LONDON — Harrods is making further inroads into the British beauty space with the opening this week of a new Hair and Beauty Salon on the fifth floor of the Knightsbridge store.
The launch of the salon marks the final phase of the beauty transformation at the Knightsbridge store. Harrods has been refurbishing and expanding its beauty halls over the past three years to create one of the largest offers in the country, and worldwide.
The new halls currently span 90,000 square feet, and Hair and Beauty Salon, which puts a strong focus on wellness and services, adds a further 16,985 square feet.
The offer includes treatments such as Japanese-style “scalp facials,” a hair extension “library,” and Philip Kingsley Elasticizer treatments.
Annalise Fard, director of Beauty at Harrods, described the launch of the salon as another significant landmark in the store’s “quest to bring our customers a world-class proposition that delivers expert hair and beauty experiences.”
She added that Harrods has invested “in pushing the boundaries in what is expected from a beauty destination, as well as bringing the most innovative experiences and services from around the world to London.”
Harrods’ first Hairdressing and Manicure Department opened in 1894. Until recently the store’s hair, beauty and spa services were run by Urban Retreat, which has since decamped to The White House, a stand-alone space in Knightsbridge not far from Harrods.
Urban Retreat had spent 17 years as a concession on Harrods’ fifth floor.
In an interview, Fard said that taking the hair and beauty operation in-house was a significant move, and that now it was part of the Harrods family.
The vision, she added, was to make the new space beautiful, fun and highly engaging. “It’s the big fat cherry on top” of the Harrods beauty cake, said Fard, while the design was inspired by an archive image of the store.
The space was created by the London-based Sparcstudio Design, and based on a 1982 picture of the store.
It features glossy peach marble, cream stone counters and powder-pink walls with gold finishes. Treatment spaces include a Backwash Room, Conditioning Bar, Hairdressing Rotunda, Eye Zone, and a Hair Extension Library.
“It’s completely ’80s — it’s super glam. I looked at that picture from 1982 and could feel the energy just coming off the page,” said Fard.
The dedicated hairstyling space is known as the Hairdressing Rotunda, and features seats set around a curved central area emulating the original 1982 design. The idea was to bring a sense of old-world glamour, and allow customers to chat with their stylists privately and freely.
“I wanted to create an intimate experience, and to celebrate the relationship between the stylist and the guest. Over the years, hairdressing has become a communal experience, but I wanted there to be space for a private, personal chat,” said Fard.
The Hair Extension Library is packed with an array of colors, lengths and styles. Normally, most salons require a full consultation before ordering extensions ahead of time, but Harrods said its service will enable customers to get their extensions on the spot.
The salon’s Backwash Room was inspired by traditional Japanese head spa rituals which the Harrods beauty team discovered in Tokyo. It offers customers a “facial” for the scalp, a head massage, and a trip to the Conditioning Bar, for bespoke treatments.
Fard said that Harrods also designed the space around its customers’ needs: “They want the best of the best for their skin, face, body and hair, and they have picked up on the global trend for hair treatments and wellness.”
Other treatments include nail art by Townhouse, laser hair removal, waxing, massages, body wraps and facials. There is also an Eye Zone, which offers eyelash extensions, Anastasia Beverly Hills eyebrow treatments, and Dr. Dennis Gross LED light treatments, and Oxygen Flash Facials.
Separately, Harrods is continuing to roll out stand-alone H Beauty stores throughout the U.K. and is also offering treatments, services and a Champagne bar in each of the stores.