13 mins
NATION’S FINEST
Meet the winners of the Professional Beauty Awards 2021, and find out what it takes to be named the best in the UK business
The Professional Beauty Awards returned in 2021, with the winners crowned at The Brewery in London during a glamourous black-tie event. The ceremony celebrated the best in the industry, rewarding nine businesses for their first-class treatment delivery, leadership skills, customer experience and industry innovation.
Beginning with a networking reception, leading UK salons and practitioners met with sponsors, before a three-course meal. Comedian Joel Dommett entertained attendees, before presenting the awards.
Introducing the event, Professional Beauty’s head of editorial, Eve Oxberry, said: “The finalists and winners have all demonstrated incredible innovation and leadership in a constantly shifting landscape, finding new and exciting ways to care for their clients and teams, and develop their businesses into outstanding examples of what our professional and resilient industry can achieve.”
Judged by a team of industry experts, the winners are all at the top of their field, excelling in all aspects of business. Discover the more about each of the winners and what it takes to be the best in the business over the next few pages…
Spa/Salon Team of the Year
Winner: Rudding Park Hotel and Spa, Harrogate
Sponsored by:
Rudding Park Hotel and Spa’s theapy team went above and beyond to showcase their team spirit and strong relationship in their application. The team of 60 works hard to display the spa’s core values: passion, empathy, drive, trust, and collaboration, working with a shared purpose of creating special memories and experiences for its guests.
Rudding Park strives to exceed client expectations, with staff undertaking training and qualifications in caring for clients with cancer, understanding guests with dementia and diabetes and working to ensure every visitor has a special experience, with judges saying they clearly “embody the values of the business and carry them through consistently in their interactions with clients and with each other”.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the team was keen to keep their strong relationship, ensuring there was open and supportive communication throughout, with regular emails and various lines of communication open to all staff members, ensuring consistent and comforting contact. The team were also offered interactive training to keep on top of skills and inter-team bonds.
Staff understand that being a part of a team can mean working outside of your role to support your peers, often taking time to complete tasks such as collecting golf balls to support greenkeepers and developing their skills in other areas such as pool responder training. Congratulations to the Rudding Park team.
Finalists
Polished Nail and Beauty Boutique, Markse by the Sea
The Granary Spa, Ashford
The Pink Shed Brantham
Time to be Me, Petersfield
Tranquil Spa and Beauty, Lancaster
Urban Retreat, Glasgow
Spa/Salon Leader of the Year
Winner: Finlay Anderson, Spa at Kimpton Blythswood Square
Sponsored by:
As InterContinental Hotel Group’s (IHG) area spa and leisure director for the UK, Finlay Anderson’s responsibilities include commercial and operational control of seven leisure clubs and spas. The innovative leader places wellness at the heart of the spas across all locations.
Anderson spearheaded an innovative multi-sensory experience, launching a partnership developing a sound therapy offering for spa, as well as being the first in the UK to launch a Cibtac-approved CBD massage treatment, and is constantly pushing the boundaries to place his spas at the forefront of the wellness industry.
Anderson’s hands-on approach makes him a strong leader, with his passion for the industry evident in his willingness to get involved in every aspect of the spas, even going as far as to personally retile the pool, sand the floors, and regrout saunas and steam rooms ahead of reopening to the public post-pandemic.
He leads by example, and was praised by the judges for his strong but accessible leadership style, bringing an inclusive approach and keeping all staff well informed of developments, while encouraging them to lead in their own areas of expertise. Anderson is constantly searching for new talent and new opportunities to create innovative treatments and new experiences.
Finalists
Rachel Bourne, HI Therapies Beauty Salon
Katie Godfrey, KG Salon
Rebecca Griffiths, The Secret Spa
Emma Pridding, The Spa at Carden
Helen Quayle, LaserHQ
Clare Singleton, The Granary Spa
Large Salon of the Year
Winner: Innovations Advanced Skincare & Beauty, Durham
Sponsored by:
Offering a large range of advanced skincare treatments, as well as nails, brows, tanning and more, Innovations Advanced Skincare & Beauty was described by judges as a beautifully designed salon with a welcoming and professional team.
The salon has put in place measures to ensure each client experiences a ritual rather than just having a treatment, with a welcoming, luxurious experience from arrival. Providing in-depth consultations and customised treatments, clients are treated to a five-star experience throughout.
The salon launched online video skin consultations during the pandemic to keep existing clients on-plan with their homecare post-treatment, as well as to attract new clients, who were invited in for a complimentary skin review when the salon was able to open.
Innovations also changed the way it used social media, hosting regular lives, creating product usage videos, and offering at-home treatment kits to clients. Training and development are at the heart of Innovations, with time set aside every month for team development and further training, using a training matrix to review, plan and revisit monthly. The team take part in monthly team and individual meetings to discuss both treatments and retail, offering training on the retail side of the business as well as treatment-focused sessions.
Finalists
Beyond Beauty, Cheltenham
Cecily Day Spa, Berkhamsted
Lesley Leale-Green Skin & Laser Clinic, London
Simpsons City Centre, Champagne Nail and Beauty Salon, Lincoln
Sleeping Beauty Salon, Inverness
Boutique Salon of the Year
Winner: Lily’s Beauty Salon, Whitchurch
Sponsored by:
Lily’s Beauty Salon aims to take clients on a journey when they arrive. The salon, which has three treatment rooms, creates a zen feeling as clients enter a venue full of oxygenating plants and fresh flowers, with aromatic smells from candles, diffusers and oils, and different music playing in each room.
Judges felt that the salon displayed an impressive commitment to training and staff development, resulting in excellent client care. The Lily’s experience continues long after treatments are over, as clients who have received facials are sent home with samples and telephoned after a week to discuss their results with their beauty therapist.
Out of the salon, during the pandemic, clients were able to order products form a new online store, resulting in retail sales tripling. Lily’s also launched the “Beauty in a Box” service, which allowed customers to test out new products recommended by therapists, as well as encouraging clients to keep engaged with the salon during lockdown.
Customer service is at the core of Lily’s, with a VIP loyalty scheme offering a 10% discount on treatments and retail, as well as birthday cards with discount vouchers for regular clients to spend on their next visit.
Finalists
All About You Urban Beauty Retreat, Lowfell
Idyllic Beauty and Day Spa, Cranleigh
Soothe Luxury Skincare & Spa, Nottingham
The Treatment Rooms, Tutbury
Virgo Beauty, Goring
Therapist of the Year
Winner: Viktoryia Rohal, Viktoryia Health, Essex
Sponsored by:
Having entered the beauty industry from a nursing background, care for others has always been important to Viktoryia Rohal. Her mission is to ensure clients feel special and unique on both the inside and out, embracing and enhancing their natural beauty and boosting their wellbeing.
Understanding that a beauty therapist’s role often goes far beyond performing treatments, Rohal underwent training in life coaching, neurolinguistic programming, and hypnotherapy to teach herself to hear and listen to her clients on a deeper, more holistic level.
Rather than using a “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to treatments, Viktoryia fully customises each session dependent on the individual needs of each of her clients, asking for their current skincare routine to help them understand what ingredients may or may not be working for them, adding an education element to treatments.
Judges were impressed with her commitment to continuing education and passing her knowledge on to her clients, as she regularly takes part in training courses to expand her treatment portfolio to ensure she can deliver clients the results they are looking to achieve.
Rohal’s training ranges from fertility nutrition and body reading to vacuum massage, ensuring she is fully equipped with the knowledge needed to treat her clients.
Highly commended
Described by judges as a passionate therapist who goes above and beyond to provide excellence, Justyna Rostek from Guinot Earlsfield describes being a therapist as her therapy, working to help clients gain confidence and performing treatments to get their skin looking and feeling great.
Finalists
Carole Robinson, Ultra Chique Clinique
Fern Winter, Fern Louise Aesthetics & FLA Academy
Jamie Godfrey, Studio 8 Beauty
Nikki McKeown, Nikki McKeown Beauty
Large Spa of the Year
Winner: The Spa at Carden, Chester
Sponsored by:
Despite spending the majority of its first year closed due to the pandemic, The Spa at Carden, which was launched in January 2020, has developed into one of the biggest destination spas in the UK. With a philosophy for guests to “feel good from the inside”, the experience goes further than the treatments, with the wellbeing destination believing that nature and the physical world should be treated as an integral part of each client’s journey towards inner, mental wellbeing. With world-class facilities, including a five-star thermal suite and a host of relaxation spaces, judges described the £10 million investment as a “stunning spa with exceptional attention to detail evident in every area”.
Customer service is at the heart of The Spa at Carden, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, when its “Spa at Home” campaign was launched, providing Q&As with therapists, treatment follow along in partnership with product houses, and complimentary members-only skincare workshops on Zoom.
The spa has appointed product ambassadors within its team, who work closely with the product houses to receive expert training, which they then pass on to the rest of the team. The Spa at Carden also has a number of therapists trained in caring for guests with cancer.
Finalists
Hoar Cross Hall, Staffordshire
Rudding Park Hotel and Spa, Harrogate
Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall, County Durham
The Spa at Galgorm, Ballymena
Employer of the Year
Winner: Cecily Day Spa, Berkhamsted
Sponsored by:
Billed as a hybrid spa, sitting in the middle of a day spa and beauty salon, Cecily Day Spa is passionate about offering career and progression opportunities to its team, eager to fulfil the team’s ambitions and ensure they can grow and achieve their goals without moving to another employer.
The brand is quickly expanding to offer leadership and managerial positions, as well as allowing employees to explore other aspects of the company when they don’t feel fulfilled in their current role, with judges noting how it was clear the staff “feel empowered and motivated”.
Passionate about its people, Cecily Day Spa’s philosophy revolves around providing the best work-life balance for its staff, as they understand the employees are what makes the location so special. Having developed an incentive structure alongside its commission structure, Cecily Day Spa uses its incentives to focus its therapists on tasks to improve their work in the long term.
During the pandemic, Cecily Day Spa understood the importance of communication to support and reassure its team, with chief executive Haylee Benton filming regular updates to keep the team informed, as well as launching an internal podcast where she interviewed team members, aiming to keep everyone connected.
Finalists
HI Therapies Beauty Salon, Bournemouth
Saks Hair & Beauty West Bridgford, Nottingham
The Pink Shed, Brantham
Tonic Day Spa, Cannock
Boutique Spa of the Year
Winner: Nàdarra Spa at the Coniston Hotel Country Estate, Skipton
Nàdarra Spa’s ethos is for guests to relax, rejuvenate and reconnect with themselves and nature, keeping its idyllic location at the heart of its philosophy.
Using the lockdown period for projects such as the complete redevelopment and rebrand of its spa and spa restaurant, the family-run business now offers a range of new experiences, with judges recognising the clear business direction and “creative and innovative treatments” offered, including outdoor bathing and immersive CBD treatments.
Nàdarra ran a Virtual Open Week to stay connected with customers during lockdown, featuring a step-by-step facial. That, alongside its partnerships with a spa and travel PR agency and investing time into its social channels, resulted in a 50% increase in social media following.
The spa also formed a partnership with fitness brand Les Mills to provide a complimentary two-month trial to members on “Les Mills On Demand”, recognising the importance of health and wellbeing during Covid-19, resulting in a permanent relationship, with instructor-led and virtual classes, and free access to the on-demand programme included in the new membership offering.
The spa bases its retail strategy on knowledge and passion for its products and services, working closely with product houses to ensure the team receives training, product knowledge and information on the latest trends.
Finalists
House Spa at Dormy House Hotel, Broadway
Jiva Spa at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate, London
Simpson Boutique Spa, Lincoln
Spa at Blythswood Square, Glasgow
Swinton Country Club and Spa, Ripon
Nail Salon of the Year
Winner: Townhouse, London
Townhouse set out to elevate the nail salon experience, providing the highest quality products and bespoke treatment with top-level service in a beautiful space. With a salon in Fitzrovia, as well as salons in Harrods stores in Knightsbridge and Milton Keynes, experience is a focal element for Townhouse, with treatments going beyond simply getting a manicure. Judges were wowed by the “high standards across the board”, from interior design to the overall business plan.
Treatments provided at Townhouse are entirely bespoke, with new starters undergoing a two-week induction programme led by the salon’s head of training Anda Yagiz, covering treatment techniques, customer service, ethos and product education. Townhouse is so confident in its treatments, it launched the “Flawless Finish” guarantee, where clients can return within seven days to have any issues amended free of charge.
Therapists are encouraged to broaden their skills, with quarterly assessments and refresher sessions to ensure they are working to a high standard. Health is important at Townhouse too, with the salon only using high-quality, non-toxic products and single-use or hospital-grade sterilised tools. Working beyond its salons, Townhouse has collaborated with the likes of Elemis, Birchbox, Givenchy and Chantecaille.
Finalists
Beauty Lounge, Doncaster
Nailcraft by Vonny, Loughborough
Niche Nails & Beauty, Witney
Tigerlilly Nails, Wimborne