5 things to consider when choosing a salon!

Choosing a beauty salon can be a bit of a minefield. There are so many around now and so many options - beauty salons, spas, mobile therapists, that it can be a bit overwhelming. I thought I'd write a blog about 5 things to consider when choosing a beauty salon. These are the 5 important things to me, but also to my clients as I have asked them what they think too! Happy reading.

Hygiene - this has got to be one of the biggest things when it comes to salons, both beauty and hair to be honest. Not only do you NEED the tools used to be sanitised and germ free, you need the environment to be clean too. I always sanitise my tools & my hands, I wear disposable gloves when appropriate - such as for waxing treatments. All my tools (tweezers, nail clippers etc) are in barbicide, my treatment couch and nail desk are cleaned between clients, the treatment room is hoovered daily, the room & products are cleaned and dusted weekly, towels are one use only then they are washed. Couch roll is used throughout all treatments. I am really keen to have clean environment and I don't want to reduce the risk of germs as much as I can. One situation I'll never forget is I used to be fully loyal to a hairdresser and was with him for years. I followed him wherever he worked. He then went to a really expensive salon, the price went up (which was fine, he was worth it) but I once went in there on a Saturday morning at 9am. There was hair all over the skirting boards. No way was I putting my bag down on the floor, and I just couldn't un-see it and it felt really dirty. No hair salon should have that and certainly not at 9am. For such an expensive salon, I really didn't expect it and it simply put me off.

Location and parking - this is something I really consider when going anywhere, how far is it and how easy will it be to park.I hate paying for parking, like I hate paying 5p for a bag. Feels pointless haha! It's a pain going into town for anything when it gets so busy or you get caught up in traffic. I do admit I'm not that great with directions and the only carpark I know is Bond Street, Chelmsford and when I tried to find a different one the other day I got lost. Carparks are so expensive, that you don't really want that addition to your beauty treatment. At Shore Beauty I have a large drive that you can park on, and obviously it's free!! Location though, we cant help where we live and we cant help where a salon is that we want to visit. I have plenty of my Southend on Sea clients still booking appointments with me even though I have moved. Everyone that's visited so far has had an easy journey and have re booked (yay, thanks guys!) because they see my treatments and the service I provide as being worth it. Same for me - I travel to Thorpe Bay for my acupuncture lady as I rate her services. So location wise, you do want someone that is easily accessible. I think I have got a win win with where Shore Beauty is. It's so near to so many places - Chelmsford town is 10 mins drive away which means any of the surrounding towns and villages can get here within any time frm 10-30 mins. If you live in Great Baddow, Sandon, Broomfield, Springfield, Beaulieu Park, Channels, Boreham, Great Leighs, Maldon, Danbury, Braintree, Witham....literally anywhere surrounding Chelmsford you can get to me. I'm just off the A12 at Boreham, so very easily accessible for you whether you choose the country route or the main road route!! I'm looking for a local hair salon (recommendations welcome!) but I can literally look in so many towns that I don't really know where to start!!

Qualified, experienced and insured therapist - surely this is a given? However, it seems that some therapists operate without one, two or all three things. It's unbelievable really. You need someone qualified, you need them to know exactly what they are doing when they are touching your body/hair/skin. Really you'd rather experience - this may not mean the therapist is better than someone whose recently qualified, however it will mean that they are likely to be more efficient during your appointment. IE waxing times should be quicker with someone whose experienced, which wont mean you are rushed, but will mean you wont be semi naked and experiencing the stinging pain you can get with waxing for longer than necessary! And insured, this is probably the one that clients are least bothered by. However, if you were to have a reaction or something was to happen to you while at the salon; you would be wishing the salon was insured. It is very unlikely that you'd ever need to claim on a salon insurance policy, however by the salon having it; it means you know they are professional. They care about you and their business. Of course here at Shore Beauty I am all over these 3 things. I am qualified with NVQs in beauty therapy, plus various CPD courses. I am also a qualified teacher and have taught beauty therapy for over 4 years now. I have years of experience as a therapist AND I am insured with Salon Gold.

Relaxing - even if you are wanting a waxing treatment, you still want to relax, right?! So many clients tell me when being waxed they are relaxed. They tell me its because they enjoy our chats and my treatment room is a welcoming environment with nice music. Yay. I love that I can help you relax, regardless of whether you are having waxing, a manicure or pedicure or a facial. If chatting isn't your thing then we don't need to - you can log into my wifi and do some work or you can go on your phone. Whatever helps you to relax, I can also provide magazines for pedicure treatments. You can get all the celeb goss while having your feet preened and pampered - what's not to love! Of course facial treatments are definitely relaxing time for you, I want you to either sail away or drift away into a lovely snooze - more on that here. I try to ensure every client relaxes, however they like. My treatment room is private, and I am not a hair salon either so no hair dryers going or people chatting.

Personal service - ahh the lovely customer service. So so important yet so often over looked. Here at Shore Beauty, Boreham, you will receive a personal service from me throughout your time at my salon. I don't have staff, so you wont get passed round for each appointment with different people. I establish a professional relationship with all my clients . Here at Shore Beauty you can come and be un-judged (is that even an actual word?!), we chat about whatever you fancy or we don't have to chat at all. You can come and log into my wifi if you wish and crack on with some work while your legs are being waxed, or you can sit on your phone if you'd rather. It's up to you - whatever ensures you enjoy your time here at my salon. If you need to book, move or cancel an appointment you can let me know several different ways - phone, text, email or via my online booking system. If you want to browse info about the treatments I offer here then you can do so on my website. From start to finish, from booking your appointment to leaving Shore Beauty, I want your experience to be a pleasurable one.

So there we have it, my top 5 considerations when looking for a new beauty salon, plus a little insight into mine. If you think that Shore Beauty sounds like somewhere you can see yourself going for a beauty treatment then I'd happily welcome you. If it doesn't, then I wont be offended :) as mentioned you can book online here or contact me via phone on 07791 378129. I'll be more than happy to help you and I hope I will get to see you soon!

Amy x