It’s always been my wish that if I had one superpower it would be to wake up every morning with perfectly blowdried hair so when B asked if I was free to check out a ‘Cheeky’ new blow dry and manicure bar I practically bit her hand off!
I was greeted warmly at the door and invited to take a ticket from the ‘deli style’ dispensers at reception marked ‘blow’ or ‘nails’. I chose a blow as my hair was in desperate need of a cut and I’d been wearing it in a bun for weeks; if they could make it look respectable enough for an afternoon of meetings I would be very impressed! I was directed to the café area to wait for my number to be called out (kinda like in Argos except with amazing coffee, cakes, magazines, long tables, comfy chairs, cocktails, phone chargers…) and was then led over to the blow dry bar to meet my stylist.
We chatted through the various options laid out on the handy card, there are four cheeky blow styles and three cheeky up dos – perfect for me as I usually just wave my hands around my head trying to describe what I want! After a bit of indecision I decided to ‘pump it’ which promised to be the blow for added bounce and volume. The service is very quick (I was amazed at the speed with which she moved through my hair, spraying, sectioning and blow drying like a Duracell bunny) and the results are good – my hair had movement, bounce and you wouldn't know it was in need of a good chop.
Cheeky is from the same people as Cowshed and the concept is great – a large, airy loft space in which you are encouraged to bring friends, chat, hang out, get treatments and experiment with props in the ‘selfie’ studio. It would be the perfect getting ready spot before a big night out, hen do or birthday but I could also see it working really well for freelancers like me. I turned up straight from the gym with no make up on and left 45 minutes later with great hair having had my morning coffee, done my make up and caught up with emails. You can’t book appointments here, it’s walk-in only, but I was assured that you’d never wait much longer that 15 minutes and it would be easy to while away the time with a bit of lunch or gossiping with friends.
The blow dry itself didn't last as long as others I’ve had and needed a bit of fluffing up as the day went on but this could be due to the fact that my hair needed a cut. I would definitely try Cheeky again and can imagine dashing in there many times in the months to come – it’s a good job I’ve moved away from East London or I might be tempted to get my hair done every day (or until my wish for superpowers came true!)
The Cheeky Parlour
1st Floor, 64-66 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, London, E2 7DP - 020 3376 1777
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