The empty studio at morning, a styling chair facing the tall north-facing window

Northroom · a fictional salon

We quote by the head.
Not by the hour.

Fixed prices. The stylist’s own work. North-facing light.

01Position

An hour is nota haircut.

Charging by the hour prices the stylist’s clock, not your hair. Thick hair takes longer, so thick hair costs more; a stylist who works quickly earns less for the same result. Both of those are the wrong way round.

So we quote the head in front of us, once, before anything is cut — and that number does not move.

The consultation is where the quote is made: twenty minutes, no obligation, and nothing is owed if you leave. If the shape you want turns out to be a different service from the one you booked, we say so then, at the price on the ledger, rather than at the till.

A stylist's hands sectioning hair between two fingers, comb held in the other hand — The section decides the shape. The shape decides the price.

02The Ledger

Every price, printed.

These are the prices. Not starting prices, not guide prices — the number you are quoted before a single section is taken, and the number on the card machine afterwards.

Cut and finishIncludes the consultation and the wash.: £85
RestyleFor a change of shape, not a trim.: £120
Colour, single toneOne process, roots through ends.: £145
Highlights, half headFoils, toner and the finish.: £180
Fringe trimBetween appointments. No booking fee.: £15
ConsultationTwenty minutes. Nothing is owed after it.: £0

Scissors and a sectioning clip resting on the counter — The consultation decides the number. Nothing after it does.

03The Work

The work, uncropped

A short textured crop seen from behind, showing the nape and the cut line — Short textured crop · 45 minutes in the chair

A long blunt cut mid-turn, the hair fanning — Long blunt cut · 60 minutes in the chair

A fringe, closely cropped at the eyeline — Fringe and eyeline · 20 minutes in the chair

Mid-length hair coloured tonally, photographed in window light — Tonal colour, mid-length · 2 hours in the chair

The wash basins and shelving along the plaster wall, under a low lamp

04The Room

Six chairs, one window

One long room on the north side of the building, so the light never swings warm and never goes flat. Matte plaster, a wooden floor, and no music loud enough to make you repeat yourself. Six chairs, which is as many as one window will light properly.

Chairs: Six
Opening hours: TBD
Step-free access: TBD

05The Chair

Who is in the chair beside you

Shears and a cutting comb laid on a folded towel

InesCutting: Blunt lines and heavy fringes. Works dry more often than wet.
BoCutting and colour: Tonal colour that stays inside the shape it was cut into.
WrenColour: Foils, and the long conversations that keep them subtle.

First names only, and nothing about them that could be checked and found false — NORTHROOM is a fictional salon.

A styling station reflected in the mirror, the dryer on its hook

06Booking

How the quote is made

01You sit down and we lookTwenty minutes, dry hair, no gown. We look at the hair you have and the shape you are asking for, and we say whether they meet.
02We name the service and the priceOne service from the ledger, one number, said out loud before anything is cut. If it is a different service from the one you booked, you hear that now.
03The number does not moveNot for thickness, not for length, not for the time it takes. The only thing that changes the price is you choosing a different service.

See the prices

Booking channel: TBD — this is a template, not a live salon.

We quote by the head.Not by the hour.