Coiffed in Chelsea – A visit to the ultra-glamorous Richard Ward Salon and Metrospa

By Christina Raptis

Being a resident of South West London there is nothing I enjoy more than spending weekends in its wonderful pedestrianised areas such as those in South Kensington and Sloane Square’s Pavilion Road, and Duke of York Square to name but a few. For those unfamiliar with the area, the Duke of York Square is home to fabulous beauty and fashion boutiques, an eclectic mix of restaurants that feature al fresco dining, the glorious Taschen bookstore and, of course, the Saatchi Gallery.

Hidden amongst this cornucopia of pleasures is the award-winning, Royal and celebrity hairdresser Richard Ward’s eponymous Richard Ward Salon and Metrospa - an oasis for pampering and delight for the cognoscenti. Since first opening their doors in 1992, Richard’s highly-acclaimed Sloane Square salon now plays host to a team of over 90 expert staff, looking after the hair and beauty needs of over 1,200 discerning clients every week.

Discreetly nestled between bustling restaurants and boutiques, sits the salon’s entrance and your ‘stairway to heaven’. Richard Ward is a previous winner of ‘Outstanding Salon of the Year’ and ‘London Salon of the Year’. The salon is luxurious yet unpretentious and an uber-cool space from which to escape the hustle and bustle of trendy Sloane Square and enter a sanctuary where one can leave all their worries behind and spend hours being preened and pampered by the world’s best!

Home to over 250 innovative hair and beauty treatments and services, all designed to deliver couture hair and bespoke beauty, the salon includes the renowned Metrospa, a unique city day spa; a state-of-the-art pampering zone featuring expert, celebrated therapists, and exclusive Decleor, SkinCeuticals, Intraceuticals and Shellac and Footlogix treatments.

In need of hair refresher, I was extremely fortunate to be invited to review the Salon and try out their highly-reputable services for myself (Yay!). Booked in for highlights and a trim I eagerly arrived early for my appointment. Upon being welcomed by the reception team, I was escorted upstairs to their ‘Relax Zone’ where I was offered a smoothie, freshly-prepared by one of their talented baristas. I was soon whisked away to the ‘Colour Zone’ where my consultant Maria discussed my hair needs in great detail and advised on achieving my desired colour results.

There is nothing more nerve-racking than going to a new salon and putting your cherished locks into the hands of someone you don’t know – but after my chat with Maria I felt extremely confident in her abilities and technical knowledge and felt that I could trust her completely! After mixing up my desired colour, Maria began to meticulously paint every strand of my hair, an arduous task I may add, for someone with my thickness and long length of hair! Despite taking an inordinate amount of time, she was extremely pleasant and time flew by as we chatted.

Next I was taken to the ‘Cleanse Zone’ where I had a wonderfully relaxing head massage as my hair was washed before heading to the ‘Hair Zone’ where I had the honour of the uber-talented, Artistic Director, Cristiano Basciu cut and style my hair. This was a real unexpected treat indeed!

Cristiano is a leading light in the world of Catwalk styling and has worked with every major magazine from Vogue to Cosmopolitan. He has also worked with a host of international brands including Valentino and L’Oreal, numerous celebrities…and now, me! I left the cut and style decisions in the hands of the master and he ‘Edward Scissorhanded’ his way into creating a fabulous cut and big-bouncy waves that left me absolutely delighted.

My experience at Richard Ward was truly spoiling and fabulous, I only wish I had the time to enjoy their many other beauty treatment offers. If you ever find yourself wandering down the King’s Road and feel like indulging in true luxury, forget all the boutiques and head over to the ultra-glamorous Richard Ward Salon and Metrospa.

Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa

82 Duke of York Square

Sloane Square

London, SW3

020 7730 1222

www.richardward.com

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