Luxury Afternoon of Hair, Manicure/Pedicure and Reflexology at RYS Hair and Beauty is an insight into a wonderful luxury hair & beauty salon on Walton Street in London’s fashionable Knightsbridge.
176 Walton Street
Knightsbridge, London SW3 2JL
t: +44 (0)207 100 0724
Recently, I experienced a self-indulgent and highly pleasant afternoon within a small boutique in Knightsbridge run by Reshma Shah, a well-respected and talented business owner whose foundation is in years of style and design, impeccable customer service, and an eye for detail. She is known for providing top notch services while keeping her customer’s individualized preferences at the forefront. As a vegan and proponent of healthy lifestyles, I particularly appreciate her thoughts on health and wellbeing which carry over to the products and services her salon delivers. We discussed her philosophy, and it is well-stated in her bio on the website:
“Driven by both information and emotion, biotechnology is leading the way in beauty and haircare trends with new technology and vegan offerings creating an appetite for new and more ethically minded hair and beauty. By adopting these ethical principles, Reshma is able to support the eco-ethical and environmentally friendly desires of all clients by selecting quality brands such as Oribe and Nashi which embody the same set of beliefs.”
Upon my arrival I was greeted by Reshma who was at the front desk juggling some scheduling changes due to fewer staff and illness so common this time of year. I like to see some challenges in the day for people as it can bring out how an establishment functions under a bit of stress. Reshma handled the unforeseen changes with ease and thoughtfully engaged me in a pleasant conversation about her salon and the service offerings for the afternoon. I needed to change my caviar with white oil hair treatment as I am vegan, but Reshma offered a lovely alternative from Oribe, a product line which is vegan, gluten and cruelty-free. I was introduced to Bulent, senior stylist on the RYS team. He began my hair treatment which included a wash and amazing head massage with Oribe Gold Lust shampoo and conditioner. Following is a description of the Oribe products: “The shampoos and conditioner are infused with a rich blend of jasmine, edelweiss flower, lychee, sandalwood, cassis, bergamot and argan extracts, each protective drop penetrates the hair to deeply condition, strengthen and smooth—imparting intense nourishment and incredible shine. Works wonders on dry, damaged and color-treated hair…Liquid gold.” This was followed by Nashi Oil and a spa mist hair treatment to nourish and regenerate colour-treated hair. RYS uses the Takara Belmont Spa Mister which works with ultrasound to generate mist, not steam, providing greater infusion and stabilising the ph. level of the scalp and strengthening hair follicles. I was fitted with a large shower-like cap and a fine mist flowed through a tube onto my scalp. As I relaxed into mist land the reflexologist, Simon arrived to massage my feet.
Simon, a reflexologist specialising in a technique called Rho Shur from Taiwan, has a background in sports medicine so he is well trained in working with stress related and chronic illness. His personality is relaxed and comforting which put me at ease as he explained the foundations of reflexology and how the feet have various areas relating to parts of the body which respond to pressure and manipulation to restore harmony and balance. I enjoyed a chat about healthy lifestyle and felt the occasional intensity to my feet in areas that needed help. With hair treatment steaming and body energy flowing I was close to bliss.
Soon it was time to meet Ecatarina, a highly trained RYS nail technician, for a Russian manicure and pedicure. I reported the state of my nails-having recently moved and neglected them for months-and asked her for help with ridges on my thumbs. It seemed there was nothing Ecatarina couldn’t do. This was echoed by Reshma as she came past stating Ecatarina’s training was to a very high standard, and I would be pleased at the results. Russian manicures employ an electronic filer that removes extra cuticle under the nail bed, massages the cuticle and perfectly trims the nail. I chose a rich red for the holidays and then we were on to the feet. I had a pleasant chat with Ecatarina while she effortlessly completed my pedicure with the same gel colour …… At the end she put my feet up to allow for relaxing while Bulent began his stylist magic.
Bulent is from Turkey and has worked in many places to develop his talent, having a loyal following of satisfied clientele. He wrapped up the final chapter of my salon experience with charm and finesse. He began with a blow-dry and moved on to styling my thin hair into a thicker, layered, and fresh look. He used one of his favourite products to create volume… Schwarzkopf Osis Gel. I was amazed by how quickly and expertly he transformed my fine, straight hair into a look I had never before experienced. He was kind enough to take pictures at the end and shared a bit about his love for the industry. I was all smiles.
I should mention Aisha from reception who contributed her time and energy from making my chai tea, to rinsing my hair and organising around the salon, but also checking in with me to make sure I was happy with the experience. Customer service from this team was top notch!
As I left, I saw a regular client chatting to Reshma about an upcoming appointment. Members of the team took time to talk with her and make her feel welcome. That said it all: A loyal clientele is the result of excellent customer service, bespoke beauty treatments tailored to a client’s needs, attention to detail, and a team that clearly loves what they do. You will experience this at RYS Hair and Beauty.