The Importance of Being Fabulous: Stéphanie Agostino’s Stunning Rose Beauty Salon
The beauty industry as we know it goes back over a hundred years. It took off in a big way in the ‘roaring twenties’ as Elizabeth Arden opened her signature salon, offering something called ‘makeovers’ – a brand new concept to early 20th Century women. And, by the time the ‘swinging sixties’ rolled around, it was part of the fabric of mainstream women’s lives.
Beauty salons were places where women could go both to socialise with one another and to feel like the centre of attention in what was otherwise very much a man’s world. And the salons themselves were as spectacular as the makeovers they promised, boasting the height of contemporary interior design style and substance.
Fast forward almost 60 years and the lay of the land has changed somewhat. Nail bars have popped up in increasing numbers in every major city, offering reduced, simplified services and without any of the fanfare, interior design flair or client-focused added value of their predecessors. For Architect and beauty fanatic Stéphanie Agostino, this was just not good enough. Which is why she decided to establish her own company, Rose Beauty Salon in Valencia, Spain, to bring back a little 60s-inspired luxury to the beauty and self-care industry.
Nick Mitchell caught up with her to find out why environment and experience are every bit as important as the result, when it comes to pampering oneself.
What are the services you offer to your clients and what sets you apart from your competitors?
We’re a beauty salon with a specialty in the care of nails, but also offering a professional service of facial and body treatments, waxing, lash extension and lifting, microblading and makeup. I think what sets us apart from the competition is the level of service we offer and the environment within which that takes place.
When you come to Rose Beauty Salon, you can expect a level of service excellence that goes above-and-beyond as standard and it’s all based in the most beautiful surroundings it was possible to deliver within the space. We have taken every care to make this a place that feels inviting, welcoming, relaxing and special. An escape, of sorts, within which our clients are able to lose themselves for the time that they’re here and really focus on being good to themselves.
What kind of experience can people expect when they come to Rose Beauty Salon?
The 21st Century woman is powerful and entrepreneurial and barely has time to relax. I wanted to create a space that such women could build into their regular routine, take some time for themselves, and feel at home in. Somewhere that matches their expectations of what a salon should be. Because the other side of the coin is that the 21st Century is also, in many ways ‘the discount Century’, where everything is accessible and the quality suffers. I think it’s important that a certain standard survives in spite of that.
In a sense, I’m taking the tradition of the beauty salon back to its heyday in the 1960s, where self-care was an important moment of relaxation where a woman could enjoy a full and complete service. So, when you enter Rose Beauty Salon, you immediately feel special as you’re received by one of our professionals who offers you everything from a coffee to a full brunch while they guide you through the range of beauty treatments, offering you outstanding products that bring out the best in you and do not damage your body.
What inspired you to open your own place? Do you derive a lot of pleasure from making other people feel good?
Quite honestly, I think it was the notion of womanhood in general that drove me to do this. Women are admirable. Today’s woman is capable, takes care of the home, raises her children, provides emotional (as well as, often, financial) support for her family, empowers and cares for her partner and still finds the time not only to work, but also to be enterprising and innovative in her own right.
I think it’s the idea of giving something back to people who sacrifice so much just as part of their everyday lives that drives me. Because women often forget to take care of themselves in the midst of it all. So, I guess, my motivation is to prove to women that you can be a badass professional and still be flawless.
You’re half Mexican, half French, but have settled in beautiful Valencia, Spain. What took you to the city and what’s so special about it that made you want to establish your own company there?
I arrived as a student and, after just a month, I knew this was the place for me. To be honest, the quality of life is just perfect. It’s not too big, not too small; its architectural history is great; the weather just perfect; and there’s an amazing culture of gastronomy here, too. I’m close to the beach and just an hour away from the mountain ski resorts. The people are openminded, it’s an inexpensive city to live in. I mean… what more could I ask for?
The other thing is that the people here are very concerned with caring for themselves and that’s clearly a reason why a business like mine means something here. They go to the gym, they eat well and dress well. It just makes sense to be here, doing something that feels important to the Valencian way of life.
How does the interior design and layout of your salon impact on the customer experience? And to what degree were you involved in developing that, because you’re also a trained Architect, right?
Well, it goes without saying that my architectural experience had a big impact on the design of the space. Not only in terms of the colours and the furniture, but also in the way that the space would actually be key to delivering the experience. Every aspect of the interior design was devised to offer maximum tranquillity and the sense that you’re in a world where your wellbeing and beauty are of paramount importance, but also a place that feels sociable and alive.
For example, instead of having five different tables for each manicure, which tends to make the client feel a little bit isolated, I brought in a table that’s almost five metres long, creating a much more convivial environment where people can connect with one another and share stories and get a real sense of being all together.
I took the same approach to selecting the chairs for the team and our clients, so there’s no sense that one is above and the other below. It’s a level playing field where the client and her Beauty Specialist are encouraged to feel equal, friendly, or even sisterly, so there’s a real bonding experience and a sense of mutual empathy. Plus, I also incorporated the best materials I could find for all the surfaces and furniture.
Well, speaking of surfaces, we noticed (of course) that you’ve incorporated lots of Corian® into the design of the salon. Tell us a bit more about that.
Yes, it’s the principal material in the salon, in fact. The table I mentioned – that’s a solid, five-metre piece of Corian® and it looks absolutely amazing. I’ve also incorporated it into the washrooms and I also tried to be a bit more inventive with its usage, just because it’s the perfect material for the environment.
Like how?
Well, you’ll see that I have a cabin where I do the facial and body treatments, but in front of it, I wanted to have a little sink area where the team can clean and disinfect their hands with enough room for some towels. The thing was, the space was super small – roughly 30cm by 20cm – and Corian® was basically the only material that would allow me to do this, because it’s both relatively thin and incredibly durable, plus I was able to get it custom built to fit.
And it’s performed well for you as a material?
It’s honestly one of my favourite materials and it’s ideal for the salon, firstly because it looks so good. Our table is a real centrepiece in the salon so it had to look amazing and only Corian® would allow me to have a five-metre surface with absolutely no visible seams. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it’s nonporous, so is incredibly hygienic and free from bacteria (that’s why it’s also increasingly being used in hospitals) and is incredibly easy to keep clean. You can spill varnish or acetone [nail polish remover] on it and it still comes up clean and looking like new.
What kind of feedback do you get from your clients on the design of your salon and do you have ideas on how you’d like to develop it next?
I mean, honestly… people love it! It feels so good. We get lots of compliments for the design and our clients love to take pictures everywhere in the salon. You even notice their attitude change when they enter: you can see that they are really feeling the moment.
In the future, I’d like to continue to develop the same line of design as I develop more outlets. I think branding is incredibly important and ensuring a consistency of experience as our reputation hangs on it and clients can very quickly identify a Rose Beauty Salon as a place that will meet their needs and expectations.
Do you have a dream client you’d like to see walk through the door one day?
I don’t really have any particular client I’d love to have in the place. Every woman who walks through the door is just as important as the next. My dream, rather, is that every woman who comes in understands the importance of taking care of herself, realises that we can help her to do that in a way that feels perfect for her and keeps coming back and builds a relationship with us.
Click here to find out more about the wonderful Rose Beauty Salon.
And, if you're interested in the benefits of Corian® in your own powder room, take a look at our blog on why so many Makeup Artists choose to use it in theirs.
Find out more about Corian® here.