Something Called Mien

There’s been something called Mien on Queens Parade for nearly 30 years. Those of us who have owned, led and grown it have learnt one thing: Mien has no interest in staying the same.

It keeps reinventing itself. A bit like us, really. We change, renew and grow, yet remain recognisably ourselves. Maybe that’s the trick: you don’t stay yourself by staying the same.

We remember the original little salon: four basins near the vault, huge slabs of elm made into benches and a tiny selling space. It was handmade, improvised—and fantastic.

Then Mien stretched its legs. The basins moved out the back. A colour room appeared, followed by a second basin room. Eventually, the colour room became part of one big basin retreat. A professional laundry and proper staff room followed.

In 2006, beauty rooms took shape on Level One. Then came a spa for water treatments and a dedicated laser space. In 2011, the top floor began its wellness evolution, welcoming naturopaths, midwives, counsellors and even a yoga studio. That era passed, and today the Skin Solutions era is well underway.

Downstairs, the hair salon kept changing colour—literally. The walls moved through one shade after another and were adorned with a succession of photographic collections. Then the digital age took hold. After that came the greenery: the outside came in, and suddenly we were surrounded by plants.

Styles, techniques and products changed too. What never changed was the obsession with the craft. Mien hairdressers kept training, competing, winning, experimenting, occasionally stuffing things up, learning and having another go.

The best way to remember each era is through its people: hairdressers, therapists, apprentices, receptionists, practitioners and characters of every description. Our clients evolved alongside us, coming through the doors for weddings, new jobs, pregnancies, break-ups, reinventions and ordinary Tuesdays.

The name has always fitted. Your mien is your presence—the way you come across and the feeling you leave with others. A good name for a place built around people.

Of course, the story hasn’t been one straight line upward. There have been brilliant, difficult, busy and slightly crazy periods. Mien survives because it adapts. Rooms change. Services change. New generations bring fresh ideas, and the place starts humming again.

Right now, it is humming. Young people are developing their craft alongside those with decades of experience. Hair is evolving downstairs, Skin Solutions is growing upstairs, and that familiar Mien energy is everywhere.

Through every version sits this beautiful old building, holding nearly 30 years of haircuts, colours, treatments, training nights, conversations and friendships. We’re lucky to be its custodians. We add something of ourselves; others add something of theirs.

And Mien keeps becoming Mien.

If you were part of an earlier chapter, come and meet this one. You’ll notice plenty has changed—and plenty hasn’t.

It’s still something called Mien.