Chesterfield salon wins 7 honours in National Hair & Beauty Awards

Brampton Beauty Retreat, above the Dotique boutique on Chatsworth Road, has been credited with seven awards.

Salon manager Kirsti Pullen said: “We’re over the moon and really proud. We love what we do and love the fact that other people love what we do too.”

The salon has won:

Gold for excellence in customer service for the East Midlands;

Gold for skin specialist of the year for the East Midlands;

Silver for manager of the year - National;

Silver for Top rated salon of the year for the East Midlands;

Silver for Best Beauty Salon of the year for the East Midlands;

Silver for Best New Business for the East Midlands;

Bronze for Rising Star of the year for the East Midlands.

Kirsti said: “For us, the best award is excellence in customer service - gold. The most important thing is that clients come here, they feel like they are being looked after, that they’ve had a nice time and they want to come again.

"For myself, I’m very proud of silver for manager of the year - national. It’s a huge achievement.”

Kirsti’s facial treatments also won her the gold award for skin specialist of the year for the East Midlands.

The salon prides itself on offering an upper-class experience for clients with its luxury beauty treatments. Kirsti said: “We do Elemis facials and body massage treatments, we do Shellac nails, manicures, pedicures, all waxing and body exfoliation treatments.”

Treatment prices start from £10 for an eyebrow shape or gel soak off and tidy, massages start from £30 and facials range from £35 to £90.

Jayde Sumner, 20, and Camilla Staton, 26, work alongside Kirsti in the salon. Kirsti said: “Jayde trained in Sheffield, she had all her qualifications but because of lockdown she didn’t have any experience in a salon so we took her on through the government Kickstarter scheme in 2021 to give her that experience and train her up to our standards. We’ve kept her on as a permanent employee, her hours went from part-time earlier in the year to full-time. She is very good at head in the clouds massage which is similar to Indian head massage.

"Camilla did her training at Champneys in Tring in 2016 and worked in different salons and spas, most recently at a spa hotel in Sheffield. We’ve just taken her on to keep up with the demand. Camilla is very good at aromatherapy massage.”

Word of mouth has attracted 800 clients to a salon that had none on its books when it launched in November 2019. Kirsti said: “When we opened, I’d just come up from the south and didn’t know anyone so we literally started from zero clients. Now we’re always getting new clients. It’s exciting having new people coming in and getting to know them.

"A lot of our clients I consider friends now because they've been coming so long. You build a rapport with them and you get to know their interests, hobbies and lifestyle.”

Attracted by the house prices in Derbyshire, Kirsti moved from Southampton and began renovating a property in Somercotes with her partner who is from Nottingham.

She said: “I used to be deputy manager at Champneys in Chichester, which is a well-known spa chain. I’ve worked in a series of clinics, salons and spas and also worked in Australia for a year running a salon in a little village there. It’s a great job to have because you can literally take it with you.

"Dorothy Robinson was looking for someone to open and manage a salon above Dotique. I came in to see the space and she basically gave me free rein to do what I wanted with it. I’m pleased with how it’s progressed.

"We’re hoping at some point to expand the salon to create more treatment areas and expand the staff so we can offer more treatments. We hope to keep growing and growing.”

From October 1, Brampton Beauty Retreat will open every Monday, instead of alternate Mondays, providing a six-day service to clients every week. For further details, visit www.bramptonbeautyretreat.co.uk