This month, Treatment Rooms owner Clare Rogers is Mind Her Own Business…
Tell us who you are and what you do…
I’m the owner and MD of The Treatment Rooms, Brighton’s largest and longest established beauty salon. Our doors first opened in 1995, and we offer a vast range of treatments that I have personally researched or developed. I was born in Brighton in 1963 and grew up on a local council estate.
I went to school at Moulsecoomb and Falmer and then Brighton College of Technology, now City College, to study Beauty Therapy. I loved every aspect of it. As well as learning about treatments our other classes were in making our own products, business studies and psychology. I was delighted to be honoured with Golden Alumni a few years ago from the college.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Raising the standard of our service is an ongoing challenge for a perfectionist! I want the TR brand to be recognised not just locally but nationally. We have a good reputation in the industry and my aim is to keep that high so one day that can be taken further with someone wanting to open more salons and continue to develop The Treatment Range products.
I see my role as building a platform for that to happen. The team of 28 staff at The Treatment Rooms has a good track record of longevity. Having a happy team is really important and understanding the work/life balance and needs of staff is something I feel we offer. I want the best for our clients and can only deliver this if I have the best from our staff.
What might an average day look like?
I am usually awake before my dogs. I always check my diary at the beginning of the week and before I go to bed. I’m not one to sleep in and like to have my days planned. I can clear a few hours of admin before 9am as I think more clearly in the mornings.
I don’t have a PA but enjoy the direct contact with suppliers, trainers, press. I copy my managers in on everything so they know what is going on – communication is key and I can then pass the day-to-day running over to them.
I walk my dogs every day either down on Brighton beach, especially if there is a low tide, or in the beautiful Sussex countryside. I observe nature and link this into how our skin and health are affected with the change of season and daily weather. This helps me programme treatments to link with client needs.
I also do yoga three times a week to balance my mind and body and have monthly acupuncture to maintain some sort of equilibrium in a very busy work life. I try and separate the days where I have meetings from the days when I’m treating.
What do you do when you’re not working?
My free time is spent mainly in the great outdoors. I love mountains and spend my holidays on high altitude treks or skiing. I’m also partial to some fine wine and dine, especially when experiencing exceptional service.
What are the best bits of the job?
I love seeing how my staff develop. We have a great track record for therapist retention and I like to think it’s because we are really supportive in developing their skills. It also helps that I’m a therapist myself. This goes hand in hand with seeing happy clients either less stressed than when they came in or seeing an improvement in their skin condition.
And the worst?
The complete opposite of the above. My standards are high and sometimes that can be too much pressure for some individuals. Some people thrive on pushing themselves to be the best they can and others are just happy to plod along. The latter doesn’t make the grade at The Treatment Rooms.
What sets you apart from the competition?
I think the fact that I am a therapist as well as the owner, meaning I have a complete understanding of the needs of a therapist as well as the client. I’ve been in the industry 35 years now and seen the patterns and trends. The salon itself has great space allowing us to have changing rooms for men and women and a relaxation room. A little more than most beauty salons but not the wet facilities you would get in a spa.
If you were queen for a day, what would you change?
Locally I would scrap the budgeting system of the council and have one pot that was allocated to areas most needed. My priority would be to give a better wage to refuse collectors so they didn’t have to rely on overtime to have a decent wage. I would put more, and better, bins around the city and have extra collections (including midnight) during the summer, especially weekends and bank holidays. I would introduce on the spot fines to those leaving litter.
And more powers than a queen needed for this, but I would love to see cancer gone. Not just cured but gone, never to enter our bodies again. I don’t want to see any more friends and family suffer the journey of dealing with cancer.
The Treatment Rooms
21 New Rd, Brighton BN1 1UF
01273 818444
www.thetreatmentrooms.co.uk