Buty – Beauty Salon Blog

This week, our Buty Guru Editor, Anna shares some tips and experience on how to put your best foot forward and get the job in beauty therapy that will either be the solid foundation for your career or the next step in your professional ladder.

Looking the part

In this industry, appearance is key.  When your interviewer looks at you, they should see that your skin, nails and hair is tidy.  If you have an untidy appearance then it won’t leave such a positive impression with your potential employer.

I have come across interviewees whose appearance has not been up to scratch.   Although you would assume that trainee therapists would know how to present themselves – this is not always the case so this is an important tip to make.

You should wear full make-up but ensure that it looks natural – not over the top.  Hair washed and groomed, it would be better if it was tied back into a pony tail.  Short nails, manicured and clear nail varnish or french manicure but definitely no fake nails as you cannot work with fake nails in any case.

Simple but smart dress also – just like you would go for any other interview.

Portfolio / Experience

Most of the colleges have salons open for the public so before you finished training, you should have had hands on experience in any case.

I came to this salon immediately after college without experience.  I brought some testimonials from the clients I treated at college and made a portfolio which included my diploma certificate. I even printed out a photo of the training salon where we were working.  I had a nice book…like a proper portfolio.  I presented it to the interviewer and she was very impressed because of the notes from my clients.  Although I wasn’t very good with nail polish she took me on in any case even though she doesn’t normally take on trainees straight from college.

Looking for work

Most colleges will put adverts on the board or you can search for specialist hair and beauty agencies.  There is also the job centre, beauty magazines, networking or contacting therapists you study with – if they get a job before you, you can contact them and see if they have any more vacancies.

If you are already working as a therapist then you can search for work in professional websites and magazines.

Qualifications

Cidesco Qualification is the highest international diploma meaning you can work throughout Europe, America and Australia .  The NVQ3 covers the wide range of advanced treatments that are on the market also.

IHBC is another international qualification but it doesn’t operate in Amercia.

Work experience

Most salons don’t offer work experience as you need a certificate before you practice on full paying clients so I would try to get as much experience from the college beauty salon as possible.

Buty Salon prefer to take on people with at least 1 year’s experience but if they think that the person has the ability to learn quickly and show that they can work without supervision then, as in my experience, you can be picked for the job.

Most salons also prefer to take on staff with some experience but I would still advise that you send a CV to them.  You never know the outcome as I sent several CVs for jobs requesting at least 5 years experience and I still got a call requesting interviews.  In the end I secured 3 positions so I was stuck for choice.  The reason I decided to go for Buty Salon was because they offered me a lot of training.  When I started I was only qualified to level 2 but it was a great opportunity to learn new things and work at the same time.

How do you progress in a small salon

Find an area that you are interested in such as Hot Stone Massage, and speak to your manager to find out if they are prepared to pay for the training and then you have a new area to offer your services, boost your commission and set the stage for your promotion when the time is right.

If you are aware that you are unconfident then you can appear quite miserable.  You need to put a smile on your face.  You might be a brilliant therapist but if you don’t have a smile on your face then your clients won’t feel comfortable.

Pay

You need to be prepared that as a new therapist you have to start from the basic and then perhaps you get commission on top.  Most salons offer commission schemes.  Basic pay, plus commission, plus bonuses from selling product.

If you’re a regular reader of women’s magazines or you like to keep up with what’s new in the world of health and beauty, chances are you’ve come across the buzz surrounding Hot Stone Massage. Even though this treatment,  designed to promote fantastic wellbeing and therapeutic results, has quite recently caught on and is now being offered in salons and spas across the globe, you’d be wrong to think that today’s beauty experts are its founders. In fact, stone therapy goes back to ancient times where many cultures were practicing it as early as 1,000 years ago – from the Japanese women who wore warmed stones around their stomachs to aid digestion, to the Romans who would bath in hot water before lying on cold stone slabs to stimulate circulation and re-energise their minds.  For a treatment that spans so many years and gains new fans every day, there’s no denying that Hot Stone Massage is HOT!

LaStone Therapy – Hot Stone Massage

There are numerous versions of Hot Stone Massage, but many top salons and spas such as the Buty Salon in Hammersmith and Fulham, offer a more spiritual or metaphysical method with LaStone Therapy. This is a trademarked style of massage developed in 1993 by Mary Nelson, a massage therapist from Tucson who began to get visions and verbal guidance from her Native American Spirit guide. “With each day’s work, I was intuitively led to use more stones, and developed a method of progressively opening up the energy channels (chakras) of the body,” she says.

Why use stones?

The stones used for treatments  are specifically chosen for their therapeutic properties such as basalt (for heating) which has been polished and shaped flat and smooth by rivers and oceans and marble(for cooling)  which stays cold and absorbs body heat.  LaStone therapists believe that the  natural stones that they use contain the earth’s healing energy and due to their varying weight, size and temperature, have the added benefit of enabling easy relaxation of the muscles, allowing the therapist to apply deeper pressure, if desired, with little manual effort.

What can I expect during LaStone Therapy?

The massage therapist often begins by applying oil to the body which allows the hot stones to glide smoothly along the muscles and helps warm them up. While you’re sitting, the therapist places two rows of warm stones on the treatment table in alignment with both sides of your spine before covering them with a soft towel to protect you from the heat. You will then be assisted to lay back down on the stones. The therapist will then place stones of varying weights on your body’s key energy channels, including the seven main chakras. Smaller sized pebbles are then placed between your toes with flat stones in your palms while the therapist then uses both hot and cool stones as an extension of her hand while massaging your body.  The physiological benefits of alternating between hot and cold to the body have long been scientifically and medically proven and while the hot stones help improve circulation and calm the nervous system to aid deep relaxation, the cold stones  increase the lymph flow of waste materials around the body causing a detoxifying effect. This, along with the sedative effect that the LaStone Therapy has on the mind, means the whole body and mind becomes rebalanced, energised and calm.

Who would benefit from LaStone Therapy?

This treatment can be isolated to specific areas of injury or full body to experience the total mind, body and spiritual benefits. It is ideal for people who feel anxious or stressed or those who want to unknot muscles that have tightened through exercise or work and it is a fabulous way to give comfort to those suffering from back pain, poor circulation, osteoarthritis, insomnia and depression.

When should you not have a LaStone therapy?

The therapist will not treat those with infectious skin disease, rash or open wounds, immediately after surgery, radiation or chemotherapy -  unless recommended by your doctor. It is also not advisable for people prone to blood clots as there’s a risk of blood clots being dislodged. If you have heart disease or are pregnant, check with your doctor first. LaStone Therapy should not be carried out directly over bruises, inflamed, unhealed wounds, tumors, abdominal hernia or areas of recent fracture.

How can I book to have a LaStone Therapy treatment and how much is it?

To have a consultation and to book a treatment, call the Buty Salon on 020 7731 4080 (Fulham) and speak to one of our therapists specially trained in LaStone Therapy.

…………………….Price: £79 for 1hr 15.

To book a hot stone treatment click here – Hot stone Massage

Over the coming months, Buty Salon Blog will be bringing you the low-down on what’s new and happening in the world of beauty and how we can help to improve your looks, health and general wellbeing. You’ll find out about the latest and greatest beauty treatments, from what’s involved during  a treatment  to what it’s good for and how it can make you look and feel wonderful.  If you’ve heard about a treatment and aren’t quite sure what it’s about or how it works, or if you’re looking to find a treatment or advice for a specific beauty problem or desire you have, then please do leave us a comment and our beauty experts will reply.  And if there’s anything else beauty-wise you’d like us to include in our blog – just let us know.  Remember, this site is for you and we welcome questions and feedback on any type of beauty queries you may have.  So, come on, let’s chat!

Anna and Fenia launch the Buty Blog

This month Buty editors, Anna and Fenia launch the Buty Blog with a topic that many salon owners and therapists struggle with every year, The Slow Months.  Our experienced practitioners do straight talking therapy on how to navigate this tricky period when the beauty business is a bit slower than usual; why this is the case and how to make the best use of time to achieve optimum productivity in this period of your therapist career.

Anna: The slow months usually fall to August, purely as it is the time when people are going away, travelling abroad on their hols and in September it can be a bit slow as they only just come back from their travels at this time…….

Fenia: ….September is also the time when the kids are going back to school, so people take time to get back into their normal lifestyle routine.

Anna: But then January is also quiet…again this is usually just after the peak times which would be Xmas and New Year – when everyone indulges like crazy…then things go quiet over January just after the New Year.

Fenia: And just before Easter time also…..

Fenia: It can be hard for therapists starting out during these quiet times but salons tend to tighten up on recruitment here.  Depending on your circumstances, for example, if you have a job already but looking to break into beauty then I would recommend to wait until October to look for work because I know that is when many positions are available and salons will start to get a little busier.  If you are unemployed then you might as well look at every opportunity in the industry, but I would advise against just taking on any job that comes your way.  It is hard to find a good salon to work for; you have to be happy with the environment and your working conditions and be passionate about your role as then you will become more productive.

For example from my own experience I was almost desperate to get into the beauty industry when I started out. I was just starting out and finally found work.  My first impression was that I didn’t feel needed there and I realised I couldn’t develop my skills or experience.  The standards were pretty poor and I realised I was not getting the progression I needed.

Anna: You definitely need to be in a place where the standards are quite high.  You know… the salon needs to be clean and good customer service needs to be apparent.  In this industry, the skill and knowledge requirements change every year and you need to be in a place which is on the ball and can incorporate this.    Otherwise, you could just end up as a waxing therapist.

Anna: During the months when we are not so busy, we give our therapists the opportunity, for example, to go onto training courses to enhance their skills and knowledge about what is happening in the market.  We wouldn’t have had a chance during the summer period as we needed everyone at work.

Fenia:  Also during this time, we offer promotional incentives to clients and also reward our existing clients.  We want to show our clients they are appreciated so we give discounts and we also bring in new therapies or a treatment focus such as Hot Stone Therapy.

Anna: It is also a chance to do more cross selling, whether that is a product or a different treatment to boost salon income.  We are able to spend more time with the clients and focus on their individual needs which can change from time to time.

Therapists will now be able to log online to get the expert advice from a new blog initiative, The Buty Guru. Set up by a leading brand of salons called Buty Salon, the site was created to help a broad range of professional therapists from those starting out within the beauty industry to small beauty business owners.

Practical tips will be updated twice monthly by therapist editors, Fenia Sukiennik and Ana Depczynska (originally Polish) based at the Buty Salon’s two premises – Hammersmith and Fulham. The salon has a 12 year reputation for training and cultivating quality beauty practitioners in the industry. Salon manager, Fenia has worked across a number of salons across the UK and Ireland before working her way up to her current role. She often gives the salon’s new therapists guidance and training during their first 12 months and has cultivated a loyal client following since her appointment.

Buty Salon assistant manager, Ana says “Over the years I watched a pattern of the general qualities needed to make a salon a success which therapists don’t necessarily learn until years down the line when they have built up experience. Our Guru blog will help to bring these issues to the forefront”.

The gurus will offer their experience and advice through articles and a section dedicated to answering reader’s questions and queries.

Buty Guru Blog Launches to help Fellow Therapists, “Although therapists have good training from respected beauty colleges we tend to find that there are still major gaps in their skills and therefore need  further training on-site. We hope that the Buty Guru Blog will help to share and swap experiences and the tips a therapist needs to know to advance his/her career,” says therapist editor, Ana.

ACNE: Regardless of skin type and lifestyle, acne is one of the most common and stubborn skin complaints effecting around 80% of us at some point in our lives. It’s primarily caused by a family of hormones called androgens which cause blocked pores and lead to overactive sebum production. With bacteria and sebum trapped inside pores the skin becomes inflamed causing spots which are commonly situated on face, neck, back and chest. Acne can make life a misery for some men, women and young adults, but happily, today’s modern advances in skincare means that there are now options out there to dramatically improve spots and blemishes.

IPL ACNE TREATMENT: The therapist uses a hand held device which emits intense yellow, green and red light in a series of short pulses on the area to be treated. Yellow/green light destroys the acne causing bacteria in the skin while the red light directly targets overactive sebaceous glands. Heat from the light causes shrinkage of inflamed sebaceous glands, preventing over production of oil and also stimulates collagen, boosting the skin’s healing process and improving skin tone.

For all your Facial Treatments needs click here!

Any skincare expert will tell you that it isn’t only what you do on the outside to your skin that determines its condition; it also has a lot to do with how well you treat your body as a whole: what you eat and drink, how much exercise you take, your stress levels.  In fact, everything we do on a daily basis has a major effect on our complexion.  An holistic (whole body and mind) approach to looking after your skin will enhance a good skincare routine and ensure you look and feel fabulous inside and out. Top London beauty therapist and owner of The Buty Salons in Hammersmith and Fulham, Sam Wimalaweera, shares her advice for looking and feeling fantastic:

• A healthy diet is essential to make sure your skin is getting all the nutrients it needs to look radiant. Every day try to include plenty of juicy, sweet fruits and fresh vegetables which are rich in antioxidants to protect skin from damaging free radicals which are reactive oxygen based chemicals linked to ageing and disease.
• Flush away skin clogging toxins by drinking 8 glasses of water a day.
• Don’t avoid good fats in your diet. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), found in foods such as oily fish like tuna and mackerel, walnuts, pumpkin and flax seeds and dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli can help keep the skin lubricated and improve dry, flaky skin and scalp.
• Beauty sleep isn’t a myth! Aim to snooze for 8 hours a night as it’s during this time that the skin effectively repairs itself. Not enough sleep leads to bags and dark circles under the eyes and lacklustre skin.
• Stress is one of the bodies biggest enemies which means it can wreak havoc on your skin. Avoid it as best you can by incorporating some relaxation into your day with gentle yoga, a mind-clearing walk or pilates. Meditation, a warm aromatherapy bath and massage can all bring big beauty benefits.
• Limiting sun exposure will definitely help slow down the ageing process. Make sure you wear a high SPF when you’re in the sun, regardless of your skin colour and stay out of the sun at its hottest, between 12-3.

For all your Facial Treatments needs.

Those little skincare gems to add to your routine and give your complexion the winning edge:
A good basic skincare routine of cleansing and moisturising is the beginning to a wonderful complexion, but there are times when your skin needs a little extra oomph. A new boyfriend to impress? A school reunion to attend? For those occasions when you want to pull out all the stops, add these little skincare beauties to your regular routine and you’ll be reaping the benefits in no time.

• Applying a face mask once a week will keep skin in good condition, especially if it contains a cocktail of Essential Oils and Fruit Extracts to purify dull skin. Decleor Radiance Revealing Peel-Off Mask, £25.50, will leave you looking radiant.
• A fabulous eye cream is a vital addition to your skincare routine. Decleor Relaxing Eye Cream, £35.50, uses a selection of plant active ingredients to get to work on dark circles and wrinkles. Tap it on gently around the eye area twice a day with your ring finger to pep up a sluggish circulation.
• All skin types benefit from a skin reviver such as Decleor Natural Exfoliating Cream, £24.50. Formulated to gently absorb and eliminate impurities, it helps stimulate the cellular renewal process and skin takes on a healthy glow

For all you Facial Treatments needs click here.