When you have a bad haircut, life is a daily struggle. You have to wake up every day and fool with…read moreit until it looks tolerable to you. When you have a good haircut, it's one less thing. The moral here is: a good haircut is always worth it, not only because it makes you look better, but because it can take 15 - 20 minutes off your morning routine. And that is just worth it. 15 - 20 minutes of extra sleep? Sign me up.
I hadn't had my hair cut since coming to the UK from the States for grad school, so when I realized I could no longer just ignore my hair situation, I yelped and found Scruff's. Good reviews, I thought, and a handy pricing system: slightly less experienced (but still very well trained) stylists will wash, condition, massage, cut and blowdry your hair for a very reasonable 30 pounds. This pricing level is the 'graduate' level because the stylists are more recent graduates of Scruff's training program, though it subtly appeals to Cambridge's glut of graduates who are a bit short on funds, too.
Not knowing anybody at the salon, I asked for first available, and got Abi. A quick rundown: before the scissors came out, she sat down and talked with me about what I wanted. She was always extremely helpful and clear about options, from the shampoo and conditioner she used to the cut itself to the blowdried style. She was very, very communicative and friendly.
In fact, the whole staff was quite friendly. You won't be dehydrated at Scruff's, nor will you deal with the unwieldy burden of your coat and scarf. Scruff's is nicely decorated (I was so happy not to be in the weird yogic decor idiom so often seen in US salons) and extremely clean. Even at 10 am on a Thursday, the place was hopping, and most of the clientele seemed to have a very good, friendly rapport with the stylists. I'm guessing they have a lot of regulars, which is always a good sign. On that note: call and schedule an appointment; walk-ins are probably a no-go.
It's a paradox in life that there's often less to say about excellence than failure, so I'll be brief: Abi gave me a very, very good haircut. I've had my hair some 23 years, and some cuts have been good, and others have been bad. This one was among the very best.
Do give Scruff's a try. I'll be heading back.
