Salon in the Spotlight: The Amber Boutique, Milford Haven
By Kat Hill | 24 April 2019 | Feature, Salon & Spas
“My salon opened in August 2017,” explains owner, Sally Sanderson. “After being made redundant suddenly, I was looking to open my own place and had to act quickly as my client base was waiting. My building was advertised the very week I left my old job, so I decided to jump in at the deep end and go for it. I probably never would have otherwise!”
“The salon is small and quirky, and we love it for that reason! I don’t plan to expand any more, but I am always making tweaks and improvements. I’ve built up a small team who are starting to make their own stamp too; they’ve brought new services to the salon and have big ideas for the future. We are a team of four: myself; Courtney, our nail technician & beauty therapist; Tally, beauty therapist & brow specialist; Tara, our skin & aesthetics specialist.
“I want my team to express themselves in their work, and their work spaces, so that is our next project. We are currently making plans to update our beauty room and pedi area. We are also constantly updating our skills and taking courses to improve our work and offer even more.”
Designing the interior
The salon has proved popular thanks to the quirky interior. “My salon is so unique purely because it was created by a quirky lady (me!) with a teeny budget!” smiles Sally.
“My partner, Taro, and I had to think outside the box, as we had literally peanuts to spend – and not much time to work with. Taro did electrical work as that’s his trade, and even made some of the lighting features by hand too. He built my furniture using pallets and off cuts. We searched antique shops and charity shops for old cheap furniture that we could scrubbed up. That man is my hero and it wouldn’t be what it is now without him.
“We decorated the space ourselves; hand painted the sign and shop front and any branding inside the salon.
We even made our own reception desk from pallets and an old table top that’s about 80 years old. We painted walls and threw glitter at the paint; we completely experimented and winged it but thankfully it worked.
“My nail desk is an IKEA bookcase turned on its side, tiled with a few shelves out and added fake doors. My clients and I call it the ‘redundancy panic table’! But I’ve kept it, because it reminds me of my determination and struggles. I could easily buy a new one now, but I prefer that one because it tells a story.
“My clients know that I made this place with absolute love and dedication through one of my darkest times when I didn’t know if it would work. You can feel the positive vibes and love for the place as you walk through the door.”
Pampering treatments
From this happy spot, the team work hard to provide beauty services to its clientele. “Courtney offers all aspects of nail services, from gel extensions to manicures to our signature BOMB Cosmetics pedicure,” Sally continues. “We retail all of our products that we use because we love them so much!
“I offer the same, but I specialise in the more advanced nail art designs after years of really focusing on this aspect of my work. From pet portraits, to characters from films, to evil zombie Santa Claus… you name it I’ve either done it or would love to! I recently painted portraits of some of the cast of Sons of Anarchy on a client’s nails, and they actually saw the nails and admired them at a Comicon.
“Tara hosts clinics, offering dermaplaning, facials, chemical peels, mesotherapy, microneedling and fat freezing. We call her the skin wizard! Tally is our brow queen and offers henna brows and brows, plus every other aspect of beauty andwaxing. She’s our brow queen.
“We use The Gel Bottle Inc for our nail services; we absolutely love everything about the brand and its colour range is amazing! Its great for nail art, too. We use Bomb cosmetics for our manis and pedis. Their entire range is just to die for.
“Tally uses Lucas Henna products for her henna brows and for all other treatments makes sure she is using cruelty free and as natural as possible products. We actually try to keep everything cruelty free, and the majority of our products are vegan friendly, too.”
In line with this ethos, the salon aims to be welcoming – to all. “We wanted the space to be homely,” Sally enthuses. “I really dislike it when you walk into a salon and feel unwelcome; I wanted it to feel professional but warm and friendly.
“I think the salon has a relaxed environment and makes people feel comfortable. To my mind, relaxed vibes mean a happy experience. We don’t wear uniform and are the most un-intimidating therapists you’ll ever met!
“It also makes our place stand out. I feel our salon has its own uniqueness that can’t be copied, and people love that. It’s a safe place to be yourself.”
