August Salon of the Month - The Colour Lounge

The Colour Lounge – Leichhardt NSW

By Rob Kotevski August 3 2009

Nestled in the heart of Leichhardt, in Sydney’s inner-west, the Colour Lounge is leading the new wave of specialist, colour-only salons to arrive in Australia. Across the road from a leafy park and filled with natural light, the modern, open-plan salon has gorgeous dark polished wooden floorboards accompanied by light walls that together bring a warm and inviting vibe to the space.

The Colour Lounge proudly uses products from the O&M hair colour range. The O&M hair care line contains no ammonia, peroxide or harsh chemicals so mums can happily bring their kids along without worrying about toxic and overpowering odours.

One would be more than happy to hang out in the salon while the colour settles, with a wide range of the latest fashion magazines available or log on to the wireless Internet connection while kids can happily be entertained by the kid’s corner, featuring some fab DVDs on a very cool flat screen TV. In fact, the tables in the lounge have been extremely popular as they are the perfect height for someone using a laptop.

myhairdressersearch caught up with Tacia Strawbridge, director of the Colour Lounge.

How did the idea for the Colour Lounge come about?

Vanessa Walker, my business partner and I have been friends for a long time. We were talking about how difficult it was for her, she has two young children, to find the time and the cash to go and get her hair done. For me, I was colouring my hair every six weeks, it’s just hard to fit it in your schedule. We thought there must be a third way other than going to a salon or doing it at home so we came up with the concept of the Colour Lounge.

We surveyed about 80 people and asked them: What would suit you? What are you looking for? Do you do it at home? Would you change if you had another option?

As a non-hairdresser, from a customer, those were the kinds of things I was looking for.

What makes the Colour Lounge different from other salons?

The space itself. It’s a beautiful place to be. It’s comfortable. We’ve got lots of natural light. We’re right opposite a park. It’s not a pretentious salon. We’ve got expert colourists. We’re a specialised service. For their colour, a lot of people have been doing it at home, purely for cost and time. Having a specialised service drives people in because they know they can come in and get a fantastic colour.

What has the response been like from the public?

The response has been fantastic. I think there’s definitely a need out there for people who colour their hair, especially for regrowth. Our prices are really competitive and it’s really quick. People are used to using the self-styling bar at gyms and that retail concept of serving yourself like at Ikea and Aldi so people really embrace the concept.

What is the typical Colour Lounge client?

The majority of our clients at the moment have been mums who need to come out and get their hair done at a convenient time. Our 5-8 timeslot has been really popular so people can come in after work. And the weekends are always busy.

What happens when a client comes in?

When a customer comes in, we show them through to the chairs. Our master colourist consults with them about what they’re looking for and what suits them. Then they have the colour applied and they come through to the lounge area. Hair is then shampooed, conditioned and an optional treatment if they like. There’s a styling bar where a product is recommended for their hair. It has hair dryers or straightening tools. Clients sometimes run out or stay and have a play. If a client has a special occasion or is going out, we have a styling service afterwards.

Why do you think there’s been a rise in express service beauty bars recently, such as specialist eyebrow bars and salons such as the Colour Lounge?

People are busy. People are trying to juggle their work, their families, also their budgets. People don’t have as much ready cash as they did in the past. Places like this, where you can streamline the service for the amount of time that they have, but if you can also lower the cost, that’s going to be really popular.

Images by Ute Wegmann Photography.

The Colour Lounge
266 Catherine St
Leichhardt NSW 2040
02 9568 6639
Visit the Colour Lounge on the web.

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