Meet The Salon Owner: Self Love Salon in St Helens

The business opened on Baldwin Street in St Helens five years ago with Claire Jones in charge and it’s gone from strength to strength, offering different therapies and treatments to their clients.

Here 4o-year-old Claire tells us why she wanted to open her own business, what the inspiration was behind Self Love Salon and what plans she has for the future.

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What’s the name of the salon/business?

Self Love Salon

What’s the address?

23a Baldwin Street, St Helens

Are you the owner/manager?

I’m the owner of the salon.

How many employees do you have?

I have one employee and three others who are self-employed.

When did you open the salon?

I opened five years ago in May.

Are you local to the area? Did you grow up here?

Yes

Tell me a bit about your salon/business

We are a holistic hair salon and we believe in promoting inner beauty just as much as outer beauty. The salon was born from my own struggles with mental health and learning to love and appreciate myself more by using holistic elements such as aromatherapy, reiki and crystals. These elements are incorporated into the salon as a way of introducing clients to different therapies. We pride ourselves in being a sustainable salon.

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What do you do? What services do you provide?

We provide all hair services such as cutting and colouring as well as bridal appointments. We also offer beauty treatments as well as massages, reflexology and reiki. We can provide specialist skin treatments such as dermaplaning.

Why did you decide to open your own salon?

I wanted to provide not only a great service but also a beautiful experience that may just help encourage someone to be open to the importance of self love and healing.

What’s your hair and beauty background?

I’ve been in the hairdressing industry since leaving college at the age of 18. I am a qualified assessor and tutor and I have won multiple awards including best customer experience two years in a row, most sustainable salon three years running and colourist of the year twice.

Why this type of business?

It has always been my passion and my dream from the age of six and I am lucky that I have found way of combining all of passions – hairdressing, nature and self love – in my career.

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How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your business?

We opened about a year and a half before Covid-19 hit. It had a huge effect on the business but I spent time refurbishing the premises and working on my continued professional development. That way, when we reopened, clients would be able to come back to an even better salon with highly skilled professionals.

What makes your business different to others in the same area/field? What sets your business apart from your competitors?

I believe in every salon having their own style and niche in our industry so I don’t feel competitive towards anyone else. I have made some great friends in other local salons – there is a place for everyone. But what makes us unique is the value we place on people’s emotions, comfort and mental health. It’s not just the value of a great hair cut which obviously is still important but we encourage and promote well-being and sustainability while providing a great service.

Why do loyal clients return to your business?

We get a lot of compliments about the atmosphere of our salon and how relaxing it is and we are also very thorough with each client consultation – we really listen and understand every client’s needs. We also cater for vegan people where possible and use cruelty free products that are kinder to ourselves, our clients and the planet.

What’s next? What do the next few months hold for you and your salon?

We have award entries coming soon and we hope to be collaborating with local charities. I personally have my own education programme launching soon, which is really exciting, and we have the launch of our holistic hair service add on treatment in the pipeline. There’s lots to keep us busy!