Are Mobile Day Spas The Next Big Thing?

Salon owner Alison Shaw realised she was onto something big when she weighed up the cons of visiting a salon, versus bringing the salon to her clients’ homes.

There are many reasons for your clients to come to your salon, be it to have a little time out of their busy day or for a bit of a confidence boost. But have you ever thought about the drawbacks?

What about finding parking, walking out in public looking disheveled and having their relaxed state ruffled by traffic on the way home?

Salon owner Alison Shaw realised there was a gap in the market for mobile beauty businesses that offered more than just basic one hour massages or door-to-door makeup, but instead gave clients the full salon and day spa service in the comfort of their own homes, so decided to take a chance and launch her own.

Now a major business offering everything from in-home spray tans to facial treatments, Shaw’s Ripple salon is showing no signs of slowing down, with mobile day spas across Australia.

“Since we launched in 2005, I’ve been offered many opportunities to put Ripple into hotel day spas and other facilities but I’ve always said no, because I want to specialise and concentrate on doing one thing really well,”

“I’m not interested in compromising our quality and vision,” says Shaw, who emphasises the key to the business’s success has been constant research and innovation to stay abreast of the latest trends.

Ripple’s latest offering is a coffee massage, aimed at stimulating tired muscles.

“I got some great coffee from Merlo and came back to the office and started experimenting with oils, scrubs and face masks. With some ingenuity, we came up with a unique way to make the coffee oil, and found studies supporting its use as a beauty treatment.”

Shaw’s advice to prospective beauty business owners is to offer something completely distinct from what’s already on the market.

“We aim to give our clients something unique, because we want to be far more than just a mobile massage business. I love my job and I love what we do,”

“Coming to work each day is fun, regardless of what’s happening, and I love that we can make so many people happy. And really, isn’t that what life’s all about?”