The Good Side in Hyderabad; Photography by Vivek Eadara

6 salons in India could be your next beauty getaway

Crimson doors, sculptural trees, royal chambers and everything in between

BY

A salon appointment may technically call for a spa, a haircut, a facial or a manicure, but at times, what really catches spotlight are the interiors. Think colours that leave you stunned, arches and columns that teleport you elsewhere, and sculptural installations that blur the lines between a salon and a gallery! Increasingly, designers and architects are treating beauty destinations as an invitation to create a sense of escape by crafting immersive spaces that make the environment around a part of the experience. ELLE DECOR India finds six such salons around Mumbai, Gujarat and Hyderabad where the interiors moonlight as something entirely different.

After all, if you must spend three hours waiting for your hair dye to set, you can at least do it somewhere spectacular. 

Salons in India
The White Door Atelier in Mumbai; Photography courtesy of The White Door Atelier

The White Door Atelier by Minnie Bhatt

What happens when a spa inherits the arches of a century-old building? At The White Door Atelier in Mumbai, designer Minnie Bhatt was inspired by these historic treasures, so she introduced neoclassical terrazzo flooring and veined Italian marble as a nod to the property’s colonial-era roots. She threaded fluted columns through the space and carved the walls with trees and rolling hills, conjuring a slice of Rome in Breach Candy that also happens to have excellent pedicures.

The Good Side by VAL Atelier

If your idea of hair-care therapy involves escaping the civilisation entirely, this Hyderabad salon has you covered. At The Good Side in Jubilee Hills, VAL Atelier drops a 6,500 sq ft desert retreat into the city chaos. A shallow water body and lushly planted forecourt welcome you at the entrance before a sculptural facade washed in earthy terracotta carries the arid landscape indoors. Inside, the space (which doubles as a salon and makeup studio) features textured walls and warm brown hues, with filtered natural light falling across pockets of greenery throughout. It’s a small break from the city without ever leaving it, provided your escape plan involves a haircut. 

Salons in India
The Good Side in Hyderabad; Photography by Vivek Eadara
Salons in India
Vero Spalon in Ahmedabad; Photography by Harsheen Menger from Sheenshot

Vero Spalon by TV Studio Designs

A gold chandelier casts a warm glow over a moss-green wall carved with jharokha-style panelling at Vero Spalon’s bridal suite in Ahmedabad. Designed by TV Studio Designs, the space feels like a living portrait where a vintage sarangi rests in the corner, and floor-to-ceiling inlay work borrows from Mughal-era geometric patterns. Paatlaas (traditional wooden stools) are recast as footrests, so even your feet get a royal treatment!

A salon in Bharuch by P & D Associates 

Would you believe this cash counter once ran on a foot pedal? At this salon in Bharuch, that’s the plot twist P&D Associates’s Pratik Siddhpura and Devang Patel pulled off, propping the counter on a vintage machine base against raw concrete walls. “The cash counter is creatively repurposed from a vintage sewing machine base with a simple tabletop, adding a unique, nostalgic character,” they say. Above it, a folded-paper installation spirals across the surface. Cream curtains stand in for walls between styling and private zones, while greys, off-whites and warm beige tones soften the industrial shell, keeping the room legible from every angle. 

Salons in India
A salon in Bharuch by P & D Associates; Photography by Photographix
Salons in India
A salon in Vadodara by Made•Narrative;Photography by Murtaza Gandhi

A salon in Vadodara by Made•Narrative and Nirmaan House of Design

You may expect a lot of things at a hair appointment, but a sculpture disguised as forestry probably isn’t one of them. Forged from brass and Corten steel, a metal tree anchors this 1,250 sq ft salon in Vadodara. Designed by Hemakshi Luhar of Made•Narrative and Jaydev Shah of Nirmaan House of Design, the salon takes its cues from nature, with curved grooming pods, lime-washed surfaces and natural wood shaping the interiors. A rather literal roots revival, if you will. 

Snob Salon by Studio Goodu

As soon as the arched, crimson double doors of this Bengaluru salon swing open, you are instantly catapulted into the sets of a Wes Anderson movie. Designed by Studio Goodu, Snob Salon leans into geometry and eccentric symmetry, allowing that signature crimson to punctuate the space against muted walls. Fluted glass filters light across the room, alongside sweeping suede curtains and dome-shaped pendant lights suspended from leather straps. Truly, all that is missing from this salon is a narrator.

Salons in India
Snob Salon in Bengaluru; Photography by Vedant Sharma
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