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Health and boozy
Ashley Davies visits EDEN, Glasgow’s all—in-one indulgence salon, and there’s not a single ghastly
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green health shake in sught. ._ V g r V w”- . . . ‘ 1.; .. o m , here are tnore beauty salons in (ilasgow than there are doctors . 4* 4" /v
(and there are plenty ol‘ those. since you ask). I don‘t know of any
other British city where straightening irons are so comprehensively embraced. where the only women who’ve let their hair retain its tnousy colour are those receiving long term hospital treatment. and where you don‘t have to he dishonest about using sunbeds.
And although the gyms are packed with hard bodies (it spawned Big Brother‘s Jason. l'or (‘hrissakesL (ilaswegians are a very long way away from the Californian approach to health and beauty. Yes. they’ll do the water and the fruit but no way will they give up the booze.
With all this in mind. you wonder why it‘s taken so long for a place like Iiden — a kind of one—stop indulgence shop to be set up. You can have your hair done. get treattnents. shop for top name beauty products and eat and drink. all under one rool‘. The magical glue that binds all these together is the mighty boo/c. lilixir dc (ilasgow.
First stop when you enter the large. airy space tl‘ormcrly the Bank ol' Scotland building on the well-to-do llyndland Road) is the bistro/bar. which is increasingly a venue in itsell‘. It’s all white walls and sleek. oak tables. and there‘s a mix ol‘ pretty healthy -— though not ol‘l'puttingly so ~ and well priced food. from baguettes to grown tip mains such as scalood paella and poached salmon with noodles. (‘atriona .\lullen. one ol‘ three directors ol‘ liden. says they‘ve made a point ol' not pushing the health aspect. ‘It‘s all about indulgence here.‘ she says. Although the healthy stuff is here. We go with what’s seasonal and l'resh.’
Having a lull liquor licence is a distinct advantage. Because not only are you given free wine. beer and snacks while you're having your hair done (it was strawberries and champagne dttring Wimbledon) but it‘s OK to hang around and treat this place like a normal bar. .’\nd a lot ol‘ people do. This can be harsh on the wallet because the shop that‘s just steps away is bulging with sotne ol' the best skin and beauty products around: [IT'S Aveda. Dermalogica. Burt’s Bees. Neals Yard Remedies. Kschocolate (to eat. that is). l Coloniali (good for fabulous smelling gifts for the menl'olk) and more. liden runs a sort of tab scheme. so you can wander around before. between or alter treatments and select something to make your hair hang straight. your heels smooth and your lips glossy (you know. necessities). And ' you can even buy the Rothko lite paintings from the walls.
Up on the mezzanine level is the hair salon. rttn by artistic director Stuart Brown. It's close enough to absorb the vibe of the bar bttt far enough away for you to not led like a knob il‘ you’re having l'oils.
Back on the ground lloor are two treatment rooms. and it is here that I spend an eye-rollingly blissful hour with Kathleen. who gives me a Dermalogica Multi Vitamin Power 'l‘rcattnent. It involves steaming. cleansing. 'microl‘oliating' and some other complicated stul'l' and. bejesus. does it work. I may have ruined the elegant ambience by falling asleep and snoring a little but I come out looking live years younger and atn pretty conlident that I didn’t dribble. There’s a glow and lirmness to my skin that hasn‘t been there in years. Delinitely the best I've ever had.
Alter my polishing. I‘m a bit giddy and need a rest. so I tuck into a home-made soup with rustic bread and a (ireek salad. All jolly good. Then I get weak and spend £60 on Aveda and l (‘oloniali stull‘. ltnpossible to resist. especially alter you've been treated so well.
And just to prove the strength of the pull. 1 go back two days later for a cracking haircut. It's a Sunday and the bistro is packed with l'unky youngsters. Someone told tne that a woman had come here recently for a day of treatments with her lt‘iends and had had such a good time that she doesn't even remember leaving. That's health and beauty (ilztsgow style.
D' U .' .
Eden, 168 Hyndland Road, Glagow, 0141 339 O1 1 1, 8am-1 1pm. 98 THE LIST 7? Jul 5; AM; 737).: