"Scruffs - an honest review"

A review of Scruffs Hairdressing by Anon - Saturday 31st of May 2008

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As it wasn't completely clear which reviews were believable and some reviews were a bit short on here I thought I'd add my own:

1. Location: Mill Road - about 15 minutes walk from Parker's Piece. There are a few bike railings and something I wouldn't normally comment upon (as I think getting there is our own responsibility) but the website says that they'll be able to top up your parking tickets if your appointment is running late (I assume you have to give their staff the money to top up a parking meter).

2. Decor - not really too fussed about decor as long as it's not a hole. This seems average for Cambridge. Not very trendy, some would argue it could do with re-styling (please note I only have seen the ground floor and another reviewer said there were 4 floors). The lighting isn't too harsh which means it's not too unpleasant looking in the mirror (having said that it's not fancy indirect lighting just normal bulbs - still beats the harsh lighting that 'uber-cool' salons used to have). Overall - ok

3. Getting an appointment: I'm not very organised and work fairly long hours but they managed to have a cancellation on a Saturday. It did mean that I couldn't choose a particular level of stylist. I ended up with one with the lowest level of experience (most haridressers use a fairly basic way of working out how senior there stylist are so if Scruff's is like most I've been to my stylist has had less than 6 months of cutting experience post training. It was however also the cheapest haircut available

4. Hospitality - Reasonable. They appear to make an effort. I personally have no real desire to chat whilst my hair's being cut so I don't know how chatty they can be. The stylist was polite which is pretty much all I want. She even stopped to let me drink some of my coffee (I'm always surprised how many hairdressers don't do that; however after the first few gulps hair had gotten into my cup so I didn't drink anymore). They offered the usual selection of coffees - I had a latte which tasted fine. I think another reviewer had stated they also offer alcoholic drinks but this wasn't offered to me.

5. Wash - no water in ears or on face which was well done. She managed to get the temperature right and double checked by asking. The massage ok but fairly short (less than 2 minutes). A few places have checked with me about the last time I washed my hair and what my hair is like before selecting products which wasn't done by Scruffs. Of course it's debatable how much difference this makes (I'm just being picky I suspect)

6. Cut - Scruffs apparently offer free 15 minute 'consulation sessions' with one of the directors during weekday mornings. I did not attend one of these (and I suspect I never will as it really would be get in the way of work life but nice for you student/ housewife types I guess). My stylist (I'm not going to name any names as it seems a bit rude giving one side of the story without having her side) asked me how I wanted my hair and took about 2 minutes double checking with me. She did however not do exactly what I had asked. I feel I was probably partially to blame as I did not appear to make myself completely clear (can anyone without a series of photos?) especially about the odd things I wanted to do with my hair. Like a lot of hairdressers that usually fill in any gaps in detail or minimise any odd requests by tending towards the conservative side, the final haircut looked fairly good - as in 'neat'. The things I didn't like were a) using thinning scissors (INCREDIBLY cheeky I think considering the price Scruffs charges; I don't think I've had them used on my hair since I was a kid) b)it felt rushed (I was in and out in 30 minutes inc wash) which shouldn't have happened as I was on time unless they were only giving 30 minute slots per bookings (again incredibly cheeky) c)there was some asymmetry in a part of the haircut that should definitely have been symmetrical (the sides - which almost every other hairdresser I've been to checks) d) she din't exacty understand what I wanted (again this is atleast partly my fault). Counterbalancing these points I have to say the haircut looks fairly good still

7. Post-cut - There was no offer to rinse my hair with water prior to applying products. This is fairly standard in the hairdressers I have used previously and very good at minimising the amount of hair cuttings that end up on your clothes. They use Redken products which are fine. I don't use them personally but the one they gave me when I asked for a non-greasy wax was easy to apply (similar consistency to waterry toothpaste and even came out of a toothpaste pump-out type container), with medium strength in terms of hold. It was still greasy enough to mean I would have to wash my hair daily if I were to keep using it though. I feel choice in products is very individual so overall I'd say they were ok. They didn't try to push me into buying the products which was good.

8. £30 for a man's haircut. Seems reasonable value for money. Slightly cheaper than most places in London for a man's haircut by the least experienced level of stylist.

9. Overall - not perfect but pretty good. I'm not sure if I'll try them again (there's a distinct possibility I'd try for a different stylist next time but then she may get better after she knows what kind of thing I like). It sounds like I'm being indifferent but when I consider the other options of going to Vidal Sassoons or Toni & Guys (both of which aren't bad either of comparable cost) I'd stick with Scruffs as the other two tend to push the same haircuts to everyone male punter who walks through their doors. It felt that they wouldn't make a complete balls up on a haircut (which I believe is the main thing people pay for) but my ideal hairdresser would either suggest a haircut that suited me perfectly or cut it exactly how I wanted it/ told me why it couldnt be cut to look a particular way. At the end of the day they're not miracle workers and it was a fairly decent cut and if I did give them another go if there was a repeat of the rushed feel, sloppiness in attention to detail or use of thinning scissors (all of which should be easy to avoid) that would be the last time I went.

POV I on average spend more than £30 on a man's haircut and have tried a surprising amount of hairdresser's in London. This is my first haircut since moving to Cambridge and most hairdressers are of a similar level to the one at Scruffs. Personally I tend to try different hairdressers till I find one I like (and find price isn't directlty related to skill or creativity)

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