Merle is a two-level hair salon on Wise Street in the heart of Addington, Christchurch — a neighbourhood the team loves for its unique blend of urban, industrial, business and eclectic personalities. Inside, the aroma of freshly roasted coffee mingles with the lively sounds of the street, and the focus stays squarely on conversation and creating the best hair experience for every client.
The salon is split into two spaces with two very different moods. Downstairs, freshly polished concrete floors set the tone for a modern salon experience: relax beneath soft shears and sip from a curated drinks menu while your cut or colour takes shape. Upstairs — what the team calls their fale — warm natural wood meets crisp white walls in a serene space elevated above the city's hum, with quiet glimpses of rooftops below. However you like your salon visit, the invitation is the same: say a lot or say a little, this is your time.
Services cover the full colour and cutting spectrum: colour, tint, balayage and foils, colour correction, cuts and styling. A close-knit team of stylists — Lucy, Megan, Jess, Libby, Sam and Michele, with Yana the latest to join — each takes their own bookings, so you can find the right fit and book directly with them.
General inquiries go to [email protected], while anything about an existing appointment is best directed to your stylist. Merle shares updates and their work on Instagram and Facebook.
In the heart of Addington, surrounded by a unique blend of urban, industrial, business and eclectic personalities, you'll find Merle — and by its own telling, it's right where it wants to be. The salon sits on Wise Street, immersed in the lively sounds of the neighbourhood and the aroma of freshly roasted coffee, with conversation flowing and every appointment built around creating the best hair experience for its clients.
Merle doesn't try to be one kind of salon. It's a two-level space the team calls their fale, with two distinct moods — and you're welcome in either.
Downstairs, freshly polished concrete floors set the tone for a modern salon experience. This is the livelier side of Merle: soft shears overhead, a curated drinks menu to sip from, and the hum of the neighbourhood close by. It's designed so the appointment feels like a moment that's all about you.
Upstairs, the energy shifts. Warm natural wood meets crisp white walls in a serene retreat elevated above the city's hum, with quiet glimpses of rooftops below. It's a peaceful spot to escape the world's gaze while your hair gets the full attention.
The salon's own framing of the visit sums it up: say a lot or say a little — this is your time. Unwind and feel at home.
Merle's service list leans heavily into colour. Alongside full colour and tint work, the team offers balayage and foils for clients after dimension and depth, and takes on colour correction — the careful work of bringing hair back from a colour that went wrong. Cuts and styling round out the menu, so a single visit can cover everything from a reshaping trim to a complete transformation.
The pricing page on the salon's website lays out costs for each service, so you can check where things stand before any foils or tints come out.
Merle runs on the strength of its stylists — Lucy, Megan, Jess, Libby, Sam and Michele — each with their own social accounts and their own books. Appointments are made through the stylists page of the website, where you can choose whose chair you'd like to sit in. The team has also recently welcomed Yana, with appointments now available for anyone wanting to secure a spot with the newest member of the team.
That structure shapes how communication works, too. General inquiries go to [email protected], but anything relating to an existing appointment — a time change, a question about your colour plan — is best sent directly to your stylist.
What ties the two floors and the many chairs together is a client-first attitude. Merle describes itself as immersed in conversation and dedicated to creating the best hair experience for its clients, and the design choices — the drinks menu, the retreat upstairs, the invitation to talk as much or as little as you like — all point the same way. Whether you're in for a quick cut or a lengthy correction, the aim is for the time in the chair to feel unhurried and genuinely yours.
Merle is at 3F Wise Street, Addington, Christchurch 8024. Bookings are made online via the stylists page, pricing is published on the website, and the salon shares updates, stylist news and their work on Instagram and Facebook under @merle.thesalon. If you're new to the chair, checking the pricing page first is a sensible step — then simply pick your stylist and book in.