Welcome to GA

Hello, and welcome. We're really glad you're coming in to spend a day with us.

This guide is just a friendly head-start. There's nothing to memorise perfectly and nothing to be nervous about — we'll walk through all of it together on the day, at your pace. Reading it beforehand simply means the first few hours feel familiar rather than brand new. Take what sticks; we'll fill in the rest.

A quick word about the place: GA is a small group of four salons, and reception is right at the heart of it. You're not just the desk — you're the person who keeps the day flowing and makes everyone, clients and stylists alike, feel looked after. The pace can be lively, so the little phrase you'll hear us say a lot is simply: "let's go with the flow."

01 A normal welcome

Everything starts with a warm hello — that always comes before anything on the computer.

• A big smile and a "good morning" is the whole job in miniature.
• Many of our clients are Italian, so a "buongiorno" is lovely when it comes naturally — Gennaro, the owner, always smiles when he hears it.
• If you don't know the client yet: "May I ask your name? Do you have an appointment?"
• For someone brand new: "Welcome to GA, thank you so much for choosing us — please have a seat, I'll be right with you."
• Then offer a drink straight away, and on the way out: "Thank you so much, have a wonderful day."

That's it. Warmth first, everything else second.

02 Checking a client in

We currently use two booking systems side by side while we move to our own one: Phorest (the long-standing one, which keeps our reports) and Daviana (our new in-house system). You don't need to master both today — just know we keep them matching.

Checking someone in is lovely and simple:

1. Say hello.
2. Click once on their name → check in. Done.

Two nice reasons it matters: everyone on reception can see the client has arrived, and it quietly pings the stylist's Apple Watch so they know to get ready. The day's screen reads like a spreadsheet — each stylist has their own column, and green means already paid and finished, so you can leave those be. Do glance at the notes on a booking too — the colour formula and a client's preferences live there.

03 Drinks & looking after people

Making a nice drink is one of the warmer parts of the day.

• Tea goes on the large tray; an espresso, a water or a cappuccino is happy on a small one.
• Every drink goes out the same friendly way: two chocolates (one dark, one milk) and two sugars (one brown, one white), set opposite each other.
• Coconut & Truffle tea is the house favourite — serve it with a little honey.
• Water comes with the chocolates but no biscuits.

For drinks to clients upstairs we have our own little app (three floors, so stylists order through it). Tap the stylist's name, find their client, pick the drink and send it — it'll chime gently until you mark it "done." If you're ever swamped, Shinar, our housekeeper, is an angel and will happily help. Drinks now go on the bill, filed neatly "under bar" for you.

04 Payments, gently explained

There are two card machines, and it's just a matter of which one:

• The salon's own machine (the GA-branded one) for the salon's services.
• Each self-employed stylist's own SumUp, on their own phone, for their services — you close their payment under their name. The right reader lights up when you start, so it's easy to spot.

A few good-to-knows:

• Regulars often have a card saved on file (you only ever see the last four digits).
• Online bookings pay half up front; phone bookings don't pay a deposit unless it's their first visit.
• A consultation is £20, and that £20 comes straight off the price on the day — it's a credit, not a charge.
• We have a friendly 24-hour cancellation policy, which the deposit/card simply covers.

None of this needs to be perfect on day one — we'll do real ones together.

05 Coats, kimonos & walking clients up

• Help the client into their kimono and walk them up to their stylist — we never let anyone find their own way between floors.
• Take their coat at check-in, tag it with a number, and remember the garment so it comes back to the right person.
• On rainy days, offer to pop their umbrella by the desk.

06 A little about our products

Everything we sell is our own range, created by Gennaro — no hard selling, just letting clients know what might suit them. The line-up: five shampoos, four masks, a conditioner, and The Mousse (the favourite — a treatment that also protects from heat).

The thing clients love most is our colour philosophy: we use natural herbs and a gentle demi-permanent, mixed with hot water, rather than harsh ammonia colour. Because it blends the regrowth softly, people can often stretch the time between colours — kinder to the hair and to their diary. As Gennaro puts it, no one should feel like a slave to their cut or colour — everyone should leave feeling like themselves, only better.

07 The phones

• One phone system covers all four salons — callers press 1 South Kensington, 2 Chelsea, 3 Notting Hill, 4 Wimbledon.
• Anyone can answer for any branch, and after the third ring, whoever's free picks it up — we don't leave it ringing.
• Isadora looks after phones and emails remotely from 11 to 5, so it's mainly us first thing and at the end of the day.
• A simple greeting does it: "GA Salon, [name] speaking, how can I help?"
• The person in front of you always comes first — a caller or a delivery can wait a moment.

08 The services, in plain terms

*The £20 consultation comes off the price on the day. These are examples — the team will confirm the full price list with you.

09 Who's who & where

• The Chelsea salon has three floors: reception & bar downstairs, styling upstairs, beauty & staff room below.
• South Kensington is open every day; Chelsea, Notting Hill and Wimbledon close Sundays and Mondays.
• Gennaro and Sarkis are the owners. Marianna does make-up, Shinar keeps everything running, Isadora is on the phones remotely.
• Our assistants are training to be stylists themselves — very much part of the team.

10 How we like to work together

None of this is a test — it's just the spirit of the place:

• We like people who are adaptable, quick on their feet and calm under a busy moment. You'll grow into the pace.
• Talking to each other is half the job — reception, stylists and beauty all keeping in the loop.
• A notebook by your side is your best friend; jot things down and nothing gets lost.
• If you need a stylist mid-service, a quiet word in their ear rather than across the room.
• The nicest habit of all: before a client pays, just check they're happy. If there's the slightest hesitation, we'd rather sort it there and then, with a smile.
• And the consultation is the part we care about most — really listening to what someone wants.