Out & About Winter 2019

HAIR Jason Palmer

The luxury Newbury hair studio that is dedicated to making clients feel their best

T he florist replenishes an abundance of vases with beautiful, fragrant blooms. The smell of fresh coffee wafts by as an assistant delivers another cafetiere- laden tray. If coffee is not your complimentary drink of choice then maybe one of the 10 teas or even a glass of wine would fit the bill? Biscuits are included and almost every magazine and newspaper awaits to add to your ultimate salon experience. Aromatic scents gently circulate around both the

way, where natural movement and shape can be both seen and built upon to create the most accurate, repeatable and bespoke cut.” After his years in London the beautiful building that is the home of Jason Palmer Hairdressing became vacant and he jumped at the chance to return to it, having previously had a salon there between 1991 and 1999 – this time bringing an even greater wealth of knowledge back to Newbury.

The huge windows of these beautiful 18th century cottages allow colourists Emily and Tiffany the wealth of natural light essential to creating true colour choices. “My motivation is to make people feel their best,” Jason adds. “I want to be able to offer clients a luxury experience in a comfortable, friendly and welcoming environment. “Everything is geared around creating a bespoke style that is right for each client. There are no real trend followers anymore just people with an individual style who are happy to be guided to what suits them best. “I want clients to leave with a haircut that is precise enough that they can maintain it themselves for the next six weeks, where the shape is in the cut and not just the blow dry.” In the early years, Jason’s waiting list was 12 months long with a cancellation your only way to secure an earlier appointment but gradually he expanded the salon to cope with the demand, building his teams in both cutting and technical services. And when only the best and most trusted hairdresser will do on your special day, Jason is on hand, having travelled far and wide to create the perfect wedding hair. He has been flown to exotic climes such as South Africa, Monaco and Ibiza, Italy and Spain over the years. With online booking, a salon app and a front of house reception team, you can now book your appointments whenever is most convenient for you. “At Jason Palmer Hairdressing we are motivated every day to ensure we as a team do our very best to look after our clientele and their hair needs,” Jason concludes.

cutting salon on the ground floor and the naturally-lit colour studio on the first floor, where technical services take place more privately and away from public view. On arrival Angela behind reception greets you with her warm smile and welcoming nature as your coat is safely stowed. This is exactly the welcome that Jason Palmer wants every single client to get when they come through his salon doors – and this is exactly the welcome every single client gets. This is a salon with a difference. A precise and delicate difference – the client experience is as bespoke as the cuts and colours created here. Having been enticed into the industry 30 years ago after a chance meeting in Brighton, Newbury-born Jason spent years perfecting his unique style at salons across West Berkshire and London. It was at one of the capital’s most prestigious West End salons that he was able to push himself even further and learn the intricate skills of precision cutting that would go on to set his salon apart on his return to Newbury in 2005. “We offer precision cutting at a very high standard,” he explains. “It comes from a unique way of dry cutting, which is very architectural. Every layer should sit perfectly on the next. “It has become a very specialist skill that not many stylists are able to offer as it has been passed down through specific generations of cutters from Leonard’s of London, to John Freida, to Nicky Clarke and his brother Michael Van Clarke, and then to myself and Joseph, who has worked as a senior stylist at the salon since 2006. “It is about dry cutting clean hair sectioned in a specific

O&A WINTER 2019 12