Samantha Cusick is something of a disruptor in the hair industry. After amassing a personal client base by sharing her work on Instagram, she opened her first salon in Notting Hill in 2016, becoming a go-to for balayage and colour with a client list that included Mel C. Though social media’s role in gaining exposure and customers is now the norm, a decade ago, Cusick was part of an early wave of creators discovering the potential of the platform. It influenced her first salon all the way down to its interiors; Cusick moved away from the minimalist, white-tiled floors of traditional hairdressers to create one of the “first Instagrammable salons” in London. Another salon in Fitzrovia followed.
Ten years on, Cusick is still looking for new ways to innovate. She’s just opened her third space: a tech-led salon which is her most cutting-edge concept to date.
Cusick knew the space, which spans two floors and 2000 square feet of a Grade-II listed building in the heart of Liverpool Street, demanded something special. “When you look around the city, there’s this contrast between all the old buildings and modern skyscrapers,” she tells Broadsheet. “I wanted to take elements of that and give it that contrast, so it sits well in the area that we’re in.”
This balance between tradition and tech is an approach the founder has considered in every element of the new salon, from the interiors to the service her team provides. “When we opened Notting Hill, it was quite a disruptor in the industry, and then as everything went on and it grew, I felt like that element of progression had been lost a little bit. When this [salon] came up, I knew I wanted it to be more immersive,” she says.
Cusick designed the space, selecting every element from the dappled chrome walls, stately marble counters and warm walnut wood, right down to the lighting – specifically set at 3500 lumens to mimic natural daylight and give her clients the most accurate colour results. No detail has gone unnoticed. The basins have Japanese-style rain heads to give clients extra moments of relaxation. In January, Cusick will launch a scalp-focused treatment menu offering red light hair masks and detox treatments.
Cusick has even found ways to incorporate tech into consultations, using interactive screens that have become a standout feature of her new salon. “We had them made by the people that make TV screens to go in yachts,” she says. Disguised as a mirror until activated, each hair station is kitted out with individual screens which allow the client and stylist to experience a completely new type of consultation. “When you’re sitting with somebody, you can upload their face to ChatGPT live and ask what would suit me, and it shows them,” Cusick says. It can also scroll through Pinterest boards and Instagram, allowing the client and stylist to explore inspiration images in real time. You can even stream your latest Netflix watch. “Everyone expects a similar sort of formula with a hair appointment, but that doesn’t mean you can’t disrupt around it,” Cusick says. “I believe this is the model of the salon of the future.”
Beyond the tech, there’s a menu of free cocktails – including a frozen Margarita machine – and the option for guests to select a silent appointment. “People were really into the idea, and it’s not just because they were introverted or neurodiverse, because it helps those people too, but some people are just really tired, and they just want to sit and chill.”
The seamless experience begins even before clients even walk through the door. Cusick has made the salon receptionless, a move she says she was “very hesitant” to make at first. The salon uses an AI to handle client bookings and has a fully-digitised sign-in at the door, which she says has resulted in a sleeker service for both her clients and her staff, and is a practical adjustment against the rising costs of running a business. “I’m looking for innovative things that we can do as a business to save on overheads to keep giving the experience to our team and to the client without having to hike the prices,” she says. “You need to be reactive, and that’s what I love about being a small business. We can change tact, we can do whatever we want on a whim.”
Always looking ahead, Cusick’s next project is already underway: she plans to move her original Notting Hill salon to a brand new space in Westbourne Grove later this year.
Samantha Cusick Liverpool Street
13 Old Broad Street, EC2N 1DW
Hours:
Tue to Thu 9am–8pm
Fri 9am–7pm
Sat 9am–5pm