Designing and choreographing every treatment at her Paddington escape Venustus is a passion for founder Jeannie Bourke. She chats to Anita Quade about bringing together an elite group of artisans who have been crafting their skills with her for decades.
When you enter the Venustus space on bustling Oxford Street, there is an immediate calm in the white and light space.
It’s early on Saturday morning and owner Jeannie asks me to choose my favourite stone to place in my hand while she smudges the space in a ceremony of sage, palo santo and incense. The ethereal magic in the salon is intoxicating as she gauges energy levels and sets the healing process in motion.
I sat down with the inventive founder – whose treatment list is carefully curated to offer a smorgasboard of treatments tailored to the individual to discuss her skincare journey and what the future holds.
My favourite memory on my beauty journey is…
“Opening my business on Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney, Australia and recently purchasing my first commercial property next door on Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney am so proud of such community spirit.”
The toughest time I faced in business…
“There are so many tough times in business, the toughest was the decisions I made in 2019 just before Covid. I was purchasing all our packaging on such a level, to last the life of Venustus, loved it, jumping up and down when it arrived. I purchased my first commercial property next door to this salon in Oxford Street and then Covid hit and I thought I would lose it all. I can literally work 7 days a week for decades, when you have to and there are times you have to, if you want to keep your business for life, but when you can’t work what can you do?
My son Zac said to me, Mum you have built a really great business, you have worked really hard to create and keep up this incredible level – so get up and it will work out. You can really hear this from people you love and who love you.”
You mention the community culture on the street – tell us about that.
“Oxford St Paddington has to be one of the hardest streets to make it on, over the three decades I have seen so many open and close, so many lose their businesses due to so many changes, two councils divide Oxford street I have had to work seven days a week for nearly all of my 30 years. It has felt during all this, no one seems to ask and then take the advice from, the people who live here and the people who work here and own businesses here about what changes they feel will help the area.”
My favourite part about the Venustus space is my new space.
“There are deliberate cold and warm pods for therapist and guests, an underfloor crystal architecture that is linked to the sun and moon portals via our metal staircase. Our rooftop pharmacy where all our home care and in room treatments are made by plants. Using metal, the most ancient material of all to be a portal to both the moon and the sun as well as the crystals buried beneath our foundation.
We could’ve bought anything on the street but we landed on 383 because of predisposition and love and reference for the number eight, when the eggs are joined together also form a singular number eight.
We want everyone’s parasympathetic nervous system to be relieved the minute they walk in to our secure doors. It’s for that reason that we have declined the business model of having merchandise and take home product on our shelves. We want every part of your cognitive to be rested and we believe the luxury of looking at nothing but feeling the environment, is the best way to perform our work.”
I would choose this treatment from my menu because…
“I would choose whatever treatment has just been launched because it’s an evolution of our training and experience. Some of my favourites include;
– Six hand body massage – it was so much fun choreographing this treatment – the ultimate gift
– Sculpt & Define Lymphatic Facial 30th 40th 50th Birthday
– Osaka to Sydney Packager – husband, brother, father
– Time – best friend gift
Online bookings + Online Vouchers are the biggest gift with an option of *wrap up & collect instore.”
“I was driving through France, discovering aromatherapy companies on the land, creating blends, in that moment I knew I could design and make my own Venustus skincare, one by one… What I learnt, was that I could elevate each and every treatment by formulating my own skincare.”
I have managed to retain loyal staff for more than 20 years or more because…
“I really value them and value what they have to say, what they feel. They have incredible ideas and it is always, always about the work. We all love training and launching new treatments and we don’t have sales product targets, re-booking targets, their salaries are work related, how great they have become each and every year.
There has to be nothing in it for them to recommend a product to a client, nothing in it for them to recommend when a client should rebook. I think this is what makes them authentically unique and allows them to easily hold on to their integrity and honesty.”
I choose staff based on…
“Who they are, incredibly whole hearted, kind, compassionate and wish to strive for greatness for every person, everyday. Loyalty, trust and honesty are the most important qualities for me. Striving for ethics, integrity and a moral code. I really like them, we spend more time with each other than anyone else. I can train anything/everything skills wise, if they are open, we can evolve the work. It can be a lot joining us, with over a hundred years of experience. But if you truly want to be beyond incredible and have a kind heart, we are for you.”
I stay motivated by….
“I don’t have any trouble with motivation, I am naturally motivated, I know 100% it is up to me…
Staying inspired – I am drawn to and spend time with people who are inspiring. We give each other ideas, we are excited about what we are doing. Stay curious, think of the wonder in it all and most importantly create, inspire and motivate. Other ways I stay motivated is by riffing with my friend Megan Morton, interior instruction, books, artist, Travel Ambasadress, attending seminars by Philip Fimmano, trend analyst and design curator and enjoying the works of Lidewij Edelkoort, who has written design and fashion books.”
I formulate my own skincare range and this is what I learnt…
“ I was driving through France, discovering aromatherapy companies on the land, creating blends, in that moment I knew I could design and make my own Venustus skincare, one by one… What I learnt, was that I could elevate each and every treatment by formulating my own skincare. I could delete a product, to make way for a better product without asking anyone, without having to wait until I sold out of the existing product.”
The new interiors of my current space have been inspired by…
“The new Venustus doesn’t look like anything else. This is because we have faced our decisions purely on the healing properties of our choice in materials, their ideal placements in coordinates to the underfloor architecture of the crystals and our upstairs rooftop sun moon air and water catchment. A visit here for a couple of hours will feel like time has expanded and your energies will be restored. We have a deliberate mix of both hard materials and super soft materials (like linen & cashmere). We do this because we need to provide not just an elevated environment, but because we aim to make your experience super safe and contained and private, to give you everything we think is needed.
When you are in your pod, you really are in the most sacred, loving and secure of spaces, wrapped in a cone of ancient metal that has healing properties. It’s the exquisiteness you expect from Venustus but not with an atmosphere to match the time you spend with us. If people want to check this out they can view this on our Instagram highlights: New Space”
If I wasn’t the creator of Venustus I would be…
“My first answer is taking my team to the Maldives, to take over their spa for a few weeks, I love stretching the work, but I realise this is not the correct answer, I can’t imagine what else I would ever do.”
The one thing I love most about my personality is…
“I use my editorial background and interior authority to design meaningful and whole hearted atmospheres in the retail, domestic and travel spaces.”
My plan for the next decade is…
“As I am known as “the elder” in the industry, take the Venustus experience to another level.”
This article originally appeared in the May-June 2023 print issue of Professional Beauty.
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