Balayage with Boilerhouse, Ouseburn

You may have noticed I've given my hair a little refresh lately.
I've been blonde (yes really) had red hair and the ombré locks in the past, so for the last year or so I've stuck with brunette. It's easy to maintain your natural color but I fancied a bit of a change and coincidentally when Boilerhouse Ouseburn got in touch, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Newcastle folk will know Boilerhouse already have a salon in Jesmond, so this sister salon, opened in Ouseburn, also has quirky features to set it aside from your regular salons. With a bright pink SMEG fridge (loaded with prosecco for Fizz Fridays fyi) dark tiles, and plants in assorted glass bottles and plant pots, it's just asking for a little Instagram post.
Surface level appeal aside; the stylists are welcoming and never have any issue bringing you another drink. They even offered me coffee when I popped in for a patch test - which took less than 5 minutes! I think on my first appointment I had three nespresso coffees and happily flicked my way through a bunch of glossy magazines, admiring/laughing at how stylish I looked with my foils in place. Ha! I went back for a second visit around 6/7 weeks later as I wanted to amp up the tones. Hope was more than happy to add in more caramel tones and this time mixed up the Fibreplex bond builder and dyes (similar to Olaplex and Smartbond that you may have heard of in other salons, this is the Schwarzkopf version) then applied the color freehand for a more natural effect. Looking at my hair now as I type this - convenient having a desk right beside a mirror - I like how it isn't entirely symmetrical and whilst you can see the blonder tones, there's still strands that haven't been coloured so it does have that sunkissed effortless look. Mind that could also be because I haven't brushed it today! - edit, I have now washed, brushed and styled it and it looks like the intro photo. Pretty good hey? -
The big question is, would I go back to Boilerhouse? Yes, I would (and as you can tell I've already been for a follow up appointment). I found the stylists really friendly and helpful and they have good coffee - which certainly matters if you're there for a couple hours. Thanks to Isaac for giving me tips on curling my hair and Brandon's disco playlist is certainly entertaining if you're around on a Friday afternoon. Though I can't guarantee he'll have that playlist on every week, I guess you could request it! Price wise, it's competitive and in recent years I've started to think a lot more carefully about which salon I'll go to, whether it's for hair or beauty appointments. You want to trust the stylist who's going to snip at your locks and for me, I like finding someone I can have a chat with too. Free fringe trims in between appointments are also a good perk, since my fringe grows so much quicker than the rest of my hair; anyone else?
If you're Newcastle based, are you likely to try out Boilerhouse for your next appointment? I'd love to know if you've been and your thoughts on the salon.