A night to remember

The Professional Beauty Awards 2023 celebrated 11 outstanding winners. We find out what makes them so amazing

The winners of the Professional Beauty Awards 2023 were revealed during a black-tie ceremony at Grade II-listed venue The Brewery in the City of London on Sunday, March 5, recognising outstanding salons, spas, clinics and practitioners in the beauty and spa industry.

The evening began with a networking reception, followed by dinner then entertainment from the awards host, Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke, before the winners were announced.

Introducing the event, Professional Beauty editor Eve Oxberry, said: “These awards are all about raising standards in the beauty and wellness industry, celebrating the businesses and individuals that display outstanding professionalism and embody the luxury and care that are synonymous with spa and beauty.” Turn the page to see who won and why the judges selected them.

Large Salon of the Year

Winner: Richmond House Beauty, Winchester

Richmond House Beauty was praised by our judges for its attention to detail in all areas of the business. The salon is dedicated to providing outstanding customer service and team training, with a mission statement of “providing a truly memorable experience by expertly delivering the most trusted and well-renowned beauty and aesthetic treatments in a beautiful, friendly, inclusive and inspiring environment”.

Judges were also particularly impressed with the spa’s “clear strategy”, labelling it “a great advert for a leader in our industry”. The salon has two dedicated customer service executives who ensure that standards are upheld throughout the business, and emphasis is placed on the client journey, with every interaction featuring a high level of care. In the last two years, the salon has introduced skin analysis, a new skincare brand and IPL services, as well as redesigning and relaunching its website to improve client education.

“We’ve all worked so hard for this; it’s such a PRESTIGIOUS AWARD and it means so much – I think it shows what a HIGH STANDARD we set every day. The Professional Beauty Awards are THE ONLY AWARDS we’ve ever been interested in entering, and it’s such an AMAZING PRIVILEGE to win ”

Boutique Salon of the Year

Winner: Transformations Hair, Beauty, Aesthetics & Day Spa, Somerset

Set in a rural location on the edge of the Dillington estate in Somerset, Transformations Hair, Beauty, Aesthetics & Day Spa offers a complete set of beauty therapy services. While Transformations operates in the heart of the countryside, the highly-trained staff and professional values means the services are of a standard often only found in urban locations.

Over the last 18 months, the business has taken a tremendous leap forward – from a small in-town shop-front salon to a luxury estate. It became necessary to double turnover in order to match the overheads associated with the move. Transformations invested heavily in its operational and marketing strategies to achieve this, introducing dedicated members of staff to marketing, as well as employing a marcomms agency for all aspects of specialised marketing and communications that could not be undertaken internally.

To ensure market consistency and uphold its competitive edge, the salon regularly undertakes “secret shopper” visits to competitor businesses. This not only helps the team to gauge their place in the market but also acts as training for staff.

"Winning just puts us on a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LEVEL. It’s the BEST AWARD EVER and it’s something I’ve tried to win since 2007, when I started in the UK spa industry, so IT MEANS EVERYTHING"

Educator of the Year

Winner: Helen Ward, Sirens Beauty & Holistics Training, Durham

As the lead educator at Sirens Beauty & Holistics Training, Helen Ward is passionate about providing the best possible education and tackling the rise in poor-quality short courses. Her approach comes from a desire to both improve the industry and give students value and confidence, and she only teaches in areas where she considers herself to be an expert, referring students on to other educators if she doesn’t feel confident in a particular treatment.

Ward regularly attends training sessions and enters competitions to improve her own skillset in order to be an expert in her field. Her experience with dyslexia and ADHD has pushed her to think outside the box and adapt her teaching style and courses to suit all of her students, and she treats any setbacks as opportunities for growth, rather than failures.

Ward measures her own success by the careers of other people who she has helped to start and grow in the industry, as well as the enthusiasm that she’s ignited in students. Judges praised her personal growth and her passion for the industry and her students, as well as her strong attention detail.

"This award will help me to push other people to get PROPERLY EDUCATED in the industry and not just take the quickest course they can find. These are the BIGGEST AWARDS in the industry, they’re the ones that you really want. If you’re thinking about ENTERING THE AWARDS next year, I’d say do it – you’ve got NOTHING TO LOSE, so why not?”

Mobile/Home-based Beauty Business of the Year

Winner: Viktoryia Health, Billericay, Essex

Despite living in a rented space which allows limited changes, Viktoryia Health owner Viktoryia Rohal has transformed her home-based beauty business into a professional, comfortable and welcoming environment for clients by converting her lounge and dining area into a beauty sanctuary.

Personal touch is at the core of the business, with Rohal providing thorough consultations and skin analysis, putting together client wellness membership packages to suit every budget, and hand writing thank-you cards for purchases.

Rohal’s inspiration for setting up her business was her background in nursing and passion for wellbeing, which led her to study first beauty and alternative therapies, and later aesthetics. She believes that in addition to making clients look great on the outside, the beauty industry also has a huge impact on clients’ mental health – and the judges particularly appreciated her attention to clients’ mental wellbeing as well as their physical wellbeing.

Rohal builds connections with her clients, which enables them to feel valued and unique, and she says she’s never had a complaint in the 11 years she’s been running the business.

"My business is everything to me – it’s my life. I’m not holding a trophy; I’m HOLDING A DREAM. Being a sole trader is not as easy as it seems, but if you TRULY BELIEVE in what you do and you’re REALLY PASSIONATE about it then you can overcome obstacles and ACHIEVE ANYTHING. This award is proof"

Employer of the Year

Winner: Rockliffe Hall, County Durham

It was the strong commitment to team growth and development that impressed judges the most about winner Rockliffe Hall. The spa team’s core aim is to create lasting memories for guests, and managers recognise that to achieve this, a happy and fulfilled team is essential.

From a well-structured appraisal and review system, to clear development and succession plans, Rockliffe places an impressive emphasis on careers. The company recently restructured the spa department, promoting from within, showcasing the talents among the team and acknowledging their drive, passion and determination to succeed and achieve the business objectives. The new management team then invested time in external training to bring together the skills and competencies of the team to drive the business forward. At entry level, Rockliffe also provides opportunities for Level 2 students to undertake work experience, apprenticeships, and extensive industry experience to develop them onto Level 3 and beyond.

The ethos at Rockliffe Hall is to inform and educate both the team and the guests and this is echoed through team and management meetings. The success has shown through in a year-on-year increase in revenue and guest repeat visits as well as retention of both spa members, and team members.

"THE RECOGNITION these awards give – it’s the CRÈME DE LA CRÈME in the industry. So, to be nominated is second to none but TO WIN IT IS EVEN BETTER. The team WORKS SO HARD so bringing this back to the North East is JUST BRILLIANT"

Skin Clinic of the Year

Winner: True Medispa, London

"This award recognises HOW HARD WE WORK, our achievements, what we put into the business and HOW PASSIONATE WE ARE. We’re just delighted, and our clients and everybody will be ABSOLUTELYTHRILLED"

True Medispa has evolved over the last 20 years from a beauty salon to a reputable skin clinic in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its marketing team strives for responsible communication across all campaigns, void of hype and exaggeration, staying true to the clinic’s values of trust, honesty and integrity.

One of the clinic’s doctors, Dr Elly Amir, has been the resident medical director and worked as a practitioner at True Medispa for more than 12 years.

Client safety is ensured because all treatments and equipment are scientifically proven, and the clinic insists its aestheticians undergo extensive training with its supplier companies. This is followed up with regular in-house training to ensure that they are carrying out all treatments to the latest protocols and the highest possible standards.

Judges commented that it was clear to see that True Medispa provides a safe and caring environment to deliver a results-driven service to its clients.

Nail Salon of the Year

Winner: Tigerlilly Nails, Dorset

Winning this category for the second year in a row, Tigerlilly Nails stood out for its high-quality products, bright interior and dedication to professional standards. The salon focuses on quality over speed and provides free aftercare and repairs.

Late night openings until 7pm every night, 9pm closing times three days a week and Sunday service make the salon accessible to everyone. Tigerlilly’s interior design features bright, uplifting colours, which inspire the staff’s creativity and provide a boost to customers.

Tigerlilly advertises in local luxury magazines to reach its “perfect audience”. Instead of discounting treatments, the salon does the opposite, adding value.

Tigerlilly is now working with a marketing agency to set up online campaigns for new client acquisition. One of its recent marketing strategies involved a free pair of Tigerlilly branded flip-flops with every pedicure and gel toes treatment. For the cold months, the salon added a complimentary pair of Tigerlilly branded socks.

"I am super happy, SUPER PROUD, and just can’t even express HOW EXCITING IT IS. It feels amazing, it’s VERY BOOSTING and encouraging. We won last year and to receive the award a second year in a row is ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE and HUGELY MOTIVATING"

Spa/Salon Team of the Year

Winner: The Hart Spa, Sevenoaks

The Hart Spa Sevenoaks has a team comprising five talented beauty therapists and four professional front-of-house staff.

Part of the reason the team works so well together is due to the activities and initiatives offered to them, with rewards ranging from small cash bonuses to free treatments, gifts, mini breaks, and days and evenings out. For example, the team was even taken on an all-expenses-paid holiday as a thank you for their hard work and dedication to The Hart Spa.

Judges commented that The Hart Spa demonstrates evidence of a passionate team that fully supports and enjoys working together, with a diverse range of evidence to support their ethos and commitment to each other and the spa. They added that it is clear the team works hard together to grow the business and to look after their clients.

"I have the BEST TEAM EVER. They are PASSIONATE, HARDWORKING, and dedicated to our clients. It’s a FANTASTIC ACHIEVEMENT. Winning Professional Beauty has been a DREAM OF MINE for a very long time and to be here with my team is INCREDIBLE"

Large Spa of the Year

Winner: Thermal Spa Village, Galgorm, Antrim

Praised by the awards judges for its focus on education and staff development, fantastic choice of brands and impeccable standards, the Thermal Spa Village at Galgorm scored highly across the board.

The spa boasts a range of exclusively designed treatments, extensive thermal facilities and a doctor-led aesthetics clinic. Galgorm is dedicated to continued training and development for its therapists, who each undergo a tailored training plan alongside regular courses from partner product houses to ensure expert level service to guests. The full therapy team is also trained in cancer care treatments accredited by The Power of Touch (TPOT). The company’s vision is to offer an authentic Irish spa journey with the guest experience at the core of decision making.

Recently, a £2 million investment saw introduction of new facilities including a 10m vitality pool, botanicinspired Palm House relaxation space, salt room, saunas, steam rooms and cabanas. The spa has also recently introduced its Green Policy 10-Point Plan, outlining its aim to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

"I didn’t expect to win but it’s down to the team here, so I am ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED for them. It’s GOOD FOR OUR CUSTOMERS because they see that we’re always striving to do more; and it really LIFTS THE TEAM"

Boutique Spa of the Year

Winner: The Spa at Breedon Priory, Derbyshire

"We’ve only been operating for 15 months so this is a REAL ACHIEVEMENT for us. We know we’re an incredible spa but to actually HAVE AN AWARD to put a stamp on that is JUST FANTASTIC"

Considering it only opened its doors in November 2021, The Spa at Breedon Priory has already made a strong name for itself in the spa and wellness industry, offering world-class facilities including thermal experiences in the Wellbeing Suite, tranquillity gardens and seven state-of-the-art treatment rooms.

With sustainability as one of the spa’s core focuses, the theme of nature is prevalent throughout the spa journey, from carefully selected planting in the gardens, to the home-reared ducks in the wildlife pond, which guests are invited to wander down to and enjoy.

The spa values health as well as wellbeing, working with local practitioners and experts to provide guests with more than a typical spa offering, including sports therapy treatments from wellbeing expert Victoria Jones.

The spa has also become a hub for the local community, holding events for residents, such as wine tastings and tapas evenings, as well as collaborating with local businesses to build on its success – including a partnership with local B&B Breedon Hall for those who want overnight stays.

Judges were impressed by the level of training given to staff and the comprehensive treatment menu on offer to visitors, as well as the spa’s design and facilities.

Therapist of the Year

Winner: Lucie Allen, Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa, Hampshire

Lucie Allen’s 13 years in the industry has led to her being named Therapist of the Year, with her passion, professionalism and commitment to providing the best service possible obvious in both her initial application and interview with the judges.

Allen has taken on several extra responsibilities within her role at Chewton Glen, including training the spa team after the managers recognised her passion and enthusiasm for the industry and her high standards of treatments and training.

In addition to training the team, Allen invests a lot of time into her own training and ensures that she’s up to date with trends and advancements in the industry by taking part in webinars, attending events, and subscribing to industry magazines.

Allen scored highly for her understanding of hygiene and client care, as well as her skills in performing a wide range of treatments. Judges were also particularly impressed with her keen grasp of the industry, as well as her understanding of the importance of education and regular training.

"It feels AMAZING TO WIN. I’ve been shortlisted twice before and I am JUST SO THRILLED to finally win this award. The Professional Beauty Awards are the most PRESTIGIOUS IN THE INDUSTRY"