Can self-care give your confidence a boost? For many of us, looking good goes hand in hand with feeling good and the expertise of top-notch beauticians and salons can help you look and feel great. That’s why we compared 35 places on Treatwell - the hair and beauty booking app: best places for nails, best places for hair and best places for massage – all to find the top beauty and wellness hotspots in the UK.

Gold star beauty spots

When it comes to finding the perfect place for a pampering session, the city or town you live in can significantly impact your options. So where in the UK takes the crown for the highest-rated beauty spot?

Good news if you live in the borough of Manchester, as three out of the five spots are in Greater Manchester.

Joint first place goes to…

Salford and Edinburgh

Salford takes joint first place with Edinburgh, with both cities ranking high on the list when it comes to their hair and nail offering. If you want perfect coiffed hair, Edinburgh is the place to head to as it takes first place. Both cities are also relaxing hotspots as they scored highly for massage, with Salford ranking third and Edinburgh chasing close behind them in fourth.

Stockport

The town of Stockport is another beacon of beauty and takes the bronze medal for beauty and wellness. With a population of 291,080, Stockport stands out for its brilliant nail services and massage spots, as it ranked first for both respectively. Even with less-than-stellar scores for hair, sitting in seventh place, it still scores well.

Oldham

If you have textured hair, the city of Oldham is the place to go, as it claims first place for with its best-rated salons that cater to Afro hair. It also takes joint first place with Stockport for massages.

Get your hair styled here!

There’s nothing like a great haircut. A nice blowout or a stunning new colour in a top salon can leave you feeling like a million dollars. Keeping up with trends can be difficult at home, whether it’s a 90s bob to blunt cuts to Birkin bangs and copper colours, so it’s best to leave it to the pros. Having your hair professionally styled isn’t just about aesthetics; it can be a transformative experience - giving your confidence a makeover and allowing you to express yourself.

But where should you be heading if you want the best to handle your hair?

Edinburgh

Drumroll… it’s Edinburgh! With a population of around 448,850, this historic city takes the top spot with an average hair salon rating of 4.94.

So, whether you’re looking for a fresh cut, a cool colour or a new style, Edinburgh’s salons are a highlight.

Salford

Following closely behind Edinburgh is Salford. This northern hub secures second position, offering nearly every kind of style for every hair type.

Liverpool

In third place is another northern city that takes pride in its hair care services. Liverpudlians are truly spoilt for choice in this UK city.

Diversity in demand – the best spots for afro hair styling

Different hair types need different types of care and when it comes to your crowning glory you want to make sure your hair is in expert hands. There has been an increase in demand for hair salons that offer afro specialist services. In fact, searches for “african hair stylists near me” and “black hair stylists near me” have increased by 53% and 50% respectively. But not all locations cater well to this requirement.

The index revealed that out of the 35 cities analysed, only 20 had salons that mentioned “afro hair” as a service provided.

Out of these, Oldham is the city that provides the best quality of afro specialist salons and a good quantity per population of the relevant ethnicities (according to Census 2021 data). In second place is Edinburgh and in third place is Gateshead.

Cutting edge styles: The trending UK hair styles

When it comes to the styles Brits will be asking for when they sit in the chair, it seems we are in for a blast from the past. Searches for “mullet haircut" and “emo hair cut” are both rising in popularity to become breakout trends on Google Trends this year. The throwback hair styles don’t just stop there though – there has also been a 170% rise in searches for “uniform layer haircut” which closely resembles iconic “The Rachel” cut from the 90s sitcom Friends.

Celebrities have always had an influence on the latest trends, particularly footballers, which were still seeing today. There has also been a rise in people searching for “Garnacho hair cut” in relation to Manchester United Winger, Alejandro Garnacho. Barbers have said the correct thing to ask for, if you are looking to recreate the look, is “Burst Fade with a French Crop”.

Here are the hottest hair searches at the moment:

1. fringes haircut

2. uniform layer haircut

3. mens haircut styles

4. curtain bangs haircut

5. modern mullet

6. mushroom haircut

7. bowl haircut

8. bixie haircut

9. mermaid cut hair

10. garnacho hair cut

11. textured crop

12. mullet haircut

13. emo hair cut

*UK trending searches for past 30 days, taken on 1st May 2024 from Google Trends

Knead to know: the best places for massages

When life gets hectic, a good massage can help you relax and unwind when you need it most. The power of massage therapy can alleviate stress and soothe both the body and mind. From Swedish massages and deep tissue massages to sports massage therapy and facial gua sha lymphatic drainage, the art of massages continues to evolve, offering a range of techniques for every stress and strain.

Stockport and Oldham

Pummelling the competition are Stockport and Oldham. With a population of 291,080 and 220,172 respectively, residents are spoiled for choice with stellar massage parlours. Both these hubs earned an average rating of 4.9 on user reviews.

Salford

Salford is a serious contender too, sneaking just behind the joint winners. This city’s proximity to the metropolis of Manchester boasts a thriving wellness community, with plenty of spas and clinics.

Edinburgh & Glasgow

Scotland isn’t just about beautiful landscapes, it’s also a wellness hub. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow took fourth and fifth place respectively. With their dedication to holistic wellness, quality and customer satisfaction, these cities also received 4.9 massage ratings from residents.

Top tips: the best places for nails

Whether you opt for a chic French manicure, a cool chrome look or prefer intricate nail art, the right nail technician can transform your nails into beautiful works of art. But nail trends move quickly - from glazed doughnut nails to coquette nails. So, it’s important to have access to skilled and experimental technicians who can keep up with the latest trend. Head north for nails as the top six places are all located there.

Stockport, Salford & Oldham

Stockport takes gold with an average review rating of 4.9. Other cities that have been mentioned more than once are Salford takes which take joint second place with Edinburgh and Oldam takes fourth place. Both offer a huge range of nail services and personalised treatments. In fact, the northern cities have the south beat!

Luton

Luton takes eighth place and is the first southern town on the list. Cities and larger towns often place a higher importance of self-care and personal grooming and, as a result, offer the most skilled nail technicians, higher quality products, and better training opportunities to keep up with demand.

Summer nails here we come!

As we approach summer, there has been a rise in searches in the UK for summer ready nail art. In fact, in April 2024, there was a 200% rise in Google searches for “summer nail art”, but what is everyone going to be sporting this summer?

Here are some of the rising, breakout searches* when it comes to nail art:

1. orange nail art

2. daisy nail art

3. cherry blossom nail art

4. flower nail art designs

5. swirl nail art

6. french manicure nail art

7. black nail designs

8. tulip nail art

9. cherry nails

10. lemon nail art

11. flame nail art

12. star nail art

13. neon nail art

*UK trending searches for past 30 days, taken on 1st May 2024 from Google Trends

Fruit and flowers appear a few times on the list, with lemon, cherry, tulip and daisy all being rising nail art trends. Best to get those appointments booked in now, especially if you are in a location with fewer nail salons available!

Methodology

We used a data analysis tool to monitor Treatwell's services across the UK to uncover the top beauty and wellness hotspots. The research included finding how many amenities each location held, and then comparing them to the average rating. These were then standardised against the size of the population to figure out which area has the most and best beauty and wellness hotspots, which were then ranked into an index.