Richard Ward

I live just a short walk from Richard ward and so decided to make an appointment with a technical director named Mario who is supposed to be the best person for highlights. When I arrived I was seated upstairs and was kept waiting for about 20 minutes with no apology as to the delay in my appointment. Once seated I found the salon to be very impersonal and rushed. A girl showed me to my seat where I waited for Mario. When he arrived I explained to him what I wanted. i took the time to bring in pictures of me with the colour I used to have and wanted to get back to show him though instead of listening to what I’d asked for he made several comments about my hair which were rather critical to the point of being quite rude. I didn’t like his manner. One comment related to my hair being greasy for which I apologised but added that I knew I would be going to the hairdresser that day anyway. Whilst I appreciate that greasy hair can be a nuisance for hairdressers I’m sure this is something they must have become accustomed to since they are hairdressers dealing with people’s hair on a constant basis. I emphasised how I wanted my hair highlighted but he was reluctant to listen to the point where if I had continued to state how I wanted my hair I would have almost been entering into an argument with him and I was too polite do so. Needless to say the colour of the highlights he put into my hair were nowhere near and nothing like what I had shown him in the pictures. Overall I felt this appointment was a complete waste of time and money. He also seemed to be focusing on another lady’s hair half way during my appointment with him. I am wondering whether the metro spa charges highest rates for being in Sloane Square rather than for actually being a quality hairdresser. I found the overall atmosphere to be quite pretentious. Whilst it mAy seem quite impressive to have seats that massage your back and to offer drinks and lunch I am more interested in how they do my Hair and unfortunately this salon did not make the cut.
Overall I feel it is very important to listen to what the client wants. Before I knew it I was in the seat and he was doing what he wanted with my hair. Considering the prices they are charging I would have thought this would be a no brainer since I am the one paying the salon not the other way around.
As someone who pays out an astronomical amount of money on their hair, Not only on the highlights and the cut themselves but on the extensive range of products available, I can only say that the salon has greatly lost out by not listening to what a client asked for. In future I would recommend that they were more polite to customers.
I have given the salon 1 point since the girl who showed me to my seat was very polite.

This salon has such a good reputation and it’s easy to see why. We arrived horribly late for our blow dry appointment, having come more or less straight from
the airport, and we were convinced they would send us away. The staff were beyond accommodating and managed to still squeeze us both in without a word of criticism about our tardiness. Our treatment throughout our service was fantastic and the finished result was beautiful. I’ve never had a blow dry with such staying power and was still wearing it 2 – 3 days later! (with the help of some dry shampoo)

I reached out to Gavin via email and was interested in becoming a model for one of their junior stylists and was luckily contacted by Lily. She gave me two haircuts and transformed my dead split ends and uneven haircut into thick, luscious and even hair (layers from the chin down). My haircut was extremely accurate and there were senior stylists who came over and checked my hair every step of the way (but Lily rarely needed assistance).
Ryan gave me a beautiful all-​over tint and he was awesome (he also gave me a really awesome head massage during my shampoo). I loved my experience at this salon. Even though I was a model I felt just as special as a regular client– my stylists were incredibly talented and fun to talk with. They also took the extra step to go out of their way and make you feel welcome and comfortable. Every time I walked out I had an amazing blowout.
*As someone who is very critical about her hair it is hard to say that I really «love» a place and when I return to London no doubt that this will be the first place I go.

Big fan of this place. I don’t color my hair, just cut and blow dry, so I can’t speak to the quality of the coloring, but I definitely recommend the haircuts. I don’t even use a fancy stylist (I’ve always stuck to the most junior of the junior), and I’ve always had a great experience. My ends seem to stay clean for longer than normal, and I’ve really like the cut itself.
The staff is also very nice, and they even accommodated me when I needed to cancel very last minute (day-​of the appointment).
Totally recommend this one to anyone in need!

Only packaging and marketing no content and professionalism what so ever. No client service (my color became orange instead of chestnut and the technician just defended herself instead of trying to solve it), no perfectly trained staff (I felt the long fingernails of the girl washing my hair all along and when she massaged my head it was a moment of misery as she did not know what she was doing), no respect for the client (they are all saving their jobs and don’t care a bit about you the client).and be aware they ask you to pay for the coffee!!! where on the earth does a so salon, specially so called couture make you pay for your coffee !!! a total SCAM, not worth at all the experience.

Wow. Best salon I’ve ever been to in my life. Not too overly priced either for the quality of service that I got. Just a simple shampoo and style with a conditioning treatment (going from the dessert to a more damp climate was going to wreak havoc on my hair). My stylist was amazing and friendly and it felt like chatting with a friend. Love the reclining shampoo seats. My blowout lasted for days (I brought lots of dry shampoo). LOVED IT. Will be back again next time I’m in London!!!

I’ve visited Richard Ward a few times this year as it is just across the road from me and the stylists seem as good as anywhere else locally. However I don’t particularly like the salon itself as it is huge and impersonal. When you walk in it’s often very hard to find your stylist and there is never a sense of rush. I am usually kept waiting, once for over 20 minutes, while my stylist finished off another client’s hair. She offered no apology for keeping me waiting, was quite offhand throughout, and as I am a coward I still gave her a tip afterwards (on top of a breathtakingly expensive cut). I next visited to get my colour done. Again I was kept waiting, and he didn’t offer the courtesy of explaining that he was running late (happens to all of us so I wouldn’t have minded) and how long I would have to wait. Irritating juniors keep pointlessly brushing your hair and trying to give you things you don’t want or take away things you do want. I dislike the hard sell of drinks and expensive meals. If I want to eat I’ll go to a restaurant and if I want 16 varieties of sandwich I’ll go to Pret a Manger. After 15 minutes I was fed up and left. Coincidentally I was reading a paper with a picture of the Queen looking impatiently at her watch, fed up with being kept waiting again by a rude King Hussein of Jordan. I tore the picture out, left it on my chair and walked out of the salon, never to return. I suspect the irony was lost on them.
Meanwhile I walked round the corner to Real Hair where a lovely girl did my highlights, no faffing and no waiting. I am very happy with the result so I shall be going there in future.
Stay away from Richard Ward unless you enjoy hanging around for hours at a time (although I suppose it’s one way to save on your central heating).

Richard Ward is one of the best hairdressers in the Country. Many times hairdresser and salon of the year and his guest list reads like a Who’s Who of A listers.
Richard started off opposite Harrods, then to Sloane Street and now to Duke of Yorks Square. Each time the salon has got better and better.
Richard Ward is not just one person. He and his wife Helen are a true team. Richard cuts hair all day everyday surrounded by a team that has hardly changed in 15 years. Helen works behind the scenes on the business end of the business — doing all she can to keep those staff and their customers happy. And this is one of the secrets of this salon’s success — a very happy, positive, vibrant workforce who love what they do.
The other secret is the quality of cut, treatment and colour. I don’t have the best hair but I look like a million dollars when I come out. If you are lucky enough to have Richard your hair will look the best it ever has. If not all the other sylists are great. The colourists are awesome.
Also you can have your manicure or pedicure done whilst you have your hair done! A great saving of time. Or, of course, take the time out of your day and have a spa day. You’ll love it.
Look Liz Hurley, Sarah Parish, Gerry Halliwell, Susannah Constantine, Tara Palmer-​Tompkinson and Kate Middleton can’t all be wrong.

I went to have my haircut at Richard Ward as a very belated birthday present from a very forgetful grandmother. It had to be a present; this place really is so expensive I will never be able to go back on my own wallet.
The look of the place is ultra swanky, all upstairs above the Duke Of York Square with lots of different rooms devoted to all the different niche areas of hair dressing. There seems to be just as many assistants as there are hairdressers and in addition there are people to bring you coffee, food, do your nails and generally smile encouragingly as your style takes shape. I liked the cut and with a colour it was completed in just under 3 hours which seems about average in this city. It’s definitely one of the best hairdressing experiences on offer in the capital and I did feel like everything was ‘being taken care of’. Without being totally sexiest, I would imagine that women, especially those with a bit of money and time, would really, really, enjoy this one.