Our blog began as a companion to our skin and hair clinic to share evidence-backed dermatology guides and fuss-free beauty tips. Over time it grew into something with its own voice and following. It became a space to use beauty as a lens on wider cultural and social ideas. So when the time came to give it a name, only one ever felt right. In this article, we explore why we called it The Modern Salon and what that name means to us.
Why The Modern Salon?
We kept coming up with names and rejecting them, because none of them captured what the blog had become. The idea we kept returning to was that of a virtual salon. It would be a place for the exchange of ideas big and small. The name is a nod to the salons of the Enlightenment. In the coffeehouses and drawing rooms of that era, people gathered to debate and trade ideas.
What mattered most to us was the role women played in those rooms. The Salonnières who hosted these gatherings were never passive hostesses. They curated the guest list and steered the conversation. In doing so they shaped political and cultural debates that women were otherwise shut out of. That quiet influence is something we wanted to carry forward.
The word salon has another meaning too. Today it usually brings to mind a beauty space, somewhere people, mainly women, go for treatments. Yet those spaces have always been about more than the treatments themselves. Like the Enlightenment salons, they are places where people gather, talk and share. That double meaning felt exactly right for what we were trying to build.
What Can You Expect From Us?
Since the beginning, this blog has used beauty as a starting point for bigger conversations. We write about skincare and hair, of course, with honest, evidence-led advice you can actually use. Alongside that, we explore the culture around beauty. That means the social pressures, the history and the questions that sit underneath how we look and feel. It is part beauty desk, part drawing room.
We would love for you to pull up a chair. Have a read through the blog, and share with us what you would like to see more of. The best salons were always a two-way conversation.
At City Skin Clinic, we are passionate about personalised skin and hair care. We offer safe and effective custom treatments using ingredients like tretinoin and azelaic acid where appropriate through our online clinic. Our doctors treat concerns like hair loss, acne, hyperpigmentation and skin ageing with bespoke topical treatments designed around you. To get started, book a virtual video consultation or use our online consultation form. The journey towards great skin and hair starts here.
