Spa Spotlight

Featured Spa: nkd waxing

Spa/ business name nkd ( )

Web address www.nkdwaxing.com

Location Nottingham city centre

Rebecca Dowdeswell is the owner of nkd, she bravely opened the salon with no beauty industry background –” I was formerly a journalist, writing about the car industry”!

When was your business established?

My limited company – StripTweeze Ltd – was incorporated on 30 June 2009 but nkd ( ) did not start trading until December 2009.

What inspiration did you draw on for the concept of your spa/business?

I went to Asia on holiday and came across some very successful waxing bars there. I knew that nail bars had started in Asia and subsequently come over to this country, and having observed the fragmentation of the UK beauty industry, I felt strongly that there was a similar gap in this country for specialist waxing and hair removal bars.

What makes your business unique?

We are Nottingham’s first & only waxing and threading boutique, and indeed one of only a handful of specialist waxing bars in the UK. Our therapists either wax or thread all day long which makes them real experts in their trade – as opposed to therapists in traditional beauty salons who carry out a wide range of treatments and unfortunately can sometimes be considered jacks of all trades but masters of none. This point is crucial – when you go for an intimate wax, you want to be certain that the therapist is confident and experienced in what she does. After all a bad Brazilian is far more traumatic than a bad manicure or facial!

What distinguishes your client base, do you attract a certain group of people for any reason?

Around 50% of nkd ( )’s clients are under 25 years of age, and a further 30% are in the 26 – 35 age bracket, which I would imagine is significantly lower than the average age in most beauty salons.  I set up nkd ( ) with younger clientele in mind – I felt that traditional beauty salons, which are usually located out of town, cater much more to older, “ladies who lunch” types who typically have a lot of time on their hands. The fact that we specialise in Brazilians and Hollywood waxes which are more popular among younger people than women in their 40s and 50s also helps, as does the branding of my salon, which I deliberately had designed to appeal to a younger audience. I also made sure that my branding was androgynous because I knew that men would form an important part of my customer base, which I’m pleased to report they do.

In you opinion what are the qualities that make the industries best therapists?

They have to be passionate about what they do. Their work has to be more than “just a job” to them. I also feel strongly that specialisation is the way forward, especially with regards intimate and sensitive treatments such as waxing, and all other forms of hair removal.

What is the future for (your spa/business)? To expand into other forms of hair removal (e.g. electrolysis) and eventually to take nkd ( ) out of the Midlands and turn it into a nationwide brand!

Indigo Testimonial

I was extremely pleased with the level of service I received from Indigo. I was only sent top-quality CVs and really appreciated the fact that Lucy did not try and push my way clients that were clearly unsuitable/not sufficiently qualified as I have come to expect from most other recruitment consultants!