My visit to the Milton Keynes branch of award-winning nail salon, Townhouse
By Rebecca Hitchon | 11 November 2021 | Feature, Salon & Spas
Scratch Stars Nail Salon of the Year 20/21, Townhouse, has opened a branch in the heart of Milton Keynes. Admired by beauty pros and celebrities alike, the luxury nailcare business is renowned for mastering classic, minimalist manicures and elegant, stylish nail art looks.
The flagship branch in Fitzrovia was launched by Juanita Hubert-Miller in May 2018 with one goal: to elevate the nail salon experience. Its popularity led to its expansion into prestigious department store, Harrods, in Knightsbridge in 2020 and November 2021 sees the launch of a third Townhouse; in Milton Keynes.
I visited the premises on its launch date, 11 November, and wondered – why Milton Keynes? The team explained that the town is not only ideally located just a 30-minute train ride from London, but is a shopping hub that is quickly developing into a UK hotspot.
With Townhouse’s Knightsbridge branch situated in Harrods, a Harrods staff member told me that it made sense for the brand to situate its Milton Keynes setup in the town’s H Beauty by Harrods department store. After all, Townhouse and Harrods have a similar ethos focused on quality and luxury, as Mia Collins, head of beauty at Harrods, points out:
“Townhouse shares our passion for exceptional beauty treatments and is undoubtedly the UK’s forerunner for nail trends. Harrods is delighted to have found such a great partner.”
I was introduced to tech, Alex, whose friendly nature and caring attitude (she checked that everything felt and looked best at every step of my manicure) added to the feeling of ease that resonated around the salon.
From the very beginning, Townhouse has centred itself around ease – from its simple online booking system to the colour libraries and seasonal nail art lookbooks that are sent to clients before their appointment and then shown on digital screens during their visit. When I struggled to choose between two nail shades, the Milton Keynes team insisted that I try both colours first so I was the happiest I could be with my manicure.
I opted for light green shade Camden Passage under pink glitter Love Lane, both from CND’s Shellac range, while Alex told me that the Townhouse team carefully choose between their OPI, The Gel Bottle Inc and CND selections for each client, considering what is best for their nails and what will provide the finish that they want.
I cannot write about Townhouse Milton Keynes without mentioning its salon design, too. From the glorious marble manicure bar with nude shell-design stools to semi-private pedicure stations (with added peep hatches to mirror seat dividers on business class flights), the look is clean, sophisticated and utterly inviting.
Later, when I left the salon, I bumped into Townhouse founder and creative director, Juanita Huber-Millet, who seemed beyond delighted about Townhouse’s expansion and the hype around it, helped by the brand’s placement of 200 balloons across Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire – each with a ‘golden ticket’ for a free manicure and cocktail.
“I founded Townhouse with a clear goal – to create a fun and aspirational space for women and men and a brand that inspires. We have been very selective with our expansion and it was essential that we pick the right place for our first location outside of London. Milton Keynes just felt like the perfect spot,” she commented.