Whether you’re looking for a complete style overhaul, in the mood for trying out a bold new colour or simply want a quick trim, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to hair salons in the capital. From those helmed by the country’s most famous and well-respected hair stylists to independent salons and forward-thinking sustainable options, there’s somewhere to suit every taste and style. Here’s our pick of the best hair salons in London to book into now.
Josh Wood Atelier
Nestled in an elegant mews house in Holland Park filled with glorious greenery, Josh Wood is London’s undisputed king of colour, with a client list packed full of A-list celebrities, supermodels and style influencers, including Elle Macpherson, Kylie Minogue and Laura Bailey. Josh and his handpicked team are all experts at performing minor hair miracles, whether that’s perfecting a specific colour you’ve asked for or creating a totally personalised new shade just for you. The true genius here lies in the way the colour is blended to fuse with your natural shade, so there are no jarringly obvious joins as it grows out. While the Holland Park mews house is their headquarters, you’ll also find Josh’s dream team working from their new by-appointment-only salon within the Claridge’s Spa.
6 Lansdowne Mews, Holland Park, London W11 3AN
Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR
joshwoodcolour.com
Neil Moodie Studio
He’s the man responsible for the manes of some of London’s most famous faces, including Cara Delevingne and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and now Neil Moodie has finally opened up his own salon. The 1,600 square-foot studio in Spitalfields is more than just a salon, also doubling up as a concept store, a launch-event space and a photographic studio. But naturally, the real focus here is on hair, with Moodie and his team offering VIP-treatment and trend-led editorial styling, as well as serving up a more conscious beauty offering.
Working in collaboration with Green Salon Collective in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint, they’ve installed Eco Head taps and use ‘Scrummi’ compostable hair towels and ‘Vish’ colour weighing scales to cut down on waste. If your locks are in need of some extra TLC, book in for their new steam treatment, which opens up the cuticles in your hair to help conditioner and moisturising masks penetrate deeper.
16a Lamb Street, Spitalfields, London E1 6EA
neilmoodiestudio.com
Hershesons
Known for their fuss-free blow dries and modern, cool-girl cuts, Hershesons’ flagship super-salon on Berners Street covers 5,000 square feet and boasts a slick café by Farm Girl and several beauty stations. Think of it as your one-stop-shop for all your pampering needs, with Suman Brows, DryBy nails, and Sunday Riley, Murad and The Light Salon all offering skin treatments.
Last year, they moved out of Harvey Nichols and opened up a new space just down the road in Belgravia, with high gloss walls and sleek mid-century furniture, where you can expect the same brilliant cuts, colour and head massages. If you’re looking for something extra special, book in for an appointment with Luke Hersheson himself, who’s the master when it comes to creating clever cuts that require minimal styling – music to any busy Londoner’s ears.
29 Berners Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3LR
8a West Halkin Street, Belgravia, London SW1X 8JE
hershesons.com
Larry King
A-list favourite Larry King has welcomed everyone from Poppy Delevingne to Gigi Hadid into his flagship South Kensington salon, which features an Instagram-worthy powder room, crystal chandeliers and a rose gold cocktail bar. Famous for its relaxed atmosphere – the salon’s ethos is all about creating “a social life for your hair” – coming for a cut or colour here is more like hanging out at a friend’s house, with a cocktail drinks trolley on hand for mid-treatment drinks.
Lucky west Londoners also have their very own Larry King outpost in Notting Hill, tucked away just off Westbourne Grove – when you visit ask for Bryony, who’s trained under some of the best in the business and is the person to go to for natural-looking balayage.
34-36 Harrington Road, South Kensington, London SW7 3ND
2-4 Lambton Place, Notting Hill, London W11 2SH
larryking.co.uk
Adam Reed
Adam Reed, formerly one half of the Percy & Reed duo, opened his own salon in east London back in February 2020 as a ‘no-trend’ destination that instead offers curated colours and cuts bespoke to every individual. The quirky Spitalfields space, housed in an old banana merchant’s warehouse and filled with vintage furniture, is also focused on championing local businesses, with its mini boutique stocked with Adam’s favourite lifestyle and beauty brands including candles from Earl of East and lipsticks by Lisa Eldridge. Expect instinctual cuts and colour as well as plenty of extra touches, like advice on the best perfumes to scent your new ‘do – Adam is the proud owner of a collection featuring over 600 fragrances that you can spritz away after your appointment.
No1 Fournier Street, Spitalfields, London E1 6QE
adamreed.london
Buller and Rice
As London’s first sustainable salon, Buller and Rice pride themselves on their eco credentials, with biodynamic products, biodegradable protective capes and environmentally friendly foil alternatives made of recycled paper the norm. With locations in Newington Green, Walthamstow and the recently-opened Wanstead, the concept is the brainchild of Anita Rice and Stephen Buller, who have combined their shared passion for haircare and the environment to create London’s go-to eco-friendly salons. Their light and bright spaces all use products by cult Italian haircare brand Oway (they even have their own refill stations for their shampoo and conditioner, which you can purchase by weight), as well as a selection of homeware pieces by independent artists and natural and biodynamic wines on tap.
157 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, London E17 3AL
36a Newington Green, London N16 9PR
6 Station Parade, Wanstead, London E11 1QF
bullerandrice.com
Salon Sloane
This social hot spot in the heart of Chelsea was founded by acclaimed industry veterans John Vial and Belle Cannan, who are both familiar faces backstage at London Fashion Week. The secret to the salon’s success is the excellent team of stylists on their roster, which includes Emmanuel Esteban, famed for delivering the fastest, glossiest blow dries in town, and leading hair colour specialist Sophie MacCorquodale, who happens to be Scarlett Johansson’s colourist of choice. The décor here is sleekly minimal, with an emphasis on old school luxury in keeping with its south west London locale – this is a salon that takes great pride in its craft, delivering sophisticated, polished looks.
186 Pavilion Road, Chelsea, London SW3 2BF
salonsloane.com
Hari’s
Hari’s has been a staple in London’s smartest neighbourhoods since the Seventies, with salons in the heart of Chelsea, Notting Hill and Parsons Green. Filled with hanging plants, their Fulham Road HQ is a relaxing spot to get a much-needed hair refresh, with high-tech amenities, contemporary cuts and innovative colour techniques that promise to reduce the damage to your hair. This summer they also opened their first salon south of the river, on Northcote Road, bringing their unique take on haircare to a whole new audience. They’re as well-known for their plant-powered conditioning treatments as they are for their brilliant cuts and blow dries – try their Spirit of Hemp CBD treatment, which promises to breathe new life into lacklustre hair using hand-harvested, 100% organic ingredients.
88 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London SW3 6HR
183 New King’s Road, Parsons Green, London SW6 4SW
233 King’s Road, Chelsea, London SW3 5EJ
41 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2AA
183 Northcote Road, Clapham, London SW11 6QF
harissalon.com
Hair Lounge by Charlotte Mensah
Multi-award-winning hairdresser Charlotte Mensah was crowned ‘Afro Hairdresser of the Year’ for the third time at the British Hairdressing Awards, which means she now enters their coveted Hall of Fame, one of the most exclusive clubs in all of British Hairdressing. Specialising in natural textured hair, Mensah counts Janelle Monáe and Erykah Badu among her ever-growing list of prestigious clients. Her Portobello Road salon, which has been a Notting Hill favourite for almost 20 years, features plenty of nods to Mensah’s West African heritage, from a wall of traditional wooden combs to the use of calabash bowls for their in-house blended shea butter. Mensah is as renowned for her innovative haircare products as she is for her hairstyling prowess, with her organic Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil range made from ethically and sustainably sourced Manketti nut and Ximenia seed oil a perennial bestseller.
347 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W10 5SA
charlottemensah.com
Taylor Taylor London
With multi award-winning salons in Shoreditch, Notting Hill and Soho, Taylor Taylor is known for its next-gen creative talent and indulgent treatments using their unisex range of vegan-friendly, paraben and sulfate free products, Løre Originals, which were developed by the team in-house. This is the place to come for a truly decadent few hours of pampering – each of their vintage Parisian-style salons has its own distinct personality, from the sumptuous Rococo interior at their Shoreditch flagship (think grand chandeliers and gilded vintage mirrors) to the Baroque extravagance of their Portobello Road site. Settle in, order one of their freshly mixed cocktails – we’d recommend a potent Bloody Mary for morning appointments, Bellinis in the afternoon – and prepare to be transformed.
137 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, London E1 6BJ
309 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W10 5TD
Liberty, Regent Street, Soho, London W1B 5AH
taylortaylorlondon.com
GA Salons Gennaro Dell’Aquila
Many salons throw around terms like “natural” and “organic”, but few actually have the credentials to back those claims up – except for Gennaro Dell’Aquila’s salons, that is. Naples-born Gennaro was fed up with the damage he kept seeing inflicted on his clients’ hair by chemical-packed dyes, so he set about trying to find a plant-based alternative akin to henna, which he’d worked with during his early days in Italy. The result is his pioneering brand of 100% natural hair colour, which is all made bespoke from an innovative blend of ayurvedic herbs and plants, using ingredients like chamomile, turmeric and hibiscus. Gennaro now has four salons spread across some of the chicest postcodes in London, with a devoted legion of fans who love his all-natural approach and the charmingly relaxed atmosphere of his salons.
2 Wellington Terrace, Notting Hill, London W2 4LW
3 Bray Place, Chelsea, London SW3 3LL
Cotton Centre, Tooley Street, London Bridge, London SE1 2QJ
154 Arthur Rd, Wimbledon Park, London SW19 8AQ
gennarodellaquila.co.uk
Jo Hansford
Mayfair stalwart Jo Hansford has been the go-to colourist for some of London’s most famous faces for the past 20 years, with Angelina Jolie, Sophie Dahl and the Queen Consort all rumoured to be devoted regulars. There are plenty of extra little touches on offer at this W1 favourite, whether that’s being able to order breakfast from the salon’s in-house chef when you pop in for your morning blow dry or the fact that the space has been specifically designed so you don’t have to shout over the sound of hairdryers while talking to your stylist. Last year they also opened an outpost in Harvey Nichols, which features several treatment rooms and a state-of-the-art retail space from Kerastase Paris where customers can virtually ‘try on’ their new look as well as refill their favourite products.
48 South Audley Street, Mayfair, London W1K 2QB
109-125 Knightsbridge, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7FJ
johansford.com
Salon 64
Walk past this popular Soho spot on a Friday night and you could be forgiven for thinking it was a club rather than a hair salon. That’s because it actually does turn into a club come nightfall. The revolutionary beauty spot turned heads when it first opened in 2017, creating a social hub – complete with full bar – where clients could come to hang out as well as get a great cut or blow dry. The cleverly designed space features hidden flip-up styling stations complete with all the essentials, like phone charging spots and a designated space for your cocktail, as well as a fire pit running through the centre. Opened by celebrity hairdresser Ricky Walters when he was in his mid-twenties, all the staff here are similarly young and cool, and more than happy to have a good gossip over a drink or two as they perfect your glamorous colour transformation or cutting-edge cut.
14 Bateman Street, Soho, London W1D 3AG
salon64.co.uk
