We’ve all been there – a phone call from an unrecognised number (you don't pick up, obviously) telling you you’re 15 minutes late for a hair or nail appointment that's slipped your mind.
I hate letting people down, and little feels worse than wasting other people's time, but keeping on top of the myriad beauty treatments I’ve become reliant on has (unsurprisingly) meant many missed slots that never quite made it onto my Apple calendar. Until I discovered the Treatwell app.
It seems I'm a little late to this new beauty phenomenon, an app that helps you keep on top of those regular nail, laser hair removal and monthly fringe trim appointments. In fact, in 2024 20 million beauty appointments were made on the app.
Read more beauty reviews: Best LED face mask | Best body scrubs | Best fake tans
So, after pushing aside the proverbial rock I'd been hiding under, I decided to give it a try. I've been using it for two months, swapping out my normal chaotic system (calling my favourite salons a week before I want a full head of highlights and realising there's no space) for this nifty new orange square on my home screen. Here are my thoughts.
How it works
The first thing I learnt was that not only can you book through the app and link it to your phone calendar, so it automatically inputs each appointment for you, but it’s also great for squeezing in an appointment last minute if you forget to book your usual bikini wax before a week on the beach.
In a couple of clicks, you can secure yourself a mani, pedi, professional tan, a cut and colour, lash lifts and tints – all fairly local to you and all easy to rearrange if you need to. You can also get periodic laser hair removal, a regular sports massage or even a colonic hydrotherapy, if you desire.
With the app, no phone calls are necessary – it’s kind of like an Open Table for beauty appointments – so it's ideal for those who loathe being on hold or having to talk to strangers on the phone. Plus, everything’s all in one place. I like to lock in a Townhouse mani when I'm feeling fancy and flush (rare), or I sometimes opt for an affordable full set of acrylics, and it's great to be able to book something fast just a few steps away from my house when I'm in the mood.
Townhouse is convenient to squeeze in over a lunch hour (as there are a few near our London offices), but for the below designs you might need to set aside a little longer. If you've never tried a Townhouse salon before, you can order rosé in a can to sip through a straw while you get your full set of gels – does it get much more decadent?
The best bit is you can be sat on the sofa late at night and lock something in for the next morning – you don’t have to wait for salon opening hours. This element is ideal for me if I’m feeling in a funk and want to glam up. And if you’re guilty of leaving all the beauty admin to the last minute before a trip (just me?), then this app acts as your on-demand beauty PA.
Treatwell at a glance
Pros
- Book beauty and wellness appointments in a couple of clicks
- Manage and reschedule bookings effortlessly on the app
- Find trusted salons near you and across the UK
- Discover new salons, top-rated by the Treatwell community
- Book last-minute appointments and treatments with ease
Cons
- You still need to do your own due diligence about salon reviews
- Not all salons are on there
On another occasion, my little sister was staying with me in London and I booked us both a last-minute salon trip, which would normally break the bank. However, if you book last-minute or off-peak, you'll notice many salons offer a discount, as you're taking cancelled appointments – finally, we're being rewarded for our disorganisation.
I reassured my sister that there's no sibling bonding activity quite like waiting for your big sister to have a full head of highlights on a Saturday morning, and we were off. Squeezing us both in last minute was so simple and stress-free – no ringing around local salons necessary.
I did have one mixed experience during my Treatwell trial, though. I went for a spray tan at a salon local to my house, and it wasn't quite up to my usual beauty standards. I didn't love the salon itself and the results were definitely more streaky bacon than ‘spent a week in the Bahamas’. What I took away from the experience is that it's always worth doing your own research into the individual salon before booking.
The verdict on Treatwell
As long as you do your own research when deciding which Treatwell salons and services are worth your time – check the reviews on the app before booking, basically – then this platform will help streamline your beauty admin and save you pennies, too.
The user interface and connection to your calendar make it a doddle to use, and I loved the fact that there were so many salons signed up so there were always appointments available locally to me, even when I was on the move at the weekends.
For me, though, the reason this app now has a space on my home screen for life is because it's put an end to the stressful phone calls telling me I'm late for my pre-holiday spray tan and I can't get another slot until after I'm back. Never again...
Our favourite salons on Treatwell
Florence is our Senior Beauty Writer, specialising in expert-tested beauty and grooming reviews — from toothbrushes to the latest skincare launches. She’s committed to sharing recommendations for products that truly work and make people feel confident and healthy. Prior to this she was at Tropic Skincare, where she worked closely with biochemists in the lab, delving into the functions of each fresh, natural ingredient and conveying its efficacy to her audience in easy-to-digest terms.
With over five years’ experience in beauty and health journalism, Florence has written for ELLE, Women’s Fitness, Sister Magazine, National Geographic Traveller and many more, with a strong sustainability angle thread through much of her work.
When she isn’t packing for a trip away, working out, eating out or reading up on retinol serums, you’ll probably find her experimenting with her film camera and building her portfolio of portraits. Florence’s photography can be found at florencereeves-white.com, her Instagram is @florencereeveswhite and her twitter is @floreadsnwrites
