Soon to celebrate their first birthday, Ashleigh Sharman visited The Parlour Room to learn of their sweet success.
Hotly anticipated, The Parlour Room shares its birthday with the first day of summer and come December 1st will celebrate 12 months in the business of beauty.
“I discovered there was a gap between salons that focused on cheap prices without the service and luxury offerings that were a bit snooty and uncomfortable. I wanted to deliver great service in an atmosphere that felt special and five-star but at reasonable prices. I also wanted to be fantastic at each and every service I offered and so bring a total beauty offering together for our clients,” says owner Natalie Papadopoulos whose years of experience across the beauty industry allowed her to make better choices when establishing The Parlour Room
Opening with four staff, Natalie promoted services at half-price in her first two weeks; a strategy that suited Clovelly’s tight community well and resulted in full bookings. It was the beginnings of a word-of-mouth culture for The Parlour Room and, coupled with social media and window signage, saw staff hours increase.
“The most important thing I found was engaging with the customer. Clovelly is a close community so word-of-mouth counts for everything. Any flier drops we did never worked yet our referral system does. It works particularly well for spray tanning as people can see the result — they are a walking billboard!” Natalie says.
The service menu is designed around the treatments Natalie herself likes, treatments she says makes you feel sexy before a big night out. Expect then waxing, tanning, manicures, pedicures and brow work with brands including Lycon, Techno Tan, Naked Tan, local nail polish label Hello Darling, Gelish and seasonal facials with Miranda Kerr’s skincare range Kora Organics which strikes the perfect chord with Clovelly’s yummy mummies.
The design of The Parlour Room is stylish, modern and oozes fun with its eye-catching wallpaper, lolly bar and communal nail table to accommodate groups (simply add champagne). There are three waxing rooms, one doubling as a facial room, two spray rooms, two manicure stations and two pedicure stations but don’t expect Natalie to stop here as there are more salons in her sights.
“Opening my own salon wasn’t a goal it was always a given. I knew I’d be here someday and from day one of college I started writing down things I did like and didn’t like as preparation for my own salon. I’m really proud of the amount of referrals we receive and the growth we have experienced — that coupled with the feedback proves we are doing a good job. A lot of businesses struggle in their first year and we have been consistently growing each month. I have so many plans, more salons, our own label, becoming more involved in the industry: I truly never stop working,” says Natalie who is busily planning a birthday party to remember.
For more information contact The Parlour Room, 216 Clovelly Road, Clovelly NSW (02) 9665 9989 or visit www.theparlourroom.com.au