Reflecting the fun and glamour of a sun-soaked surfing lifestyle, Bondi Princess captures the essence of the ever-popular beachside suburb. Renee Mullineux, Director of Beauty Services, shares the salon’s story with Professional Beauty.
Q. When, where, why and by whom was the salon established?
Bondi Princess Beauty Parlour is a petite beauty salon inspired by the glamour and sophistication of the 1940s and is located in the heart of beautiful Bondi Beach. We opened in April 2008. I wanted to create a professional beauty salon to service the Bondi Beach community and I also wanted the salon to be different to the usual mundane browns, greens and white and went for pink, girly, upbeat glamour.
Q. Why did you choose this location? What is the local demographic?
I live in Bondi and love everything about the location. The key local demographic is 20 – 39 years of age, unmarried professionals.
Q. Who makes up the team and what are their key skills?
We have a small, friendly, fun and relaxed team of three therapists at Bondi Princess comprised of Michelle, Claudia and myself. I hold qualifications in beauty and general nursing as well as postgraduate qualifications in adult learning and development and business management. Claudia is diploma qualified and has extensive customer service experience in a number of industries and Michelle, who hails from Liverpool, has a broad range of beauty experience and plenty of stories to match!
In addition to qualifications and experience, all our therapists have excellent communication skills and are motivated, outgoing, friendly and chatty.
Q. What is your clientele breakdown?
Our client base is predominantly local females, 18 – 39 years of age and most are professionals or young mums. In summer, in addition to our wonderful regular clientele we see an upturn in the number of tourists attending the salon for their beauty needs. Most of our appointments are pre-booked but we do invite walk-ins whenever we can accommodate.
Q. What are you most requested services?
Spray tans and waxing are by far the most popular treatments we offer. We have recently introduced IPL hair reduction which is also proving to be very popular. We are also known as the Brazilian Queens of Bondi!
Q. What is the secret of your success?
We pride ourselves on our excellent clinical skills as well as good old fashioned, friendly service.
Bondi Princess is a member of the Advanced Association of Beauty Therapists and winner of the Brightest and Best Business Awards. We have also been nominated as best Beauty Salon in the True Local Business Awards, which is a real testament to our unique and wonderful service. Even though we are called Bondi Princess, we do cater for the Bondi bloke as well! We have our Bondi Prince range of treatments on offer.
We look for quality, affordable products and try wherever possible to stock organic product lines which are on trend for both our clients and the industry.
We recently had sales expert Rob Hartnett and the team from Kochies Business Builders from Channel 7 provide us with sales and business coaching, support and strategies to help us move forward in our business plan.
We enjoy the benefits of ongoing training and staff development and we take pride in creating a fun, enjoyable and professional working environment.
Q. How, if at all, did the economic downturn affect your business and how did you meet this challenge?
We really did not see a great impact as a result of the GFC. Beauty services such as waxing are still an essential necessity whatever the circumstance, and the market reflected this.
Q. What are your most favourite and least favourite elements of your role?
I love everything about my job! Beautiful clients, indulgent treatments and the most beautiful location in the world – I am a true Bondi Princess!
Q. What inspires you about the beauty business?
I love that the beauty industry is continually evolving and advancing with innovative products, treatments and technology. Making everyone feel beautiful, nurtured and happy whilst achieving their desired results gives me immense job satisfaction. As Bondi Princess offers a wide variety of treatments, no two days are the same.
Contact: Bondi Princess (02) 9300 0580.