21…Lifestyle do so much more than just cut hair. In addition to the services carried out by their talented styling team, they have hair salon exclusivity on Aveda colour products for Tunbridge Wells, and also deliver exceptional beauty treatments. In addition to this they offer a lifestyle studio space to hire and also boast the friendliest team in town. SO Magazine met its directors to discover why this high end salon is at the cutting edge of what they do…
Located on London Road in a beautifully restored four storey town house 21…Lifestyle salon certainly ticks all the boxes when it comes to offering clients stunning surroundings in which to enjoy an array of quality hair and beauty treatments. 21… is an exclusive Aveda lifestyle salon.
On the ground floor of this chic midnight blue and silver liveried Georgian era building is the smart reception area complete with a stylish seating area where you can flick through magazines while you wait. There’s also an express blow dry salon and a gents’ grooming station too – complete with super cool retro barber chairs, funky statement lighting and oversized mirrors. The finishing touch is the standalone shelving which showcases the wealth of exclusive Aveda products available to clients at 21… Lifestyle.
In the basement are three beautifully appointed treatment rooms, and a wet room, while upstairs you’ll find the main ladies’ hairdressing salon which boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, and gorgeous views over the Common.
On the top floor is the salon’s newly launched Lifestyle Studio which is available to hire – mainly for yoga and Pilates classes. So far so impressive. This is most definitely not your average hairdressers…
Launched in 2017, 21…Lifestyle is the brainchild of three very talented and experienced professional hair stylists: Justine Roberts and Tina and Stuart Kirby who have pooled their resources and experience in order to offer the good people of Tunbridge Wells and beyond a beauty emporium that could easily rival any of the capital’s finest.
Justine and Tina met while working at Toni and Guy in 1992 and the pair were there for a decade before joining another high end salon in Tunbridge Wells in 2002. It’s where they met Stuart who was one of the establishment’s original founders. Justine and Tina stayed there for five years before deciding to launch their own salon.
“So in 2007 Tina and I decided to go it alone and opened Orchid, a boutique hair salon located on the Camden Road,” explains Justine.
Orchid proved to be very popular and the stylists went on to be regional finalists in the Wella Trend Vision international competition. The successful salon was also featured on BBC1’s Inside Out on a few occasions too.
That same year Stuart decided to set up his own place: Real Salon and Spa in Grosvenor Road. Rather cleverly he had the foresight to be the first hairdressers in Tunbridge Wells to exclusively stock the eco-friendly Aveda brand.
“I wanted to stock Aveda as I believe in its environmental ethos and know how good the products are, not just in terms of their chemical-free efficacy but also the results they deliver,” reveals Stuart.
“I guess you could say setting up Real as an Aveda stockist was a small acorn of the vision that would go on to eventually evolve into our thinking behind 21…”
During that time Real went on to win a prestigious Environmental Business award.
The trio ran their respective salons for approximately 10 years before deciding to blend their collective experience and ideas together in offer to launch their London Road venture.
“We came from two completely different salon concepts and had an expansive and loyal clientele,” continues Tina, who is married to Stuart.
“Both salons were thriving and gaining a fantastic reputation with an in-demand team of stylists and therapists. But the three of us had always shared a keen interest in educating and mentoring other stylists so we eventually decided to move on and go on our own business journey together. For us as directors it’s always been about building the team’s confidence and encouraging personal professional growth.”
Justine adds that thanks to both Orchid and Real salons being in great locations within Tunbridge Wells it gave a great community spirit to what they were doing and this was definitely something the three of them wanted to continue when launching next as a collective.
When the leases were up on both premises Justine, Tina and Stuart concluded that neither building had the adequate square footage needed to grow their individual brands, so five years ago they decided to join forces and started looking at a new location.
“The brief was to source an enviable and more desirable one with close proximity to The Pantiles, and preferably a period building,” states Stuart.
“We managed to fulfil that when we found a beautiful Georgian building over four floors with wonderful view over the Common and that resulted in our new hair and beauty lifestyle concept store 21… being founded.”
Which brings us nicely to discovering the meaning behind the 21…Lifestyle name…
“It is the number of our address on London Road but the three dots at the end represent the three of us as directors, as well as being symbolic of a continuation of what we have started. We just felt the name cleverly tied in with the ever-growing business but also added a little intrigue,” smiles Justine.
When they took over the building at 21 London Road in 2017 the team certainly had their work cut out. “All four floors were in a dilapidated state,” says Tina. But this didn’t put them off rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. “With our creative vision, our own investments and the wonderful support of our families we went for it!”
The directors say that aside from having a lot of dedication, working with local builders W. Smithers and Sons and also the architect Melanie Pryor was a ‘fantastic experience’ and they are very proud of the magnificent space that’s been created.
“We initially opened just two floors, the ground one and our ladies’ salon on the first level,” Justine reveals. “Two years later we introduced our treatment rooms on the lower ground floor, creating a beautiful relaxing hub, where guests are able to fully unwind and switch off from the everyday stresses of life.”
Despite being in and out of lockdowns they were able to complete the exclusive space on the top floor at the end of last year. This certainly adds yet another vital USP to what the popular beauty emporium offers with plenty of yoga and Pilates practices regularly hiring out the space.
Another added bonus is that there is a separate staircase to the fourth floor Lifestyle Studio meaning salon clients aren’t disturbed by groups of people coming in and out of classes.
But as well as the incredible attention to detail and wealth of services on offer at 21…Lifestyle, what is very clear when you pay it a visit is the camaraderie of the crew.
“We are very lucky to have such a talented and wonderful team working alongside us and appreciate that they are what makes 21… such a success,” says Stuart.
“Our stylists are just amazing. Courtney’s been with us from the start and Emma has just joined us recently. Both excel in all aspects of hairdressing. Our fabulous therapists Kelly and Tracey have definitely helped shape our luxurious treatment rooms where we offer exclusive Aveda treatments.
“Then there’s our superstar Front of House team headed up by Kerrie and Sinead. They are so warm and welcoming are absolutely crucial to the smooth and efficient running of 21…”
And in terms of the next five years of business what are Justine, Tina and Stuart looking forward to most?
“We are excited for the future and looking forward to expanding our team and evolving our brand. As with all businesses, life is at times a balancing act – juggling a busy salon and family life can sometimes come with its own challenges,” admits Justine who is married with one daughter.
“But we have learnt and adapted over the years to be fully committed while also allowing ourselves to take time out away from the business for some muchneeded downtime, which is a real positive of 21… having three directors and being able to share the load is a real bonus.”
Being utterly confident of their staff’s ability is another string to 21… Lifestyle’s bow. “They each have a wealth of knowledge in their field of expertise,” continues Tina. “They ensure they always create time for our guests to personalise their service requests. The environment here is a warm and welcoming one, with no egos and a supportive harmonious team – always with a smile.”
But having said all that they are not resting on their laurels. Instead Stuart says they are always looking to further 21… Lifestyle’s success.
“Continued education is key for all team members as you can never stop learning. As the salon grows and we have more stylists we may look at introducing assistants. It’s not something we’ve done before, normally a client is with their stylist throughout their whole appointment – from washing, colouring, cutting through to finishing. Before now there hasn’t been enough of us to be able to dedicate the time to training assistants but it’s something we all enjoy. Justine and Tina have just gained their ‘Aveda Colormaster’ certification which is the highest achievement and an equivalent to a degree.”
And if they were to sum up their business in three key words what would they be? “Welcoming, evolving and innovative,” responds Justine.
“At 21… we believe age is just a number and don’t have a ‘look’, the cut, the style, the treatment is all yours. We listen to you and we find out what you want when it comes to your hair and beauty. We’re not afraid to help you be a bit more adventurous, but everything is bespoke to you.”
21…Lifestyle ON AVEDA’S APPEAL
“Becoming an Aveda lifestyle salon we follow the ancient art of Ayurveda the Indian healing tradition based on the knowledge of life and interconnection of all things. It has been proven over 5,000 years that treating the whole person leads to greater balance and well-being, so we consider the effects of our products not only on hair or skin but on mind body and emotion. Incorporating this holistic approach both in our beauty treatments and hair services with our scalp massages and rituals combining a sensory experience with Aveda signature pure-fume aroma to help promote a sense of well-being through the art of science and aromatology blending flowers and plant extracts to awaken your senses.
“One of our key USPs is working with Aveda colour, it truly is like working with an artist’s palette and is completely unique to other hair brands. Aveda have just launched their first vegan treatment permanent hair colour. Which has incredible colour deposition, vibrancy and protection. It maintains the integrity of the hair, it’s a unique blend of dyes and gives high performance colour results and improved longevity and 100% grey coverage.
“Aveda have supreme respect for the planet, they are 96% naturally derived vegan and cruelty free. 100% recycled aluminium tubes reduce CO2 emissions and save virgin aluminium from being produced. Cartons are also made with 100% recycled fibre Forest stewardship council (FSC) certified and 100% recyclable and manufactured with 100% wind and solar power. It’s all really sustainable including all the packaging from shampoos conditioners and all styling and beauty products.”
21…Lifestyle is the only hair salon in Tunbridge Wells to offer Aveda products but they are also available in Fenwick and Space NK.
For more information or to book appointments visit 21londonroad.co.uk
21…’s Lifestyle studio is also available to hire.
Please contact the salon on 01892 548848 or email: 21londonroadtw@gmail.com
21… are looking to expand their team of Stylists and therapists. Please send your C.V to 21londonroadtw@gmail.com
FOLLOW 21… ON:
FaceBook: @21londonroadTW
Instagram: @21londonroad
