ESHK Hair Barbican

Pretty bad experience for paying 48 pound to get a
very unprofessional haircut. Attitude was OK but not the haircut itself

A relaxed, friendly place for guys and gals to get their hair chopped off without breaking the bank. The place feels cool and current, without being ultra trendy or intimidating. Grab your complimentary drink and chill out on the big, comfy sofa until it's your turn in the chair.

They also sell (and use) Bumble and Bumble products here, so you can get your haircare fix. Open seven days a week, five of them until 8:00pm, I believe.

If my hair had arms it would hug ESHK!

I stumbled across ESHK when I started working in Clerkenwell and now I wouldn't dare trusting my hair with anyone else. Their stylists are all very talented and know how to shape your hair to compliment your face, which sounds pretty blatant but you'd be surprised at some of the experiences I've had in the past! They're definitely very reasonably priced for the quality of stylists in a London salon. I've got quite long and thick hair and a cut/blow dry only costs me £45.

Everyone loves being pampered when you're having your haircut and ESHK definitely fulfil that need. The friendly staff is very attentive and make you feel welcome. The best part of the whole experience has to be the massage you get from the washers, when conditioning your hair. It will literally float you up into cloud 9 and you'll forget where you even are.

As if all that wasn't enough to sell you on the Salon, ESHK use and sell Bumble and Bumble products!! If you haven't tried Bumble^2 products before, you clearly have no love for your hair.

This is somewhere I'm almost reluctant to divulge because Meg is amazing and frankly, it's hard enough to get a booking with her as it is, especially since they opened a second salon at Old St.


Meg is amazing at dealing with curly/kinky/unruly hair - mine falls into the last category. There are about six stylists at any one time and though Wallpaper* and ID seem to be magazines of choice, it's very relaxed and not at all pretentious. Around £40+ for cut and blowdry for women.


They do now take cards - phew. No customer bathroom on the premises but you can use the cafe a couple of doors down.

I found the staff here really, really rude. I couldn't wait to leave. Just so rude and arrogant.
I won't return.

I have been coming here since I first moved to London in 2005. As I was completely new to the area, I made the mistake of going to a really ropey looking nearby salon to get what I hoped would be a quick and cheap fringe trim. I didn't really think that it would be a big deal to follow my existing haircut, but the woman who did my hair made a real mess of it, and I left the hair salon looking like one of The Ramones on a bad day - my softly layered fringe had now been cut into blunt angles that couldn't have been anymore unflattering on my long narrow face!

Luckily I found ESHK shortly after and, although they had to use hair from nearer the back of my head, they managed to soften the cut a little so that it was salvageable. The next time I needed my hair cutting, I came back here and have been coming back ever since. Sometimes I can't get an appointment and have to go to the one on Pitfield Street, but I'd definitely recommend either branch of ESHK. Get an appointment with Sebastian, if you can.

I stumbled upon Eshk on my way back from the India visa office and all I did was take a peek inside at the decor and the staff and I had to go in. I had previously had some very bad experiences with Toni and Guy and normally wouldn't go into a place that I know nothing about, but the staff was so friendly and gave me an estimate that was EXACTLY what I was looking for.
This is going to sound like I am insulting them, but I love them, stick with me, it gets better. The girl doing my hair had my same name, and I thought it was fate. But she was fairly new to the shop, and even though I told her I wanted to stay blonde she kept trying to convince me otherwise, and the final product was a little dark, and I had already been there for too long so I had to leave disheartened, hoping that it would wash out. And she got toner on my face and I had to walk around for the rest of the day with dark splotches. The next day I washed it again and I still wasn't happy, so I called in and the manager fixed it for me THAT DAY! free of charge!
They were so wonderful about it, and no one made me feel badly for not saying anything sooner. When I went back again I worked with Anita, and she gave me EXACTLY what I wanted, and she didn't think i was crazy for wanting to be blonde. For the 1st time in 9 months of living in the UK, i FINALLY found MY hair salon/stylist! Thanks guys!
I recently went back for another time and MY girl was on Holiday so I had t have Marta help me and she gave me the wrong color for my roots, and the cut wasn't really what I wanted. I'm still going to go back, but I am JUST going to Anita.

Nothing like my beloved Taylor Taylor which I cannot afford to go to for a simple trim. This place does have a decent ambiance (but lacking in the music department) and my haircut and blow dry was good. My stylist Ana was eager to please and very professional. The receptionists could have been a bit more friendly--and note that they have a first-time client discount.

Used to get my hair cut and high-lighted by Anita at this salon. Was always really happy with her, the salon is really relaxed and has a nice vibe there. Only stopped going as was trying to save money and the hairdresser near my work was offering a really good deal. Might consider heading back...

Be sure to ask for a senior stylist. Ambiance is fine, receptionist was rude. Another stylist nearby at least spoke with confidence so that's encouraging, but I won't return without specifying that I want a senior stylist who has confidence and some measure of expertise. The cut I received is mediocre at best. I would have complained politely on the spot and had him fix things if I could SEE the details of the cut, but the way he styled my hair was so poofy I couldn't even see what I was walking away with. Disappointed to say the least.