Exeter hair salon emerges from lockdown with 5-star hygiene rating

A revamped Exeter hair salon has become the city’s first to win the Standards Agency Flagship’s 5-star rating for its standards of hygiene. Futura Hair, in Exeter’s South Street, is emerging from the national lockdown with a new vision for the future.

Founded and run by Nadia Barlaba, Futura Hair, which was formerly The LXS and rebranded during the pandemic, has emerged from a tough period in which a new focus was born out of the need to survive.

Nadia said: “We knew the impact the pandemic would have on the business and the community immediately and so we had to do everything we could to survive.

“It was about protecting what we could and being honest at every stage. With staff on furlough, we made sure we were keeping them positive and in constant, clear communication with them.”

“Since Christmas, we did some deep thinking about what we wanted to offer after everything that Covid had left us with,” Nadia said, “We figured out that we must have an expanded vision for the future and part of this would be a new standard for the highest level of hygiene possible.

“Aside from adhering to the strictest and most sanitary processes, we’ve introduced a virtual payment system, meaning customers can fully pay beforehand to stop cross-contamination. From start to finish the process eliminates a lot of risks.”

With the new mood of the public so focused on health and wellbeing, the salon is striving to provide the best level of protection.

“It’s going to be so reassuring for both the team and clients that our practices are recognised as some of the best in the country,” Nadia adds, “We’ve been so focused on being protective against Covid, and these should be standard practices where customers are going to feel safe. We’ve transcended just offering a welcoming and relaxing experience – a new future for the salon industry.”