Seeking forgiveness for my hair sins at The Chapel, Marlow
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| Hot chocolate #1 |
Going to the hairdressers is a bit of a strange experience when you think about it. I mean, life is a bit of a strange experience when you think about it too... but today I'm tackling hair... life is for next time...
Breaking it right down, when you go to a hairdressers, you basically enter a room full of mirrors, sharp objects, tools hotter than your oven, and people you've never met.
Over time, we have learnt to override our evolutionary survival traits that would usually tell us to avoid putting ourselves situations such as these. We have instead learnt to trust the people in these kinds of rooms to use said dangerous items to transform our hair according to various societal trends/demands e.g. profession, practicality, Pinterest etc...
But with all this evolution having taken place, I have to ask myself; why am I still scared to go to the hairdressers?
I think, for a lot of us, our hair is a defining characteristic of who we are. Hair can be so powerful that often you can recognise people by literally just their hair alone - that is quite an incredible thing really, taking into account the billions of human hairs that currently exist.
So when going to the hairdressers, in a way, you are putting your identity in your hairdresser's hands (literally!).
This takes an awful lot of trust and courage; you only have to have a bad hair moment before you are about to go on a date/to work/to an event before the identity that you attach to your hair exposes itself in the form of you having to furiously re-wash your hair because you've overdone it with the hairspray, and you now have a hairbrush attached to your head (this may or may not be a personal anecdote).
However, hairdresser-induced anxiety is not eliminated even if you know you can trust your hairdresser; often the hairdressing process itself can be stressful.
You of course have to deal with the usual British problems like politely refusing a cup of tea you actually wanted, whilst graciously accepting a pile of magazines you didn't want. Preparing a short monologue about not only the weather at the moment, but also your most recent holiday usually provides useful in these situations too. Note: talking about the weather on holiday gets you bonus small talk points.
There's also a lot of hairdresser-etiquette to be dealing with on top of this, for example, deciding whether to keep your eyes open or closed whilst getting your hair washed and being blinded by those annoying circular spotlights embedded into the ceiling, having to march through the middle of the salon with a towel wrapped around your head, and having to avoid awkward eye-contact with the person sitting behind you in the mirror because you keep catching their eye and now they probably think you're a creep.
With all this together, it's easy to see why going to the hairdressers can become a chore rather than a pleasure for many of us - there's a real difference between wanting to go to the hairdressers, and needing to go to the hairdressers.
This is where The Chapel does things differently. Founder, Amanda Dickers, sums up the ideas behind The Chapel and what makes it different in this video here:
(Honestly worth a watch as she explains it far better than I can!!)
Essentially, Amanda spotted an opportunity to improve the hairdressing experience after listening to negative experiences people had of hairdressers, including shoulder-to-shoulder seating, confusing price lists, limited services that weren't tailored individually to clients, being left sat in your foils in the hairdressing window while people walk past, being passed between different stylists.... the list goes on!
She has obviously cracked the algorithm for the ultimate hairdressers since the award-winning salon now has branches in Islington, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Horsham, Marlow, and even Verbier in Switzerland!
I was lucky enough to experience their star treatment first-hand in their newest branch in Marlow, which is based in the Old Trinity Church. I had to do a few circuits of the building to ensure that I was in the right place and I was about to be forgiven for my hair-related sins, rather than my non-hair-related sins.
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| Not your average setting for a hairdressers... |
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| The entrance! |
I was warmly greeted by Jade, my stylist, and George who gave me a tour of the beautiful building and of the different areas of the salon. Having no reception area felt like they were welcoming me into their home and I immediately felt completely at ease as we spoke about the concept and story behind The Chapel.
When you first walk in, you can't help but be in awe of the beautiful stained glass windows and the high ceilings. The layout has been arranged to compliment the beautiful original features of the church, for example, the colouring area is arranged around the altar (I could easily insert a pun here about praying for good hair but I will not be led to temptation....).
The decor is luxurious but cosy, and really makes you feel at home - imagining my home was this stylish of course! Even the smell is homely when you walk in - all thanks to The Chapel's very own scented candles. The subtle attention to detail makes for a truly special experience.
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| The Chapel's own range of candles and room fresheners feat. strange woman in the mirror. |
It's hard to explain in words the feel you have walking into this place - you really do have to go and experience for yourself as no words or photos will do it justice... I'll keep trying though!
I sat down on the pink velvet sofas (which I would take home with me if anyone was to turn their back for long enough) to chat through my hair with Jade. The Chapel have a unique bespoke hair menu whereby each stylist understands and tailors every guests needs and desires individually.
Further to this, stylists charge for their time rather than the service (starting from £50p/hour), which means there are no nasty surprises at the end - I love this transparency. There is nothing worse than getting to the till at the end of the haircut and being charged more than you were expecting because you couldn't refuse the 'life-changing Keratin hair mask' mid-hair wash. Only in the UK could over-politeness cost you £40.
I explained how cutting my hair into a short, blunt bob last year had given me a new sense of confidence which I loved, but that I often struggled to get the shade of blonde that I desired.
I usually get a scalp bleach... which actually sounds a bit horrendous but now I think about it... but it just means that I can achieve a very even hair colour. I've actually had people think my hair is a wig before when I've had my roots freshly done!
I had a lot of root regrowth (naughty me avoiding hairdressers...) so Jade explained that I did have the option to use my roots to go for a more natural colour, which was definitely something I had been thinking about doing but didn't know how, so it was great to learn about that process. However, I was not ready to let my platinum wig go quite yet - I'm still considering the roots look for Summer - but I just love my icy blonde bob in Winter.
I felt like Jade really listened and understood what I wanted from my hair and I had actually learnt a lot about my hair and the colouring process by the end of our chat. It can be scary going to a new hairdresser sometimes, but I left feeling completely confident in Jade - I felt she was genuinely excited about doing my hair!
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| I love how you can see the stained glass window behind you in the reflection of the mirror! |
I arrived for my appointment and was greeted like an old friend, and handed more hot chocolate (these people figured the way to my heart very quickly...) Then we got straight to work. The Chapel is all about details, for example, they give you different coloured gowns (black, silver and gold) depending on what will compliment your hair colour and skin tone. I had a silver gown because I have a cooler skin tone and icy hair - I think this is a really clever touch!
During my visit, Jade would be my stylist from beginning to end - this is something else unique about The Chapel's process; your stylist stays with you the entire time, which allows for a very personal service.
We started on the bleach, and Jade roped in one of the other lovely stylists, George, to help because it's a long process and obviously if you start bleaching one half and that takes longer, you're going to end up with half a head lighter than the other!
Then I sat on the sofa with a fresh hot chocolate and read my book while waiting for the bleach to take hold. Jade then rinsed and shampooed my hair in the serene washing room which literally feels like a spa, PLUS, there's no blinding lights above you and the chairs/basins are all electrically adjustable meaning you don't leave feeling like you need to book a physio appointment because you've strained your neck muscles...
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| Hot chocolate #2 |
I was then taken over to the gorgeous styling area (complete with perfect, warm selfie lighting) to dry my hair because the toner had to go on dry hair. (It's at this point where I look like a close relative of Draco Malfoy)
Then Jade toned my hair with a purply toner, which was a bit scary at first because I've had more silvery hair before and didn't like it, but I knew to trust Jade since we had discussed this! Then it was back into the peaceful washing room to shampoo and condition for a final time... I could literally fall asleep in this room but luckily the sugar high I was on from having consumed three hot chocolates by this point kept me awake!
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| Hot chocolate #3 |
Finally my hair was dried and straightened, and cut, and then we were done! I could not believe the results! Jade had somehow managed to get the exact colour I was imagining inside my head to the outside of my head! It was my dream blonde, which we called baby-blonde.
The before and after:
(Sorry for the posey picture on the left but I just wanted to highlight how much my roots had grown out!! And sorry for the equally posey picture on the right but I wanted to highlight what an amazing job Jade did of dealing with said roots!!)
I am honestly so thrilled with my new hair, and so in love with the whole Chapel experience. I don't think I'll ever look at hairdressing in the same way! I usually leave the hairdressers feeling a bit like I've ticked something off my to-do list, but at The Chapel I feel excited to book my next appointment which is something I usually avoid for months!
Visiting The Chapel having been to 'normal' hairdressers your whole life is like when you don't realise you're in a not-great relationship until you find someone who treats you right and makes you realise what a great relationship actually is. But it's only in hindsight that you can see this.
Now I think about it, finding the chapel really is a bit like finding the perfect partner:
- Really good at communicating.
- Makes you feel pretty.
- Gives you confidence.
- Won't leave you (your stylist stays with you the whole time).
- You'll want to introduce The Chapel to your friends and family.
- Brings you an endless supply of hot chocolate (or drink of your choice).
So, when you're ready to dive into a new hair-elationship, The Chapel will be waiting to be your new soulmate.
If you would like to give The Chapel in Marlow a visit, pop in for a hot chocolate (or any drink you like) and a chat. As I've said about 50 times throughout this post, words can only do The Chapel a tiny bit of justice - you really do have to see and experience it for yourself!
The Chapel website
The Chapel Instagram
