Through The Keyhole

Take a peek inside salon setups across the UK&I as Scratch unlocks each door

Soholistic Spa at Ham Yard Hotel

Location: Soho, London

Once a derelict space, the site of Ham Yard Hotel in the heart of dynamic Soho was transformed by the Firmdale Hotels group in 2014. Situated next to Piccadilly Circus and moments from Mayfair, it features rooms and suites, a restaurant, bowling alley and Soholistic: a chic beauty environment. Spa manager, Charlotte Bull, heads up the team, which includes five therapists and a receptionist, who tend to the beauty needs of hotel guests and external clients.

“Soholistic Spa is a calm space comprising three treatment rooms and a luxury nail salon offering manicures and pedicures,” she tells Scratch. “There is also a shower and changing room, a white marble steam room with fibre optic lights to mimic a night’s sky, and a relaxation area with a pebbled wall and shell mirrors to create the feel of being on the beach.” The team uses skincare and wellness brand, TEMPLESPA, as well as OPI products for clients’ nail needs. “We love OPI’s range of colours and how the brand supports the delivery of high-quality services,” Charlotte shares.

On its website, Ham Yard Hotel is described as having an ‘urban village feel’. The interior has a modern British look, designed by Firmdale Hotels founder, Kit Kemp, and Charlotte notes that this ‘vibrant and colourful’ appearance reflects the hotel’s style. “My favourite aspect of Soholistic is that it is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly Circus. It is a hidden gem below ground,” she smiles.

www.firmdalehotels.com/hotels/london/ham-yard-hotel

House Of Beauty

Location: Ancoats, Manchester

A shipping container might seem an unlikely place to grow a successful beauty business, but for Laura Kelly, this unique location has seen her attract a wide range of clients. Inside her salon are three white marble nail desks with suede pink chairs, while a door at the back opens up to a private kitchen area, where the pro offers spray tans.

“I received the keys to the container shortly before Christmas 2022, and worked tirelessly for five days to get it ready for clients,” Laura shares. “I wanted it to be predominantly pink with a minimalistic feel. Now, I’ve created my dream space where I welcome all types of client, and work alongside fellow nail tech and friend, Kathryn of @tailored.beauty_with_kathryn.”Builder gel and gel polish manicures are offered using The GelBottle Inc products, and pedicures are performed with the Elim podiatry range.

House Of Beauty is located on the edge of Manchester city centre and surrounded by independent businesses that are also run from shipping containers, from coffee shops and an Italian takeaway restaurant, to a Pilates studio and dog grooming parlour. “It’s a special place full of creatives, with a lovely community feel,” Laura details. “The HQs for clothing companies, Pretty Little Thing and BoohooMAN, are close by, so many of their staff members book our treatments. We also visit BoohooMAN on a monthly basis to offer its employees manicures.” Looking to the future, Laura would like to invite another nail tech into the space and pursue educating, to help fellow pros enhance their skills.

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