About Us

The Good Salon Guide is the only independent guide to standards in hairdressing and beauty in the UK and Ireland.

Established in 1993, Good Salon Guide grades or rates professional salons against a set of criteria that have been developed with the general public, industry and trade bodies.

Recognised salons earn the right to use the Good Salon Guide logo on their shop front and certificate inside the salon, letting the general public know they are one of the best.

Recognised salons are promoted in high-quality magazines, through this website and can also take advantage of great value business training, free business advice and lots of money-saving special offers - follow this link for a full list!

The Good Salon Guide rating is not a guide to creativity and personal style.  Assessments for Good Salon Guide ratings are carried out by a team of experienced professionals, however, Mystery Clients can visit any salon unannounced to sample the service at any time to review the award.

Salons are given a rating that is based on how many of the criteria are met when they are inspected and also on Mystery Client visits.  Find out more about these ratings.  We also welcome feedback from you - the people who use Good Salon Guide recognised salons.
Complete the online feedback form.

The Good Salon Guide works in the hairdressing, beauty (Good Beauty Guide) and gent’s grooming/barbering sectors (Good Barbers Guide).

The Good Salon Guide was founded by Dawson and Eileen Penn, who still work in the business, and were joined by their son, Gareth, in 2003.  The Good Salon Guide is owned by its Directors, not a large multi-national, and has its headquarters in Portsmouth, England.