Salon in the Spotlight: The Beauty Hive with Sophie & Katie, Littleborough
By Callie Iley | 22 June 2023 | Feature, Salon & Spas
Upon finding the perfect space to set up her own salon, Sophie O’sullivan approached former colleague, Katie Woodworth to create The Beauty Hive with Sophie & Katie, a clean yet comfortable salon space in Greater Manchester.
“I qualified in VTCT Level 3 in Nail Technology in 2017 and completed my Level 3 in Beauty in 2019. It was all I ever wanted to be. The whole beauty industry pulled me in – I wanted to create something for myself, provide excellent service and pamper my clients,” Sophie remembers.
Sophie has since completed a range of training to add to her treatment menu and develop her skills, with plans to enrol in courses for dermaplaning and microdermabrasion. Katie achieved her Level 3 in Nail Technology in 2018 and Level 3 Beauty in 2019, pursuing a variety of beauty qualifications since, including facials, brow lamination and dermaplaning.
Working alongside one another at Katie’s previous salon, Sophie spent six years honing her craft and building her clientele, before making the decision to search for her own salon space. “I found the perfect space above The Hair Hive and fell in love with it,” Sophie recalls. “I approached Katie with the idea of going into this new space together, creating our own brand.
“We worked so well together previously and didn’t want to lose that buzz in the salon. Katie and I both knew the direction we wanted to go in with the new salon, and spent weeks going over every last detail. We rebranded to The Beauty Hive to reflect the new premises above The Hair Hive.”
Having already owned a busy, bustling salon with five members of staff, Katie had hopes of downsizing to create a more personal, tranquil salon space, seeking responsibility for just herself instead of managing a team.
“Opening my own salon is something I always dreamed of,” Sophie shares. “All our have been so supportive of us opening the salon. Having the support of clients, family and friends made the process a lot easier for me. I wanted to be in charge of making my own decisions, choosing my own brands and deciding on decor, and I’ve loved every second of it.”
Located in a village with a close-knit community, The Beauty Hive with Sophie & Katie hosts a menu of natural nail services, including luxury manicures, gel polish, builder gel, Footlogix luxury pedicures and nail art, the most popular service the pair offer in the salon is builder gel and nail art. “Our bread and butter is 100% nails, and we’re so passionate about providing a 5-star service to clients,” they agree.
Sophie specialises in nail art, noting her creative streak and passion for nail design. “We get a real buzz in the salon from creating beautiful nails with lots of nail art. Some clients just hand over their nails and let us have free reign, other clients come with an idea and we completely transform that idea into something amazing. Either way, they always leave happy.”
“I would say 90% of our clients have been with us more or less from day one of our nail journeys. We are both extremely lucky to have such devoted and loyal clients, who really do stick with us through thick and thin. Some therapists believe that you’re clients should stay as clients, but in our little salon, we definitely don’t go by that rule.
“Our clients have become good friends, we laugh loudly and we have cried together. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. We will always support them as much as they support us,” the pair beam. “First things first when they enter the salon is a nice cup of tea and a mini Diam bar to go with it. We sanitise and prep the nails, then the fun begins deciding on nail art. We always create nail art together with our clients. We take our time and put everything into each set of nails. Our services always finish with cuticle oil and a luxury hand cream.”
“I would definitely say that one of the things that makes our salon unique is Katie and I. I know that sounds like I’m blowing our own trumpets but honestly, I truly believe we have something special. Yes, we offer great services, and our little salon is lovely, but we put our hearts and souls into the experience and service you receive.
“What also makes us unique is our attention to detail. We love our decor – it’s simple and clean but effective. We chose everything with a clear view in mind – affordable luxury and comfort with the best products and with our clients in mind. We wanted the salon to feel welcoming to everyone, as there’s nothing worse than walking into a salon and feeling out of place and uncomfortable, which is a feeling we’ve both experienced before.”
“The salon is never quiet, we are always chatting away, belly laughing, making truly amazing connections with our ladies.”
“We made the choices for decor together. We wanted the space to feel welcoming to all, as the salon is quite small we didn’t want it to be overwhelming or cramped, we added flowers and plants to make the salon feel open, fresh and neutral.
“We decided on blush pinks and greens for accessories and furniture, and keeping the walls plain white as to open up the space, with a sage green wall in the beauty room. This theme fits perfectly with the hairdressers downstairs and this is where we plucked inspiration from. We wanted the whole salon to flow nicely.”
“I think my favourite parts about our setup is definitely our desks,” Sophie says. “To some this may sound silly, but after six years of sharing a desk with other nail techs, you crave your own space. We’re very organised, and for me, having my desk organised with everything were I want it to be is a highlight.
“When creating this space for myself and my clients I knew I wanted it neat, tidy and comfortable. I spent hours searching for the perfect chairs for our clients, days researching daylight lamps and I went around a number of different stores searching for the right shade of pink towels. I feel completely comfortable with this area we have created.”
“We think the decor is inviting and minimalistic. It creates a space that is relaxing for clients, nothing is hectic about it. Coming to work is relaxing and comforting, and I’m sure this is how clients view it – as a safe space, to come and enjoy some well deserved relaxation,” Sophie explains.
“We love having our own salon and being our own bosses. Having the freedom to choose your own brands, creating a workspace, choosing decor, managing stock and diaries – just being in charge of yourself. Having children, we understand the struggles of being employed, and school holidays was always a nightmare for childcare. Now we get to organise ourselves so that we can spend that precious time with our children and families, but also choosing our working hours.”
“To know that you are working in an environment that you created and feel at home in eases your anxieties.”
“Life has been made much simpler and easier by making the decision to go it alone. Obviously there are other worries, such as going from a guaranteed income to then being solely responsible for this, but it was 100% the right decision.
“We have never been happier, we both suffer from anxiety and the whole process of taking this leap of faith in ourselves heightened that. I can honestly say it was the best decision we ever made. There was never any need to feel that anxious. But we both worked hard and pushed for what we wanted. And I am soo proud of us both for achieving everything we have so far.”
www.simplybeautifulbykatie.co.uk