Marc Antoni hair salon has reopened this week, after closing for 10 days to have its own makeover. The Hart Street business has been celebrating being in Henley for over 40 years and has a loyal client base that were happy to see it reopen its doors, ready to experience not only its new look but some of its new additions too.
Back in 1966, the Marc Antoni story began with the opening of their first salon at Chatham Street in Reading. Named in honor of Bruno Marc and Simon Antoni, the eldest sons’ of the visionary hairdresser, Bruno Giammattei Snr, it was Bruno Marc who opened the Henley salon, aged just 19 years old. The sons now run 4 Marc Antoni salons (in Henley, Fleet, Woodley and Bracknell) as well as having their own training school. They also currently hold 8 hairdressing industry awards.
Visitors to the salon, will be wearing newly purchased, bronze gowns and will be comfortably sat in the, also newly purchased, salon chairs – which have come all the way from Milan. With styling based on the British Bentley, the soft leather chairs in warm, coffee-colored tones are complemented by the clean lines of the fresh paint work and the newly laid wood-style flooring. Probably the most notable change is to the basins area, where the team have installed massage chairs. Clients can lay in fully supported comfort, whilst the chairs provide a massage as well as a cozy warmth from the heated seats.
First client of the day, Lisa, who comes all the way from France to have her hair done and is probably the client that travels the furthest said, “I love the new look, it’s fabulous. The chairs are lovely and it looks fresh – Tom is the best in the world, so I come every three months! It’s really inviting and warm – they are providing a really lovely experience. I have a bad back so comfort is key and these new chairs are great. I’m really looking forward to trying out the massage chairs in a little while too.”
Charlotte Giammattei, the salon’s Principal Stylist, and daughter of Bruno Marc, explained that the family are proud of the business that they have created. Initially, as a youngster, Charlotte wanted to be a veterinary nurse or to work with horses, but when she turned 16, she changed her mind and decided to follow the, probably inevitable, path. After training at Vidal Sasson for 30 weeks, she rejoined the family fold. About the refit, Charlotte said, “We reopened on Friday and we’ve had some really lovely feedback from everyone that’s come in so far. Lots of people have mentioned how comfortable the new massage chairs are – although if they don’t like the massage bit we can turn that off! All the staff were in last Thursday to help finish off and make sure everything was just right. Like with hairstyles, salon trends move on and we wanted to make sure we were providing the best for our clients.”
