Call me old fashioned, but there was a time when going to a salon was a strictly cut and blow-dry affair.

These days, however, new generation salons provide that bit more. How about a pre-cut cocktail or a quick web surf while you wait? Yes, salons these days have certainly moved forward and the offer of a quirky extra or two has become de rigueur.

Watching me, watching you is a clear theme at Lee Stafford, Soho. (So is Pepto-Bismal pink; think it might be time for a re-furb.) TV monitors display all the in-salon action at the back wash while two-way loo mirrors provide the room with a view. Over in South Kensington the Cutting Edge goes the cosy route with Belgium hot chocolates, massages and personal astro-predictions.

Taylor Taylor in Shoreditch, meanwhile, feels like a relaxed locals bar. Along with your usual cuts, colours and styling techniques (the team are already getting themselves known on the catwalk circuit), there's chilled beers (a la Tommy Guns), cocktails and squashy sofas.

Elsewhere, take your pick from a mind-boggling range of hair help treatments at Urban Retreat to the visiting in-store barber at Bread & Honey Boutique, available every Wednesday & Friday.

Hair pampering with added incentives, it's a bit like a two for one deal at the local supermarket - don't know about you but I've always been a sucker for those.