What makes a haircut such a harrowing experience? You have your hair washed, drink coffee and look at magazines, it should be a pleasant experience.

Even when you are over-enthusiastically praising your hairdresser on their good job (when inside you are screaming "too much off, too much off!!") and they style your hair into an enormous bouffant, you know it will grow back and you will be back without fail, maybe even looking forward to it.

A free haircut is entirely different. An element of fear is injected instantly when stripped of the security that they won't leave your scalp decorated with a scattering of bristly stumps because they would then lose your business. It is not helped by the fact that you have to sign an agreement giving them the licence to be let loose on your hair without being entitled to sue them if it all goes horribly wrong.

I experienced such terror when stepping into the Vidal Sassoon academy, which offers free hair makeovers in exchange for becoming a "Girls World" to their trainy stylists. Faced with a trainee who spoke no English and an instructor with a vision of his own, I sat shaking in my gown. Surrounded by stylists donning weird and outrageous hairstyles, I was expecting nothing less than a pink mohican. I suddenly didn't feel very adventurous and from the expressions on the faces of my fellow guinea pigs, cowering in their chairs, the fear I felt was pulsating around the room. The offer of a free and funky hair-do lost its appeal rapidly.

An extremely strong force fixed me to the chair for almost four hours as the trainee meticulously chopped away, his concentration burning through the top of my head. He reassuringly smiled throughout and was truly amazed by my blonde highlights (luckily ignoring my roots!) which made me feel at ease. It became apparent that he wanted good results as much as I did. The expertise and professionalism of the instructor in charge made me relax to the point of almost suggesting the idea of the pink moheekan.

Having overcome the initial fear I was delighted with the results. Hair salons worldwide are marred by stylists who routinely churn out the same haircut to all their clients, prefer to chat to colleagues than concentrating on giving you the best cut possible, and rush when their lunch break is looming. Many hairdressers take for granted the fact that you keep returning regardless of the treatment you receive. That is, until the day you try somewhere new and the whole experience is turned round.

Vidal Sassoon left all its models feeling elegant and individually transformed. They successfully combined cutting edge fashion with a haircut that suits you personally. With the influence of this international company in Shanghai, the city's rapid modernization is radiated in yet another new way. This time in the new and adventurous hairstyles that carpet its streets.

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