Amazon has announced a surprise move into the world of hairdressing with the opening of a hi-tech hair salon in London that boasts special mirrors able to show customers how they would look with a different hair colour before they take the plunge. With its promise to showcase the latest in cutting edge technology, the Amazon Salon in Spitalfields, east London, could consign hair dye swatch books to the dustbin of history with its augmented reality mirrors. As well as experimenting with virtual looks, clients will be able to pass time scrolling through magazines loaded on tablets placed at each “styling station”. Amazon is leaving the haircuts and highlights to the professionals with the salon manned by Neville Hair & Beauty, an independent salon based in the capital. The permanent salon will initially be road-tested by Amazon staff ahead of opening up to the public for appointments “in the coming weeks”. A price list has yet to be released but Amazon Salon will offer a “full range of hairdressing services” including highlights, treatments and braids, it said. The salon is being billed by Amazon as an “experiential venue” to show off new products and technology and, as yet anyway, there are no current plans for any others. The move comes after the e-commerce giant launched a professional beauty section on its website, selling 10,000 products ranging from clippers to curlers and hair dryers, aimed at the small businesses which have only recently been allowed to reopen as lockdown restrictions are eased.
