Reflections Salon, a new hairdressers opened in Tavira by married couple, Nicolette and Miguel de Carvalho, is one of the few English speaking salons in the Eastern Algarve. A young couple who have experienced living and working in London, Singapore, Chicago and New York, the Carvalhos want to bring a new customer-centric approach to hairdressing, which they feel is lacking in Tavira.
“One thing that is rare in this part of the Algarve, is English speaking stylists, experienced in the expectations of their English speaking customers.” explains Nicolette Carvalho. “We have English customers that live in Spain and nip over to the Algarve to visit us so that they can have the same experience they were used to in the UK,” comments Miguel Carvalho.
Having lived in the USA for the last 13 years, they chose to move to Portugal to be nearer to their son who is currently living in London. “That was the original catalyst for talking about moving to Portugal, but the real benefit is how simple we have now made our lives,” says Miguel.
They only use one range of products in Reflections, Alfaparf – from a company based in Milan. “It is common to go into hairdressers and be overwhelmed by the vast range of products, all from different suppliers,” explains Nicolette. “We decided on Alfaparp because, as a brand, it has a selection of products which cater for practically all hair types. We don’t, therefore, feel the need to fill the salon with a plethora of competing products all offering basically the same thing.”
The building was originally a barbershop and, when the Carvalhos took over, they found that most of the customers of the previous owners still turned up regularly, despite the shop’s new owners. “This was brilliant,” explains Nicolette. “We knew that taking over an already established business and then completely changing it would not be easy, but the support from the local regulars has been fantastic and has given us a foot in the door of the local Portuguese community, meaning our client base is really varied.”
Set in the historic part of Tavira, Reflections Salon is situated on Rua Poeta Emiliano da Costa.
