July 15, 2026 |
The quickest way to spot someone who’s been to Studio Studios? Their hair. The appointment-only Shoreditch salon has quietly become responsible for some of London’s most enviable cuts and colours, counting Gabbriette, Lola Young, Romy Madley Croft, Ellie Rowsell and Arlo Parks among its clientele. Tucked just a hop, skip and a jump from Shoreditch High Street station, it’s the sort of place that’s become a word-of-mouth fixture among fashion people, musicians, artists and anyone who’s ever screenshotted a dip dyed fringe from Pinterest.
Founded in 2023 by Canadian hairstylist Jadah Dale, Studio Studios expanded into a second space next door last month. While the original studio feels like an impossibly chic living room where white brick walls meet black leather chairs, glossy basins, tiled floors and brown marble side tables, the new space takes things in a lighter direction. “Our original space has the warmth of a welcoming living room, and that same atmosphere carries through the expansion with our plush chocolate-brown chairs, our scented candles, fresh flowers and beautifully considered lighting,” says the founder. Malin + Goetz candles burn away while a framed Death Becomes Her poster hangs on the wall with just the right amount of self-awareness. It’s cool without trying too hard – much like the people sitting in the chairs. “For us, growth isn’t about opening salons as quickly as possible. It’s about growing the right way – building a community of incredible stylists and loyal clients, and continuing to be a creative home for people working in music, culture and the arts. If we keep doing that well, everything else follows,” says Dale. She adds, “While the new studio feels lighter, airier and more spacious, we’ve been careful to preserve everything that makes Studio Studios feel like home… We wanted the new space to feel like a natural extension of the original: elevated, comfortable and unmistakably Studio Studios.”
I arrived with bleached blonde hair that had seen better days and left just a few hours later with rich red-and-black colour that made me feel even more myself. Throughout the appointment, Dale talked me through every option before lifting a brush, explaining the pros and cons of different colouring techniques, checking in constantly and making sure every decision felt collaborative rather than dictated. This way, there was no lingering anxiety around the dramatic colour change I had signed myself up for. Plus, between bowls of olives, sourdough pretzels, a Diet Coke and a coffee – all complementary –, it felt like I was spending an afternoon with a particularly stylish (and knowledgeable) friend as opposed to sitting through a marathon colour appointment.
As someone who’s mixed Caribbean and white with naturally curly, obnoxiously delicate hair, salon visits can often feel like a gamble. Outside specialist Black salons, it’s surprisingly common to find stylists who simply don’t understand textured hair – tugging too hard, using too much tension or leaving curls more damaged than when you arrived. Studio Studios couldn’t have felt further from that experience. Dale handled my hair confidently and carefully, immediately understanding what it needed, before recommending K18’s Molecular Repair Hair Mask to help strengthen the sections I’d snapped off during an ill-advised at-home bleach side quest about a year and a half ago. It shouldn’t feel remarkable when a salon can confidently work across different hair textures, but unfortunately it still does.
My colleague Bella Koopman – who is an Ashkenazi Jew – came away equally impressed. Cutting specialist Jemima Bradley – who also works with Young – gave her thick wavy tresses a razor-sharp bixie cut tailored to her face shape, before talking her through styling techniques and sending her home with a Davines texture serum to keep everything looking effortless.
Hair has fascinated Dale since childhood. “One of my earliest memories of hair is my mom picking me up from daycare with the perfect early-2000s pixie cut. She’d dropped me off that morning with long, thick tresses, and when she came back, she looked like a completely different person. She looked incredible. It was transformative and, to my four-year-old self, slightly shocking to suddenly have what felt like an entirely new mom. That moment has always stayed with me. It was probably the first time I understood just how powerful hair could be.”
from left: Bella Koopman and Emily Phillips after visiting Studio Studios
That idea of transformation sits at the heart of Studio Studios. “I opened Studio Studios because I wanted to create a space that reflected the kind of environment I wanted to spend time in and share with other people. As so much of our lives moves online, I think physical spaces have become more important than ever. Meaningful connection still happens face-to-face, and I wanted to create somewhere that people genuinely enjoyed being, whether they were in the chair or behind it.” And enjoy being there, we did. Both Koopman and I walked away with a little more pep in our step, you could say, energised by the comfortable yappathons and our gorgeous new dos.
After a morning there, it’s easy to see why clients keep coming back. You leave with great hair, obviously, but also with the feeling you’ve stumbled across one of London’s best-kept beauty secrets. If this is the salon for the cool girls, the cool gays, the art kids and the fashion crowd, it’s refreshingly free of any of the attitude that usually comes with that label.
Book your appointment here.
Photography courtesy of Studio Studios.
Jadah Dale, founder of Studio Studios
