Hue know what's best

Love great colour, and the whole salon experience- but not the pricetag? So did Jenny Aitken. But unlike the rest of us, she set up a salon. Enter HUE, a chic salon that does colour and only colour, at amazing prices. It's like going to a boutique salon in Ponsonby or Parnell- until you get to the cash register- when you discover that HUE will only set you back $45 for foils or $55 for a semi-permanent colour.

Jenny Aitken, pictured above looking remarkably relaxed for HUE's opening day when I visited, has the perfect combination in partnership with businessmen Stephen Smith and Grant Stapleton.

"I'm a beauty therapist by profession so I bring a client's perspective" says Jenny. "I ask myself, what do I want when I go to a salon? I used to do my own hair at home...I noticed that after having a stylist cut my hair, I'd be passed onto a junior to do my colour. It would cost $150 at a salon, or $10 to purchase a colour at a supermarket! The idea here is to meet that gap in the middle. You can still keep your current hair stylist, in fact it's important to have a long term relationship with them. And then have your colour here! It's often not your stylist colouring your hair anyhow."

It's all about colour, hence the name. Choose between permanent or semis, or a conditioning treatment ($20). You can also choose to have a natural alternative to conventional ammonia colouring with Organic Colour Systems colours; ideal for pregnant women or anyone avoiding chemicals and preferring organics. Colourist Hayley used this on me in a coppery red with blonde highlights. In between colours, Jason Bonham recommends having a gloss treatment. "It restores shine and high gloss to the hair" he says.

"It's lovely to go to a salon vs doing it yourself at home; it's the whole experience" she says, gesturing around at the minimalist Gasgoigne-designed concrete room softened with inviting warm red chairs on a soft rug which echoes the logo colour and graphic design on the walls. "Plus colouring at home has its cons; the hassle, and you can make mistakes. Now, you can buy those shoes cos you're saving so much!"

The location of the first HUE salon, in urban Mt Eden in the Bodytech gym building on Normanby Road fits the needs of its demographic by providing a drop-in place between work and home where women can get a colour in under an hour and style their own hair using the gorgeous products available: ghd straighteners, OSIS, Schwarzkopf and Organic Colour Systems styling products. Friendly, attentive staff offer you complimentary hot or cold drinks (I had three. This is better service than I get in bars) and the latest magazines to read.

"If clients aren't happy, we'll redo it for free until it's right" says Jenny. "Our motto is 'Pure, gorgeous, fabulous hair', after all. Cos everyone wants to feel fabulous!" And now with the opening of HUE, you can have great hair that breaks hearts and not the bank; and change colour without going into the red.

HUE
12 Normanby Road Mt Eden Auckland
Phone 0508 CALL HUE
www.hue.co.nz