The number of hair salons on the North Shore can be great, but often slightly overwhelming. With so much choice, it can be hard to determine the salon that best fits your needs. But it’s hard to go wrong at Newburyport’s French Twist Salon, newly located on Water Street in the heart of the city’s charming downtown neighborhood.
Owner, creative director, and stylist Hayley Bateman has popularized French Twist with local residents. With salon hours designed to accommodate even the busiest of schedules, Bateman and her team can almost always be found in the salon, open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For Bateman, extended salon hours were a deliberate decision. “Personally, I really do love to work and I realized that many of our clients, including people working outside the home as well as parents could benefit from coming to the salon after putting kids to bed for the night,” she explains.
The staff’s years of experience and training (Bateman herself teaches courses to other stylists) means you can’t go wrong with a cut or color service here. But the unsung hero of French Twist has to be their Blow Dry Bar, where for $40 and an hour of your time, you can become a whole new you. Making appointments couldn’t be easier, whether you choose to call the salon or book online through the Fresha app.
A lot of salons offer wash and styling services, but what sets the French Twist experience apart is the result. Whether it’s a smooth blowout or messy beachy hair, they nail it every time. GHD flat irons are responsible for their distinctive-looking waves that stay in place—and if you know even a little bit about hair technique, you’ll know that’s a challenging skill to master.
Bateman attributes this service’s popularity to three things: convenience, price point, and the end result. Her reasoning? “Coming in for a wash and blow dry appointment isn’t something that feels so extravagant—it’s a $40 pick me up but the return on investment feels like so much more.” This service also “serves as a great gift and is a fun alternative to a more traditional nail or spa appointment when you want to mix things up.”
Regardless of the service, Bateman and her team counsel each client individually. Stylists use product lines by Wella and Sebastian and love to educate clients about the important things they should know to make their blow dry last, including the best dry shampoo for your hair type. They also frequently change up products according to the weather. They might select a product with a UV shield on a sunny day or an anti-humidity spray for a beach occasion, always wanting clients to get the most out of their appointment—you’ll appreciate that if you’ve ever had your hair done on a drizzly day.
Your friends will be dying to know where you got your hair done—and tell them! But not before you secure that next appointment for yourself.