Chelsea Parlato, a graduate of
UCOL's Diploma of Beauty Therapy, is getting set to open her salon, Beauty & the Beach, on 13 July.
While getting to this impressive milestone has been Parlato's dream for a long time, it has happened sooner than she expected.
"After I finished my studies last year, I started working at a salon in Palmerston North," says Parlato. "It was a good job, but coronavirus came along and we went into lockdown and they couldn't keep me on."
"I had money saved up for a trip to New York this year, but obviously that wasn't possible, so I decided to put the money into my salon. I always wanted to have my own salon, especially in Foxton Beach because I love living out here. I just never thought I'd be doing it this soon!"
The interior of Beauty & the Beach
Beauty & the Beach will offer makeup and beauty services including waxing, facials, massages, manicures, pedicures, and eyebrow and eyelash treatments.
"Most of the treatments are the foundations of what we learnt at UCOL. I asked friends and family what they would come to a salon for and ended up with the classic 'pamper yourself' kind of salon."
"I want to give the people here in Foxton another option to treat themselves – without having to travel into Palmerston North. With all of my manicures and pedicures you get a free cup of coffee to go with the experience. I'm trying to provide a little bit more than you would get in other places."
News of the salon opening has already generated a buzz.
"From my first posts on Instagram and Facebook I've already had more people than I expected messaging me for different services."
Parlato says her UCOL studies have helped not only with her beauty skills but also with the ins and outs of setting up a business.
"We did a few business papers which really helped me with writing my business plan, identifying a target audience, and the admin side of things like setting up accounts with suppliers. I've even used a couple of suppliers who we signed up with while at UCOL."
Beauty & the Beach will be operating under an appointments only basis.
Contact Beauty & the Beach:
Phone:
0274912584
Email: foxtonbeachbeauty@gmail.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/beautyandthebeach.foxton
Instagram:
instagram.com/beautyandthebeach.nz
Note: Images were taken by
UCOL Bachelor of Creative Media student Lawrence Chok (Handsometable Creations)