THASPA based in the Deutsche Bank building in Sydney’s CBD is one of Naked Tan’s Diamond Salons. Due to its prime location, the salon serves a large professional clientele. Professional Beauty spoke to spa manager Lisa-Marie Hody to ask her about the salon’s treatments, services and products.
Q. What first prompted you to get into beauty? And how did you go about educating and training yourself?
My dream job growing up was to become a beauty therapist and make people feel good about themselves, from a young age I started tweezing my friends eyebrows, doing their makeup and painting their nails. I completed both my Australian and international beauty diplomas at ACNT. After completing my diploma I continued to do training with many different product lines such as Naked Tan, Thalgo, Md Formulations, Priori and Decleor.
Q. When and why was THASPA established?
THASPA was established in 2002 by Nicola Wood-Henry, who decided to set up her own salon as she wanted to perform the services she believed in and offer an experience to clients coming from a busy environment that was relaxing and professional.
Q. Why was Deutsche Bank building chosen?
Deutsche Bank building was a brand new building and there were no other salons surrounding it, so being central to the business clientele there was a demand for us to be in this perfect tranquil location.
Q. How would you describe the general feel of the salon?
Nicola hired an interior designer to help create a chic but relaxed and welcoming environment that would make everyone feel at ease.
Q. How would you describe your clientele?
80% of our clients are professional women. In addition to our regular clients, we do have quite a few male clients and lots of tourists as we are surrounded with hotels. Most of our appointments are booked in advance but we are happy to accommodate walk in appointments when possible.
Q. What is your most popular treatment/service and why?
Our most popular treatment is spray tans followed closely with waxing and facials.
Here at THASPA we use Naked Tan which is the creator of the world’s first 2hr tan so it’s convenient for our clients as they live such busy lifestyles.
Q. What are you best known for?
Our high quality and unique treatments as well as our friendly and professional staff.
Q. How do you set yourself apart from your competitors?
We treat every client like a new client regardless if they have been here previously; we are up-to-date with our staff training and always try to offer the latest and greatest treatments. The staff are always friendly and very welcoming.
Q. What motivates you each day?
The team of girls that I work with are fantastic and very motivated, there’s never a dull moment in this industry as you are meeting new people everyday and you never stop learning about new products or innovations.
Q. Has the economic downturn affected business at all, and if so how have you overcome this?
We really did not see a great impact as a result of the GFC. Beauty services such as waxing are still an essential necessity. However, we have offered discounts on our products and waxing packages so clients were receiving some free treatments.
Q. What do you think is the secret of your success?
THASPA offers quality treatments at affordable prices, all the staff at THASPA are fully qualified and hold a diploma in beauty therapy. We pride ourselves with our professionalism and friendly manner. The staff also enjoy the benefits of having the latest training which is regularly provided by our product companies and sales representatives.
Q. What is your business philosophy?
Our philosophy is to provide an exceptional service with our qualified therapists especially for busy working men and women. We want to ensure every client feels they can step away from their busy lives for few minutes and be pampered.
Q. How important is advertising to you or do you rely mainly on word-of-mouth?
Advertising is extremely important as people are always moving to the area and looking for a new salon. However, word-of-mouth does play a big part in advertising for us as 80% of our clients are from our building (Deutsche Bank Place) or nearby areas.
We are also very lucky to be Naked Tan’s Media Salon which gives us a lot of exposure and is great advertising as we spray lots of beauty editors, journalists and models from national and local publications.
Q. Which ranges do you use in salon and why?
Thalgo, MD Formulations, Priori, Decleor, monoderma, Inika and Naked Tan. We stock a wide range of products to cater for every skin type and specific needs, some clients love aromatherapy based products while others prefer Marine based products.
We have recently introduced Thalgo’s three new anti-ageing ranges and the new Alpha Male spray tan designed for men by Naked Tan.
Q. Which retail ranges do you stock and why?
We stock Thalgo, MD Formulations, Priori, Decleor, monoderma, Inika and Naked Tan including the new Bronzing Mousse 2 in 1 Hydrate + Instant Tan, which has been very popular. We retail these ranges as we use them to perform our treatments and I think it’s very important to offer clients the opportunity to purchase homecare products which they have already tried and loved during a treatment.
Q. Where do you see the beauty industry in the next five years?
The beauty industry is continually evolving and advancing with innovative products, treatments and technology. Personally I see the industry heading more towards the cosmetic side of beauty as people are starting to really look into treatments such as botox and laser as these servives are becoming more and more affordable.
Q. What beauty treatment has been the most popular in your salon over the past year and why?
We introduced spray tanning into the salon 18 months ago and ever since that day it has been our most popular treatment. Naked Tan is a 10 minute salon treatment that is ready to “wash n wear” in just 2hrs. We are specialised in colour consulting. We offer 4 different shades for all skin types.
Q. What is your number one beauty tip?
You are never too young to start hydrating your skin and be sure to always protect your skin with an SPF.
Q. What is the biggest beauty misconception you have come across in your time as a beauty therapist?
Everyone thinks they can use the same product as their mother and friends. But every skin is different. The skin reacts differently and can be affected by the environment. You have to uncover the individual needs of your clients and advise the most suitable products.
Contact: THASPA 02 92333 555.