Mods Hair on Aikmans Road in Merivale is Christchurch's home of a genuinely Parisian hairdressing story. The salon opened in 2003, when Julianne Liebeck returned to New Zealand fresh from Europe and the international education circuit with a clear vision: to introduce Mod's Hair to this country. Two decades on, the salon counts more than 40 runway-launched collections and a legacy of firsts — including introducing Mod's signature balayage to New Zealand — all shaped by Julianne and her team's Methodology and eye for modern, wearable style.
The Mod's Hair name carries real heritage. Founded in Paris in 1968 as a hair stylist agency for studio work, the group built its reputation on credits in Elle, Marie-Claire and Vogue before opening its first salon on Rue de Rennes in 1974, later adding an Avenue Montaigne address and, from 1994, a flagship on the Champs-Élysées that remains the model salon for the brand worldwide. 'Mod's Hair' literally means hair for fashion — and that runway DNA still defines the Merivale salon today.
Services span the full craft: precision cuts and blow waves for women and men at senior and director level, a deep colour menu from baseline retouches and foils to the house speciality balayage, finishing from blow drys to bridal hair ups, and in-salon treatments from Kérastase, Oribe and more. Consultations are complimentary, colours are pre-quoted before service, and every lightening service includes a bond pro treatment.
Since 2022 the salon has also been home to Le Mods Club — New Zealand's first licensed salon bar — a space designed to linger in, with rotating art, curated details and the option of pairing a cut or blow wave with a glass of Perrier-Jouët champagne through Bubbles & Blow Wave. The stylists' expertise extends online through Mods to You, a curated edit of elevated haircare from brands like Kérastase, Oribe and Balmain.
On Aikmans Road in Merivale, Mods Hair has spent more than two decades shaping how Christchurch does hair. Founded in 2003 by Julianne Liebeck — fresh from Europe and the international education circuit — the salon introduced the Mod's Hair name to New Zealand and, in the salon's own telling, set a new standard for hairdressing in the South. Today the tally stands at two-plus decades, 40-plus runway-launched collections, and a legacy of firsts that includes bringing Mod's signature balayage to this country.
The name carries serious heritage. Mod's Hair began in Paris in 1968, when Frederic and Guillaume established a hair stylist agency specialising in studio work — no salon at first, just credits in Elle, Marie-Claire and Vogue. Readers who noticed those credits kept asking where to find them, so the magazine editors suggested a salon, and the first Mod's Hair opened on Rue de Rennes in 1974. Addresses on Avenue Montaigne and, from 1994, the Champs-Élysées — still the model salon for the brand worldwide — followed, along with franchises across France, Japan, Italy and beyond. Mod's Hair literally means 'hair for fashion', and that runway DNA is exactly what Julianne brought south.
Every season the salon launches a new collection — Desert for Spring Summer 2026, Sirene in 2025, '13' in 2023 — then refines those editorial ideas into modern, wearable hair. The ethos is summed up in three words: styled un-styled. Polished, never overworked; considered, never forced.
The technique shows in the chair. Cutting works with the hair's natural movement to create shape, balance and longevity well beyond the salon visit, while colour — balayage above all — enhances natural tone with seamless blending and soft transitions.
The menu covers the full craft. Cuts and blow waves are offered for women and men at both senior stylist and director level. The colour menu runs deep: baseline retouches, foils, tint-and-foil combinations, balayage, balayage-and-foils, and full lighten, plus root work like smudge and tap. Finishing spans blow drys, blow waves with extensions, hair ups and bridal styling, and there's a 20-minute express dry styling option for those between appointments.
Treatment lovers are well catered for, with the Kérastase Ritual and Extentioniste Protocol, Oribe in-salon treatments, the Premiere decalcifying treatment, Kerasilk, toners and colour correction. A few house rules make visits smooth: consultations are complimentary, all colours are pre-quoted before service, colour clients should arrive with clean, dry hair, and every lightening service includes a bond pro treatment.
In 2022 the salon opened Le Mods Club — New Zealand's first licensed salon bar. Conceived as a space to linger rather than simply visit, it blends design, art and hospitality, with rotating works and curated details throughout. Through Bubbles & Blow Wave, a cut or finish blow wave can be paired with a glass of Perrier-Jouët champagne, because a great blow wave and a celebration are not mutually exclusive.
The salon's expertise also lives online. Mods to You, launched in 2020, is a curated edit of elevated haircare and beauty — Kérastase, Oribe, Balmain and other leading brands — chosen by the stylists themselves and delivered with care.
Behind every look is a creative team led by founder and creative director Julianne Liebeck: senior stylists, colourists, a head of guest experience and rising young talent. Mods Hair is a people-first workplace where artistry meets education, and every stylist is encouraged to push the boundaries of modern hair.
Whether you're after a precision cut, your first balayage, bridal hair for a big day, or simply a beautiful blow wave with bubbles on the side, Mods Hair Merivale pairs French heritage with a distinctly local edge. Book ahead online or by phone, come colour-ready with clean, dry hair, and let the Methodology do the rest.