THE STORY SO FAR
A BRAND NEW "ME" CONCEPT
Corporate treatment
We both loved working for large luxury brands but its in both of our natures to give everything we do one hundred percent and we found that we were losing any kind of work/life balance. We both left our employers at similar times to peruse a new route but the universe had other plans for us. I saw Vanessa doing freelance work for some great brands and influencers and I had picked up some work doing corporate treat days.
A NEW CONCEPT "ME" TIME
Two therapists were needed and Vanessa and I worked together. From here Take Time London was born. We saw first hand the effects of taking time out of a busy day to have something like a manicure or head, neck and shoulders massage. The employees we were treating in the companies said they felt valued and after the experience, they felt like they had reset and were ready to face the day again. We learned so much about what people liked, the music - chilled but not boring..... The scent delivered through defusers had to be both relaxing and uplifting. Some people saw their ‘me time’ as a time to be totally quiet and some wanted to chat and laugh.
GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
These early days of being hands on really helped us both fully understand the business and what we wanted to deliver - pockets of me time ‘in your time and in your space’ our corporate wellbeing strap-line. We went on to develop a team of people who work with us delivering a range of beauty and wellbeing services including our original concept of manis and massage but also sleep and nutrition workshops, Pilates at your desk, self defence, cookery classes, meditation, yoga, sound baths, crystal healing, reiki, angel readings and more, all excellently co-ordinated by Edel our Take Time London Events Manager.
FROM DREAM TO REALITY
As much as we both love this side of the business we are front facing customer service girls at heart and we really felt we could have something special if we bought Take Time London to the high street. Our passion for luxury products and ingredients meant we knew we needed an exclusive location and within a few days of our first discussion about a potential boutique we were looking for premises in Wimbledon Village - my impulsive streak but this time Vanessa was fully on board.
THE BOUTIQUE WAS BORN
The design was one of those things that like your wedding - I had been dreaming about it forever and luckily Emma and I have very similar tastes. A relaxed space with a fashion edge, versatile so we could have pop-up events from our corporate events team and beauty influencers we have met over our careers was the brief we gave to our designer. The plants really highlight the healthy and ethical approach we have to what we do and we of course love our pedicure area wallpaper.
ONLY THE BEST FOR OUR CLIENTS
For a few years now nail bars using drills and cheaper products have dominated the market however we were finding more and more that people were searching for better customer service, a luxury, hygienic environment and they were actually starting to care about the health of their nails after treatments such as gel manicures.
Vanessa is such a product junkie and is always researching ingredients and testing products. She had worked with Bio Sculpture before but it was really their launch of the EVO gel product range that caught her eye. They have created one of the only gel products on the market that is non-toxic, cruelty free, breathable and causes no damage to the natural nail.
So, we knew that nail health was important but we could not compromise on fashion, so seeing that they had such an amazing array of colours, bringing out new ones all the time, meant that we knew we had found the product we wanted to work with.
MAKING SURE WE KEEP DELIVERING
The same went for our brow and lash treatments. We have all been to have our eyebrows threaded or waxed where there was little to no consultation and left feeling upset as after all we have finally started to realise that eyebrows can really help shape our face. It was so important to us to have a team of professionals who offered a proper consultation and took the customer on a journey to achieve the look they wanted. Beauty is not a one box fits all and every customer that’s sits in front of us will feel as though they have our full attention throughout their treatment.
OUR STORY KEEPS GROWING
Vanessa and I have so much passion for our brand and this spreads through to how we want to make our employees feel. We hope that we have created a happy, kind and respectful working environment and I think this passes through to the customer in the service that they receive. Vicky, Evie and Gracie have been our little dream team and as we grow, they grow. As therapists ourselves we know the importance of training and development. Beauty is fast paced and we are always looking for new treatments and experiences we can bring to our clients.
Every step of the way through this journey we have been reminded the importance of staying true to your beliefs and not cutting corners on things that we believe make us different and special.
We also love being in the village and really look forward to meeting more people and becoming part of the community.
When you love what you do it doesn’t feel like work!
