The Edinburgh Blog

Vidal Sassoon Studio has a prime location on Edinburgh’s Multrees walk. Surrounding this hairdresser are the ever popular VinCaffé, Armani (for the past few weekends some women have been chanting ‘Boycott Armani’ outside), Harvey Nichols and, to name but a few, Louis Vuitton. Vidal Sassoon certainly have the prices to match this upmarket location: my cut and blow dry was £48.

Students and children under twelve can, Monday through Wednesday, reduce the cost of a haircut at Vidal Sassoon by 25%. I headed to Vidal Sassoon on the recommendation of a couple of friends (one male/one female). Their reasons for recommending Vidal Sassoon are listed below:

• Their stylists are very up-to-date with the latest hair fashions and styles. The cut you get at Vidal Sassoon is likely to be edgier and more defined than other salons; although they can do high quality ’standard’ cut and blow drys as well.
• The staff are extremely friendly and, despite the brand name and a worry about Vidal Sassoon being pretentious, it’s not that way at all. It’s a very welcoming salon where you feel extremely comfortable.
• Your stylist stays with you for the entirety of your visit. So he/she will have a quick consultation, then wash your hair themselves and, obviously, cut it. My stylist even ran my haircut through the till himself.
• Vidal Sassoon is open Sundays (12pm to 5pm). The salon is relatively quiet on the Sunday and it makes for a relaxing experience. This frees up Saturday to go shopping, have a few beers or head out of Edinburgh for the day.

After experiencing Vidal Sassoon firsthand I would definitely agree with all the points above. Having the actual stylist wash your hair is a differentiator from many other salons. Also, the levels of professionalism demonstrated by all the staff at Vidal Sassoon was evidently very high.

My stylist, again by recommendation, was Bartek. One of my initial worries about a name like Vidal Sassoon was the stylist might start cutting and give whatever haircut he thought would look good, without explanation or consultation. Fortunately this proved totally unfounded. Bartek sat me in the chair and asked what style I was looking for, while also offering his advice and what hair style he thought would suit me. I left Vidal Sassoon with a quality cut; Bartek definitely gave my hair a new sharper style than I had previously.

The interior of Vidal Sassoon is quite clinical and very modern. The reception desk is directly infront of the main door and backing onto this is a sofa where you can enjoy complementary tea, coffee or water. Most of the stylists were female and a lot of women were sat around after colour treatments. Vidal Sassoon offer a ‘Get Your Look’ package which includes cut, colour and blow dry (from £98). The salon offers free consultations.

In summary Vidal Sassoon isn’t a cheap choice, but its pricing is comparable to other premium/top rated salons in Edinburgh.

I was really impressed with my visit. Crucially the hair style I came out with is one I’m extremely pleased with. If you’re after the same, then I recommend a trip to Vidal Sassoon.

Vidal Sassoon Studio is located at 10 Multrees Walk, St Andrews Sq, Edinburgh, EH1 3DQ. Call them on 0131 558 2849.