatment: Full head of highlights, Ladies Cut and Blow-dry.

 

Price: Wash, cut and blow dry from £49 and highlights from £77.

 

The experience: The last time I had my hair cut was more than a year ago. I've been too terrified to go back since. That fateful June afternoon a scissor happy hairdresser lopped off over six inches from my bountiful mane. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The less said about the ‘angular fringe’ the better.

 

So it was with some trepidation that I arrived at Rush on Kensington Church Street one  brisk, if not busy Tuesday afternoon for the salon, which is newly opened, and part of the burgeoning nationwide chain.

 

All the essentials are in place. Bright and airy – check. Trendy hairdressers with funky haircuts – check. Sparkly floor – check. You get the picture.

 

I'm shown to my chair and offered complimentary drinks from an extensive menu until my stylist arrives. In view of my previous experience I shun the wine on offer in favour of a sobering mineral water. I'm taking no chances.

 

My stylist today is John. In fact, he's a consultant, which in hairdressing – or at least in Rush terms – means he's pretty senior in the pecking order. He's young - well younger than me - but has a steely air of confidence about him that is reassuring. He's also attentive and seems genuinely to listen to what I want during our pre-cut consultation. 

 

Both John and my shampoo girl are Rush stalwarts; John has worked for the company for over eight years. It seems that part of the company's draw is the loyalty it inspires from its staff. Rush endeavours to keep its employees up to date with the latest styling developments and has recently triumphed at the British Hairdressing Awards. High praise indeed. But are John and the salon up to scratch? Well, there were no tears at bedtime this cut around.

 

After the highlights were expertly inserted, and a hair wash and delicious smelling conditioning treatment applied, John wielded the scissors with seasoned efficiency. John explained, as he packed my hair deftly into neat little foil packets, that a key differentiating feature of Rush is the absence of segregation between stylists and colourists - unusual, particularly in London salons. I rather liked the continuity of having one hairdresser seeing me through from start to finish - so often after having colour I find myself being shunted off to a new stylist, who often will not have seen my hair in its dry state, and will hence have little idea about how to style it most effectively. After a couple of hours sectioning my hair, I felt John was completely au fait with my locks, and would do a great job of the cut. Which he did. Even the blow-dry was a huge success. My pleas for a big voluminous 'do' usually fall on deaf ears as my wavy hair is straightened to within an inch of its life. But after just over an hour, my newly shorn mane was shiny, curled and, importantly, not ‘angular’ in any shape or form.

 

Everyone who knows me can rest easy. It's been a successful hairdressing experience. What's more, it’s all very good value, particularly when you take into account the 50% discount for first time bookings. Helpfully, the salon is open late (until 8pm on weekdays, and 9pm on Thursday).