Health & Beauty
Your guide to health and beauty services and shops in London
The best health venues in London
The best beauty venues in London
Most popular salons and spas
Thai Square Spa
This warm haven of peace and quiet is smack-bang in the centre of town.
Spa Experience
Until 2007 when Spa London opened in Bethnal Green, there was no such thing as an affordable day spa in in the capital. A second branch has now opened at...
Harrods
The distinctive terracotta façade with its dark-green awnings stirs up some of the most divided feelings in the capital: for every tourist who comes...
Cowshed Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill is the latest corner of the capital to join the Cowshed herd. Leafy, laid-back and very well-heeled, Regents Park Road feels like an...
Just opened...
Blue Tit East Village
A stone’s throw away from Westfield Stratford – if you’re shot-putter that is – is the latest outpost from hip boutique hairdressing salon Blue Tit. In a marked departure from the vintage style for which the salon has become known, the new offering is bright, airy and ever-so-slightly industrial. With untreated wooden floors and concrete fixtures – plus the obligatory cactus plants – you could almost imagine yourself in a Stockholm salon. Almost. But while the interior design may have undergone an update, the menu – using all-natural products – and service remain unchanged. This is no bad thing: with its fashion-forward approach, fair pricing and friendly staff, Blue Tit has built a loyal following of customers, which sees no signs of waning.
MAC Carnaby
The already impressive Carnaby outpost of beauty heavyweight Mac has packed up the kaleidoscopic make-up counters and upsized to a massive new shop. It’s a canny move: the new building sits in one of London’s premier tourist thoroughfares. Inside, the brand’s ever-popular collaborations and tongue-in-cheek limited edition lines (the latest, Haute Dogs features lippies inspired by pedigree pooches) take pride of place. There are also nine make-up stations, for quick drop-in demos or longer, bookable lessons. Upstairs is dedicated to Mac’s Pro line, beloved of make-up artists and drag queens alike. With an exhaustive selection of products, it’s shopping nirvana for slap-happy amateurs and serious professionals.
John Bell & Croyden
Venue says: “Sugar & Spice & all Things Nice: An in-store Winter Shopping Event on Thur 6 December. Save 20% across all departments (T&C apply).”
The Nomad Barbershop
Does your barber cut hair on a mountain top? Perhaps you’re using the wrong man. Miguel Gutierrez, of hugely popular vlog The Nomad Barber, travelled the world to observe cutting and shaving techniques in Dubai, Turkey, Chile and even London’s East End. The video series documented Liverpool-born Gutierrez’s year-long odyssey to learn the history of barbering. ‘I wanted to create a concept that would allow me to travel, but also keep me in the industry,’ Gutierrez tells me as he snips methodically at my wayward hair. I’m getting spruced up at the Nomad Barber’s first permanent residence, a smallish shop off Brick Lane. The space is stylish without being pretentious, and it’s free of the hippyish travelling trinkets you might expect. Chic indie flows through the speakers and portraits from Gutierrez’s travels adorn a wall. It’s a cool, comfortable set-up that’s been swamped with happy customers since launching. ‘We get such a varied mix,’ says Gutierrez. ‘City boys, hipsters, guys who want a style they’ve seen on Instagram.’ Ah yes, Instagram. The Nomad’s hefty social media following has served him well, he says. ‘A lot of customers come via YouTube.’ The three-man team (one of whom was a sniper before he became a snipper, so think twice about asking for ‘a tiny bit more off the sides’) work through cuts and shaves in 45-minute slots, priced at £28. It’s competitive, and extras like a hot towel with every cut make it memorable. Let’s hope this nomad has finally settled.
Asashi Hair
You wouldn’t need an overgrown fringe to miss Asashi Hair when wandering around Shoreditch. Tucked away in a workshop down a cobbledy alley is a modestly attired little grooming bolthole, delivering cuts (£45-£55) but not colour. It’s the home of mono-monikored Asashi, a Japanese stylist who has coiffed for the likes of Vogue, GQ and Dazed over a 25-year career before opening this spot for personal clients. He has Dapper Dan pomade on hand for ducktail-seeking dudes, or precision snips to deliver a directional spirit-levelled bowl cut. But if you must ask for a trim, you’ll get one.
Cut Throat
Back where I’m from, a long-haired urchin like me would often be treated to a cry of ‘Cut your hair!’ from a passing Ford Fiesta. With the arrival of Cut Throat in my adopted home of Peckham, the drive-by style advisors have finally got their way. It’s a cosy white cube of a hairdressers, with just four seats. Reassuringly, on my visit, the other two customers were equally tentative (‘Can you do something… to my beard? NOTHING WEIRD!’) but the staff coaxed vague requirements and excellent styles out of all of us. I was treated to fancy pomade which I was assured was vegan – good to know as until now I’ve been using bacon fat. A full menu of shaves, trims and cuts are on offer (£10-£35).
