Secret Beautique in Cirencester recently underwent a vintage inspired refurbishment.
We caught up with Salon Owner, Hannah Gingell, to get her advice on creating a vision for your salon space .
Fact File
Name: Secret Beautique
Address: Unit 4 Woolrich House, The Waterloo, Cirencester, GL7 2GA
Telephone number: 01285 640157
Owner/s: Hannah Gingell & Matthew Evans
Size: 1000sqft
How long have you been in the premises: 6 weeks
Clientele: Existing clientele from freelancing, plus lots of new clientele local to Cirencester and surrounding areas.
Staff: Hannah: Director of Beauty & Holistic, Matthew: Director of Hair, Bethan: Saturday Girl
Styling stations: 3 styling stations, 3 treatment rooms
Budget: 22k
Financing: Start up loan
Design: Vintage luxury
Furniture: Self sourced from many companies, some up-cycled pieces using Annie Sloan chalk paint, boutique stylist chairs and backwash units, dark wood furnishing in the treatment rooms.
Features: Spacious salon floor, chic stylist stations, Pinks Boutique spa treatment room, vintage waxing room, spray tanning room.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your company: when you started in hairdressing and first set up the business.
Matthew and I had been working freelance in hair and beauty and had a lot of cross over clientele as we had been working on weddings together. We launched the salon to continue growing in the industry. We saw a gap in the market for a salon that combines both hair and beauty services with a natural and organic twist.
As a highly decorated and award winning hair stylist, Matthew’s fabulous career has covered everything from competitions, styling for photoshoots, being part of the Schwarzkopf Young Artist Team and a member of the first ever Barbers Elite Team, to stage work at Salon International for Schwarzkopf Professional, Balmain, Hairdressers Journal, and The Fellowship. Matthew delivers five star hair with precision cutting, and creative colouring as a dedicated Colour Specialist.
I’m an experienced beautician with an eye for detail, and a love of natural and organic. Hannah is an advanced lash artist exclusive to the area, expert massage therapist, healing reiki practitioner, and make up artist too. Hannah has trained and worked with prestigious brands all over the country to deliver an exquisite and professional service.
What were the premises formerly? In what state were the premises before you began refurbishment and what attracted you to the premises?
The premises are new build with four retail units and eight luxury apartments above. We took the unit on as shell and core which meant it was a complete shell with no walls, no electric, no plumbing, no floor – a blank canvas. We were drawn to the look of the building, the huge glass front and side window, the quiet location and the large car park opposite.
How long did the work take?
A total of eight weeks with it taking two weeks just to get an electricity supply to the unit!
The actual build took six weeks. I designed the floor plan down to the very last detail and with the help of my Dad, who is a builder, set about the mammoth task of fully kitting out the premises.
We were onsite seven days a week to keep on schedule to open in September.
What did you have in mind to create before work began – what were the aims?
We wanted to create a luxurious space that works well of all aspects of the business.
We wanted the treatment rooms to feel plush and spacious to create that spa like feeling.
Getting the size of the rooms right while still allowing ample space on the main salon floor was something that required a lot of thought but turned out just right.
The main salon floor is flooded with light and feels lovely and roomy but at the same time has a cosy homely vibe. Creating a salon that everyone felt comfortable in was our biggest focus.
What major work had to be undertaken to prepare the premises and why?
The entire build was a major job. we needed to install all of the electrics and wiring, plus all the plumbing, fixtures and fittings.
We built the rooms from scratch – hanging 90+ sheets of plasterboard is not an easy job with no team of labourers! Then all of the jointing, filling and sanding needed to be done. The easiest part of the whole build was the decorating!
Who designed the salon?
Self designed, self built!
What is the colour scheme and why did you pick it?
The salon floor fits with our logo colours. There’s dusky vintage pink walls to fit in with the roses from our logo and a grey wall behind reception which helps it pop and standout to passers by.
We added the white graphics of the Secret Beautique logo behind the reception desk to keep inline with branding.
Treatment rooms are a deep plum throughout which works wonderfully with our high ceilings and matches the therapists uniforms.
Describe the lighting in each area, why it was chosen, and what effect it has.
We are spoiled with stacks of natural lighting on the salon floor, which is dream for our hair sections.
Lighting here is minimal and simple with spot lighting, each styling station has one strip of spotlighting above.
We wanted to avoid over lighting the backwash area and we have placed lighting further back so there are no bright lights in the clients eyes when they are having their hair washed.
Further lighting on the salon floor has been placed above reception and retail areas to highlight the offering.
In our treatment rooms we needed to ensure enough lighting for intricate treatments such as Lash Extensions and Waxing, which we have achieved with extra spot lights, yet we also needed flexibility for soft mood lighting, so all lighting in the treatment rooms can be dimmed to create a suitable atmosphere for each service and client.
Describe reception and the waiting area in detail and where they are.
Our reception and retail area is situated next to our large side window, flooding it with natural light.
Our vintage reception desk is bespoke and handmade by my dad which we then painted to match the dressers in the styling stations.
We have a beautiful coffee table that we made ourselves from an old suitcase we picked up at a vintage fair, paired with a lovely boutique style sofa.
Product lines are proudly displayed around reception, with pretty Kevin Murphy bottles in the window that perfectly match our salon colours. We also stock Pinks Boutique organic skincare and Lily Lolo Mineral Makeup on our chalk painted dresser.
Is the salon meant to appeal to anyone in particular?
With the overall feel of the salon and the luxury product lines we aim to appeal to a high end clientele but keeping in mind that we ultimately wanted a warm and inviting salon that anyone would feel comfortable walking in to.
We know from experience that atmosphere plays an importable part to attracting clientele, we wanted to move away from the sometimes clinical feel that salons can have to make a home from home.
What would be your top tips on renovating/refurbishing a salon?
Plan, plan and plan!
Don’t try and skip this vital stage, plan every last detail from the size of the rooms, how much space you want between each section, the website and how you’re going to market your new salon, to what drinks you will serve!
Leave no stone unturned and allow the refurbishment to go as smoothly as possible.
Set a budget and stick to it. Spend the extra time sourcing your materials, you know never know where you will be able to save a few hundred pounds or more.
Remember that it’s about how it will all look and come together, not about how much money you spend.
Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty! Muck in and reap the rewards of satisfaction whilst saving money in the process.
Labour costs can be the most expensive element of the build so borrow friends and family to help keep costs down. It is amazing how much you can do yourself!
We are now experts at hanging plasterboard, jointing, filling, sanding, decorating and shopping at Wickes and Screwfix!
Think outside the box and dare to be a little different. If you have an idea or look that you think will work then let your imagination run wild.
Remember that you have to work in this space for a long time so if your vision will make it a happy place to come to everyday, it’s really important to roll with that.
Make sure you find a great photographer to capture your fabulous new salon in all it’s glory.
When you’ve worked so hard to achieve your vision you don’t want poor photography to let you down. Great images will help you market and draw in the right clientele.
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