The spa
A’misque is a cosy, intimate salon tucked away on the second floor of the Vision Hotel Apartments in the Tourist Club Area. It may be small, but it somehow manages to squeeze in a comprehensive range of beauty services, including specialist manicures (using super long-lasting Gelish nail polish) to facials, waxing and make-up. But most of A’misque’s clients visit for the hair services. The salon specialises in Great Lengths hair extensions, and is gradually becoming the go-to place for women who don’t want to trek to Dubai for their hair extension upkeep. And even if extensions aren’t your thing, Lebanese stylist Steve is a whizz with a pair of scissors and a pot of dye – so you can either ask for a sleek, classic ’do, or something a little more creative.
Step by step
Our initial consultation started with a long chat about what we wanted to change about our hair. The salon owner, Hiba Al Kufaishi, listened with endless patience while we explained (read: ranted) about trying to grow out a bad cut and colour, having let another hairdresser run amok a few months ago. She then gave us one of the most thorough hair consultations we’ve ever had. To start off, we were given a stack of magazines to look through, to make sure we were on the same page about colour, style and shapes – as Hiba explained, many customers use words to describe a look or a colour that mean something different in hairdressing terms, which can lead to miscommunications. She offered plenty of helpful suggestions about how to fix up our hair without making any dramatic changes, and then talked through our decisions with the stylist, Steve.
Neither pushed us in any particular direction, and were careful to make sure each detail from the shade to the length was confirmed. We decided on a colour correction, which would bring our hair back as close as possible to its natural shade, plus some very subtle highlights on the lower layers. The stylist then swiftly wrapped our hair in foils and left us to bake under the heater, before rinsing, conditioning and moving on to the cut. We were impressed that he asked questions every step of the way, and took pains to explain how the cut would work. A sleek blow-dry finished off the session, which took an hour and a half in total.
Pros
A’misque has a very friendly atmosphere, reasonably priced services and a stylist who, with more than 10 years’ experience, really knows what he’s doing with a pair of scissors. Staff seem to have excellent relationships with a set of loyal clients, which is, of course, always a good sign. The atmosphere is chatty and laid-back.
Cons
The salon is small, so you’ll need to book ahead for appointments and the setting isn’t particularly luxurious compared with other beauty destinations in town.
The verdict
In almost a year of bad haircuts, this is the first time we’ve left an Abu Dhabi salon without tearfully calculating just how long it’s going to take to grow out the latest butchering. It’s a common complaint that hairdressers aren’t up to scratch in the capital, but this place does a genuinely good job. Our haircut was exactly what we’d asked for – no surprises, no pushing us into a style we didn’t want, just an expert job on a simple haircut. We’ll definitely be revisiting.
Open Sat-Thurs 10am-9pm and Friday by appointment. Vision Hotel Apartments (02 699 2699).
