SME News Q1 2024 / 50 Alice Widdows is a luxury beauty and wellness strategist with more than 25 years of experience operating in the business of luxury, as well as being at the helm of Wynyard Therapy, one of Teesside’s standout high-end beauty salons. While Alice’s background may be in the realm of yachts and superyachts, the insight, intelligence, and ROI she can provide those operating within the lifestyle, health, and beauty sectors serves as an invaluable tool in enabling those she works with to expand their presence and strengthen their position in the global market. Wynard Therapy’s distinction is similar, yet it operates on a smaller scale, proudly serving those in Stockton-on-Tees and surrounding areas by providing a series of exceptional treatments and services from hair and make-up through to waxing and facials. It was November 2022 when Alice Widdows and her husband, Dr. Nick Fleming B.D.S. MSc, purchased the salon, which has long held a special place in the local community, previously going by the name of Therapy Hair & Beauty Wynyard. Leveraging her background in the luxury industry, Alice set about emphasising the extravagant nature of the salon, aided by a keen focus to provide clients with an unrivalled experience that is sure to leave them wanting to return time and again. Not only has Alice rebuilt the services that are on offer from the ground up, but she has also launched and partaken in a series of community wellness events that are designed to give back to the fantastic local people. Without these people, there is no way that the salon would have survived as long as it has, with it now being in operation for more than a decade, navigating its way through the pandemic in a way that many other small businesses were unable to do, all thanks to local support. With more than 3000 clients comprising its portfolio, Alice has faced the difficult task of not only retaining this loyal fan base, but also growing the business further to reach untapped areas of the market. Her team of 11 full-time and part-time staff all hail from the local area, reinforcing Alice’s local commitments, with her taking over of the salon opening up new positions allowing local people to thrive in a friendly, professional workplace. Since the beauty industry was impacted tremendously by lockdowns and social distancing measures, purchasing a salon in such a tumultuous climate was a considerable risk for Alice, but it was a challenge that she was determined to rise to. Throughout, her dedication and commitment to the task remained steadfast, and after several months of renovations, the business would successfully relaunch in September 2023 as Wynyard Therapy, with its luxurious transformation and array of new, high calibre services being immediately apparent for all of its regular patrons and new customers alike. The hard work of the team is being reflected in the business’ results, with more than 110% year-on-year growth projected. Exploring these services further, beginning with hair, a number of options in the areas of colour, cutting, and styling are available. When it comes to colouring, balayage and ombre techniques are utilised in one of the business’ premier services, with bleaching and toning, full colour or highlights, a half-head colour or highlights, Olaplex (an award-winning hair care brand) treatments, as well as partial highlights, a roots touch-up, semi-permanent colour, and toner/toner with a blow-dry on offer. Wynyard Therapy also offers a range of cuts and trims for boys, girls, men, and women alike, with beard and fringe trims too available, in addition to an extensive styling service, including restyles and blow-drying. Leaning more into the luxury mantle of the business, Alice and the team have introduced a series of body treatments that are comprised of an array of massages, carried out by team member Paige. These services are inclusive of back and shoulder, full body, and Indian head massages, as well as a luxury hot candle wax massage (undertaking using Neom oils), the incredibly effective Swedish deep tissue massage, and a Luxe Derma facial, head, and shoulder massage. Furthermore, a series of IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) hair removal, skin rejuvenation, thread vein, and acne treatments are provided, designed to help measurably improve confidence regarding elements of one’s appearance that cause bother or distress. Continuing along this thread of luxury, Alice and the team are proud to offer a series of CACI and HIFU treatments, with those carried out using the CACI technology consisting of eye revive, full facial, and jowl lift, while HIFU entails an all-encompassing skin tightening procedure. Alice’s husband, Dr. Nick Fleming B.D.S. MSc, also plays an instrumental role in some of these services, offering clients a medical aesthetics consultation (complete with a refundable booking fee), before providing a holistic medical aesthetics treatment than can be tailored to the needs and desires of the individual to garner the best possible results. In addition to these luxury offerings, Wynard Therapy is renowned for the more traditional elements of its service, particularly regarding nails, where it offers builders, gel infills, French manicures, nail art, and a range of gel nails by the famed OPI brand. Its eyebrow and eyelash solutions are too notable, with lamination, microblading, and waxing/tinting available in a variety of forms and packages for the former, and offerings regarding the latter being comprised of semi-permanent options, tinting, and weekend lashes, perfect for that big night out. Speaking of important occasions, a bridal/ occasions service is offered for both proms and Luxury Beauty Salon of the Year 2023 - Stockton-on-Tees
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