The Pamper Lounge: A little you time

Sometimes a girl needs to escape her routine, put aside all dependency from work and home and just indulge in a little ‘you time’. In our on-going pursuit to review Dorset’s greatest spas and salons, we visited power-duo and besties ‘Kim’ and ‘Rachel’ at their brand new salon ‘The Pamper Lounge’.

Having both studied and worked in the industry for several years it had always been a dream of the girls to have their own salon. Tired of working within other salons, the girls stuck their heads together and started planning how they could turn their dream into a reality. Shortly after the initial discussion, a potential site became available – it was a sign. The girls rushed to see the abandoned store. Walking around the empty shell the girls could barely contain their excitement, they could see the buildings potential and how they could put their mark on it. Well, before they could say anymore the deeds had been signed and shortly all of the plans they had made were brought to life by Kim’s husband/handyman. It’s an inspiring story for all entrepreneurs out there; two girls who worked hard all of their life and it had finally paid off.

The-Pamper-Lounge-3_169

We arrived at their Southbourne salon on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. Vicky and I could barely contain our excitement. We burst through the door only to find Kim and Rachel happily working away on the nails of some regular clients. The girls shot us a smile and invited us to get comfy whilst we waited. Shortly after an array of coffee’s and glass bottled waters appeared, a welcomed extra special touch to a day of pampering. A sip or two later and it was time to get ready for our massage.

Vicky and I were shown to their double treatment room (all the better for gossiping and idle girly chit chat). We whipped our gear off and slid into our own plush towel covered massage couches. Having finished their previous clients Kim and Rachel returned to begin our first treatment. The lights were dimmed and the tranquil sounds of and running water, chirping birds and gentle chimes played in the background soundtrack. A wave of serenity and calm washed over me as the warm oil was ever to gently applied to my back. It was divine.

In the weeks before our salon visit, in an attempt to sculpt some form of ‘beach body’ I had been hitting the gym pretty hard, that, in addition to sitting at a desk 5 days a week had resulted in some serious tightness in and around my shoulders, but my knots were no match for Kim’s miracle-working hands. Massage isn’t about following a rulebook, a good masseuse will gauge what is needed based on the individual and that’s exactly what Kim did. She spent due care and attention working the tension out of my shoulders; no knot was left unraveled, yet I still left without feeling like I’d been kneaded like a pizza base. My partner in crime Vicky, a self-confessed massage-phobic also commented on how relaxed she felt post treatment.

An hour later, having worked my neck, back and legs the massage was over and it was time to pay attention to our paws and claws. After changing, the girls lead us to their nail stations where we each took a seat. We all had such a fantastic time laughing and chatting away and before I knew it I looked down to a full-set of gorgeous nail extensions. Beautifully shaped and the perfect length, I was so pleased! Rachel topped my talons with a healthy coat of blush pink and let the gel polish set. As a standard, whenever the girls are giving a nail treatment, gel is always the first given option, whilst they do stock some varnishes, they prefer to give customers a superior treatment at no extra cost.

The-Pamper-Lounge-2_169

We left the salon feeling a million dollars. There’s nothing better than the feeling of stepping out, full of confidence and that’s exactly what we did with our total bill coming to no more than £50 you can sleep a little easier having not forked out hundreds to look and feel fabulous. Be sure to visit Kim and Rachel at their brand new salon ASAP! The Pamper Lounge regularly hold offers on their Facebook page, so be sure to check it out.

By Charlotte Williams

t. 01202 835867
a. The Pamper Lounge, 24 Seabourne Road, Southbourne, Dorset BH5 2HT
w. www.thepamperloungebmth.co.uk

Leave a Reply