Salons We Love: Paul Edmonds at Battersea Power Station

Take a 15 minute stroll from Sloane Square over Chelsea Bridge to the former Battersea Power Station and, rather than the ghosts of ancient engines, you might catch the thrum and whir of hairdryers and the delighted ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ of Paul Edmonds’ clients revelling in Gorgeous Hair Days.

That’s because alongside the bars, restaurants and apartment blocks of Circus West, you’ll find the new home of Paul Edmonds salon, offering some of the best cut and colour, and a range of treatments for all hair types (both condition enhancing and problem solving for scalp concerns including dandruff and dermatitis) plus a dedicated barbering section.

And not forgetting beauty: the best time to get your nails done is while your barnet’s being beautified, in our book. And there’s an awesome range of manicure options delivered by nail angels Yung and Konstantsiia.

Paul is indisputably in our ‘Hair Hall of Fame’, not just because he’s a genius stylist with a super talented team but also because he’s one of the kindest, nicest people you will ever meet. (He also did Jo’s wedding hair, back in 1991!) Being in Paul’s salon is a real look good/feel good experience. One businesswoman confessed that when her PA sensed she was getting too tense and stressed, she immediately booked her in for ‘Paul-time’. He trained for years as a healer and it’s all still there.

The Government has recognised his experience, too. Look at the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education on the website gov.uk and goodness, gracious! – there’s a pic of Paul as Chair of the hair and beauty route panel, pushing forward apprenticeships and technical education, both for school leavers and people retraining later on.

With the US Embassy nearby and this area now the go-to living and shopping space, the Art Deco designed salon is busy, busy, busy. Although truthfully it doesn't feel pressured or crowded – probably down to Paul’s laidback persona. We’ve known him for over 30 years and never seen him in a fuss or fret; the team of 27 stylists, colour technicians and beauty therapists takes their cue from him. When the new exhibition space in the Power Station opens next year, count on more thrumming and whirring!

We can vouch personally for the talents of Head of Colour Joe (‘so clever and a real darling’, says Sarah) and ‘marvellous’ Marvyn (er, ditto really…). Charlotte wove her colour magic spells for cast members of ‘Dune 2’, including Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Javier Bardem.

Spring/summer ’24 colour is all creamy golden blondes and coppers, according to Paul. Colour service options include pro glaze (to soup up the colour), baby lights, natural balayage and Air Touch (a minimally invasive method of highlighting) plus a special camouflage technique for the 30-somethings who want to hide their first hints of grey but don't want all-over colour.

Cut-wise, Paul’s stylists are all about what suits you and your lifestyle: shoulder, chin or cheek length, blunt cut smooth or cut in to add texture and movement. Top for this are Jennie (who did a wonderful choppy layered cut for Sarah in her London-based years), Alfie and Tasha – as well as Paul, obvs.

Oh, and lastly, the Paul Edmonds salon has a brilliant online business, covering hair products from Shu Uemura (it’s the first dedicated Shu salon in the UK), Kérastase, Davines, Oway and Oribe in the hair section. There are also fabulous beauty options online, including Decree (from the wonderful Dr. Anita Sturnham), plus SkinCeuticals, Eminence Organics and Heliocare sun range, all of which we’ve featured on Beautybible.com over the years.