Review: Clientology

A couple of weeks ago Clientology, brother of the famous Belgian celebrity hairdressing salon De Cliént, opened the doors of its second barbershop. Clientology already had a salon in the Vlaanderenstraat in Ghent and now owner Jochen Vanhoudt decided to offer Antwerp a ‘zen hair treatment’ as well. When I received the offer to get a full hair treatment at Clientology, I just couldn’t refuse. My hair was in desperate need of an upgrade, and who could take care of that better than the hairdressing salon of the stars? Right. Off to Antwerp I go!

The concept of Clientology is to be more than just a hairdressing salon. According to the press release it’s meant to be an “oasis of peace and quiet, luxury, indulgence and feel-good vibes.” That atmosphere was immediately noticeable upon entering the salon. I notice the interior has both (practical) modern and beautiful historical accents, and the hairdressers are walking around in white uniforms that make me believe I’m in some sort of Thai resort. A soft oriental tune is playing on the background. That normally gets on my nerves after a few minutes, but this time I surpisingly felt really ‘zen’. If the environment already had this much affect on me, I wondered what the actual hair treatment would do to me.

Guess who I spotted in the chair next to me?  Already completely ‘zen’ and thorougly studying Belgium’s latest gossip, it’s our dear Paulien!

Please excuse my drizzly expression and huge bags under my eyes. The Forever 21 party was the night before and I hadn’t had enough time to sleep it off just yet. I was happy I’d finally get a fresh look, but at the same time you don’t know what you’re going to get so there’s a little insecurity in my eyes on the second pic. I said I definitely didn’t want to go darker, so Jochen advised me to just add some highlights to make my hair look vivid again. He left my fate (or at least that of my hair) in the hands of Laura. You might recognize her from the Belgian reality-tv show “Wie kiest Pieter?“. I only realised that when I picked up one of the Belgian tabloids that were available in which the opening of Clientology and her participation in the show was mentioned. What are the odds!

The products they use are mostly based on natural ingredients. For haircare they use Villa Lodala, for the scalp Nioxin and for the hair dying they use 2 biological brands: Nayo and Eos. During the dying of my hair I received a nice hand massage. Again, I’m normally not into massages at all, but this one certainly had its effect. Another head massage and full body massage thanks to the massage chair followed when my hair was washed. The perfect distraction, since I hate sinks. I almost fell asleep on the spot, so yes, they definitely succeeded on the ‘zen’ part. Now what about the result of my new hairdo?

After working her magic for 3 full hours, Laura managed to get me a nice curly new hairdo! At first it was pretty voluminous, but after a few hours I got perfect natural curls. What really surprised me, is how long I could keep it. I have to admit I slept with my hair up, so the warmth of my hair wouldn’t ruin the curls, but I managed to keep it this way for 5 days. Pretty impressive if you know I have greasy hair.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the way they handled me and my hair at Clientology. I wouldn’t go there if you just need to cut your ends, since it’s a little bit pricey, but I would definitely recommend you to go there if you’re looking for a new hair color, cut or if you just want to do something different for a special night out. These people actually know what they are doing and are handling in your best interest, so that you may leave the salon as a happy puppy instead of a crying baby because they cut all of your hair off (which seems to be the problem with most hairdressers). And for a little while, you’ll be free of stress and you’ll feel completely ‘zen’. And last but not least; another plus is that they have reserved parking space in the back.

Clientology Ghent: Vlaanderenstraat 122
Clientology Antwerp: Leopoldstraat 51 A

www.clientology.be
(prices can be found on the website)

Thanks to Clientology for this amazing treatment!