Gallerí Gel: The (Hair)doctor will see you now

These people can make you look cool, as long as you don’t interfere.

Wandering around 101 Reykjavík on Friday evenings, you are more than likely to come across a few shellshocked trendsetters with obscenely trendy, über half-a-haircut-mullet hairdos. They have most probably been to see the Hairdoctor Jón Atli (the most glamorous hairstylist since Warren Beatty) or another one of Anna Pálsdóttir’s talented mob at Gallerí Gel.

Gallerí Gel has been around long enough to almost corner the market for the young and trendy, and those who just think they are. (Just take a look at all that hair at Sirkus.)

But, if you come on the first Friday of the month, be warned: you, the customer, get little or no say in what happens to your hair.

Don’t panic. If you’re into obscenely trendy do’s resembling the Human League, you’ll love it. If, however, you fear asymmetry, retro, avant garde or the plain ridiculous, please enter as a voyeur only.

And as it happens, voyeurism is quite welcome at Gallerí Gel, since it doubles as an art gallery. The original Gel salon was on the top floor of a vintage clothing store, so customers could match their haircuts with the latest fashions. (A one-stop solution for busy hipsters, as it were.) The gallery tries to capture that same casual, open feeling, with the usual suspects chitchatting on the sofa, and all sorts popping in to see the art.

You really can make an afternoon of it. Absorb some culture, have your barnet raped and listen to whichever DJ happens to be spinning tunes at the same time. Just don’t come crying to us if you’re not happy about what happens to your rug.

Gallerí Gel: On Hverfisgata 37, 101 Reykjavík. Tel: +354 5517733. Enter at your own risk.

For more Gel, see: The Reykjavík Grapevine