Business | Advice
Best in beauty
The FHT talks to Maria Mason, MFHT, MIFHB, MHBEF,
about what it takes to run an award-winning salon
orchard. It was only a mile and a half from
the health club where we were based, but it
was in desperate need of repair. We literally
had to rip everything out and start over.
QDescribe your salon for us.
M
aria Mason has been a practising
holistic beauty therapist for 17 years
and a member of the FHT since 1994.
Starting as a mobile therapist, she now owns
Beauty Time salon in Bristol, which recently
won UK Salon of the Year at the 2010
Professional Beauty Awards for the second
consecutive year.
The FHT caught up with Maria to learn
about her career progression and find out
what it takes to run an award-winning salon.
The main post office, which doubled up
as the village shop, was converted into
our reception and retail area. There is also
a snug, which is our main waiting area,
where there’s a log fire, comfy sofas and
refreshments. A door takes you through to
the quiet zone of our salon, where there
is a second waiting room with a library,
leather sofas and patio doors that lead out
to a meditation garden. Two large treatment
rooms, a shower room for clients and a staff
room complete the downstairs.
Upstairs, there is a wide galleried area and
landing, three more treatment rooms and a
second shower room.
QTell us how it all started.
When I first qualified as a beauty therapist,
I developed the concept of a ‘having a
beauty salon in your home for the day’. This
involved giving a client, or ‘party hostess’,
a diary, so she could book her friends for
manicures, pedicures, facials and so on.
I would then spend the entire day at the
hostess’s home providing treatments.
To help pay the bills, I was also renting a
treatment room at a local health club in the
evenings, which I eventually took over full
time. By now I was learning more holistic
therapies, business was steadily growing, and
one treatment room quickly turned into two.
I worked on my own for a further year before
I took on my first therapist. We worked
together for a year, then as the business
expanded, grew to a team of four and took
extra space at the health club, until we
became a team of 10, including receptionists.
All the while I was following a strict
business plan, and at the 10-year point, my
key objective was to start looking for my own
property. I eventually came across an old
village post office, with a cottage and apple
When it comes to hiring therapists, I will
only take on those who are qualified or
happy to train in holistic therapies, as I think
this is so important. There is a special quality
about beauty therapists who are holistic in
their approach – they are generally more
tactile and perceptive to their clients’ needs.
Q
How do you decide which
treatments to add to your menu?
I’m very involved in the beauty industry,
read lots of consumer magazines and attend
all the major shows. I see what’s out there,
what’s fashionable, but before I take on a
new therapy I try it myself and research
it thoroughly.
I will follow trends, but only if the
treatment or product is results-driven
because at the end of the day it’s my salon’s
reputation at stake.
Q
QWhat décor did you choose
What are the most popular
treatments at your salon?
It’s slightly eclectic, but at the same time
very relaxing and welcoming. Throughout
the salon I have tried to incorporate different
elements from all of the therapies we do.
For instance, in the garden we have some
wonderful umbrellas and parasols from India
and China, to tie in with our therapies that
originated in the East. I have also brought
feng shui into the overall design.
How do you monitor
client satisfaction?
and why?
QHow many staff do you have?
Q
On their first visit to the salon, every client
gets a welcome pack, which contains free
samples, a full brochure, a ‘recommend a
friend’ offer, as well as a feedback form,
asking ‘did you enjoy your Beauty Time with
us today’? Our receptionists will also call
clients some time after their treatment to see
Left: The salon used to be the post
office Centre: Decor is influenced by the
treatments Below: The retail area
www.fht.org.uk
We are a staff of 12 – four receptionists and
eight therapists – and they are all fantastic.
It’s really important to have a strong
reception team as they are the first point of
contact with clients. We are a busy salon
and continuity is critical – we need staff who
have time to welcome clients properly and to
close the treatment, ensuring that the whole
client journey is smooth and professional.
Probably massage and non-surgical
facelifts. People are very concerned about
the way they look these days, so the
beauty-focused treatments are always
popular. But with so much stress around,
demand for complementary therapies is
equally high.
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Issue 93 July 2010
International Therapist
www.fht.org.uk
Advice | Business
QWhat’s it like winning awards?
Awards are like little beacons – they bring
people’s attention to you and encapsulate
quickly that you run a successful salon.
They can also open up new avenues, for
instance, getting coverage in the local media.
In recent years, I have also been invited to
judge the Professional Beauty awards and
appeared on the BBC to talk about looking
good naked and mineral make-up because
people have seen us in trade magazines or
salon suppliers have put us forward.
QWhat advice would you offer
to other members?
how they are getting on or if they need any
advice on how to use their products.
Q
How do you ensure customers
remain loyal?
We have a number of initiatives that
have proved successful, including salon
membership. It costs £100 a year, for which
the client receives £80 worth of products
(retail value), plus a one hour treatment
voucher, worth up to £55. They also receive a
Christmas gift, 10 per cent off all treatments
for the year and exclusive promotions on the
products we retail. We have been running
this scheme for two years and now have
more than 200 salon members.
QHow do you promote the salon?
Most of our business comes from loyal
clients and word of mouth. I don’t advertise
in newspapers, but if something – anything
– catches my attention, I always ask myself
why and whether I could catch the attention
of prospective clients in a similar way.
I also go out to lots of businesses and give
talks and taster treatments to staff in places
such as Tesco, John Lewis and local schools.
As we are in a luxury industry I think it’s
always nice to give something back. We do
a lot of fundraising for charities and also
support the local community. One project
I initiated involves groups of six to eight
local school children who have very low
self esteem coming into the salon. We teach
Q
What do you think is key to
running a successful salon?
You always need to look outside the
box – you can’t rest on your laurels
when things are going well.
I regularly walk around the salon
and think about how I can improve each
area, whether it’s our treatment menu or
little details like putting reading glasses in
the waiting room.
As my staff are the cornerstone of my
business I try to ensure that they are happy
and receive lots of support and excellent
training. I believe in leading by example
and involve my therapists in all aspects of
the business, which helps to ensure they feel
valued members of the team.
I have never lost sight of why I came into
this industry. Each time I do a treatment,
I look at the client and know that treatment’s
made a difference. That’s fundamentally
‘where it’s at’.
It doesn’t matter what you aspire
to be – whether you want to run
the top salon in the country or be
a successful mobile therapist. Decide
where you want to go, then sit down
and plan how you’re going to get there.
Literally map out your career path, step by
step. At the end of the day, it’s all about
being passionate about what you do and
being the best that you can possibly be.
QWhat’s next?
The future is about keeping the salon’s
profile high and developing existing
projects, like the work I am doing with
children who have low self esteem. I have
also recently met a high court judge, who
would like me to do some work in the
underprivileged areas of Bristol, talking
about how you can be a self-made
business person.
I’m happy with just one salon,
because for me, it’s about quality,
not quantity. I don’t want to run a chain of
salons from an office. I’m a therapist first and
foremost, and that’s why I remain part of
the team, providing treatments in the salon
three and a half days a week. When I’m in
that treatment room, I know my business is
working, because I hear it from my clients.
If the opportunity presents, I would like to
do more television work and write for some
of the glossy magazines. It would be a great
to show viewers and readers that there is a
great wealth of knowledge outside London
but I could never stop being a holistic beauty
therapist – it’s my life and my passion.
l For more details, visit
www.beautytimemariamason.co.uk
www.fht.org.uk
Below: The comfy waiting area
Right: The team celebrates winning
another award
them about skin care and make-up,
which they practice on each other or
their parents. As well as giving them
a boost, it helps to establish trust and
nurture relationships.
We also still sell stamps and do
photocopying for the locals, as the salon
was their village post office long before
we arrived.
They are also welcome to come in for
a cup of tea and to browse through our
salon shop, where we sell a whole range of
products linked to beauty and relaxation
– from jewellery and make-up, to candles,
essential oils and body products.
www.fht.org.uk
International Therapist
Issue 93 July 2010
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