The Cape Town salon founded by Florin “Flo” Neacsu is expanding to Somerset West with its third branch at Lourensford Estate, where a 13-station salon is planned and the long-term team could grow to around 20 people.
Somerset West is about to become home to the third Excentric Hair branch, with the Cape Town salon preparing to open at Lourensford Estate.
Excentric Hair, founded by Florin “Flo” Neacsu, currently operates from 39 Kloof Street in Gardens and 73 Regent Road in Sea Point. Now it is expanding to Somerset West with a new branch at Lourensford.
I met founder and director stylist Flo to find out why Somerset West became the next step for Excentric, how the business grew from its beginnings in Romania, and what he hopes to build at Lourensford.
It all started in Romania
The story of Excentric starts in Romania, where Flo is from. His brother had opened the first Excentric Hair salon there, with the name inspired by his brother’s personality and approach to hairdressing.
Flo was still at the beginning of his career when he took an opportunity to work on a cruise ship. He saw it as a chance to gain experience and learn from hairdressers from around the world, while the training in London also appealed to him because he had wanted to study at the Vidal Sassoon hairdressing academy but could not afford it.
He saved money during his time on the cruise ship and eventually attended Vidal Sassoon. It was also on the cruise ship that he met his wife, who is South African and from Cape Town. After another contract, the couple returned to South Africa and Flo began working at Scar, a Cape Town salon he had specifically researched.
About a year and a half later, they decided to start their own business. They left their jobs, put their savings into the venture and opened the first Excentric in Sea Point.
“We were like, it has to work,” Flo told me.
Then his wife went on maternity leave
The first Sea Point premises eventually became too small, so they had to move to larger premises, before adding another branch on Kloof Street in Gardens.
Then Flo’s wife went on maternity leave after the birth of their daughter. Flo had always been responsible for the technical side of the business, while his wife handled much of the administration. With her away, he suddenly had to take on both, and it exposed how much of the business still depended on the two of them.
Flo began developing standard operating procedures and policies for everything from recruitment to the day-to-day running of each department. He describes the result as almost like a Lego manual, with a process for every step.
That became part of the foundation for the next stage of Excentric.
“I actually wanted the clients to come because of the brand, not because of Flo,” he said.
Somerset West was already on their radar
Somerset West was already familiar territory for Flo and his wife. They had always loved the area and regularly visited the Lourensford Market, while Flo also saw potential among local clients.
The opportunity to open at Lourensford came while they were researching possible locations for the next branch. A business partner of Excentric who also owns the property, told them about a space that was becoming available.
At that stage, they were considering Somerset West as well as places such as Claremont in the Southern Suburbs. Then Lourensford came up.
“So we’re like, perfect,” Flo said.
There is already a Somerset West connection among the salon’s clients. Flo says several clients currently travel into Cape Town to see the team, while one client travels from Knysna every six weeks for a colour.
“It’s very sweet,” he said, explaining that the trip is sometimes made into an outing in Cape Town.
The new branch will put Excentric much closer to some of those clients.
Growing people, not just a salon
Training sits at the centre of how Flo sees Excentric.
“Our business’ mission is to grow people,” he said.
Excentric takes learners and apprentices through a structured training programme before developing them into confident hairstylists. Training continues after qualification, with dedicated weekly sessions at the existing salons covering both theory and practical work.
Flo is also one of four senior Wella ambassadors in South Africa, giving him access to new products, techniques and trends that he can bring back to his team.
The goal is for clients to receive a consistently high level of service regardless of which stylist they see.
What happens when everyone wants Flo?
Flo only works with clients three days a week and says his diary is already booked for the entire year. When somebody specifically wants to see him, the team looks at what that client actually needs and recommends a stylist whose strengths fit the job.
Some stylists are particularly strong in extensions, others in balayage, short hair or men’s hair. Everyone is trained across the broader range, but they also develop their own strengths. Flo sometimes does the same with his regular clients, recommending another stylist and arranging the appointment for a day when he is at the salon so that he can advise if necessary.
His own approach to hairdressing is also highly practical. He told me about clients who walk or run, are constantly active and never blow-dry their hair. For them, creating a polished hairstyle that looks good for a photograph but does not work once they wash it is not necessarily useful.
Instead, he shows them how to manage their hair at home and will even diffuse it so they can see what the result will look like in their normal routine. Time and budget matter too. Some clients want to spend more time in the chair, while others need a colour service that gives them the effect they want without keeping them there for hours.
13 stations, and a lot of new faces
The plan for the Somerset West branch is for 13 stations, with a long-term team of around 20 people. That would include roughly 10 to 12 stylists working in shifts, learners, a receptionist and an operations manager, with the salon expected to open seven days a week.
Most of the team will be new hires from Somerset West and the surrounding area. The operations manager will move across from the existing business, while another stylist is considering relocating to become the creative director responsible for training. Everyone else will be recruited locally.
And recruitment is already happening.
Excentric has been advertising for junior stylists, final-year hairdressing students and a front-desk coordinator for the Somerset West branch. Applicants for stylist positions must have a recognised hairdressing qualification and relevant salon experience.
Flo says the new employees will start with Excentric before the Somerset West salon opens, allowing them to learn the culture and methods before they begin working at Lourensford.
The doors are not quite ready yet
The original plan was for a soft opening in the middle of October, followed by a grand opening around 21 or 22 October 2026. Those dates have not yet been confirmed.
The team expected the interior work to be completed around 15 October 2026, but some of the equipment is being imported. The head-spa equipment, chairs and wash basins were still on the water when I spoke to Flo, and shipping delays could affect the timing.
The soft opening is intended to introduce the salon to people already connected to Lourensford, including other businesses at the estate, friends and family of staff and others connected to Excentric. The idea is to offer heavily discounted services so that people can experience the new salon while the stylists become familiar with their new surroundings.
The grand opening will follow, with specials planned for the Somerset West market.
From Sea Point to the Helderberg
Flo plans to spend time working at the Somerset West branch, particularly during the soft opening and grand opening. For someone living in Sea Point, the commute will be a schlep, but he says the more family-oriented feel of Somerset West has even made him think about whether the area could eventually become home for his family too.
For now, the focus is on getting Lourensford ready. The space is being fitted out, local staff are being recruited and equipment is making its way to the estate.
For Excentric, Somerset West is the next step in a business that began with a salon in Romania, grew through Sea Point and Gardens, and was deliberately structured so that its success does not depend on Flo being behind every chair.
* The images in this article show the Lourensford space before the salon is completed. At HelderbergStuff, we believe in showing the behind-the-scenes work as well as the finished result, so be sure to return to this article once Excentric opens to see how the space has come together.
