I can honestly, and slightly shame-facedly, say that I hadn’t been near a hairdresser in over a year. The lovely Miss Lam, who used to work wonders on my tresses, returned to Thailand and the next person to whom I entrusted my barnet left much to be desired. Hence, I have spent almost 14 months growing out a disaster – well perhaps six months waiting for the missing chunks to even out and another eight too scared to get back in the chair.
So, when I was offered the chance to check out Gatsby Lounge, it was with more than a little trepidation that I let stylist April loose. I need not have worried. The woman is a superstar. Clearly tuning in to my paranoia – cries of “that’s looking awfully short!” might have given her a clue – she explained exactly what she was doing and held the layers up individually to let me see just how much was coming off before the scissors went anywhere near me.
The result? Choppy long layers, loads of bounce and a style that lasted several days before washing. It was even easy enough for me to replicate at home – well, almost, but then we all know your hair never looks quite the same as when a GOOD professional does the job.
From April I moved over to the nail lady, Marisa, who told me what great talons I have before getting to work on a Christmas nail makeover. I rarely have my nails painted, I feel the need to remove all the polish as soon as I get a minor chip. The answer was obvious really, gel. And with the festive season upon us, the only suitable colour to choose had to be bright red. Since this is not a service I go for often, it gave a feeling of real pampering to have my hands massaged and beautified and loved the look so much that I might just have paint the town red more often.
My morning at Gatsby was a very chilled affair in super plush surroundings – think leather chairs and chandeliers, lots of chandeliers. The staff are chatty and knowledgeable and I will definitely be going back.
