Amazon opens its first hair salon, where customers can use augmented reality to experiment with hair colors

• Amazon on Tuesday announced the opening of its first hair salon in London
• The London salon will trial an augmented-reality app to let customers experiment with styles and colors.
• Amazon Salon is only open to Amazon employees, but will open to the public in the coming weeks, Amazon said.

US retail giant Amazon on Tuesday opened its first-ever hairdressing salon, in London, UK.

Customers can experiment with different hair colors using an augmented reality (AR) app before deciding on their style, Amazon said.

Amazon Salon is only open to Amazon employees to begin with, the retailer said in a press release. It would open to the public in the coming weeks, it said.

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Amazon said there were no plans to open other salons, adding that it was "an experiential venue where we showcase new products and technology."

The two-floor, 1,500 square-foot Amazon Salon is on Brushfield Street in London's Spitalfields.

The AR app lets customers see what different hair colors and styles look like on them before they commit, Amazon said.

Customers can also point to a product on a shelf to get information on a display screen on the wall, Amazon said. Customers can then scan the QR code under the product to order it and get it delivered to their home, the retailer said.

The salon will give free face masks and sanitizer to customers, who will have their temperature checked and must wear face coverings, Amazon said. Customers will be separated with screens, staff will sanitize equipment between cuts, and only a limited number of people can be in the salon at one time, the company added.

"We have designed this salon for customers to come and experience some of the best technology, hair care products and stylists in the industry," said John Boumphrey, Amazon's UK country manager.

Elena Lavagni, owner of Neville Hair & Beauty, an independent hair salon in London, and her team of stylists will cut and style customers' hair.

Amazon's hair salon is opening a month after the retailer opened its first Amazon Fresh store in the UK.