Ella James & Katelin Gregg are the duo behind popular beauty podcast, Cosmechix. They’re also the proud owners of Bondi’s Fayshell – a stylish destination sat upon a unique business model rooting for treatment accessibility. Hannah Gay caught up with the women four months into opening their doors.
Ella and Katelin are no strangers to the beauty industry, having documented their journeys trailing treatment-after-treatment for their podcast, Cosmechix. The pair took a risk by opening their Bondi-based clinic, Fayshell in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2022.
The space offers countless social media moments, an experienced dermal therapist in their colleague, Elisa, and a 100 percent customisable treatment menu. The team offers a membership program, as well as a price list designed to woo budget-conscious millennials who might have otherwise shied away from the expense of a facial.
Read on for Fayshell’s full story:
Hannah Gay: Briefly run us through your backgrounds working in the beauty industry, as podcast hosts, and in your motivation behind opening Fayshell.
Ella James & Katelin Gregg: “For the past three years, we’ve been running our beauty platform Cosmechix with the aim of educating millennials on all things cosmetic enhancements, skincare, and beauty through interviewing industry experts. This has given us the opportunity to work with over 100 beauty experts and build a following of over 15,000 millennials across platforms that trust us for their skincare and beauty advice.
During our conversations with all the top plastic surgeons, cosmetic doctors and makeup artists we noticed that whenever the topic of anti-ageing came up, they all said the same thing – that it starts with the skin. However, the feedback we got from our audience was that skin treatments were expensive, time-consuming and often overwhelming… and so Fayshell was born.”
HG: Describe the look and feel of your space.
EJ & KG: “The space is nothing like a traditional skin clinic. Forget sterile white environments – our space is designed to be warm and inviting where you can stop, unwind and have a treatment created specifically for you.”
HG: How many employees do you have?
EJ & KG: “At this stage we’re a team of five, however we’re currently looking for several passionate full-time and part-time beauty therapists (aka Fayshellists) to grow the team!”
HG: What do you look for in a great employee/beauty therapist?
EJ & KG: “We look for skilled beauty therapists with a passion for skin who pride themselves on their depth of knowledge, and who effortlessly empower their clients with skinformation in a non-threatening and empathetic way.”
HG: List the hero treatments you offer in-salon.
EJ & KG: “At Fayshell, we don’t have a treatment menu. Instead, we get to understand our clients’ concerns and goals then create a treatment specifically for them.”
HG: What is your ethos as business owners?
EJ & KG: “We strive to cultivate a culture that is fun, fast-paced, and team-oriented. As a start-up we’re constantly having new ideas and changing, so we encourage a flatter structure whereby everybody’s voice is heard and we’re all contributing ideas that ultimately shape the business.”
HG: Name the beauty brands you stock and work with.
EJ & KG: “We work with a range of wonderful cosmeceutical brands, each of which we personally believe in, including: Synergie Skin, Hydropeptides, Dr Spiller, Image Skincare, and Oxygenetix.”
“We encourage a flatter structure whereby everybody’s voice is heard and we’re all contributing ideas that ultimately shape the business.”
HG: What has been one of the biggest struggles you’ve faced so far in managing a business?
EJ & KG: “The biggest struggle to date has been finding staff. We rely heavily on our amazing Fayshellists to create the best possible experience for our clients and getting the right candidates takes time.”
HG: What’s in store next for Fayshell?
EJ & KG: “Our goal is to expand our vision of making professional skin care, advice, and treatments more accessible.. so watch this space!”
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