USP A sexy salon that combines hairdressing with wellbeing and boasts a range of classy treatments. The interior of Bloww is inventive and inspiring and the salon definitely has an exclusive feel to it without actually being exclusive. A perfect salon to visit if you can’t decide whether to have a facial, a manicure or a hair-do at affordable prices.

AMBIENCE Walking into Bloww, just off Regent Street, it’s unclear whether you’ve just entered a bar, a hotel waiting room or, dare I say, some kind of brothel (an extremely swanky one at that). It’s not that the feel is sleazy in any way, but it’s just little things, like the way "Bloww" is written in red neon lights just above the reception area, and the stylish Victorian looking staircase that descends into what one imagines to be a boudoir of some kind. Bloww calls itself the 21st-century salon experience with attitude, and it seems to have hit upon a winning formula judging from busyness of the place. It is a mixture of treatment lounge, boasting a variety of body massages, facials and oil treatments, and a hairdressing salon. The two are kept separate, with the salon upstairs and the treatment rooms downstairs, away from the hustle and bustle. Staff were very obliging and even one of the managers, Paul, meandered over to me to explain how he styled the look of the salon. "I wanted to create something that would have a distinctive, London feel to it," he enthused.

EXPERIENCE I confess I had a slight pang of anxiety prior to my treatment – a Kurland Cucurbita Pumpkin Body Wrap. Perhaps I was expecting something a little sexier and perhaps more fitting with the sultry feel of the salon, but Pumpkin Body Wrap it was (it was a toss up between this or the Pineapple version). Having been led into a darkened, candle-lit passage-way, a sweet, bubbly blonde greeted me, full of reassurances that the Pumpkin wrap would do me wonders. Once I’m changed and sitting in the therapy room I’m shown a soupy looking mixture - mashed up pumpkins mixed with vitamins, minerals and spices. Apparently the grainy texture of the pumpkin mixture is excellent for exfoliating the skin, as well as being purifying and deeply nourishing. Having been covered in the mixture I’m then wrapped up in a thin plastic film and left to lie for half and hour on a flotation bed. The sensation was an odd one – the occasional strong whiff of pumpkin combined with the feeling of floating, with just a thin membrane of plastic sheeting separating body and water. As the minutes tick by you can feel your muscles relaxing and the mind drifting into a state of peacefulness. After the treatment my skin is bright orange and I wonder momentarily if I have been the guinea-pig for the Pumpkin Body Wrap – would I stay this colour forever? A hot shower did the trick and the treatment was finished off with a layer of goats butter cream applied to the skin, leaving it feeling nourished and fresh.

IN CROWD There are plenty of trendy looking young people walking in and out of the salon, no doubt taking advantage of its central location, fresh appeal and fairly reasonable prices. A great place to go if you want something a little out of the ordinary, but not somewhere you’d take your grandmother.

WALLET WATCH The prices aren’t bad at all – they start at £60 for a ladies cut and finish, and £40 for gents. The Kurland Cucurbita Pumpkin Body Wrap will cost you £80 and a 45-minute massage £85. There are also cosmetic treatments on offer – manicures at £28 and waxing ranging from £15 to £50.

NEED TO KNOW Bloww, 4 Regent Pace, London W18 5EA (020 7292 0300; www.bloww.com) Email: info@bloww.com

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