Salon Review: The Bardou, Covent Garden, London
Review: Georgie Bentley-Buckle
The Bardou – Party perfect hair for time poor women.
Having just recently re-opened in their new permanent abode a skip from the ever popular Seven Dials in Covent Garden, The Bardou epitomises the new craze that has shot across the pond from New York to London – the concept of the blow dry bar. After a popular 8 week spell as a pop up in Kensington The Bardou is specifically designed for time poor women on the go. Blow dry bars have sufficiently filled a gap in the market giving women red carpet worthy hair between those ever prominent moments of scuttling out of the office and to the cocktail bar. The Bardou tell their clients to forget the cut and colour and to focus on one thing only, the blow dry with the aid of first class styling and first class stylists.
An instant welcoming and quickly directed for a tailored consultation, the team of experts give valuable advice, honest opinions and actually listen to what you want instead of styling you in a way they think best. The traditional big and bouncy is no longer everyone’s cup of tea, and certainly not mine. These days metropolitan women lust after shiny, healthy, practical styles that actually last that will ensure hair envy amongst others, rather than the ‘just stepped out the salon with half a can of hair spray’ look.
Backstage old Hollywood glamour is the underlying theme that ties together the atmosphere of this bold salon. Large bright bulbs and shiny mirrors are set amongst the tall windows and allow natural light to pour in and make this blow dry bar appear impressive from the outset. Offering 9 signature styles their prices range from a reasonable £20 super-express blow dry to an £80 blow dry complete with clip in extensions. In addition to offering a range of styles to tempt all women whatever the occasion, The Barbou also rather impressively already offer their own range of products that they use on each and every one of their clients, something which I believe puts The Barbou as a small, independent brand in good stead for their future as more and more blow dry bars immerge on the streets of London.
With bookings being snapped up faster than you can say ‘Bardou Blowouts’ and with clients from morning until night, as an Londoner I feel I’m going to start to see and hear a lot more surrounding this brand in the New Year and in the months to come. Reliable and reasonable this niche hair salon fills a huge gap in the market for Londoners in need of great hair but who’s seconds are of a higher value than their minutes. To place a cherry on top, so to speak, the truly delightful and helpful team at The Barbou I would happily move onto my next stop for cocktails, great hair and even better company.
The Bardou – 44 Shelton St. WC2H 9HZ / 020 3793 7135 / www.thebardou.com