FEATURE ON THE MARGARET BALFOUR BEAUTY CENTRE
October 2011 – This is the eighth in our monthly series on independent shops and businesses in Sherborne. This month we look behind the scenes at the Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre in Swan Yard.
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When Margaret Balfour first started out as a beauty therapist in the late 1970s, the treatments on offer did not go much further than a facial and a manicure; today, the menu is far more extensive including everything from anti-ageing treatments to soothing Indian head massages and gel nails to hot stone treatments. The products used have also become far more sophisticated and do help to slow down the ageing process by caring for and protecting the skin.
Margaret and her husband, Michael, arrived in Sherborne in 1979 and Margaret, having trained as a therapist in London, set up a small treatment room above one of the shops in Cheap Street which affectionately became known as ‘ the coal hole’. Her business expanded rapidly and after various migrations the Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre finally came into being in Swan Yard in 1996. In the early days, the nearest competition was in Wells and in Dorchester whereas today there are six beauty salons in the town, reflecting the growth in the beauty care and well-being business.
The Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre employs nine qualified staff all of whom have worked at the Centre for several years, specialising in different things, from make-up to deep massage. They have all received additional in-house training and Margaret ranks customer care at the top of her business priorities. The emphasis is on personal service and Margaret feels that it is important to know the clients and to cater for their individual needs, matching them with the products that are best suited to them.
The products and treatments on offer are critical and Margaret insists on being convinced that a treatment will work before she will offer it. She has been working with Clarins for more than twenty years and her Centre now has Gold Salon status, one of about sixty in the country. The decision to align the business with one major supplier came about after years of experience with various products and Margaret feels that Clarins products answer all of her clients’ needs. As a result, her staff receive special Clarins training days and the staff have become experts with the products.
The term ‘Beauty Centre’ has become less applicable over the years as this business has evolved. ‘Well-being’ is equally appropriate nowadays as relaxation and de-stressing treatments have grown in importance. All sorts of massage treatments are available, aimed at the relaxation of muscles – but not the manipulation of the bones.
Treatments depend entirely on the customer and change according to age, sex and season. Older women may benefit from a facial every 4 – 6 weeks whereas a young woman in her twenties might only need one every three months. In the summer, there tends to be a greater demand for waxing treatments and pedicures while in the winter there is a greater emphasis on facials and massages. Men currently account for about ten per cent of the Centre’s business but it is a growing trend as male products become more and more prevalent and waxing and massages more fashionable.
As indicated by its name, the Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre is a very personalised business and Margaret is emphatic about good staff and keeping up standards. Asked what still drives her after all these years, Margaret beams, “I love it. I love my job. It’s very sociable and keeps me in touch with all sorts of lovely people.” With such a passion for her business, it is likely that the Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre will continue to make the ladies – and gentlemen – of Sherborne look and feel their best for years to come.