A transcript of the interview
Can I start by asking what’s your name and profession?
Yes. My name is Claire Stewart and I’m a beauty therapist. I work for a small day spa in London, in Islington. It’s called Angel Therapy Rooms. It’s located near the tube, just off the green.
Why did you choose to be a beauty therapist?
Because I’ve always enjoyed therapies. I like giving to people. I find it very rewarding. And I like having treatments myself.
Could you perhaps talk through what a typical day looks like in your, when you are working?
My typical day? Well, I get up quite early in the morning. I jump on the tube and then when I get to work, I grab myself a coffee. And then it’s just bang, bang, bang really. When it’s busy, I work back-to-back. When it’s quieter, obviously, I have more time in between to organise myself and organise my room. But I can be literally doing one treatment after another. It’s very varied. I don’t just do the same thing. I don’t just do like manicures or pedicures. There’s a whole variety of treatments that we have on offer. I could be doing a facial, then I could be doing a wax, then I’m back to doing a pedicure and I work in different rooms as well. Because there’s an outside area. There’s also a nail lounge and there’s also a treatment room. I work with other therapists too.
What personal qualities do you think you need to be a beautician?
I think that you need to be very personable and very friendly, very professional. You need to have the ability to make people feel relaxed and comfortable in your space. You need to be chatty. But then you also need to understand when people don’t want to talk and be intuitive to the client and the client’s needs.
Could you describe a service that you provide?
I offer a whole range of treatments, from wax to facials, to manicures and pedicures. Then I do more luxury treatments. So I would do a pamper whereby I would do a manicure and a pedicure and then I would do a facial. Sometimes I do microdermabrasion, steam, extraction and so on according to the client’s needs, according to what they would like on the day.
What would you say you like best and least about your job?
Best, I like to make people feel good and I like it when people leave feeling happy or feeling just that they’ve had a good treatment, they’ve had a good therapy, or that they feel relaxed after a facial and they are happy. The thing I like least about my job is the hours, sometimes I don’t get any breaks and it can be quite tiring working without breaks. Also sometimes I get clients that are difficult and sometimes you can’t please everybody. But at least I try.
So how do you think beauty work will change in the future?
I don’t really think it will change that much. I think products and services change. There’s always new things on the market and new treatments, but I think the work hasn’t really changed since I’ve been doing it. I think it will always be busy and I think you will always be working back-to-back when you are busy, because there’s only so many hours in the day.
And finally, where do you see yourself in five to ten years’ time?
I hope one day to be running my own salon, with my own team of therapists.
