It's the longest standing hair salon in Altrincham - and now José for Hair has had a revamp.
The salon was named after José Izquierdo, who opened on Kingsway in 1968 and ran it for an incredible 55 years before hanging up his clippers two years ago.
But a salon actually occupied the site for four decades before José, meaning that haircuts have been performed here for the best part of a century.
It's now owned by José's daughter Lisa Izquierdo, who bought the salon off her father seven years ago and has succeeded in building on its reputation as one of the most highly regarded salons in the town centre.
But she's determined to ensure that José for Hair doesn't stand still - and the salon recently unveiled a new set of signage.
"We're really proud to have been here for so long," she said. "To be able to keep going through the economic ups and downs and through Covid has been some achievement.
"The way I like to describe it is that we're seasoned hairdressers!"
The talented team at José for Hair is certainly an experienced one.
Lisa says that Lyndsay Adkins is "absolutely one of the best" hair stylists in the country, while Billy Brench, who has worked in Hong Kong and London, is an internationally acclaimed senior colour technician.
Lynsey Latham, meanwhile, is a talented colour technician and stylist who specialises in advanced colour techniques, and stylist Andy Fielding, who has spent his 17-year hairdressing career in Altrincham, specialises in ladies’ cuts and blows and gents.
Lisa, who describes herself as an all-rounder with over 25 years as a colour technician and stylist, said the level of experience at José for Hair meant they were able to keep up with the rapidly changing trends in hair styling.
"When we trained we learned how to perm, but 16 years ago they removed the perming section from the training syllabus and replaced it with hair extensions," she said.
"But now perming has become fashionable again, so sometimes it does actually pay to be a seasoned hairdresser!"
Lisa said that one of the key attractions about the salon was how friendly it was.
"Hair salons can be very intimidating, especially the big branded salons, but there's a really welcoming atmosphere here. We'll have a laugh, but we're also very professional.
"We're still having new people find us, which is so nice after 40-plus years."
José for Hair, 21A Kingsway, Altrincham WA14 1PN. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm. Call 07715 346 116 to book. Follow @joseforhair on Instagram.
Photography: Laura Marie Linck
