THE SALT SALON

The Salt Salon

How one of London’s newest hair salons doubles as a world-class listening space.

A salon tuned like a sound system; design studio Unknown Works has transformed Salt Salon London’s Victorian storehouse into an impossibly serene listening space across three floors, anchored by a pair of machined steel loudspeakers developed with the city’s audio maven Friendly Pressure. Constructed using “roboforming”, a low-energy additive manufacturing process that was developed specifically for this project, using salvaged metal and shelving from Blythe House, which previously stored artefacts from the V&A, British Museum, and the Science Museum.

The location itself overlooks Borough Market, one of the oldest food markets in the city, dating back over a millennia according to some sources. Still, though its bones are rooted in a long and storied past, the district has never felt like a mere historical performance, it remains a vibrant hub of creative energy, just the kind of place that a venue like the Salt Salon would fit right in.

By day it’s a hair salon, but the Salt Salon’s impressive arsenal of audio hardware is far from wasted in the after hours. Come closing time the 3 storey building transitions effortlessly into a bar and events space.

The bespoke wall-to-wall mirror on the cutting floor isn’t really a mirror at all, but a stainless steel panel polished in select sections to a mirror finish, designed to bounce sound from an elevated pair of Pickney speakers suspended from the ceiling. At the very top is the Colour Floor, featuring a half-tonne steel workstation hanging from the old rafters, intended to stain and patinate over time with frequent dye use.