Pikku - clothes & hair for little ones

Last weekend Heidi was invited down to Pikku in Gosforth to have her hair cut and indulge in a little retail therapy. We spent such a lovely Saturday morning together and I left thinking how happy I was to discover such a local hidden gem. I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Pikku is situated in the heart of Gosforth on the high street (opposite the Brandling Arms). We parked our car at Salter's Road car park which was less than a minutes walk away. Pikku features an exclusive designer children's boutique on the ground floor and an exciting hair salon on the first floor which has been designed especially with children in mind. On arrival, we headed straight upstairs and took a seat on the bright sofas. Heidi had lots of fun playing with the toys while we waited for our appointment.

Everything about Pikku is child friendly - I loved the bright surroundings, baby walkers for little ones and hair dressing toys, books and jigsaws. It feels more like a playgroup than a hair salon and is very inviting for little ones. What makes the place even more special is the patient and smiley staff - they are SUPERB with children and have a variety of tricks up their sleeve to help relax apprehensive children. Heidi's favourite trick was most definitely when some bubbles magically made an appearance. Any thoughts of what can be a scary experience soon disappeared as she chased them around the room.

There are lovely little touches everywhere you look and a lot of thought has obviously gone into the salon's design to make it a friendly, happy place to be.

Would you just look at those cars! Heidi had the option of choosing which one she'd like to try and obviously went for pink. Every car comes complete with it's own ipad on which your little one can watch their favourite tv show. This is such a good distraction technique. Heidi is normally quite chatty but she was so engrossed in Sofia the First she didn't even notice her hair was being cut and paid absolutely no attention to what was going on around her.

Laura who cut Heidi's hair was wonderful - she was down to earth and easy to chat to. She was also happy to give us some hints and tips for styling Heidi's hair at home which was a lovely touch. Laura has children of her own so you know your child is in safe hands. In fact they are so safe I was very tempted to take up the salon's offer and relax on the nearby sofa with a cup of coffee and a magazine. I was too busy with my camera this time but will definitely be doing this next time. A hot cup of coffee and magazine for 30 minutes sounds like bliss!

I spent some time chatting to Pikku's owner, a lovely lady called Minna who originates from Finland. She has a vision of offering unique, stylish clothing and services for children in a friendly and relaxing environment and I really think she has succeeded. Hair appointments are 30 minutes long rather than the traditional 20 minutes meaning that the stylists can build up trust with their clients and nobody ever feels rushed. Minna advised bringing children along from a very young age and maybe letting them have a play with the salon's toys and road-testing a seat in the super cool car chairs before their first haircut visit meaning that a haircut never becomes a traumatic experience and is instead a place of fun where you get to play with toys and leave with a balloon.

At the end of our haircut, Heidi was asked if she would like her hair plaited like Elsa - of course the answer was yes! I am RUBBISH at plaiting hair and I'm always amazed when the experts can do it in a matter of minutes!

We were really pleased with the results. Laura and her colleague run special courses for parents to learn how to plait your child's hair. These are really popular and normally sell out within a few hours so make sure you keep an eye on Pikku's facebook page for new dates. I am definitely going to book myself onto one of these courses - I'd love to be able to do this to Heidi's hair myself.

Pikku have really gone the extra mile in my opinion in making sure your child's haircut is as stress-free as possible for all concerned. I love that you can book an appointment online and you'll receive a confirmation email - perfect for those of us (like me) who have to triple check things a million times. I also love the extra services available such as baby's first haircut with commemorative hair locket and certificate and their loyalty card scheme and sibling discounts. You can also hire the Pikku salon for an exclusive children's birthday party with pampering, hairstyling, nibbles and lots of fun. More information available here.

Prices for a haircut at Pikku start at only £7.50 (you can view the full price list here). I can 100% say this price is worth it for the experience you receive.

After Heidi's haircut we ventured downstairs which is home to the most beautiful and exclusive clothes for little ones. Sourced from brands that are not available anywhere else in Newcastle, the unique outfits and toys are stunning and I actually could have brought them all home with me! The clothes are in fact so gorgeous that they deserve a post all of their own, so look out for that in a few weeks time. In the meantime, you can browse and shop online here:- pikku-online.co.uk Their baby clothes and toys were particularly stunning and I now know where I am going to head when I next need to buy a baby a gift (as an extra bonus, gift wrapping is also included ).

We received a complimentary haircut for the purpose of this review. I am so pleased we discovered Pikku and have already booked Heidi's next appointment. We both loved our experience and cannot wait to return.

Follow Pikku on Facebook

Phone:- 0191 447 1300

Email:- info@pikku.co.uk

Address:- 173-175 High Street, Gosforth. NE3 1HE

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