London beauty must do: BLOWW salon

One of the most outstanding beauty stop offs I made when I was in London a couple of weeks ago was at a salon called BLOWW, which is tucked away in a serene little lane just off insanely bustling Regents Street called Regents Place.
Featured in the likes of ELLE and Tatler – both of whom sing their praises – the outrageously talented team at BLOWW believe that working with hair goes “ hand-in-hand with style, glamour, fashion, innovation and skill”, and they’ve pooled their resources to create an exquisite salon experience in the heart of London’s West End.
BLOWW was launched in December 2005 and was received with a great deal of excitement from the industry, winning the British Hairdressing Business Award for Salon Design in 2006 and Hair Magazine’s London Salon of the Year in 2007 and Destination Salon of the Year in 2008. The beautifully spacious spot – a rarity in a city as densely packed as London – features the likes of a lengthy granite catwalk, bespoke soundtrack, super flattering lighting, art and a shampoo massage area which is tucked away for ultimate relaxation, making for one fabulously relaxing experience. Their signature is what they like to call “couture hairdressing”, which is all about finding a superlative style for each individual using a distinct combination of skills, knowledge and intuition. Their stylists regularly work on photo-shoots for magazines, TV, fashion shows and major fashion campaigns, and with clients that include Nick Knight and Givenchy are one decidedly hip bunch.
My stylist for the day was the extremely charming and dapper Charley McEwen, who an industry insider told me gives “THE best blow dry in London”, which is no small call. He certainly has the client list to back it up though, regularly taking care of the tresses of Cate Blanchett, Heidi Klum, Sienna Miller and Lily Allen when the red carpet calls. When he gets to work on my hair it is totally transformed – from fairly thick, slightly distressed locks (thanks a month in France with no salon treatments) to seriously big, bouncing natural waves that are everything I wish my hair would be on a daily basis. And the best thing? They still looked bloody amazing four days later, when I was sadly forced to wash them and return to my former less-than-glory. The whole experience was a super luxurious one too, from the Redken treatment and serious head massage to the sparkling water and time taken over the blow dry, I was in heaven. If you are ever in London then I suggest the first thing you do is give Charley a call – it will set you up well for a seriously great trip.