INTERVIEW

Talking to… ANNA & DAN INGLIS

The owners of Elegant Touch Beauty tell Ellen Cummings how building a supportive team culture and investing in personalised service helped them turn a solo venture into a destination salon

When Anna Inglis opened her salon at the age of just 22, she wanted to do things her way. “I was ready for the next thing,” she recalls. What began as a one-woman operation has since grown into Elegant Touch Beauty, a 14-strong team working out of a stunning two-storey destination salon overlooking Mercia Marina in Willington, Derbyshire, and the winner of Large Salon of the Year at the Professional Beauty Awards 2025.

Elegant Touch is a business built on both heart and hard work, and it’s a story shaped equally by Anna’s work ethic and the partnership she shares with her husband and business partner, Dan. From early setbacks and personal challenges to big wins, the couple have steered the salon through a decade of transformation, always with the client at the centre.

Waterside beginnings

After qualifying as a beauty therapist, Anna spent three years working in local salons before taking the plunge to rent a room and go solo. “She made a sudden decision there and then that she wanted to work for herself and not somebody else,” Dan explains. That leap of faith led to something bigger: a retail unit at Mercia Marina, a Derbyshire waterside development that was just starting to come to life.

“At the time, she was looking for her ideal future location because she had a vision in mind,” says Dan. “She’s from Torquay originally, so I think she’s always had that gravitation towards the water. It’s just different to that high-street feel.”

With its glass-fronted buildings and views over the boats, the marina offered something special. “I think people often find peace at looking out over the water and the relaxation that can bring,” Dan adds.

But in those early days, the reality was far from serene. “Working seven days a week was definitely a challenge,” says Anna. “It was just me by myself, so I was locking the door in between clients.”

A wake-up call

For the first seven years, she poured everything into the business; running treatments, managing admin and growing her team. But doing all this while raising two young daughters, the pressure began to take its toll. Shortly after the birth of their second child, Anna suffered a mini stroke, a wake-up call that changed everything.

“It was because she was overworked and burnt out,” Dan says. “A mini stroke is not something that should happen to somebody at the age of 30.”

The experience forced Anna to step back and reevaluate. “That’s the time where she stepped out the treatment room, empowered more people, put some more trust into them, and then that’s really when we took off,” says Dan. “It also allowed others to flourish.”

Anna agrees. “I was empathetic towards clients and staff before, but I think even more so now. There’s more understanding and I’m more in tune with people.”

The little touches

That compassion shows up in the details that make Elegant Touch special; small, thoughtful gestures that elevate the client experience. “We do a welcome tray where clients get a hand cleanse and a little sweet when they arrive,” says Anna.

“We do name cards for massages and facials on the bed, written on a piece of brown card with lavender and their name. We also do a goodie bag for new clients when they leave.”

Dan adds, “We’re just trying to create an experience, really. You come in, you get your welcome tray, a drinks menu. People come in and really escape.”

That commitment to the experience is part of what helped the business stand out to the Professional Beauty Awards judges. “It was the best feeling,” says Anna. “To have the judges, who are phenomenal, notice us was incredible.”

Dan recalls the journey to that moment: “We thought we were doing well before this new salon came around, but we knew how prestigious the PB Awards are. Once everything clicked, we thought, ‘We’ve really got something that’s deserving here’.”

Trust, tech and treatments

With a treatment menu that spans advanced options such as Skinpen and Hydrafacial, alongside indulgent packages like their Signature Hot Oil Back, Scalp and Face Massage, the salon blends technological innovation with holistic therapy. But rather than targeting new customers with the advanced treatments, they build from their existing client base.

“We leverage the trust we’ve already got,” explains Dan. “Then, it’s about how good our consultation is. Once we understand their needs, we can point their journey in whichever direction it needs to go.”

That ethos of trust extends to the team too. “Personality is massively important,” says Anna of her hiring process. “Whoever we employ, I can help build the skillset but their personality has to be right.”

A strong internal culture has become a key focus, with Anna fostering collaboration through team meetings, social outings, weekly reviews and incentives. “I’m always checking in on them,” she says. “We want to make sure they’re happy too.”

Dan adds, “If you put the same effort into your team as you do your clients, they’ll create a happy client.”

A commitment to apprenticeships

Training is taken seriously at Elegant Touch, with team members expected to complete a minimum of 30 CPD hours annually. Apprenticeships, in particular, have been a powerful foundation for the business’s growth.

“We finished our last unit with five in the team, and three of them were all graduates from our apprenticeship programme,” says Dan. “Since we’ve gone into the new salon, yes, we’ve recruited, but we’re still taking on new apprentices.”

All apprentice training is carried out in-house through a partnership with Kleek. “We’ve been able to give back and mould them from day one,” says Dan, though he admits the rising National Minimum Wage and National Insurance costs have made this more difficult. “We want to maintain apprenticeships, but if there were more Government incentives out there, it would make it easier.”

One change both Anna and Dan would like to see is clear regulation. “There are people out there doing an unaccredited half-day course in something and being able to portray themselves as being able to do what we do,” says Dan. “Regulation would add value to all salons.”

Strategy that works

Digital marketing and tech have also played a role in the salon’s growth, with a clear content plan, a sleek new website, and active booking software that tracks retention and re-engages lapsed clients.

“Anna has always been big on social media,” says Dan. “She understands what’s engaging and what’s not.”

Anna adds, “Whenever I post things about staff, that always gets the most likes. We do tips, educational bits, nails, treatment rooms, aftercare – literally anything I can think of.”

Retail, too, has evolved, with Elegant Touch now stocking everything from skincare to home fragrance. “We go to different shows – home shows as well as beauty ones,” says Anna. “We try to use as many local businesses as possible.”

With close to a million visitors to the marina each year, it’s a savvy move. “A lot of the time, people come in, look at the retail, and then our front of house will take them upstairs for a tour and ideally book them in,” Anna says.

Winning streak

After the high of their Professional Beauty Awards win, the couple are still deciding where to take things next. “We’ve just been announced as a finalist for the Babtac Awards as well,” says Dan. “Winning at Professional Beauty has definitely given Anna the awards bug.”