Soon be xmas

Bah humbug.
Another solid day today. To coin a phrase from X Factor, Anita 'Smashed it' on reception again today.
[She is also, a first class Barista].
Vicky was ill but kept smiling through to the end. Dunkirk Spirit I call it.

Light Emitting Diodes

At last the blue LED's go into the ground floor light tracks tonight. They were meant to go in 2 weeks ago but they mysteriously disappeared  after being unloaded from the contractors van.
Loving the salon so much am thinking of moving in permanently.

New website

New site will be up and running soon. Davide [with a little help from Sas ] has done a great job. Being Family they both understand what we are all about and have delivered exactly what we wanted. Hope you all like it!

Get yer glad rags on!

Get yer glad rags on, it's time to party! Boilerhouse would be delighted if you could join us to toast the launch of the new salon and beauty rooms at 9 Acorn Road, Jesmond, on Saturday 12 November any time between 7pm and 9pm. If you've not yet seen the salon, then come on down and feast your eyes, and if you have, well then you'll already know what all the fuss is about. We're looking forward to seeing plenty of friendly and familiar faces.

Saskia

P.S. That's Budget Not Dudget!!

Mo Bro's

Most enjoyable shave down party tonight. Ani, Honor,Lori and Felix gave it some big licks with the clippers.
Massive 'Big Up' for Lori who created a masterpiece of facial hair sculpture. [Not conforming to the official 'rules' but the crazy dude just wanted to have fun] .
Geordie miners did first shift on new excavation [Gus's annexe] should be finished tomorrow.
Foolishly let Kim have a nosy 'round. Too spartan for her taste.Have reluctantly given her a dudget for soft furnishings. Shabby Chic Bunker, Oh the shame of it.

Sunday.Day of rest?

Had a most unconventional [for me] sleep in. Up at 9.30 , took Gus for a walk on Blyth beach. Quite warm weather. Gus behaved impeccably as usual.
Two hours doing the bookwork and VAT return.Phoned Felix who has had a very busy week in the salon and is totally 'fired up'.
Watched a documentary on National Geographic about plans in place for a Alien invasion. Must fast track enlargement of Bunker. Twelve ex miners from Ashington starting tomorrow.

Two Parts Hydrogen To one Of Oxygen

Slight hiccup on the H2O front today. Slight tweak needed I think.
Team pulled together today, mighty fine effort.
Bit of a nasty argument in the staff room this afternoon as some of the girls have taken umbrage that Gus has been allocated one of the 12 bunk beds in the Bunker. Incandescent with rage, Gus being my best mate and all.
After calming down have decided the best thing is to excavate further under Acorn Rd. and make a bijou annexe for Gus. No way he is being left out in the atomic wasteland.  

Fine AND dandy.

Finally got the Transax card machine working ,but not before another 3 phone calls by myself to them.
Adrienne our Botox Lady returned bright and fresh yesterday from a weeks hol in the sun.
Kim went under the needle for the first time and I must say looks great. Today she went into Tesco for a bottle of Red and was asked for I.D. so I think we can call that a success.
Found a used air filtration machine on Ebay. It is off a decommissioned Soviet submarine. Seller has 100% positive feedback  [ 'Kalishnikovs exactly as described, thanks Sergei, Great Ebayer will definitely buy from you again'] so went for it.

And on that note.... Botox!

While we're on the subject matter of botox, we're proud to announce the arrival of Adrienne who will be offering botox and filler treatments at Boilerhouse on a Thursday. Adrienne will operate from our lovely luxury treatment rooms on the top floor of Boilerhouse and prices range from £125 to £200 dependant on the number of areas treated and the amount of product used.

For more information, or a free consultation, please pop into the salon on a Thursday. If more convenient, feel free to call the salon on a Thursday and ask to speak to Adrienne regarding the treatments she has to offer.

We must say, we're impressed with her work after Kim volunteered to be Adrienne's first client yesterday. The results were fab!

Clerical Error

Apologies all for the clerical error earlier today in which you may have received an email regarding our new botox treatments complete with visible email addresses. This was a genuine mistake made whilst getting to grips with our new fandangled computers and email communication (until now Boilerhouse has pretty much been living in the dark ages in that respect!). We understand that privacy and discretion are very important, and endeavour to not make any such mistake in all future correspondance. Thanks for your understanding and emails on the matter.

Good evening at Spy

The first soiree last night was a success with the team doing some luscious up do's. It will now be a monthly event.
Our first Girls Birthday Hair Evening in the new salon has been booked in for start of December.
Very impressed with the reception team, they have really got to grips with the new computer system.
Bunk beds arrived and have been fitted [all 12 of them]. Showing Saskia [Head of computer and communication Systems]  'round the Bunker and she pointed out that some sort of air filtration system is going to be needed for any lengthy stay in there. Task for tomorrow.

I hate Transax

Spent a very frustrating 4 hours on and off the phone to our Credit card terminal supplier. A national 'problem' means that our last 3 days transactions will take 7/10 days to reach our account instead of 3. Thanks a lot!
Felix,Kim,Zara,Lori and Anita are doing a cosy soiree at one of the bars on Osborne Rd. this evening.Awaiting report.
Bunk beds arrive tomorrow for the bunker, can't wait.

Tuesday

Nick called in to give us a preview of his photo's of the salon. Loaded the disc into the new Apple computer,didn't know how to fire it up or eject the disc. 20 minutes later worked out how to eject and loaded the disc onto our lap top. Nice photo's.
Davide, our man in Barcelona is working round the clock on the new website. Had a sneak preview, looks very tasty.
Thinking of putting bunkbeds into the Bunker and stashing some tinned foods away as it would make a fab nuclear shelter.

Jesmond Local

If you haven't seen the salon already, check out 'Jesmond Local' website as they have a video of the salon plus interview with Kim and myself.

Monday

Up at 7, quick breakfast then walked Gus. Found 6 golf balls in the wood,massive buzz.
Called in to the salon Nick from Groves came in to take some photo's of the salon for the new web site,plus a few candid snaps of me,kim and Anita.

saturday

Another week gone by. Don't know where this year has gone.We started planning the new salon in January and now clients are booking christmas appointments!

Mo Bro's

Boilerhouse will be hosting the modown on 31st October. Any chaps out there fancying a 'tache and want to enter please call in for details.

Friday and the computer system is live

After a gruelling iSalon training day for some staff members on Wednesday, the system was fully up and running yesterday. The girls did a great job of transferring over all appointments from our paper book to the computer system, and were live by the end of the day. We now look forward to booking your appointments on our spangly new system!

Tuesday

Computer system installed. Tomorrow is tuition day. I may retire to the Bunker for refreshments.
Received a text from the 2 Daves [yesterdays drivers] saying what a pleasure it was and they hope to see us again! What I didn't realise is that they are both deaf.

Monday

Yesterday was a trip too far for me. 10 Hours total travelling time on 'Executive' coach [snort].
Noise level was at a dangerous level. The coach drivers said we were a very nice civilised group.If that is true then I can't imagine their usual type of punter.Probably trips between Court and Prison.Gave them a good tip for such a blatant lie. ,I'm getting too old for this sort of caper I think!
Closed today to finish some snags. Intercom up and running ,ipads likewise.
Our Parrot has started to talk ,amazing.
Computerised booking system goes in tomorrow and training day on Wed. Should be fun.

saturday

What a lovely Autumn day! Happy clients,happy staff. Lovely jubbly!
We are all off to the annual trade fair at Excel at the Docklands 'Dahn Sarf'.
Pick up by executive coach [I will reserve judgement on that description until tomorrow] at 6a.m. should be a nice day for all.

Friday

Aircraft fuselage is up and the plasma's working.
Waiting for the broadband to go live so we can use the in-house intercom system which will save the legs of the apprentices. Shame,the exercise has done them good!
Still waiting for the downstairs lights to be tweaked but only minor things to do now. Dishwashers on two floors now connected ,again save carting cups and saucers about.

Monday

Aircraft fuselage is in the window and the plasma's will be connected on the morrow.
Work should be starting soon on our new website.

saturday

Good day today, nice buzz in the salon. I am the new self appointed 'vibe meister' . The sound system is locked in my office aka 'The Bunker' so please email if you have any special requests.
Broadband should be up next week for the ipads in the comfort zone.
Plus...The aircraft fuselage on Monday!

THURSDAY

salon feels great. All our regular clients love it . Just got the snagging list to work through!

tuesday

Almost there now. Kim has been adding the final touches and everything is looking good.
Still not happy with the downstairs lighting where the styling takes place. Will be rectified shortly though.

Monday

What a day. I haven't done a 12 hour shift for a long time I am worn out!
At Start of play this morning I didn't think we could possibly get floors 1 and 2 ready for tomorrow.
However bar some tweaking all is well.
Watches were synchronised and Richard [the head honcho of Abbey Electrical and Mechanical] gave his posse  a rousing pep talk, I recognised snatches of Henry V,plus some random snatches of Rudyard Kipling. Anyhow it did the trick and when the whistle blew at 0900 as a man they went over the top and stormed Boilerhouse.

saturday

We have lift off!
Ground floor complete apart from a few minor adjustments, brighter lighting needed over work stations.
Computers to be installed at reception.
The workspace feels great though, delighted . Work to continue over the weekend by the shopfitters and most of the staff are coming in on Monday to get things sorted ready for Tuesday ,the official completion day.
Nearly there!

Wednesday

Phone line all ok now.Sorry for any inconvenience.
We are now operating no.7 and no.9 on ground level, we will be completely into no.9 by next tuesday.
Salon looks amazing.

Important Message! Wednesday

Unicom still haven't sorted our incoming line yet, but if you try to dial us it gives the impression that the phone is not being answered as it sounds like it is ringing. We're not ignoring you - promise!

Please email Boilerhouse at boilerhousehair@gmail.com with your name and contact number and a member of the team will call as soon as possible to book you in.

Alternatively, you can call Steve on his mobile on 07730972349.

Apologies for the inconvenience, and please hang on in there - we'll be moved in and sorted very soon!

Wednesday - dodgy phone line!

A huge apology to anyone trying to book appointments at the moment - our phone line when down yesterday, and is due to be re-routed, but that's not yet happened (grrrrr). At the moment, we can't tell how long it's going to take, so to ensure you can get yourself booked in, you can email boilerhousehair@gmail.com with your name and contact number and a member of the team will call you back to book you in.

This does also mean that we can't operate our card machine so we would really appreciate it if you could bring cash or a cheque.

On the plus side, the salon is looking great, and it's looking likely that some of tomorrow's clients will be experiencing their appointment next door in our new swanky location!

Tuesday

Bit of a cock up by Unicom today so if you are reading this and tried to 'phone the salon today and had trouble getting through, you now know why. Sorry!
Everything else going well.Should be seeing a few night shifts by the boys this week I reckon!

Monday

Work proceeds nicely. We should be in by the end of the week!
The upstairs space is great now the wall has been taken down to make the 1st floor open plan.

saturday

Today saw the bespoke steel work units arrive and start to be assembled,and they look great. With an empty shell it is difficult to envisage how the space will feel, now it is filling out we can see it is going to be a great space to work in. Tonight one wall goes up, and another will come down.

Friday.

The shopfitters are working together like a fine swiss timepiece. A beautiful sight to behold.
Wallpapers, which have been specially designed ,are going up and look amazing. Tomorrow night we relinquish the upstairs area which we have held on to up until now.The dividing wall will go up on the 1st floor and the Boilerhouse we have known for the last 25 years will be no more. Quite an emotional day I'm sure as we have [me and Kim anyhow!] worked at no.7 for half our lives.

Wednesday.

Lots happening. More lighting gone up, painters are working through the night. A blip with the computer system which was meant to go in today as something hadn't arrived, so fitting has been put back a week which means that the staff training day can't be done until mid October. Just have to make do with the old appointment book for a while longer. Staff are all fairly shivering with uncontrolled excitement!  

Getting stressful!

Supposed to be having 3 new lines in today from BT,but only 2 showing on the job roster.Obviously they can't just do the 3rd while they are there,have to check the paperwork and get back to them .Bah Humbug.
Supposed to moving in next week but lots still to do.Scary.

20 September. Looking Good!

Things are starting to come together nicely. 2nd floor toilets are in,reclaimed wood floors are down,paint effects guys are doing their thing.Salon exterior colour is on,sky dish up,phone lines in tomorrow.
Light fittings going up,tiles going down.Reception desk on wed. computers in Thurs.whew!

Latest photo update

There's definite change this week in the salon, with things starting to take place a little more:

The new room has been stripped down, ready for a new layout and design.

 We uncovered a pretty ceiling rose under the false ceiling, and an old fireplace behind new plaster, but will these features be sticking around to make an appearance in the new salon? You'll just have to wait to find out!

 The ladies loos are coming on, with wood on the walls. There'll now be 2 ladies toilets and a separate toilet for the gents, as part of the attic area. On the right is a view of the skylight, looking from the first floor landing.
 

Plenty of texture going on here on the downstairs wall, but who's to say that it's staying?

Honor and Dani making use of the makeshift room. It's a little cosy, sure, but it's working out just fine while the renovation works continue in other areas of the salon.

Jo's off on maternity

Jo is now officially on maternity leave! We had to say bye to her a week earlier than expected, after bad water retention in her hands was preventing her from cutting and colouring to the best of her potential. She tried to reach all of her clients to let them know personally, but if she couldn't get hold of you, she apologises. In the meantime, we're looking forward to each meeting some of her clients, to tide you over with your cut and colour needs until her return. Both mum and baby seem to be doing just fine, and we'll let you know when baby makes his first appearance!

New service confirmed!

Exciting news just in at Boilerhouse is that, once well and truly in situ in the new salon, the newest service to be added to our list is botox! We'll shortly be welcoming Adrienne to the team. 

Registered general nurse qualified for thirty years, Adrienne has spent most of her profession working in operating theatre environments, anaesthetics and recovery and has a degree in health Sciences from the University of Teesside.

Adrienne became interested in Botox and fillers through personal use and was delighted with my own results so decided to undertake training.

She qualified in the use of botox in 2006 at Harley Street Medical Training Group in London and also qualified in the use of facial fillers at QMED training centre in 2006.

Stay tuned for further information, including prices and days of the week that these new appointments will be available.

More progress updates

This week has been a little light on visual progress, with lots of behind the scenes and electrical type work taking place, but here are a few snaps to keep all you progress followers out there sated.

Kim and a client peek in on the new site in anticipation

Skips are a regular feature outside the salon at the moment, while all the old comes out

 The 'New Room' has begun its transformation, now that it has been taken from us

 and blocked off for work. Incidentally, this room will be the only area

 of Boilerhouse which currently exists to feature in the new set-up.

 Wonder if it'll still be referred to as the new room...

 The new room again, looking to out back. This will ultimately be knocked

 through, to create a bright and breezy open space

 A few old sections and mirrors are all that remains of the new room as we know it

 This skylight used to be blocked up in a cupboard, which has now been smashed

 down, allowing lovely natural light to flood in

The floor hole will have a pretty banister built around it, and become a feature in the 

new salon. Guys, get yer girlies up on the top floor and stand on the 

floor below for some Romeo and Juliet re-enactments!

A new 'New Room'

As you all know, we're well into the process of moving premises, and, as a result, have had to surrender our large upstairs room so that the shopfitters can work on making it look lovely for the new salon opening. Luckily, we've been given a temporary room to work in upstairs, though it is a smaller area than we're used to so please bear with us if you're in over the next few weeks, and be mindful that if you're bringing friends or family along to your appointment there may not be a spare seat for them. We can, of course, accommodate you for your appointment, though there might be a little element of musical chairs going on!

Though you are always welcome to pop in for fringe trims, please again be aware that there might be a small wait  for fringe trims before a seat becomes free on our busier days, and if possible, please try and drop by in the early part of the week to avoid a wait for yourself.

Thanks again for all your patience during our facelift, and we can't wait to see you on the other side! :)

Week 1 of renovation and relocation

Well, as mentioned in our previous blog update, the shopfitters began work earlier this week, and have made considerable tracks already. Just have a look at the photos of progress this week to see for yourself...

Out back is now a shell of its former self.

 In the first few days, flooring has come up, and walls have come off.

 Ruby and Zahra go exploring. The original doorway to the top floor

has been removed, and the brickwork exposed.

 Looking from the top floor - all the original brickwork to the left, which has been

covered for years, will ultimately be sandblasted and varnished.

 Downstairs seems to currently be acting as a holding area for all the rubble and 

rubbish coming down from upstairs!

 This neat little cubby in the basement is soon to become the main office, while

the rest of the basement will be converted into a staff break room.

 Here's a sneak preview of some of the lovely new industrial fixtures and fittings

which will feature heavily in Boilerhouse's new look.

More rubble downstairs, while Felix shows off the new site from outside.

Be sure to check back soon for more updates and previews as the work continues!

Renovations continue

Things are moving on with the renovation and relocation of Boilerhouse. After work on the roof and upper windows came work on the top floor, sectioning out the new washrooms in a much brighter and airier location, as well as plenty of rather dull electrical work throughout the salon. There's been much to-ing and fro-ing over actual start date of full-on work, and we can now confirm that the shopfitters 'move in' this Monday, 1st August, so exciting visual changes should begin to take place before our eyes in a matter of weeks now.

In the meantime, check out a few photos of the salon in its current shell form!

 

This soon will be the new, ground-level, home of Boilerhouse, on the corner at no. 9 Acorn Road

 

The new site for the beauty room is not currently looking quite so beautiful

 

The overflow room in the attic is overflowing with work to be done at the moment

 

A view from the top - taken from the attic floor, looking all the way down to what will be the new set of stairs used to get from ground level to the first floor

 

The area presently known as 'out back' will soon join the rest of the first floor to become a part of the large, bright and airy open plan first floor styling and colouring room

And the Boilerhouse transformation begins!

The beginnings of the new Boilerhouse have now officially begun! If you've been down Acorn Road this past week, you'll notice the dominating scaffolding that's been erected, which marks the start of work to the new salon. The roof and attic windows are currently being renewed, and internal work is set to commence on July 11th, so if your appointment is filled with banging and drilling, please do bear with us, because you'll be just as excited to see the product of the noise as we! Stay tuned on our news page and Facebook for photo updates and sneak previews along the way as Boilerhouse undergoes its most ambitious and extravagant transformation yet!

Eleanor's 12th Birthday @ Boilerhouse

Another month, and another birthday party at Boilerhouse. This month saw Eleanor celebrating her 12th birthday, with a pampering party for her and her friends. Boilerhouse's team of juniors reported back that the evening was a great success, and that all of the girls loved their pretty hairstyles, glitzy manicures, and super chic party bags. Judging by the pictures, we couldn't agree more!

Don't forget, Boilerhouse currently offers children's pamper parties on a Friday night, so if you're interested, book early to secure your preferred Friday. You can arrange a booking by calling Boilerhouse on 0191 281 2348 and asking for Kim or Saskia.

Gone Fishing: Steve and Gus

When not manning the desk at Boilerhouse, Steve is an avid fan of fishing, and caught his first salmon of the season this weekend, at Ladykirk on the Tweed, where the handsome looking fish was returned to spawn.

The fish in question

Gus also enjoyed his first day fishing of many to come, lounging on the river banks with a cup of tea ;)

Global Keratin (Brazilian) Blow Dries now available!

Boilerhouse is proud to offer a great new service. Having sent Gabi on a course, she is now qualified to carry out the new service of Brazilian blow dries.

"The Hair Taming System with Juvexin is designed to reduce frizz, add shine and make hair manageable. It can be applied over ANY chemical treatment such as colour, highlights, relaxers, Japanese straightening and bleach. On virgin hair, results will improve with every application."

Recommended to be carried out every 3 months or so, the service will cost between £150 and £195, with a 50% deposit to be paid prior to the appointment, and the process takes approximately 2 and a half hours. Book now to experience the great results for yourself.

Dame Allan's Fashion Show

A team of Boilerhouse's girlies, headed by Kim, provided hair services for a charity fashion show this month, held at As You Like It. This is the second successful show so far this year that Boilerhouse has been involved in, and we're looking forward to doing many more to come. Here are some photos of the evening's work...

Makeup by Sarah Stonehouse of F.A.C.E Makeup Artistry

http://www.facebook.com/f.a.c.emakeupartistry

Kid's party number 2 goes down a treat!

Olivia's 8th birthday at Boilerhouse was absolutely fab! Have a look at the photos to see the wonderful different styles the girls went for. Everyone had a great time, although the full on Justin Bieber soundtrack throughout was perhaps a little questionable, but kids will be kids! These lovely girlies even got picked up in a limo after their makeovers, and they couldn't have looked snazzier for the occasion!