Welcome to the new website, and the start of a better salon!
As many of you know, we have had a lot of changes recently to Utopia, and all very much needed. By Summer of last year, we had a daily waiting list of up to 20 clients and a 2-3 week wait for appointments. This escalated at the start of this year with the waiting list creeping up to 30 clients on a daily basis, and a 3-4 week wait for appointments - in some cases even longer.
And with only 3 treatment rooms, one of which really only used for tanning, we knew we had to do something to keep up with demand. And so the changes began!
So, what exactly has changed at Utopia?
1. The biggest thing by far has to be the physical alterations to the building. Up until April of this year we had the salon upstairs - a separate building with its own reception and waiting area - with the retail shop downstairs. Two separate entrances, two separate buildings but one business. Although many would think it was two!
So in April we closed entirely for two weeks, to join the two buildings together and expand our treatment room space.
A doorway was created at the foot of the stairwell, meaning anyone in the downstairs 'shop' could go straight upstairs into the salon without exiting first. This meant we were able to move our reception and waiting area downstairs - moving all retail stock forward to create a cosy waiting area at the back of the building. The original reception area was then divided into two, to create an extra two treatment rooms upstairs. This meant that we only needed one entrance to the building, and kept all the treatments upstairs with all waiting clients downstairs - providing an even quieter, more relaxing atmosphere in our treatment rooms.
And now with five treatment rooms instead of three, we were able to take on more staff to accommodate even more clients.
2. Our number of full time therapists increased from two to four, and we took on a sixth member of our team to run reception on a Saturday, freeing up all available therapists to do treatments.
3. If that wasn't enough, we also increased our opening hours to ensure longer days and more evening appointments were available. All in all, we now have a much smaller waiting list!
4. Our gift vouchers were updated from paper, hand written ones to more modern gift cards - all individually barcoded so they scan into our computer system. Any amount or treatment can still be added, but they have a more contemporary feel to them.
5. We also upgraded our uniforms for a much more professional look - matching trousers and tunics from one of the most prestigious ranges available.
6. Wanting to bring something extra special to our treatment menu, we invested in a new product house, Germaine De Capuccini. All four therapists went on training and we launched the stunning new spa treatments and gorgeous retail range at our Pre-Christmas open evening at the start of November. Read more about these beautiful rituals here.
7. On the subject of training, we also became one of the FIRST salons in the whole of the UK to join the Amethyst Trust and have all four of our therapists trained in the new massage technique aimed at clients with cancer. The Tranquil Sea massage technique enables us to have 100% the correct insurance to be able to treat patients currently going through or recently having treatment for cancer without the need to obtain medical permission first. How amazing to be able to make a difference!
8. And then there's the website - a completely new site built from scratch to incorporate online selling of all our retail products and gift cards. Information is much easier to navigate, buying is made easy and online booking still available.
So there you have it - quite a few changes taking place but all making for a better, bigger salon.
Enjoy the new website and look out for some truly stunning NEW treatments coming your way very soon!
Nikki x