In-villa hair styling in St Barts before a wedding

A wedding on the island, a smart dinner, a party at the end of the year: you want your hair done without driving across St Barts or waiting your turn in a salon. With in-villa hair styling, the stylist comes to you, and you get ready at home, with your own things around you. You still need to choose the right option and book at the right moment.

Which option to choose

The hair styling page brings together three kinds of service.

First, the blow-dry. Its length depends on your hair: three quarters of an hour for short hair, an hour and a quarter for medium-length hair, an hour and a half for long hair or extensions. It is the option for a dinner or an evening out.

Then the up-do or styled look, which takes an hour. That is the one for a wedding, a ceremony, or an outfit that needs your hair up and holding all evening.

Lastly, the cuts: women, men and children. For an important occasion, a cut is better done a few days before than on the day itself, so that you have time to get used to it.

When to book

As early as you can, including from home before you travel, since everything is done online. A late-afternoon slot on a holiday is not always to be found at the last minute.

Booking early does not lock you in. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the appointment, and your card is not charged when you book.

Working out your time

Start from the time you need to leave the villa and work backwards. Count the length of the option, then whatever is left to do once your hair is done: make-up, getting dressed, photographs before you go. Add a margin. Good hair is done without looking at your watch.

Plan where you will sit, too: near a socket and a mirror, in good light, with enough room for the stylist to move around you.

If several of you are having your hair done, the lengths add up. For a group, a bride and her bridesmaids for instance, write to us from the help button on the site before booking, so the times can be arranged.

What to tell the stylist

The booking note is for the essentials: the kind of style, the length of your hair, the time you need to be ready by.

After confirmation, the stylist messages you. Send them what will really help:

• one or two pictures of the style you have in mind;
• a picture of the outfit, the neckline and the back above all;
• the accessories to work in, a veil, a comb, flowers;
• your questions, for instance whether they prefer hair washed the day before or on the day.

They will tell you what is realistic for your hair type, and you will avoid surprises in front of the mirror.

Rounding off your preparation

In-villa beauty treatments are booked the same way. A manicure takes half an hour to three quarters of an hour depending on the option, gel polish three quarters of an hour, a lash lift one hour. They are better placed the day before, so that not everything has to fit into the same morning.

How booking works

You choose the option, the date and the time, give the villa's address, then register your card. The stylists who are available are notified, an email tells you as soon as one of them offers, and you choose. The final price is the one set by the stylist you pick.

After the 48-hour limit, or if you are not there at the appointment, the service is not refunded.

If your event falls over the holidays, read our article on what to book early for New Year's Eve too.