The Rare Bird

The salon aims to make each visit feel comfortable and unhurried, and a visit can be as quiet or as chatty as the guest prefers. Guests can bring photos or videos of the look they want, and the team works from them.

Services fall into two groups. Cut & Style covers shorter appointments: a quick fringe or face-framing shape-up, a blowout, dry cuts for clean hair, a wash-cut-and-style for a full look, a New Guest Cut and a longer Transformational visit for substantial style changes. Sessions are curated packages booked as blocks of time, which keeps the stylist's attention on one guest. They cover color work from a gloss and haircut through to a full change of direction, with recommended intervals between visits.

New guests need to book a New Guest Cut before other services, and those who want color are asked to book a Session. Guests with significant length or style changes, or very thick hair, are directed to Transformational rather than Wet-to-Dry.

Appointments are booked online through the booking link on the website and are usually available about four weeks ahead. A waitlist is available when a preferred time is taken. Email or text is the easiest way to reach the salon, since staff do not take calls at the chair, and calls are returned within 48 business hours. The salon is open Tuesday and Thursday from 10 to 7, Wednesday and Friday from 10 to 6, and Saturday from 9 to 4, and it is closed Sunday and Monday. Guests must be 15 or older, and younger guests can be referred elsewhere.

Cancellations need at least 48 hours' notice, and a credit card is needed to hold an appointment. Late cancellations and no-shows are charged half the scheduled service amount, and repeated late cancellations or more than one no-show can lead to future services being ended. Refunds are not offered on services or retail products, and guests who are unhappy with a service should tell the salon within one week of the appointment.

Each visit is tailored to the guest's needs, which can change from one visit to the next, and stylists combine intuition with technical skill.

Visits can be quiet and restful or conversational, depending on what the guest wants.