About the author
One day I woke up, completely fed up with my hair. Inspired by Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer I became obsessed with a fringe. Impulsivity drove me out of bed to get my hair cut, and since my regular hairdresser was being a pain I thought of a tip a friend gave me. It was this morning that I walked into Oh you pretty things and let me tell you: I’m never going back to my old hairdresser.
A fairer system
Originally from Australia, owner Heath moved to Amsterdam about twelve years ago. After working freelance for a while he spent some time at Toni and Guy, but wasn’t too pleased with their work ethics. “It’s a good salon, but I was shocked by how hard they make their employees work for only little pay”. That’s how Oh you pretty things was born, two years ago now. “I wanted to make a fairer system for hairdressers. Everybody here is working for themselves, they just rent a chair from me on the days they want to work.”
Fun at the hairdresser
Generally, hairdressers will cut your hair and have you out of the chair as soon as possible. At Oh you pretty things however, they allow up to an hour per client. Sad but true, the most pampering I ever got out of a man was at this salon, getting my hair cut. “The only thing we’re serious about is quality, it’s not all about work and money. Hairdressing was meant to be fun,” says Heath. And fun is exactly what it is, especially for the clientele.
The only thing we’re serious about is quality, it’s not all about work and money. Hairdressing was meant to be fun.
Heath and his partner Aziza created a unique concept. When walking into the store you’re amazed by the amount of art displayed, the pheasant with a necklace on the wall (named Percy) and the detail of the interior in general. “I would say it’s vintage eclectic. I wanted the salon to suit the architecture of the building. Plus, we have a brothel next door so the naked women on the wall are sort of an hommage to the city.”
One of my favorite details in the shop is the washing room. Having your hair washed at a salon can be a horrible experience, but not here. “We’ve put a beamer up and a mirror on the ceiling so you can watch a movie while lying down.” These movies range from Bettie Page flicks to, well, just about anything. “If an artist creates a movie that we like, we’ll play it in our washing room. So we’re always open to new stuff.”
Cool concept with cool morals
The art and movies really represent the whole atmosphere of the salon: punk, rockabilly and pop-culture all mixed into one cool concept. Even the name itself is paying its respect to pop culture: ‘Oh you pretty things’ refers to the song by David Bowie and the singer himself. “He manages to capture the essence of pop culture and is the embodiment of metamorphosis.”
Being Dutch, of course I had to ask if they offer student discounts. Sadly they don’t: “Students are young and they already look good, so we don’t have a student discount. We do have a single mom discount which is ten euros. They spend all their time looking after their kids and often don’t have time or money to spend on themself. That’s why we offer it.”
A cool interior, high quality hairdressing and good morals. That’s how every hairdresser should be.
Oh you pretty things
Location: Spuistraat 53
Extra info: Cutting and styling ranges from 40 to 50 euros (depending on length and wishes), styling only ranges from 30 to 50 euros. For more prices, pay them a visit!
Photos by Annelijn Hooij
Sharing is caring!
Tweet
