Lauren Taylor of Taylored Beauty lets Scratch inside her salon: a space merging the luxe of a spa with the comfortable warmth of a home.

Training in brow definition and lash lifts in October 2021, Lauren Taylor fell in love with the beauty industry, wasting no time in training to become a nail technician a month later.

Since then, she has continued to add more services to her roster – including henna and brow lamination, waxing and, most recently, luxury prescriptive facials and dermaplaning. In February this year, Taylored Beauty was named Best Hair & Beauty Small Business in the Norfolk Small Business Awards.

After growing ‘disillusioned’ with a career in marketing in 2021, Lauren sought an alternative path, and Taylored Beauty was born.

She moved back to her home town in Norfolk, and set up what she describes as her ‘luxury at home’ treatment room. Just a few steps from her house, her stepdad renovated her garage, providing the perfect foundations to create the salon of her dreams.

“When I struggled to find a builder available for the job, my brilliant stepdad heroically stepped in and renovated the space for me,” Lauren shares. “Once the fundamentals were finished, I could set about creating the room I’d been imagining on mood boards for months.

“My treatment room is a beautiful, private space overlooking my garden in the tranquil Norfolk countryside. The room is painted in soothing ‘Tranquil Dawn’, a sage green colour that clients always compliment for feeling restful – and which ties in with my brand colour palette of greens, pinks and whites.”

She continues: “The White Company ‘Spa Restore’ essential oil is always burning and has become the treatment room’s signature scent. New clients always say, ‘It smells amazing in here!’ Soothing music also plays in the background, though clients are welcome to request any kind of music they like – or none at all, if they’d rather sit and listen to the birds!

“For nail and pedicure treatments, clients can relax with a complimentary drink – from chilled drinks in the summer to luxury hot chocolates in the winter. Clients receiving facials, pedicures and lash and brow treatments can enjoy a heated bed, luxurious blankets and fluffy towels,” relays the pro.

Clients are at the heart of Taylored Beauty, as Lauren notes: “I want clients to have a five-star luxury experience, with the attention to detail of a spa retreat, while also feeling they are completely at home with someone who feels like an old friend.”

This, she believes, is her unique selling point. While clients have admitted to feeling ‘uncomfortable, rushed, or unable to relax’ at other salons, they return to Lauren assured their treatments will be catered for their specific wants and needs.

She continues: “They feel they can visit in their slippers, no-makeup, and have a good moan, laugh or cry about what’s happening in their lives. Clients come for the overall experience as much as the treatments. Some don’t know what treatment they want when they first get in touch; they just know they want to come!”

“I specialise in natural nail services,” adds Lauren. “My most popular nail treatment is the Essential Manicure with gel polish. This includes a hand soak, exfoliating scrub, hot towels and relaxing hand and arm massage, using products from the Releaf brand from Famous Names, which are so effective and smell incredible.”

Her brand of choice for gel products is INK London, due to its UK-based stamp, as well as the hypoallergenic, PETA accredited products, which are cruelty-free and vegan-friendly – both certifications she tries to prioritise wherever possible.

Her brow services are also the talk of the town, having experienced clients crying with happiness at their brow transformations. “I dream of training in and becoming recognised as a leading semi-permanent makeup artist in my region,” says Lauren.

Her success in the industry has been awarded, not only at the Norfolk Small Business Awards, but the pro landed a finalist spot and was awarded Highly Commended status for three categories in the UK Hair & Beauty Awards 2024, as well as being shortlisted for Lash Lift of the Year and Micro Salon of the Year at the GB Beauty Awards.

The award-winning pro says: “I have met so many brilliant people through this job, and it’s a privilege to spend time in their company. They tell me they leave feeling like they’ve had a therapy session or spent time with a friend; they’re never rushed, their time is solely for them.”

Looking forward, Lauren seeks to continue improving her skills and business. “Later this year, I will be training with the Talk Skin Academy, so I can offer a deep tissue facial bespoke to individual clients,” she smiles.

Keep up-to-date with Lauren’s salon developments via www.tayloredbeautybylauren.com, Instagram and Facebook.