B&K Beauty Boutique

I'm all about the beauty treatments lately. Maybe it's because the sun has briefly shown its rain-sodden face which means summer which means sandals which means tootsies on display which means hello nice looking man on the tube, please don't glance down and be horrified by my gnarled toes and calloused heels encased in unforgiving gladiators, I'm a lady, I wear makeup, I've got a nice bag and my fingernails are in pretty good nick and OH GOD DON'T LOOK AT MY FEET.

I found B&K through Groupon. Pedicures are one of their more regularly-available deals and so I'm loathe to pay full-price any more. And it's cheap, but also a massive gamble since the salons are invariably desperate for business and crumbling under the pressure of so many deal-happy clients. B&K passed the first test by having a time available on the day I wanted (an unpopular 9am on a Friday, yes, but the time I wanted nonetheless). The salon itself was close to Edgware Road station, easy to find on a pleasant little side-street and despite being small, was well laid-out, clean and airy. I was shown straight in and before I knew it, my feet were in a massage bath and I was chilling with a copy of Tatler, which is well posh, so I knew I was on to a good thing.

Massive respect for the friendly Lithuanian lady who uncomplainingly tackled my long-ignored feet. It was a full-on pedicure experience; none of this lightly tickling with a pumice stone and then inexpertly slapping down some cheap polish. She used a (slightly terrifying) implement to literally slice off great big chunks of dead skin (apols for the TMI - but we've all been there) - painlessly I might add - before filing down the remaining hard bits, getting rid of scraps around my nails which I can't see well enough to do myself, clipping, smoothing, massaging and shaping. As it should be, the nail varnish was the cherry on top of a fabulous cake rather than overly-rich icing on a crap Victoria sponge, and by the time she came to do that part, I wasn't surprised by her expert precision. The colour choices weren't extensive but I'll give them that one for free; the salon's small, and what they offered may not have been exciting but it was good quality. Afterwards, I was ushered outside the treatment room and my feet popped under a drier. When it came time to leave, she even did up my shoes. Check that out for service!

Mostly I liked that she didn't try to foist anything on me; neither extra products, nor further appointments. She suggested that I get "a pedicure" (not even "come here for a pedicure") every 3 or 4 months to keep the hard skin at bay, a recommendation with which I wholeheartedly agree. At my request, I was given a list of pricings which were ridiculously good value. They're offering a summer deal of a mani/pedi for £35 which is an absolute bargain considering how well they treat you.

Two weeks later and although the hard skin is creeping back, the varnish hasn't chipped at all. This is despite having been trampled on during my daily tube commute, rubbed with suncream, marched all over a weekend-long music festival and bashed against numerous tentpegs. Hey! Man on tube! LOOK AT MY BEAUTIFUL FEET.

Great greeting, and reasonable mani-pedi, although I was concerned about the hygiene. Did not see sterilizing equipment for tools, nor did I see sanitizing cleaning of pedi chair. Lovely people, but big concerns about safety. Quality of the work was terrific on mani-pedi (though light on amenities, such as good moisturizing and massage).

Body massage was horribly disappointing and I do not recommend. Have been getting massages for 25 years and have NEVER had a therapist in the room while I undressed and got on the table. Very unprofessional. My massages have always been therapeutic to address muscle spasms. This therapist actually "lectured me" after the massage ... told me I didn't get the maximum benefit because I tensed up during the treatment. Duh ... really? Why am I here for the massage ... to address the tense muscle issue!

Welcoming staff but questionable capability and certainly questionable hygiene.

I got married on 12th October 2013 and went to B&K to have my hair done for my wedding.

They created the most beautiful, sensual and stylish hairdo and had compliments by everyone including fellow hairdressers at my wedding.

They truly made my day the most magical and perfect day of my life, I felt like a Goddess.

THANK YOU!

Carmen

I went to the salon for a hot stone massage. The treatment was not exactly what I have expected, as well as the staff and the service. If you are interested in finding out more, please see the link below for an exhaustive review of the place together with some pictures and dialogues with the practitioner. http://unordinarycustomer.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/buried-under-hot-stones/

I came across B & K Salon through a friend who recommended i try it out on a business trip. I went there for a 'hot stone' massage. I was very pleased with the venue and the treatment. I have been to many spas around the world and the 'hot stone' treatment was done as professionally as any i've had elsewhere. The salon is also very convenient for those who commute in to Marylebone Station to have something 'done' on arriving in London or before heading home! Keep it up. Best wishes Tim

Ok, I read a lot of bad reviews about this place but as my boyfriend had bought me a 4 hands massage voucher I felt I had to go, despite my reservations. In the end it really was not bad at all, at least MY experience wasn't. I was seen at 10 mins past my booked time, which is ok. The salon is a little unprofessional looking I suppose, very small upstairs with a warren of rooms down steep steps in the basement. The girls there were friendly and all Russian. They did speak in their language quite a lot which can be interpreted as a being bit rude I guess, but in the end I only wanted a good massage so ignored that. I have to say that the 4 hands massage really was very good. It was all very synchronized and the two ladies really knew what they were doing. The room and towels were clean enough, although I could hear a lot of talking from the room next door, which is a bit off putting when trying to relax. There was a big machine in the massage room which didn't look great, but otherwise I went home nice and relaxed and this massage was very good and was good value too. I can recommend that at least, but don't expect high end customer service or environment.