Located in the picturesque old part of Edenbridge town centre, Eden Beauty Therapy is celebrating 20 years of trading in the town this year.
Salon owner Emma Stoner, always wanted to run her own salon and has been fortunate enough to realise her dream. However, her journey to salon ownership in Edenbridge did not happen overnight.
In 1989 Emma qualified from the Steiner College in London, at the time the leading educator in Health & Beauty. She also trained in teaching beauty therapy and since 1991 has been using Guinot products, a company she has complete belief in providing the best quality products for the type of service she offers.
After qualifying in the health and beauty industry, Emma worked at a busy salon in London’s trendy Clapham, eventually ending up with the opportunity to run her own salon there which she did happily for 3 years.
However, she soon found herself being drawn to Tunbridge Wells and decided that the commute to London was beginning to take it’s toll, so she began looking at suitable properties within a 15-mile radius of her new home.
It was then that she first came across the property at 5 Church Street which was available. It had everything she was looking for: space for treatment rooms, a bright shop front in a busy town centre, and it was much closer to home. Prior to Emma taking over the premises it was known as Eden Music but she found out that most long-term residents remember the building as Stonehouse Travel.
As any small business owner knows, the start up months are the busiest. Emma had to get the salon ready to receive clients and, of course, she had to entice new clients to her premises. With the help of her mum, Una, the doors at Eden Beauty Therapy opened on Saturday 2nd October 2004 and Emma was delighted with the friendly response she received from the local community.
For those of you who remember the High Street back in 2004, it was in some ways quite a different place. At that time there was only one other beauty salon, Options, towards the other end of the high street. Not to mention the banks and other services which have since disappeared from the town. It was also not long after the relief road, Mont St Aignan Way, had opened.
Emma will never forget her first client, Clair, as for the last 19 years Clair has been working on reception and helping with the day to day running of the salon and will be a familiar face to everyone who visits.
14 years ago Emma was joined by an exceptional therapist, Sarah, whose attention to detail is outstanding. Emma says she would be lost without Clair and Sarah as together they are what makes Eden Beauty the happy friendly salon it has become over the years.
What is it that enables Eden Beauty Therapy to continue thriving in our ever changing town? Emma believes it’s down to a number of contributing factors: maintaining a high, professional standard; continually offering a good service; using only quality products and making sure that clients feel special during their treatments.
Whilst the beauty industry has moved on in many ways over the years, Emma believes that by maintaining a traditional salon experience for her clients, they will be able to benefit from the expertise, knowledge and professionalism that Eden Beauty Therapy has to offer.
One of the biggest changes in the beauty industry has been the development in gel nails and about 85% of the clients at Eden Beauty Therapy now have these. If you didn’t know, gel nails offer a durable, long-lasting finish which protects the natural nail underneath and come in a huge selection of finishes.
Another development in the beauty industry has been the development of aesthetic treatments which have become popular such as botox. This is not something you will find available at Eden Beauty Therapy as Emma prefers to stick to the treatments that encourage natural skin regeneration such as micro needling.
Whatever treatment you choose to have, you can be assured that Emma and Sarah have received any latest training in delivering these products. Their client care is second-to-none.
Another more recent introduction at the salon has been their online booking system at fresha.com where you can even make bookings outside of usual opening hours and have both Emma’s and Sarah’s real-time availability on your screen.
Of course, you are still welcome to pop into the salon or phone the team if you’d like to find out more about any of the treatments on offer, or visit the website at edenbeautytherapy.co.uk
A traditional salon experience in the heart of Edenbridge
Emma’s Top 5 on living and working locally
1. Being close to the countryside (a much preferred commute than London)
2. Enjoying local wildlife on her doorstep (Emma has volunteered at Folly Wildlife Hospital)
3. Being in close proximity to the seaside
4. Regular visits to Hever, a personal favourite
5. To be part of a close, local community
