Womankind bids farewell to a challenging year
WOMANKIND BEAUTY FINDS THE RIGHT “KIND” OF SUCCESS TO TAKE IT INTO 2021
A Stockbridge beauty salon has received a much needed boost with the news that it has received two nominations by its own customers in a prestigious Beauty Industry Awards scheme, after what can only be described as a very challenging year for the business, and indeed the entire sector.
Womankind Beauty, in Raeburn Place, has been owned and run by Lauren McGinty since 2006. With all therapists Elemis trained, the salon specialises in all types of face and body treatments, including biotec & Elemis facials, massage, IPL Hair & Skin removal, Shellac Manicures & Pedicures, and makeup & eyelash treatments. It also offers Wedding Packages, a Skin Nutrition Programme, and has a comprehensive range of treatments for men. Recent additions to its services in 2020 have seen fat freezing techniques added to the list, along with facial aesthetics from Siren Song.
Establishing itself as one of the Capital’s premier salons, Lauren and her team of five therapists have worked hard to build their customer base, providing excellent customer service across the board, and ensuring that they are constantly abreast of the very latest beauty innovations, techniques and products.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on the industry back in the Spring with lockdowns and restrictions on the services they could offer, the salon’s dedication has been rewarded with nominations in two categories of the Scottish Hair & Beauty Awards or SHABAS, Scotland’s Beauty Industry Oscars – Salon of the Year and Beauty Therapist of the Year for therapist Tegan Paxton, who has been with Womankind for nearly nine years.
The salon now has to wait until April 2021 to find out if it has won. At the moment, it’s still not clear if the Awards Night, usually held at a top hotel in Glasgow, will take place in this way, or be held virtually.
Lauren said: “We are thrilled to receive these nominations, which have come in at the best time for us as we prepare to put 2020 behind us, and move on with hope that 2021 will see some sort of normality for our industry.”
“On behalf of our whole team I’d like to thank all our customers who have voted online for us in these awards – it’s awards like this that matter the very most as ultimately, it’s what our customers think that counts. We could not have done it without them – and we really appreciate more than ever the support they have shown us as lockdown ended, and we were able to re-open, albeit with a more limited range of services on offer.”
“Like many businesses, we have had to invest in the very best PPE and safety equipment we could access to continue to trade safely for the benefit of both our customers and staff. It was a huge learning curve for my team, so I’d also like to pay tribute to them, as they have had to adapt to some major changes in their workplace practices. Everyone has dealt with it with good grace,” said Lauren.
“We’re used to working in a new way now, but it will still be really nice to return to how we were before, when it’s finally safe to do so. We don’t know exactly when that may be, but whatever happens we will always put safety first,” she added.
Lauren added that some of the salon’s older more vulnerable customers had not yet been able to return to the salon.
“This will be the case for many beauty and hair businesses -it’s hard for older people, especially if they live alone, to miss out, not only on the pampering, but the social aspect. It will be a good day when we can start welcoming these customers back.”
Tegan won the Best Therapist Nomination, and Lauren paid tribute to her, saying: “She is an intrinsic part of the team, very hard working, and well liked by both customers and other staff which is so important. We will all be keeping our fingers crossed for her.”
“We will all be sad if we can’t glam up and attend the Awards in person as we would normally do, as these occasions usually make for great nights, but I suppose there is nothing to stop us glamming up and watching it all virtually if that is how it ends up happening,” she said.
With Christmas fast approaching and Womankind Beauty as busy as it can be with gift voucher and retail sales, as well as permitted treatments, Lauren finished by saying she would press ahead in 2021 with the introduction of several new services to keep the salon at the forefront of those in the Capital. This includes a new medical skincare line, along with chemical peels, dermapen skin needling, and cryopen which removes skin lesions.
“It’s important to constantly reinvest in a beauty business like this, and so as a team we remain very excited about the potential for new treatments, techniques and therapies to put to our client base.”
