The promise
A head of natural-looking blonde highlights, and a hyaluronic acid ‘anti-age’ treatment to inject moisture and rebuild hair structure.
The experience
Tucked away on the lower level of the Sheraton Abu Dhabi, ST Beauty is a bustling salon. It’s by no means immaculate, but don’t be fooled by its ‘lived-in’ appearance; therapists dodge busily around their equipment in an impressive show of efficient workmanship.
We are ushered to our seat by the friendly salon manager, Cezar, who offers us a drink, jokes about our hair’s poor condition (yes, we know), then gets down to business.
With 18 years’ experience in the industry, Cezar knows what he’s doing. He applies two colours, explaining that we need a darker caramel tone to keep it looking natural. Though his fast-and-furious technique seems slapdash, he works with authority and we have no choice but to trust him.
Once the colours have taken, we’re led to the basin for a shampoo, then back to the chair for the treatment. Hyaluronic acid helps to attract moisture and rebuild damaged hair fibres – but we’re told not to expect miracles. One application will make a small difference, but for the product to truly take effect, like most things, it needs frequent use over time.
The treatment is applied from root to tip, then an insulating pouch is placed on our head. ‘You look like an Egyptian queen,’ says Cezar, smiling. In reality, we look like a regular person wearing a cool-bag as a hat.
After 15 minutes under heat, the treatment is washed off and we’re given a yawn-inducing, relaxing head massage followed by a tension-releasing shoulder rub. Bliss.
We’re happy with our current cut, so Cezar trims the ends and tidies the layers. His chopping style is alarmingly fast, in the manner of Edward Scissorhands. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he says, ‘Now let’s have some fun,’ and places a tube of hot-pink paste in front of us. We clearly look horrified, because Cezar assures us it’s temporary – ‘Just a little streak, it’ll look great.’ It’s impossible to say no to him.
The blow-dry reveals that we were right to have confidence in Cezar. It’s the best blonde we’ve had in a very long time, and it’s so silky and shiny, we can’t stop running our fingers through it. The flash of magenta is fun and puts a smile on our face as we leave the salon, quite literally, in the pink.
The results
A decent cut, perfectly blended roots, and moisturised, nourished locks that feel light and bouncy.
Pros
The salon is full of happy staff who know their stuff. It can be tricky to find somewhere that delivers on blonde colour – but ST Beauty has that nailed. Plus we can still feel the effects of the treatment a week on.
Cons
It’s not a relaxing experience – the colour application and cut were far from gentle, and we’ve reclined at comfier basins. But we can forgive this for the quality.
4/4
Cut and dry from Dhs300, highlights from Dhs450, hyaluronic acid treatment from Dhs500. Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, www.stbeautysalon.com (02 676 9663).
