Iconic Glasgow city centre salon celebrates 30th anniversary

Rainbow Room International’s Royal Exchange Square salon is proud to be celebrating its 30-year anniversary this week!

Since opening in 1993, the Royal Exchange Square salon has gone from strength to strength. It started as a base for the Rainbow Room International Academy and since, has expanded from a hair salon to a hair and beauty salon (the only salon within the group to have beauty!), and being home to Glasgow’s first day spa and floatarium.

The salon was the second salon to open within the Rainbow Room International group and is well-loved hairdressing boutique in the city centre.

Being situated in Royal Exchange Square within the premises of a Grade II listed Victorian building, its architecture brings many visitors through the doors.

Some of Scotland’s best hairdressing talent has trained within the Royal Exchange Square salon and directors of the Great Western Road Salon, John and Jo Parker, and Director of the Crow Road salon, Julie-Anne Donaldson, also started their journey at the salon before becoming directors of their own salons.

All of the team within the salon are homegrown and have started as apprentices, working their way up the ladder, with some of the team having been at the salon for 20 years!

The Royal Exchange Square salon has been on quite a journey within its 30 years, with some highlights including the team winning Salon of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards and the many Christmas singles the team have produced, of which have raised £27,000 for charity and saw them on TV on STV2’s Live at Five.

The team have also worked at many of Scotland’s hottest events, including T in the Park, TRNSMT, the Scottish BAFTAs.

The Royal Exchange Square salon has always been steps ahead of its competition. Alongside the first Rainbow Room International salon in Buchanan Street, they were the first to provide Shiatsu massage to their clients in Glasgow, which resulted in many other Glasgow salons and beyond offering the treatment to their clients.

David Nicolson, Director of the Royal Exchange Square salon, said, “What a journey we have been on over the past 30 years! We have so many memorable moments and highlights and some hiccups too!

“I remember back to the early days when we first opened the salon having to bring in the furniture through the windows and a wall falling and nearly demolishing the whole salon!

“But we’re still here. We have grown, evolved, embraced change and are still many clients salon of choice within the Glasgow area. I can’t wait to see what the next 30 years brings!”