The people of Musselburgh in East Lothian are lucky. Why? Because they have one of the region’s leading salons on their doorstep; Beauty to Perfection. Established by Zoe McKenna in 2014, the salon has become a ‘must-visit’ for people wanting all of their treatments done in one-place. We take a closer look and speak to Zoe in this month’s edition of Salon Design of the Month.

How did your salon begin?

I first opened the salon in 2014 in a different set of premises. At that time I didn’t have any previous experience of owning or starting a salon, but I knew I wanted to help people gain confidence within themselves. It felt like the next natural step for me having spent the past few years working on a mobile basis.

It took a long time to build the salon up with plenty of successes and failures along the way, beginning with no clientele and no team, through to today’s situation where we own our own premises, have rebranded as Beauty to Perfection, and have a team of eight staff.

How did you decide upon the design of your salon?

The design of the salon came from lots of inspiration, thinking and research.

I wanted the salon to have a timeless design, effortless, but Instagram glam. I wanted it to be a space where people could zone out from their busy lives – somewhere that feels relaxing but also luxurious and homely at the same time.

I love neutral tones but I am also an advocate of female empowerment, so I wanted to add a bit of femininity to the design, so that’s where the dusty pink, mauve and mink palette comes from.

You recently purchased some Lotus Murray salon furniture. What do you think of it?

Lotus Murray Salon Styling Chair

Lotus Murray Caramel Styling Chair with square base.

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I absolutely love the Lotus Murray furniture. It adds real sophistication to the salon’s design and the quality is amazing.

I remember when I was initially looking for salon furniture I just couldn’t find anything that would match the design I had in mind. Everything was so similar and mostly black or dull colours. As soon as I saw the Lotus Murray beige hairdressing chairs I fell in love.

The Lotus Murray range has everything from backwash units to beautiful styling chairs. They just add so much elegance to the decor of my salon. 

I later purchased the brow bar chairs in white for our new Brow Bar. They are so comfortable and adaptable to different positions. They also provide a nice contrast between the hair and beauty parts of the salon.

What are some of your favourite products and tools to use in your salon?

Lotus Monroe Eyebrow/Eyelash Beauty Bed

Lotus Monroe Eyebrow/Eyelash Beauty Bed White.

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My favourite products are those from the Eleven Australia brand. They are really versatile and the packaging looks visually appealing too. I also love the Moroccan Gold oil range, especially for hair extensions. I’m also a big fan of the extensive Wella range which works really well with our colour clients. 

We also use a mix of tools from GHD to Cloud Nine and feel that each one has a unique benefit depending on the desired style we’re trying to achieve for a client.

How do you stand out from your competitors?

Beauty to Perfection salon East Lothian

We stand out from our competitors because we have everything in one place.

I wanted to create a one-stop-shop for all hair and beauty services so that people didn’t have to traipse about to different places to get their treatments. 

We also focus a lot on our brand values; not only outer beauty, but also making people feel confident within themselves. We do this by leading with positivity, authenticity and relating to our clients.

What do you think makes a successful salon?

Lotus Murray Caramel Backwash Unit

Lotus Murray Caramel Backwash Unit.

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I think I need to give this one to my team!

Your salon is only as good as the team you recruit and I can honestly say the success of my salon is down to my fabulous staff.

As the owner I am constantly ensuring that the team are happy, enjoying their workplace and feeling comfortable in their environment. I always encourage them to be the best they can be.

How do you think social media has influenced our industry?

I think social media has had a massive influence on our industry.

As a very visual business, social media gives us the opportunity to showcase our best work and reach people all over the world.

I am very much into content creation as it is one of my best skills, so ensuring that the salon’s social channels reflect us as a brand is really important to me. Social media is not just an opportunity to showcase our services, but allows us to express our brand identity too.

How do you keep up to date with the latest trends?

We keep up to date through social media, newsletters and training. It’s important to stay relevant and know what the newest trends are within the industry.

What advice can you give to others wanting to open a salon?

My best advice would be to enjoy the process and know that there will always be failures, but they are also vital to your growth and success. It won’t be perfect when you start out and there will be unexpected things that pop-up, but you just gotta ride through them and know that it will always work out in the end.

Just do it and get started!

What can we expect from you in 2021 and beyond?

We can expect growth within our team, industry awards, making more people feel fabulous and just enjoying not being in lockdown!

Thank you to Beauty to Perfection for taking part in our latest Salon Design of the Month feature! You can read more Salon Design of the Month features here.

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