The House of Rush – Hair Transformation!

On the 1st February I made my way to Piccadilly to undergo a hair transformation at The House of Rush.  THOR is the flagship store for Rush salons, but it’s also more than that; THOR is a little escape from the rush (ha) of London where you can go to fix up all of your beauty needs.  As well as being a hair salon, they also cater for almost every type of beauty treatment, from manicures, to massages, laser hair removal treatments, eyelash extensions, waxing, the lot!
1The interior of the salon is absolutely stunning; it’s like the inside of a palace, complete with chandeliers and humongous gold framed mirrors.  There is also a waiter (all suited and booted) who is on hand if you want any snacks or drinks, which I thought was a really nice touch!

I decided to book in for a complete hair transformation – highlights, lowlights and a hair cut, to spruce up my dull looking hair.  I hadn’t had my hair cut or dyed since October and it was looking a little boring and in need of a makeover.
BEFORE – As you can see my hair was SO long that it was looking a little flat and lank.  The colour was also a little dull since last having highlights.
2
I showed Bradley, my hairdresser for the day, a few photographs of the kind of blonde I wanted my hair to match and he said that the best way to achieve it was to do half a head of highlights (to add blonde) and lowlights (to match my roots) and then darken up the ends of my hair a bit with a neutralising toner.  He also said that I’d benefit from a hair cut to encourage hair growth  Now, I have been admiring shoulder length, shaggy hair, a la Caggie Dunlop (MIC) for a while now, so I said hell yea, lets chop it off!
DURING – 3

AFTER – Gorgeous, healthy, natural blonde locks!  Bradley gently curled my hair with GHDs after trimming it, so that it looked more dishevelled and messy, which is how I normally wear my hair.
AFTER 

A week later – More toned down and a little lighter.
4
As you can see the colour is a lot more natural and has more depth – the highlights throughout are beautiful and blend in with my natural colour really well. 
My hair for the first day or two after the transformation did look reverse ombre-d (darker at the bottom and lighter on top) but after two washes then the colour shifted and the ends now match perfectly (this is great compared to my last salon dye where my ends were a lot lighter than my roots, you can see this here).
It was difficult at first to get used to the length as I’m so used to having mermaid hair, but I love it now and am even considering going shorter, shoulder length.  My hair is now much more manageable and doesn’t annoy me as much as it used to.
What I think – I had a lovely day in the salon and I love my new hair now, although it did take a few shampoos and washes to get my hair to fade and lighten up a bit.  The atmosphere in the salon is lovely, all the staff seem helpful and welcoming and the interior is beautiful.
Highlights – – One of the best bits of the day was having the dye washed out of my hair because of the incredible reclining massage chairs that you can sit on whilst having your hair washed.  This was literally heaven.  The chair massaged my back, bottom and legs whilst I drifted off into a dream world.
– Pretzels!  I ordered a bottle of water from the waiter & he also brought me over some pretzels, I was a VERY happy girl.
– My hairdresser Bradley was lovely, I felt like I had known him for years.  We covered subjects such as Towie, Geordie Shore, boyfriends, weekends away and hair care, of course!
– The beautiful salon and its chandeliers
– The fact that you can have everything done in one salon is so good.  If you are in a rush but want a haircut and a manicure, then just tell the salon and they can do them at the same time, which is fab.  I love that you can have a massage, then a hair cut, a wax and your eyebrows threaded, all in one place.
Lowlights –
The only lowlight I can find is probably the price, and its not just THOR that I find expensive, I think all salons are too much money.  A cut and blow-dry at THOR starts at £49 and half a head of highlights/lowlights start at £89, so that’s £138 all together.  This is something that I would definitely only have done as a treat or before a special occasion.
Have you ever visited The House of Rush?  What treatments would you get?
xxx

Please note that I received the treatments free of charge, but this does not change or alter my opinion on the salon or the service! As always my reviews are honest and trustworthy.

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24 Comments

  1. February 16, 2012 / 8:19 pm

    looks gorgeous x

  2. February 16, 2012 / 8:26 pm

    Your hair looks gorgeous! Sounds like THOR is a great places to spoil yourself, it looks really impressive too with the golden mirrors and chandeliers! 🙂

  3. February 16, 2012 / 8:27 pm

    This sounds fantastic, I really enjoyed reading about your experience! Your hair is so beautiful, I have major hair envy! Don't cut it, it's so beautiful long, and will take forever to grow again!

    Also, i'm currently running a giveaway for a Clarisonic Mia on my blog, and I'd love it if you could check it out! xx
    daisy–meadow.blogspot.com

    • February 17, 2012 / 3:26 pm

      Thank you! I'll probs wimp out of getting it actually cut shorter so I'm sure I'll have mermaid hair again the future!

      XX

  4. February 16, 2012 / 8:36 pm

    I love getting my colour rinsed off, I almost fall asleep. I've never been to THOR but it looks lovely, dont think we have any over here (N.Ire) Love the different tones in your colour, looks so natural and healthy.
    xo

  5. February 16, 2012 / 9:12 pm

    That is truly beautiful!

  6. February 16, 2012 / 9:24 pm

    this is gorgeous! really loving your hair transformation! xo

  7. February 16, 2012 / 9:26 pm

    what a posh place! the waiter thing is awesome, what a brilliant touch! it is expensive, but it does seem like a nice place to go to for a treat and i imagine most london salons being around that price anyhow?

    your hair looks BEAUTIFUL! love the new colour, looks healthy and the mix of highlights/lowlights really gives the colour nice depth. your makeup is stunning too, what foundation and lipstick did you use? you look flawless!

    • February 17, 2012 / 3:23 pm

      Hi Janine! Thank you! In all of the photographs I am wearing MACs full coverage foundation in NC15. And in the before pics I am wearing Sleek's 'Barely There'. In the after photography on the right I am wearing OCCs lip tar in Divine, and on the left OCCs lip tar in Grandma! Hope that helps!

      I agree – even though it is expensive, its better to go and get pampered in a luxurious place like this, rather an a normal salon for the same price! xx

  8. February 16, 2012 / 10:44 pm

    wow it looks amazing! I've got a haircut booked for tomorrow and I'm really scared they're going to cut my long hair off. That sounds like a gorgeous place to get your hair done, what's on your lips in the before photos? xx

    • February 17, 2012 / 3:24 pm

      Awh I hope you like your hair cut! Just be really honest with them and say that you want a trim, but want to keep the length!

      In the before pics I'm wearing Sleek Makeups Barely There lipstick! 🙂 xxx

  9. February 16, 2012 / 11:27 pm

    My hair is about as long as your "before" pic! Soon, I'm gonna take the plunge and chop it off to my shoulders! I am so scared!

    Your hair is very beautiful in both pictures! Wish I lived near the House of Rush to try it out!

    <3

    www.laptopsandlipgloss.blogspot.com

  10. February 17, 2012 / 5:58 am

    lovely hair. what lipstick are you wearing?

    • February 17, 2012 / 3:25 pm

      Thank you!

      I'm wearing Sleek Makeup's Barely There lipstick in the before photograph

      and OCC lip tars in Divine in the after photograph on the left! xx

  11. February 17, 2012 / 3:19 pm

    You are gorgeous. I love that you took pictures in the salon for us to see!

    Love,
    Ashley
    http://lashesanyone.blogspot.com/

  12. February 17, 2012 / 5:29 pm

    WOW! You hair looks amazing girl. xx

  13. February 17, 2012 / 6:54 pm

    Omg such a beautiful place, I'm so jell! I'd love to nibble on pretzels at my salon but I just get handed magazines to read : the waiter idea is great and adds a nice touch 😀 x

    fashioncrossing.com

  14. February 17, 2012 / 10:19 pm

    Your hair is beautiful and they did a really good job.
    My Mum's a hairdresser so I never pay for my hair but i could never justify spending that much on my hair for the salon experience. When I was younger my Mum was marking and teaching NVQs for spring skills and at one point 3 of her past students were in Toni and Guy. You can't justify that price for a hairdresser unless they are amazing, the courses they get sent on are available to all hairdressers but most of have to pay for them. A name doesn't mean a decent hairdresser. A decent hairdresser is someone with good knowledge and listens to their clients whether they charge £50 or £500.
    xx

  15. Anonymous
    February 19, 2012 / 6:04 pm

    It looks amazing, and I wish i could have a pamper like that, very due one.
    I just wanted to ask what you specifically ask for for your fringe? I've always wanted mine cut like that but just dont really know what to ask for. I usually settle for a sweeping fringe.
    xx

  16. April 17, 2012 / 8:32 pm

    You are so pretty, I love your hair and your make up! xx

  17. Anonymous
    April 20, 2012 / 9:41 pm

    Nice hair! 🙂

  18. Katie
    May 7, 2012 / 2:17 pm

    Katie, what did you do about your roots in between your October hairdresser visit and this visit?

  19. Anonymous
    May 11, 2012 / 12:37 pm

    The House of Rush is awful. I've had my once beautiful blonde hair turned into a bright orange mess. Never again. After much complaining, I've managed to get part of what I paid back.
    Oh and you have to pay for the refreshments in this salon. A bottle of water (and a couple of pretzels) was £2.50!!!!

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