So I was pleasantly surprised when I came out of Hooker & Young in Darlington last week having experienced none of this. Alright, I didn't have a colour, and the sink dug into my neck (perhaps they always will, no matter how state-of-art the set-up is). But I was in and out in 1 hour 15 minutes, with no fuss, just a lot of expert cutting and fast drying.

Toni, who did my hair, tested a strand for elasticity to enable her to recommend the right Kerastase products for me to take home; which I did, because the new salon has a special promotion: they're offering 3 free full-size products worth 55 pounds to take home if you book a cut and style before 30 November. A very generous offer I thought. If you've never used French brand Kerastase before, by the way, it does amazing things for your hair.

I really like Hooker & Young. The interiors are plush yet nice and relaxed: a bit like being in someone's posh sitting room. I've been to the Jesmond salon and the new Darlington branch has a similar feel, along with a team of girls who don't give the creepy impression they're going to be gossiping about clients the minute they step out of the door, as seems to be the case in a lot of hairdressers.

Toni spent time examining my hair, suggesting what kind of cut would work best for the texture and my face shape.
I'm pretty sure this lot would do a terrific job of colouring my hair, too. Plus, they're stocking the new to die for Shu Uemura haircare range. PLUS, I had not just one, but two stylists on the job blow-drying my hair when I said I had limited time for my appointment. It was so super-speedy, I didn't fidget once.