SALON & SPAS

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Unique salon decor: The Birmingham nail salon featuring a piano as its reception desk

By Lilly Delmage | 6 January 2025

Founder of Birmingham-based nail studio, Icey’s Beauty Lounge, Aysana Druga, shares the story behind the salon’s impressive entrance… In 2015, Aysana and her husband spotted a piano in the window of a charity shop. She recalls: “We had no idea where it was going to go at the time, so…

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From DIY nails to owning a home salon: how one tech turned her passion into a business

By Lilly Delmage | 9 December 2024

Bedfordshire-based nail tech, Jodie Day of @talonsbyjodie, started her nail journey simply wanting to learn how to do her own nails, however she enjoyed the training so much that she decided to turn it into her career. Jodie began her training in 2021 while pregnant, seeking a creative outlet. She…

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Award-winning home salon owner: the 5 essential tips for success

By Lilly Delmage | 2 December 2024

Scratch Stars Home Nail Salon of the Year 2024 winner, Kirsty Brown of @paintbrushnails, shares her top tips for building a successful home salon… Having won the prestigious Scratch Stars accolade for her Stirling-based home salon, we asked Kirsty to share her top tips to inform and inspire nail techs…

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South Devon tech: At 30 I decided to train as a nail technician – and I’ve never looked back

By Lilly Delmage | 29 November 2024

Having undergone a career swap at the age of 30, Devon-based nail tech Bonni Higson, the owner of Bonni File’n’Style in Dawlish, shares her story… After having children, Bonni decided to train as a nail technician. She says: “I enrolled at South Devon College and qualified at NVQ level 2…

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The Suffolk nail tech who transformed her lockdown hobby into a thriving salon business

By Lilly Delmage | 7 November 2024

Jemma Cornell, behind JC Nails, started her nail journey during lockdown in 2020 and four years later, has transformed her hobby into a full-time career. The Suffolk-based tech felt she needed something to ‘keep her busy’ during the challenging Covid-19 period, and decided training in nails was the answer. She…

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How a part-time job at a nail brand inspired an employee to become a nail tech

By Lilly Delmage | 30 October 2024

Ellie Toms’ part-time job at nail brand, Lecenté, inspired her career change to become a nail technician. Here’s her story… The now tech ‘fell in love’ with the brand’s products, so much so that it inspired her to become a nail tech so she was able to use them. The…

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10 Halloween-ready salons to give you inspiration

By Scratch Staff | 27 October 2024

Halloween offers a perfect opportunity to have some fun in the nail space, so take inspiration from salons that have got clients in the spooky spirit with themed décor… 1. Beauty by Joan, Wisconsin, USA 2. Hope HQ, Manchester, UK 3. Hush Salon, Leeds, UK 4. Revel Salon, New York,…

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I visited TGB Spa in Brighton for a luxury pedicure – & here’s how it went

By Lilly Delmage | 24 October 2024

Nail brand, The GelBottle Inc, has opened its much-anticipated TGB Spa: a sanctuary for beauty treatments in the bustling city of Brighton. I was invited to explore the space and indulge in a Luxury TGB Gel Pedicure – and it didn’t disappoint. I arrived at Brighton train station and I tapped…

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Lauren Taylor Salon

Salon in the Spotlight: L.E, Radcliffe, Lancashire

By Lilly Delmage | 21 August 2024

Lauren Taylor welcomes Scratch inside her home salon, where she has created a ‘homely and cleanly’ space within her dining room… Having completed her Level 2 NVQ in Beauty Therapy in 2016, and her Level 3 NVQ in Nails in 2017, Lauren has been a qualified nail tech for seven…

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Studio At 51

Salon in the Spotlight: Beauty Room @51, Crieff, Perthshire

By Lilly Delmage | 14 August 2024

Kelly Sweeney, behind Beauty Room @51, shares a behind-the-scenes look at her Glitterbels-inspired salon… The tech trained and qualified in 2022 in builder gel and L&P acrylic with Glitterbels, and has since taken inspiration from the brand’s renowned pretty-in-pink aesthetic. She says: ” I wanted my salon to run alongside…

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Beauty Hotspot Uk Blackpool

Revealed: The beauty & self-care capital of the UK

By Lilly Delmage | 12 August 2024

Research by Fresha has revealed the UK’s beauty and self-care capital. Blackpool has the highest concentration of beauty salons in the UK, boasting an impressive 428 beauty salons per 100,000 residents. This number includes 403 hair salons and 109 nail salons; with its 51 tanning studios awarding the area its…

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Co Working Beauty Salon

Revealed: 4 benefits of co-working as a nail or beauty pro

By Lilly Delmage | 9 August 2024

Are you a freelance or mobile beauty professional considering renting a salon space? Yasin Alimam, founder & chief officer of HotPatch, a platform that connects beauty businesses and individuals with top-quality spaces to hire, shares insight on the benefits of co-working… “There are so many benefits for nail and beauty…

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Beauty Salon In The Spotlight

Salon in The Spotlight: BeauT, Stopsley, Luton

By Lilly Delmage | 7 August 2024

BeautY owner, Tina Vescio, welcomes Scratch into her garden getaway salon, which offers the idyllic spot for clients wanting some relaxation and tranquility… Qualifying as a beauty therapist in 2005, Tina Vescio started her beauty training over 20 years ago. Starting out as a mobile artist, the pro spent the…

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Nails By Megan Salon Spotlight

Salon in the Spotlight: Nails by Megan, Antrim, Belfast

By Lilly Delmage | 31 July 2024

Megan Thompson of Nails by Megan opens up the doors of her ‘dream salon’ – flaunting a minimalistic, chic interior. The 23-year-old, Belfast-based nail tech initially set her sights on becoming a make-up artist, taking a beauty therapy course at Belfast Metropolitan College. However, once introduced to the world of…

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