A Midland entrepreneur is celebrating a key business anniversary by revealing plans to expand and further boost staffing.
Former Naval nurse Sally Wagstaff is marking her five-year milestone by revealing that business has been booming at her salon Xodos Aesthetics following a rising trend in people shunning going under the knife to seek less intrusive options for cosmetic procedures.
It follows in the wake of high-profile procedures gone wrong and claims that the NHS is dealing with a rising number of patients needing corrective surgery to repair botched cosmetic operations.
But there’s another major reason business is up for the 43-year-old, of Kings Bromley, Lichfield, and that’s because what sets her apart from other salons is she’s a registered nurse and therefore one of a few salon owners answerable to professional body the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Having moved from her original base in Curborough Craft Centre, Lichfield, 18 months ago to Aston Wood Golf Club, Little Aston, the mum-of-two says client numbers have doubled with some regulars travelling from Devon, Birmingham, Shrewsbury as well as Tamworth, Lichfield, Sutton and Cannock.
Just one of her award-winning salon’s high-profile clients is local actor and singer Jordan Adams.
Relocating to the golf club, a 10-minute drive from Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield, has also proved to be a savvy logistical move that’s seen her boosted staffing from two therapists to ten, with plans to further expand in 2019.
Sally said:
“I’ve undergone a massive expansion of the business over the last 18 months and moving to Aston Wood golf course has been great logistical move and it’s allowed to create a purpose-built salon to suit the treatments I offer and geographically it’s been great for generating a new client base. “We’ve seen a real rise in the number of clients through the door, of around double, as more people move away from the more dramatic cosmetic surgery with developments in non-surgical, and safer, less invasive, treatments requiring no downtime.”
While many cosmetic injectables like lip fillers and wrinkle relaxers are often administered by non-medically trained salon therapists, Sally is also bucking the trend by only using visiting experts who are medically qualified, including a local GP who is based at both the Spire Healthcare in Little Aston and a local GP surgery in Lichfield.
“Because so many of the cosmetic treatments offered aren’t regulated, we often have people come to us after having cheaper treatments elsewhere for help after being burnt or scarred for example at a non-medical salon,”
added Sally.
“As a registered nurse I pride myself on my integrity, professionally and medically high standards. We won’t recommend any treatments that we don’t think are right for any client.”
Sally offers a range of ever-growing treatments from IPL skin rejuvenation and tattoo removal to anti-ageing chemical peels, cosmetic injectables, micro-needling, microblading and lash extensions, foot health care and reflexology and for the New Year she’s adding permanent make-up to her long list of treatments.
She also offers hairdressing, manicures and pedicures, and a range of beauty and spa treatments, as well as treatments to address anti-ageing, pigmentation, sun damage, rosacea, acne, thread veins, broken veins, wrinkles, laser hair and tattoo removal, IPL skin rejuvenation, micro-needling, anti-ageing collagen induction and chemical peels.
Sally’s also a platinum patron for Pathways charity as to date has raised over £1k for the cause as well as won a host of business awards, including Best Business to Consumer, is recognised as one of the best businesses locally and in the top 100 UK businesses listed by the Best Of group.
See Xodos Aesthetics website here for more.