The role of salons in an image-obsessed society

Probably a bit of both, if we’re honest. It’s difficult to promote beauty services in salons and spas, and indeed in magazines and websites such as ours, without using images of flawless faces and toned torsos. And for the majority of people, an image of a model is just that, a beautiful image that is nice to look at but not a benchmark of normality.

 

News that negative body image is affecting the majority of women and teenagers across the UK is perhaps not a huge surprise but is a story that also draws attention to the positive role salons and spas can play in shifting perceptions.

 

Professional brands such as Collin Resultime and Bare Minerals are creating a more realistic image of beauty through ads that use real women and reject airbrushing. Meanwhile, the new generation of spa manager is busy designing the spa of the future, in which teenage girls have access to emotional support as well as physical fitness and affordable beauty. Read more about both in the August issue.

 

The importance of wellness on an emotional as well as a physical level is growing in spas. However, the concurrent boom in ultra dark tans, lash extensions and nail art shows image is also at the forefront of clients’ minds.

 

The way a client looks will always have a major part to play in their self-confidence. Similarly, the public image we portray of our businesses is integral to forming positive relationships with those clients, who make assumptions based on first impressions created by the website or the appearance of staff.

 

Our August issue also include a uniforms focus and a guide to creating the right image of your business through its website - a subject that's close to our hearts at the moment with the recent relaunch of our own website.