The founder and manager of Sirens Beauty Salon, Helen Ward, has developed her business into a multi-award winning success – recently bagging ‘British Beauty Salon of the Year for North East and Scotland’ alongside Durham businesses’ ‘Entrepreneur Award’ and ‘The Best Independent Business’. When she contacted Her Campus Durham to ask if we would like to review the salon – treatments included – I was more than happy to offer my services.
Treatment 1: Hair
Sirens is nestled at the top of one of the quaint older buildings in Durham town centre. I arrived a few minutes late (it was a 10am appointment during freshers’ week – valid excuse), hair scrunched into a bobble, no makeup, very random clothing assortment and as ‘I woke up like this’ as you can get in the least glamorous way. Thankfully, I was greeted with a cup of tea and a promise that I was in for a highly enjoyable morning. Becca took me over to one of the mirrors whilst I tried to untangle my knot of hair, sat me down and began to quite literally root her way through the masses of mane adorning my head. I explained to her that I’ve been trying to grow it out, but that I’m well aware it isn’t in the best of conditions. First question: when did I last have it cut. I gave her a sheepish look and admitted I did it myself a couple of months ago, just sort of twisted the ends round, grabbed the scissors and hoped for the best. She did a fair job of concealing her horror. Second question: have I bleached the ends. Yes, also a DIY job. I think by this point she had a measure of what she was in for, explained that if I wanted to grow it out it needed a really good cut first, and asked if I’ve ever used horse shampoo. It was shortly after this I realised that the girl really knows her sh*t. Whilst she washed my hair with Tigi’s Bed Head (the house brand), she explained a few ways I could keep my hair from getting into this dastardly state again, including investing in some Mane n’ Tail, washing it maximum three times a week and getting it trimmed every few months. She explained to me that because my hair was quite damaged, she would have to cut off a couple of inches. I was slightly nervous as she began to chop, knowing full well that shorter hair makes me look about 13 again, but the result was fab. Now, a few weeks later, my hair still feels lush – really healthy and shiny.
Treatment 2: Gel Nail Polish
I stayed with Becca for this treatment, which was the quickest, easiest nail polishing you could ever imagine. Firstly she had the task of sorting my nails, which were slightly stained by a green nail polish I had been wearing prior to the occasion, and fake tan which seemed to have buried itself in every single one of my cuticles. Now a veteran to my home-beauty procedures, Becca patiently cleaned up my nails, filed and buffed them, then layered them with a treatment undercoat. I was presented with masses of potential nail colours, and eventually settled on a nude lavender shade. If you haven’t experienced the wonders of gel nail polish before, you need to. It’s so easy, so effective, and lasts for about 2 weeks – once mine were done, I couldn’t believe they were actually dry. Gel polish is a really good solution if you want flawless looking nails but don’t have the time to spend on the upkeep. Highly recommended.
Treatment 3: One-hour Facial
After a quick tea break I was led through to a separate part of the salon, a darker room with candles and soft music, for a one-hour facial treatment. It only took Beth one glance at my skin to be able to provide me with a routine specific to my skin type – ‘none-problematic’ (could’ve fooled me, but there we are). Safe to say the hour passed extremely quickly – I might have actually fallen asleep it was so divine. She used a range of creams, oils, scrubs, and finished with a setting mud mask, instructed me to leave my skin for the rest of the day, and I think it glowed for about a week.
Treatment 4: Back Massage
I finished my morning being treated to a back massage. Again, I may well have fallen asleep halfway through, it was that level of relaxing, and the perfect way to round off a perfect morning. I wasn’t aware beforehand that the salon offered ‘spa-treatments’ as such, and the quality with which they are delivered are of the highest standard. If you fancy a wind-down after a busy week at uni, this is the perfect way to do it.
Aside from the treatments I was lucky enough to experience, Sirens offers much more. From tanning to hair removal, eyelash extensions to makeup packages, Helen and her team deliver a great range of services, and their multi-award winning reputation has been well earned. The salon’s prime location and glamorous décor (including pin-ups such as Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe) make it a fabulous atmosphere to spend your time in. Many thanks to the team for the morning I spent with them – it was simply ideal.