Forking out for a cut above the rest

Some Irish people are flying to London to have their hair cut by Nicky Clarke - a snip at €644. Kate Holmquist sees if the result is worth it

On Saturday I found myself sprawled along the edge of the huge two-person bathtub in the penthouse suite at the Morrisson Hotel in Dublin, with my head dangling down in the morning-after position, while two women poured John Rocha vases of warm water over my head. Undignified, certainly, but you don't pass up a chance to have your hair cut by Nicky Clarke.

Yes, that Nicky Clarke. The one who made the prison warden look 10 years younger in the first series of What Not to Wear, who cuts Jemima Khan's and Elizabeth Hurley's hair, and has a six-month waiting list. When I heard that Irish people are flying to London to have their hair cut by him at £425 (€644) a pop - colouring not included - I just had to know: could he work his magic on me?

I was compelled to apologise in advance to my own hairdresser, Bríd of Berry in Dún Laoghaire, who warned me that he would cut it short. I won't let him, I insisted. He'll have a way of convincing you, she replied. I won't fall for it, I declared.

First, Nicky and I consult. "Tell me how you feel about your hair. Give me the whole history. Take your time," he says, in a genuinely warm manner.

"Are you the Warren Beatty type . . . You know that movie: Blow Dry? Blow Up?" I prevaricate.

He interrupts: "Shampoo! And no I'm not." His eyes roll coyly in a signal that could mean he is or he isn't, but I suspect he can be cheeky in a nice way.

I tell him how I feel about my hair: it used to be long and gorgeous when I was younger, now I like it shoulder-length, but it has got quite thin and dry on the ends, and while it looks great after a professional blow-dry, I'm having trouble maintaining that look myself.

"Exactly what I'm thinking," he answers. We agree already, nothing to worry about. He explains that my hair can appear long and full without actually being long and full, and that a lot of women think that more is better, when actually less is more. It will be shoulder-length, he promises, but not a lot of it has to actually be at the shoulder to give an impression of luxuriant, youthful hair. "It's all about balance," he says, convincingly enough.

Off we go then. He is incredibly focused, humming as he works. First, while the hair is wet, he cuts the sketch, which is a shoulder-length bob - so far so good. Then, while an assistant holds a blowdryer on my hair, he plays with it, fingers it and snips at it for about an hour, building volume by the way he cuts it with my hair's own inclinations to grow this way or that. He also uses Nicky Clarke Great Body Plump It Up Hair Raising Spray. He's so intensely focused that I can't believe he still does 10 haircuts a day every day, after 30 years in the business.

Now for the "reveal", as Nicky calls it: My husband says it's the best hair-cut I've ever had, adding, "It looks like your hair always should have looked." When we're out shopping afterwards, my daughter says that men keep staring at me. My best friend says it looks amazing. Bríd suppresses any instinct she may have had to say I told you so and says, "Looks great, that's exactly the haircut I gave you a while back before you decided to grow it long." She has a point, so I don't argue.

The next day, my hair still looks great and doesn't feel sticky or stiff, but nice and soft, while still holding the style. But it is short. Yes, reader, I fell for it.

I didn't have to pay for my haircut, as he is in town for the modelling competition The Irish Face of Nicky Clarke. But would I pay £425 to have my hair sculpted by Nicky (subsequent haircuts £250 each)? Add in the flights to London, the hotel, the colour (about £200) and other expenses, and there's obviously no way I could afford it. But would I pay it if I was rolling in it? Yes. It's partly that I love the haircut and partly that I loved the feeling of being lavished with such care by the rather gorgeous Nicky. His long-term plan is to open a salon in Dublin. I'll be hoping to win the Lotto by then.