I bought a voucher with groupon or living social for colour, haircut, a treatment, and a finish…read more Firstly, the staff are beautiful! And for me this says a lot. If they look good, I figure I will look good. However, my stylist spent most of the time talking to his very good friend, the other stylist, about something they didn't want to share with me. I could hear whispers and they were trying to make the conversation obscure so that I couldn't tell what they were talking about. I thought it was rude. There was a stylist in a chair getting her hair done by another stylist. Then, there was some sort of photo shoot of the salon. I was not happy about this, as I did not consent to being in publicity photos, especially not with wet colour on my hair. I felt uncomfortable. The stylist was messy in the application of colour to my hair. I have blotches where there is no colour. The best part of my experience was a nice girl who brought me a coffee and the shampoo massage was quite nice. Also, the voucher said I would receive a treatment, but I think all they mean by that is that after shampooing, they will condition your hair. Overall not the best experience. The stylists need to focus on the customer. I think that this salon has a lot of room to improve. I think it would be worth going back in 6 months time to see if anything's changed.

Thanks to www.Wowcher.com, I picked up a couple of vouchers for eyelash extensions and eyebrow…read morethreading at the recently opened (late 2010) Pampering Palace. I was expecting a quick appointment, a half arsed application of eyelashes and an average tidy-up of my brows. Instead, I found a really considerate group of beauticians and hairdressers who are led by the very kind manageress (whose name I can't remember, but I think it begins with Z...). A friend joined my Wowcher.com experience, and also booked a colour/cut. She paid a mere 43 for her hair, and our eyelashes cost another 40 with the voucher. The manageress is a sweet little Iranian woman, whose three daughters also work in the spa/salon. After a little kerfuffle, she began doing my eyelashes, chatting to me about all number of topics, and taking a solid hour to apply individual lashes. By the end of the appointment, I looked hot. Not just average post-salon hot, but actually hot. Eyelash-fluttering, groomed-brow raising, I was about to leave for lunch (see my review of Bardolino), when I noticed two clients with their feet in fish tanks. The manageress said they were doing a promotion for Garra Rufa fish pedicures (just 15 pounds for half an hour), and I couldn't help but say YES. If you've never had a fish pedicure before, be ready for a very unusual sensation. It's not painful or uncomfortable or even a ticklish sensation, just... odd. The fish tanks were cleaned between each pedicure (don't worry, you won't be sticking your feet in anyone else's dead skin!), and my feet were surprisingly smooth afterwards. There was no rush to leave, and all the staff seemed happy to chat. It's clearly a happy place to work, and I am definitely going to come back. The only flaw, and the only reason I reduced my review rating by one star, is their organizational skills. While I appreciate any new business takes time to get on its feet, and no doubt the Wowcher offer led to a huge increase in appointment requests, I arrived at the spa after an hour on the tube to find a voicemail message telling me they had to reschedule the appointment. It turns out their staff member called in sick, but I should have been informed about this more than an hour in advance. Moreover, the appointment was rescheduled for the same day, just an hour later, but it took a good twenty minutes for my beautician to set up the room and ensure she had the right lashes for me. The quality of the service was not compromised, but I have a feeling Pampering Palace will need to tighten up their appointment system/organization if they want to succeed on Chiswick High Road. Their prices are by far the best along the high street, but locals won't return if they continue to struggle with their appointment calendar. NB: Do look for more discount vouchers for Pampering Palace on the web before you go -- if you can't find anything, try calling them up and seeing if they'll give you an ad hoc package deal. I saw three customers wrangle discounts while I was at the salon -- definitely worth a shot!

Having to change hairdressers is a nightmare scenario for every lady. Having recently moved to the…read morearea and after a disastrous experience at Rush, I decided to give this salon a try. The reason I chose it? I walked past it one Friday evening and caught a glimpse of a customer getting up from her seat. Her hair was stunning. The staff made me feel at ease straight away, whether it was when booking the appointment and when going for my cut & colour. I cannot fault my stylist the result is amazing and I felt very relaxed the entire time I was at the salon. The new do cost £130 (hence 4 stars instead of 5). It's expensive, yes, but I will go back because the result is outstanding. Managing my hair on a daily business has become an easy task, which is a sign of a good cut and thus a good stylist.

Amazing experience!!Alex is amazing! She always does a fantastic job with my haircuts and roots,…read moreand I feel completely confident in her work. She's professional, friendly, and makes every visit a pleasure. Highly recommend!

I got my very first set of acrylic nails here! I was going on a trip to Greece in late September…read moreand wanted to treat myself to a set of acrylic nails. I got the acrylic nails with gel polish and the chrome add-on and the total came out to £65.00, and I prepaid online so there was no hassle when my nails were done, I just walked out the door. I had a very nice experience with my nail technician who made good conversation during the appointment. I got exactly what I requested. Though during the filing, I was noticing that it seemed like my skin around the cuticle and sides of my finger were getting sanded too and it was a bit uncomfortable and left the a bit agitated and slightly red for a couple days after. There was also excess acrylic on the underside of the nail that made it not smooth and a bit of a hinderance around the sides of the undersides of the nail that I wish she had filed away before the end of the appointment. However, the nails are still staying on pretty good for a month's grow-out time. (the attached photos are fresh out of the salon). The ambiance of the salon was on-par for a normal salon; nothing that overly stood out or sparked concern. The salon is located in a convenient area, it's near the Tube station and Westfield mall.

*rolls shoulders*…read more It's been a while since I last had a massage.. well one that's in a spa - not the usual (I'm about to squeal) sports massages. I used to be a real groupon/living social junkie but found it difficult to keep up with using them so stopped all together for a while. Lately starting out on a clean slate, I've decided to purchase a 1 hr massage at Amiika spa. Ravenscourt park is a relatively new area for me - but not too far away from home. Couple of blocks away from the tube station and gotta say it is nicely decorated reception area. Go there a couple of minutes early to fill out a registration form. Waited just a few minutes past my appointment time but totally okay - I"m here to relax right?! You have 3 options, Swedish, deep tissue and Thai massage. I went with the deep tissue one because I've been working out a bit too much (it could be a bad thing!). It was nice - not too tough where I'm in tears and not like an oil rub down. The hour goes quick and feel rejuvenated afterwards. At the end of the massage, they give you a small shot of lemongrass tea which is lovely. Def recommend giving it a try!

I spent £100 on a gift voucher for my partner in celebration of the birth of our first child…read moretogether. I thought a massage would be exactly what my partner would need. Parenthood made it tricky to find time to use the voucher but we managed to cram in a massage within 3 months of the purchase. My partner explained to the receptionist at the time that she may not be able to return within the three months left on her voucher, and the receptionist said 'you should be ok'. Seven months later (within a year of purchasing the voucher) my partner finally had time for another hour's massage, but when she arrived she was told that her voucher was only valid for six months and that the money I had paid in good faith had simply been removed from the voucher. Just to be clear; there was no promotion or discount included with the voucher. I literally swapped pounds for an equivalent voucher that could only be exchanged for treatment at Amiika Spa. I feel that my money has been stolen, and I feel thoroughly let down that the treatment I wished upon my partner was not honoured, particularly as a new mother. The six month expiry on a gift voucher is a ludicrous idea, and no effort has been made to reconcile our grievance. The manager eventually got in touch to remind us that the 6 month expiry is company policy and that I should not have purchased the voucher if I didn't agree with the small print. She remains adamant that the remaining £50 on the voucher can not be redeemed. Poor policy, No good will, Steer clear

While developing my photographs at Snappy Snapy in Hammersmith, I have 3 hours to keep myself busy…read morein between. When strolling through the shopping centre of Hammersmith, I discovered Supercut - a chain hairdresser which is often based near tube stations. Very practical coming from a hard day of work and not having time to make an appointment, this is the best place to go. How many times have I been turned down by a hairdresser salon, desperately needing a haircut before leaving for holiday, an appointment 3 weeks later does not help! At Supercuts appointments are not needed. Supercuts are always busy and this is the reason trust their cutting skills. They are used to do so many haircuts a day, they will not mess with mine. If you ever have been at Vidal Sassoon or Tony & Guy you know what I mean! In fact they were challenged with an asymmetric haircut when I went as a hair model for Vidal Sassoon - That night I walked home with a classy bob - they did a good job - back to normal!

I came to Supercuts because all I really needed was a nice trim to bring some health back to my…read morehair, but other salons I looked at were so pricey! Another plus was that I didn't have to make an appointment - I just walked right in! I went ahead and went in with dirty hair just to get the supercut (wash, cut, blowdry) which was quoted on their website as ₤22.45. When I went in they weren't busy at all, and I was promptly sat down and she asked what I wanted. She also quoted a price of around ₤35 to me, but I have long hair and I did notice on their website that prices adjust according to hair length, so this didn't surprise me. I told her all I wanted was a nice trim for my split ends, and she told me she would take about an inch off and showed me about how much that would be (since haircutting length is different than mathematical length) which I greatly appreciated. All in all it took just under an hour, and I was very pleased with the cut! The only thing I wish she would have done was use conditioner when she washed my hair to smooth out the tangles, but it wasn't a big deal.