It's not only the prospect of recession that is threatening the job security of those working in the hair and beauty industry, innovations in Japan have seen machines replacing hair stylists, manicurists and cosmetics consultants, and the curiosity of British businesses means that here, too, we might experience the robotic hair wash or the mechanical manicure.

The Aqua Vibro hair-washing machine from the Japanese company Takara Belmont, is premiering at the fashionable Stuart Phillips salon in Covent Garden, It looks like a cross between a bubble car and a washing machine, and, left on my own, I would have had it laundering my smalls, but under the guidance of Phillips I lay back in the reclining chair with my head resting on a rubber cushion while he programmed the settings for water pressure, temperature and shampoo. Pulses of water give your hair a thorough cleaning and a blissful scalp massage.