The Beauty & Blow Dry Studio
Looking for a little bit of luxury? Fancy a glass of Prosecco, a blow dry and a manicure? Yes, please! Then head down to Rachel Fox's beauty studio in Bourne End
Tell me about you and your family...
I live with my family (Mum, Dad and my sister) in Bourne End, and we moved here
in 2003 from Greater London and absolutely adore it. It's a lovely town with lots to offer. There’s also Marlow, Beaconsfield and Cookham, not forgetting the gorgeous countryside, along with great transport links to Central London, so you definitely get the best of both worlds living here.
Tell me about your business
I opened The Beauty & Blow Dry Studio last November, but it's been a dream of mine for quite sometime. In London, New York and other major cities, there are blow dry and nail bars a plenty, but I noticed there wasn’t anything similar in this area, which I thought was a bit of a shame. There’s nothing nicer than getting a fabulous blow dry and manicure – it’s the perfect pick-me-up and can do wonders for a woman. I knew I wanted it to be on Bourne End high street – it’s such a busy high street that offers variety and is also heavily supported by the local community, which I think is wonderful.
What did you do before?
Before I set up the studio, I ran my own business from home doing book-keeping, Virtual PA and web design. I did this for around 11 years, and really enjoyed it.
I met some wonderful people along the way and had a very varied client base, but working from home does have its downsides as it can be quite isolating; however, being able to occasionally wear your pyjamas while working does make up for it.
Did you have to do any training?
I didn’t do any business courses before setting up the studio, as I came from a
book-keeping and web design background, so I knew I would be OK looking after the financial side of things, building the website and looking after the social media.
I don’t do the treatments myself, as I’m disabled, but I’m massively into beauty and have always researched products and treatments and have had many treatments done myself over the years, in various establishments, so I felt I had quite a good knowledge and could also bring a different point of view to the table, as I have always been the client and in this industry, always trying to look from the clients' perspective is the best way to offer the best service possible.
I did, however, do a personal licence course and exam, as it was extremely important to me to be able to offer complimentary Prosecco to my clients while at the studio – I think it adds a bit of luxury to proceedings, but you obviously need a licence to do so. It was a bit daunting at first, but ended up being quite straight forward in the end.
Tell me about the products you use
I wanted to create a brand that challenged the traditional beauty, blow dry and
nail experience. We always strive to offer impeccable customer service, to use
the best, most exclusive brands and products, and create a serene and luxurious environment for our clients. I spent a long, long time researching the brands
I wanted to use in the studio with my main focus being as natural and organic
as possible.
We have the fabulous Kure Bazaar nail polishes at the studio, which are 85% natural and their ingredients include wood pulp, cotton, potatoes and corn. We also offer their fabulous organic manicure and pedicure rituals using Bamford products. We are actually the only beauty studio that Bamford allow to use their products in manicure and pedicure rituals, which is a real honour.
The other nail polish brands we use are Nailberry, who offer a wide selection of beautiful shades that are formulated 12-free, along with being vegan, gluten free, cruelty free and certified Halal.
We also have the amazing Smith & Cult polishes that have an exclusive 8-free formula. We’ve recently brought NEOM into the studio and are proud to offer their express wellbeing treatments. What I love about NEOM is that their products and treatments have real wellbeing benefits and the fact that they’re made in Britain from ethically sourced, sustainable origins, only natural and organic ingredients, no petrochemical paraffin or mineral wax, no artificial perfume only pure essential oils and no harsh preservatives is amazing.
We do offer gel manicures and pedicures using a brand called Gelish and that is as far as we go in regards to nails. I’m not a fan of extensions or acrylic but that is just a personal choice of mine.
Then we have the fabulous Nouveau Lashes. We offer their LVL treatment and lash extensions – again, they are vegan and cruelty-free.
Finally, we use Rahua shampoo and conditioner and offer their conditioning treatments. Rahua are also vegan, cruelty-free, non-toxic, free of parabens, sulphates and gluten. They are a fabulous brand, which is stocked in Liberty and other high-end stores and salons, and
I love using such a natural but luxurious product on our clients' hair.
What are your staff like?
We have extremely qualified therapists who have been in the beauty industry
for a good few years, who are extremely well trained and have the same vision
and values. They love providing a wonderful service to our clients and are all perfectionists at heart, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. I also heavily invest in training, as I think it’s such an important thing to do. We can always learn more,
do more and offer more.
Why should women come to your studio?
People should come to us if they look for a relaxed, luxurious environment when having a beauty treatment or blow dry, if they’re conscious about the products that are used on them and if they like a more one-on-one experience. A large proportion of feedback we receive from clients is how relaxing the studio is and how they don’t feel like they are rushed in and out, which makes me and my team so very happy.
What are the best and worst parts of running your own business?
The best part of having your own business is having something to call your own and being responsible for it, the direction it takes, whether it grows and I think building something from the ground up definitely gives a sense of achievement.
The worst part of having your own business, and I’m sure most people will say the same thing, is that it can be difficult to switch off. I’m always researching, answering messages and doing paperwork in the evenings and at weekends, which I do enjoy but I think switching off and having a balance in life is important. That is something I need to work on a bit.
Anything else we don't know about you?
I suppose my claim to fame is the fact my sister, Nikki Fox, is the BBC’s Disability News Correspondent and Watchdog presenter. I’m extremely proud of her.
Who are your idols?
I have three idols and they are my mum, dad and sister. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. They always support me and give invaluable advice, while having successful careers/businesses themselves. I’ve always looked up to them and feel extremely blessed. I couldn’t of set up the studio without them.
https://www.thebeautyandblowdrystudio.co.uk
