This year, beauty came back. After over a year (on and off) of not being able to visit our favourite salons, spas and clinics for our usual beauty pick-me-ups, their return was welcomed with open arms. Because sure, while learning how to do our nails, hair and waxing at home was fun for a little while, the truth is, going to the salon for a beauty treatment is an experience you just can’t recreate at home.
Having said that, since beauty has opened back up, it’s safe to say that the way in which we want to spend our time has changed. Pre-pandemic, many of us wouldn’t have batted an eyelid at the prospect of running around town, hopping from salon to salon to tick off our beauty chores. Nowadays, however, we want convenience. Not only do we want to minimise the amount of indoor public spaces we enter, but we’re also demanding a slower, more enjoyable approach.
And so, we have witnessed the birth of the super salon in London. Like a department store for beauty treatments, super salons offer a plethora of treatments all under one roof. Whether you want a laid-back salon vibe to spend the day, get some work done and grab so lunch while getting your treatments done, or would rather a tech-free spa experience, London’s super salons have you covered.
And with more and more salons adopting this one-stop-shop mentality in the capital, we’re pretty convinced that the super salon is paving the way for the future of beauty destinations. If you want a day of ultimate beauty spoiling, keep scrolling to discover London’s best beauty super salons—there’s something to everyone’s taste.
A new hotel in the heart of London’s Leicester Square, The Londoner isn’t just one of the most wonderfully relaxed and luxurious hotels we’ve ever stayed at, but it’s also an architectural feat. With a total of 16 storeys, a number of the communal spaces of the hotel are underground. An entire floor dedicated to wellness, The Retreat feels like a million miles away from the bustling west end and comprises a stunning tranquility pool, pool-side cabanas (which you can opt to have your treatments on), a gym, a Hiro Miyoshi Hair & Beauty salon, an AMA nail salon, a Joe Vipond Gentleman’s Grooming salon, treatment rooms, and Refuel, a café-come-clinic specialising in superfood and drinks. It’s impossible to not want to spend the entire day (or week) tucked away at The Retreat.
Founded by celebrity hairstylist Luke Hersheson, Hershesons has really paved the way for super salons. Housing cafés, hair treatments, facials, nails and more all under one roof, Hershesons has been the beauty escape of choice for Londoners for the past couple of years. However, the new Belgravia salon is a truly welcome addition to its others. With a Farm Girl Café on the ground floor along with the main hair salon, downstairs you can book in for Sarah Bradden acupuncture, a Brows By Suman brow treatment and/or a DryBy Nails mani-pedi. It’s all of London’s greatest beauty destinations in one convenient spot.
When it comes to variety of choice, Urban Retreat comes out on top. This literal retreat offers high-tech facials, nails, lashes, brows, hair removal, body treatments, an Angelo Seminara hair salon, osteopathy, a gut clinic, a tattoo and piercing studio and a plant-based restaurant. If you’re visiting London, you could easy spend a whole day at Urban Retreat and still not experience everything it has to offer.
Cloud Twelve is best known in Notting Hill for being an exceptional members club. However, its salon and spa facilities can be booked by non-members, too. With body rituals and massages on offer, both relaxing and intensive facial treatments and a hair salon, it’s a great place to wind down for a few hours.
An absolute must-visit if you’re popping into Harrods for a bit of retail therapy, the department store’s new Hair and Beauty Salon takes up an entire floor. Not only is it an Instagrammer’s dream thanks to its luxe pink and gold aesthetic, it also houses an impressive collection of beauty salon services. There’s London’s nail art favourites Townhouse on hand (pardon the pun) for your manicure needs, a Backwash Room, Conditioning Bar, Hairdressing Rotunda, Eye Zone and even a Hair Extension Library. Whether you’re after a blow-dry, trichology treatment, laser hair removal, facial, waxing, massage, Anastasia Beverly Hills brow treatment or Dr Dennis Gross LED treatment, Harrods Hair & Beauty Salon has you covered. Plus, you can shop all of the best that beauty has to offer while you unwind.
Gielly Green isn’t one of London’s most Insta-famous salons, but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the best. Its Marylebone flagship was designed to provide a ‘haven of indulgence under one roof’. Specialising in hair treatments, from cuts and colour to extensions and Brazilian straightening, you can also book in for makeup services, a mani/pedi, waxing, brow shaping and facials. Its classic, old-school charm just makes it even more enjoyable.
We might be cheating a little bit here, because ESPA Life at Corinthia is a very, very luxurious spa. However, we can’t help but feel as though it deserves a place on this list thanks to the number of other treatments on offer. Plus, it really is the place for beauty buffs to visit in London. Because while the spa is without a doubt one of the best in London in terms of the calibre and quality of the treatments on offer (seriously, the ESPA massages are second to none), there is also a Daniel Galvin hair salon, a nail studio, a gym and The Elixir Clinic (which specialises in intravenous wellness therapy). The treatments are, of course, on the pricier side of things, but if you want to invest in yourself, this is the place to do it.
SALON64 might not offer the same amount of treatments as some of the other super salons on this list, and it certain doesn’t offer the same square footage either, but it embodies a different form of escapism. It’s small and intimate, offering hair services with a difference. There’s a bar and seats to relax in, which makes the salon feel more like a social hub as opposed to a typical hairdressers. Plus, in the evening it turns into a private members club to help you escape the hustle and bustle of Soho.
If you’re a fan on natural beauty treatments, this one is for you. Kalon Parlour’s dreamy interiors will have you reaching for your phone to snap every corner for interiors inspo. The treatments, which are all vegan-friendly and cruelty-free range from nails and brows to lashes and waxing. There is also a medi-spa that offers facials and massages. And as for the bar? It’s the perfect place to enjoy a post-treatment tipple.
This body cream invigorates tired limbs in seconds and helps get you geared up for the day.
We’re yet to find bath salts that smell quite as luxurious as these. Just one scoop is enough to feel like you’re bathing on cloud nine.
This body oil is one of the most luxurious we have ever used, and it smells like absolute heaven.
Use this ball to massage your face, helping release tension, stimulate circulation and improve muscle tone.
Rich in oils, scrub limbs with this luxurious scrub before you get in the shower or bath. When applied to dry skin it leaves skin feeling silky-soft and blissfully invigorated.
Pop this silicone mask in the freezer and, once removed, place it over your face and massage the cooling beads to help refresh a tired complexion and revitalise skin.
Bring a little bit of ESPA luxury into your own home with this indulgent bath and body oil. One cap in the bath will have the whole room smelling divine.
Not all of us have the time or money for monthly blow-dries. This clever foam will help give your hair salon-finish volume in seconds.
This 90% natural nail polish gives salon-like results with ease. Plus, this blush pink nude is absolute perfection.
Yes, this is super expensive. However, if you like reaping the glow-boosting benefits of regular in-salon LED facials, this will help cut costs in the long run.
Kloris CBD body treatments are amongst the most relaxing around. This soothing balm helps relax aching joints and muscles.
Susanne Kaufmann’s iconic spa in Austria is at the top of our list of beauty destinations to visit. This enzyme peel will help give skin salon-like glow at home. Next up, it’s official—these are the best-selling beauty products of 2021.
