A treat at Retreat

I feel like I’m cheating a bit here. I’m not a resident of Reddish (though I am a frequent visitor) as I live in London. I am, however, becoming a bit of a regular down at the Retreat Salon on Reddish Road. This time, I supplemented my usual eyebrow threading appointment (£7.50, fifth appointment is free) with a neck and shoulder massage (£10 for 20 mins). I stepped in to the salon and was greeted by the lovely Priya. The first time I met her it was a bit of a shock as I was confronted with a flustered and extremely loud person with bright purple hair. However, it’s really easy to warm to her quickly as her eccentricity is more charming and welcoming than a reason to feel uncomfortable.

After a 10-minute wait (not unusual – best to come here on a day you’re not in a rush) I was led upstairs to a massage room. It reminded me of a Turkish boudoir; all purple and complete with four-poster day bed and exotic trinkets. I don’t know if I’m making it sound slightly tacky here. It isn’t. It’s really, really nicely done and makes a huge difference to the stairs and corridor, which look like the inside of a non-descript office. I stripped off and got on to the bed, ready for the perfectly nice Tina to start on my painfully kinked neck and shoulders.

I’ll be honest. It wasn’t the best massage I’ve ever had. If, like me, you spend most of your time hunched up over schoolbooks or a computer, every now and then you need your muscles beaten in to submission by hands akin to those of an angry ogre. This was an experience closer to being danced on by fairies. Not unpleasant and relaxing enough, I just didn’t walk out as knot free as I’d have hoped.

After going back downstairs and being greeted by a glass of water and an ever-cheery Priya, I settled down to have my eyebrows done. In between threading, she told me a bit about the background of the business. The salon has been open for about 18 months and the most popular treatment is eyebrow threading. It’s easy to see why – my appointments with Priya are quick, relatively painless and I appreciate her thoroughness and willingness to talk you through the process. She’s a total boss at eyebrow threading. It’s all over in 7 minutes and, in the 3 years I’ve been having my eyebrows threaded, nobody has done it better than her.

All in all, a good experience. I find the salon good value for money and (despite the slight grumble at often having to wait) I usually enjoy the experience. Here’s a tip. Phone a week or so in advance and request Priya specifically to do your eyebrows to save time and pain.

Retreat Beauty website

By Louise Frodsham