Business is very personal for entrepreneur Emily Slater, Director of the award-winning Luxe Beauty Lounge in Ilkley; it’s the personal touch she brings to the salon in her interactions with her clients and her dedicated team of therapists, and it’s the personal reason for setting up her salon in the first place.
Luxe Beauty Lounge was created by Emily to provide luxury pampering in relaxing and serene surroundings, offering salon guests an unrivalled salon experience with a delicate combination of spa style professionalism accompanied by “lounge” like comfort.
She opened the first Luxe salon in 2011 in Rawdon at the tender age of 20 after spotting a gap in the market for a dedicated beauty salon in the town. She had already built up a loyal client base prior to that by running her own mobile business, but opening her own business based heavily on luxury and indulgence was a huge leap forward and a courageous move in the middle of a recession.
Her mother, a key driving force behind her success, covered Reception duties for 6 months whilst Emily single-handedly focused on providing facials, massage, manicures and waxing. Her courage and determination paid off as the salon was fully booked straight away. It was clear that the business model was working, she just needed to build up her team of skilled professionals, which she did to great effect.
Emily Slater
Emily opened her second salon in Ilkley in 2018 on the rear of The Grove, after once again spotting an opportunity and a gap in the market for spa-like treatments in a luxury beauty space.
She now spends her time between her Rawdon and Ilkley businesses, which she admits is intense and ‘full-on’, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Her path from teenager to successful business owner is both inspiring and extremely uplifting.
Thanks to some severe teenage acne, Emily was the victim of severe bullying at school. As a result, she admits that she became a ‘shell of a person’, suffering panic attacks and regularly paralysed with fear. It got so extreme that in one instance her sister had to call an ambulance after which her mother decided to take drastic action and took her daughter out of school.
This decision to home school the young Emily wasn’t well received by some members of her family, however her mother stuck to her guns and Emily was determined that not only would she be a success to prove that her mother made the right decision, she would use her own experiences to help people.
As she says: “When I had the idea for Luxe Beauty Lounge, I had no business experience, but I had passion and a clear mission. I wanted to make people feel good inside and out. Many people assume that being in the beauty industry means you’ve always been into pink, obsessed with nails and makeup, perhaps you were the popular girl at school or you were always an “it” girl. But that wasn’t the case for me because of my acne.
“I know from first hand experience that skin problems can be so damaging to a person’s confidence but if you feel good, you feel confident and that confidence transfers into other aspects of your life and you find you do better in life, relationships and work.
“Over the years I have learnt the true power of confidence. Finding confidence and what it’s done for me is the driving force behind Luxe Beauty, that’s why it was created; to nurture clients’ confidence and their wellness, in mind and in body.”
It’s clear that Emily is very tenacious and driven and doesn’t let anything stop her from reaching her goals. A self-professed perfectionist, she is completely involved in all aspects of the business, from the treatments, to HR, to accounts, marketing and social media. She is self-taught in all areas, keen to learn and has taken advice and support from business coaches on her journey.
She studied marketing during lockdown as she wanted to learn how to communicate her voice and her values effectively and to make her interactions with clients more personalised. She completely embraced social media and storytelling via her email communications to connect with her clients. Even now 3 years later, Emily still manages their social media accounts and all the marketing activities. In September 2023, this dedication paid off with the salon picking up a Bronze award for “Best Marketing” in the British Hair & Beauty Awards 2023.
She admits that lockdown was a scary time for her and the business. Her main worry was for the staff, but she’s incredibly proud that she didn’t have to let anyone go. In fact, lockdown strengthened the close knit team, they would get together every week to share content ideas, as well as holding zoom parties, and their bond grew even more robust as a result.
For their clients, they offered an innovative doorstep delivery service with products hand delivered personally by Emily. They also enjoyed Friday Night Facial sessions via Facebook Live and virtual shopping events. This regular, interactive contact all through lockdown meant that the salon was fully booked again once restrictions were lifted.
What distinguishes Luxe and has earned them an intensely loyal following, is not only this commitment to their clients, but the team’s keen eye for detail and ability to provide the highest quality services in a friendly, calm and welcoming environment. Emily and the therapists genuinely want to help and look after people. Their clients feel like friends and consequently they’re fully booked 6 weeks in advance.
The salon is beautifully presented with a statement wall of glorious pink blossoms. When Emily opened the Ilkley salon, she was keen to introduce this feature, synonymous with Ilkley’s famous cherry blossom, as she associated it with new beginnings and ‘awakenings’. Such was the positive response to her nature wall, she installed it in the Rawdon store and now the blossom is an integral part of Luxe’s branding.
And to top off this incredible achievement, the salon has recently been rated Gold in the “Top Rated Salon of the Year” at the British Hair & Beauty Awards 2023 and Silver in the “Beauty Salon of the Year” category.
This follows their accolade of Hair & Beauty Business of The Year at the Ilkley Business Awards 2023.
Emily concludes by saying: “It’s an incredible gift to help someone feel better, inside and out and there’s no greater reward than lifting someone’s mood and putting a smile of their face. This is why I love what I do.”
You can visit Emily and her therapists at Luxe Beauty Lounge, Rear of 42 The Grove, Ilkley, LS29 9EE | 01943 607175
Emily second left at the Ilkley Business Awards 2023
