Education first

Laura Heywood, owner of The Scented Garden Retreat in Chester, tells Erin Leybourne why education is so important for her business, and how to choose a retail offering that works for you

You opened your first salon 29 years ago, then a second last year. How has the business evolved?

“The business has gone through so many changes, and so has our industry. One thing I’ve always been taught, and admire in other business leaders, is being able to adapt. If you’re rigid, you’re not going to grow, and we have had to do that as a business.

“A key thing we noticed when we reopened after Covid was that we were treating more anxiety, more mental health-based conditions. A lot of our training now has gone into how we can help others with anxiety and stress.

“We’re the first contact for clients who are going through very challenging times in their home life and that’s been a real eye opener. I don’t ever see our role as ‘just’ beauty therapists. It’s far more than that.”

How do you ensure quality of service stays the same across your two salon teams?

“I think if you ever get to the point as a therapist where you think you don’t need to learn anything else, then you’ve hit problems, because we’re always learning. One of the key things I ensure is that everybody gets the opportunity to do training. With Dermalogica in particular, all our girls are Expert-level trained.

“You’ll find that everybody will have different passions in what they want to learn. Some want to continue their growth with the more advanced services that Dermalogica offers, some like to just keep to the hands-on and holistic treatments, and that’s fine. I think it’s important to love what you do and have a love of learning. So, education within the business is important. As we’re growing as a business, we’re taking our team with us.”

What do you prioritise when looking for brands?

“I like to talk to our team and get their opinions on what brands they like using. The market is saturated with skincare, so it is challenging to make sure you’re getting something that will work with your salon.

“The biggest thing that won me over when we were first introduced to Dermalogica was their education. When I saw the education journey they offer, I was blown away. It’s a fantastic support network. Then we tried the products and researched and spoke to other salons as well; it was interesting to get their feedback. When you’re listening to other people and seeing their passion for a product, but also seeing results, that’s the key.”

How do you get your clients to understand and buy in to the importance of homecare?

“This is one thing I talk about an awful lot when I do skin treatments. If I’ve got a client who’s spending a lot of money on a course of treatments, I want to make sure they’re getting the best results and to obtain those results, you both must be working together.

“I’m also mindful of the fact that we’re in a cost-of-living crisis. There are clients who will listen to what you’re saying and be able to purchase whatever you suggest but others will have saved and saved and want to make a difference to their skin. They’re making that first step, coming to a salon for treatment. So, even if it’s just one product, we try to make retail accessible.

“I’m a great believer that if your client has a sample and can really see the difference at home using it, they will buy it. I want my clients to buy with confidence.”