Woman hopes to ‘revive’ village with beauty studio

A WOMAN from Wargrave has opened a beauty studio in the village.

The Beauty Room in High Street, is run by Ashlie Mountford, 32, who has taken over the former Hair Company premises, which closed a year ago after its owner retired.

She has worked in the beauty industry since she was 18 and moved to the village from Staffordshire last year with her husband and two children.

Mrs Mountford, who previously ran her own salon in Stoke-on-Trent for seven years, said: “The fact that there isn’t a salon here already means I can bring a new service to the village.

“I’m very excited because it has taken a while for everything to go through and get the lease for the premises but I’ve really looked forward to opening and it has been really very special.

“It’s a lovely thought to be able to revive the high street in Wargrave. The landlord also feels the same and wanted a service to bring the community here. I’ve had salons before moving here so it feels lovely to be able to transfer the business here.”

Mrs Mountford, who lives off the Ridgeway, first started her training to be a beauty therapist at Macclesfield College in Cheshire.

She went on to achieve her level three beauty therapy certification before receiving specialist training for waxing, facials and eyelash treatments.

The Beauty Room will offer acne treatments, body waxing, brow lamination, eyebrow shaping, eyelash treatments and facials.

Mrs Mountford, who has a daughter, aged four, and a son, two, was inspired to get into the industry after suffering with acne in her mid-teens and wanted to help others with skin problems.

She said: “I did struggle with my skin and the more I tried things, the worse it got. I was studying beauty at the time anyway but that’s what led me down the route of skin because it is quite confusing when you’re trying every product and every influencer is telling you to use everything.

“It was just lovely to be able to learn for myself what should and shouldn’t be used and what really is just a fad product. It feels good when I’m able to help people who are struggling like myself.”

Mrs Mountford said her acne has different causes. She said: “I can still get flare ups to this day, depending on if I’m stressed, so it really is an ongoing battle. There are a lot of ladies in their mid-30s who now suffer with acne because of hormonal imbalances and it can be such a confidence killer and it’s not something that can be dealt with in just one session.

“Treating acne is looking at what’s going on inside because usually that’s the reason we have it. Whether that be inflammation through the stomach or it can be hormonal imbalances, which is what mine was.

“I’m not only a beauty therapist but I want to be able to help people and listen to them because sometimes, with acne, people just need to talk about it.

“I also love being able to treat clients and be personal with them. I love seeing how happy they are when the results come through.”

Facial treatments will be performed using professional cosmeceutical products and includes an algae peel to refresh the skin.

She said: “The peel is fantastic for acne sufferers, without being chemically harsh so that it’s not going to do any long-lasting damage.

“With this treatment you can walk away from it and your skin is feeling refreshed without there being major redness because that's one of my specialities.

“I also do two treatments for rejuvenation and restoration so if somebody is struggling with skin imbalances where they have hyper pigmentation or anything where the skin is just suffering, then we can help.”

The refit of the former premises has taken about three months. The room has been completely stripped out and renewed, with new walls built and a new treatment room installed.

Mrs Mountford has also installed light therapy equipment. She said: “I don’t have any facial equipment because I am quite a traditional beautician and facialist. I do quite a lot of work with my hands.

“That may change in the future and I may look into a machine but at the moment, it will be primarily myself. My treatments stand out in their own right, I don’t use fancy machinery or anything like that because I know when I treat someone, I treat them on a really personal level.

“Everything is tailored to the client that comes in and that is my selling point. I give time to get to know the client so I know exactly what they need.

“We’ve also used a lot of warming decor. There’s soft textures because I don’t want it to feel too clinical. I want people to be able to come in, relax, have a lovely cup of tea and just feel like it’s a home away from home.”

Mrs Mountford said her interest in beauty started from a young age.

She said: “I’ve always been interested in beauty. Like a lot of ladies and females, I love any trends. I love makeup and skin and just feeling good about yourself.

“The reason that I’ve been in beauty so long is because I love working with people. I love allowing people to relax because of a treatment I’m doing and it really is just about helping people and giving them a confidence boost with me.

“It’s nice to talk to people everyday and sometimes when people come in for treatments, that's all they want to do.

“This is very much a personal salon. I love it when clients are comfortable enough to come in, even if it’s just for a cup of tea and a treatment to relax, I want it to feel really homely and personal to people and Wargrave has got a lovely community feel.”