Salon in the Spotlight: Bellini Nails & Beauty, Glasgow
By Kat Hill | 14 April 2021 | Feature, Salon & Spas
Having grown her business from a small studio established in 2014, Katia Crowe has gone from strength to strength, with Bellini Nails & Beauty a beauty hotspot in Glasgow’s West End.
“I first trained as a nail technician in 2014, trading as Bellini Nails and renting a small studio,” Katia remembers. “I’ve always been creative and loved doing my own nails. After qualifying I poured my heart and soul into my work.
Katia Crowe
“In 2018 I hired my first team member, the company went Limited and we got the keys to our beautiful salon in Glasgow’s West End.
“Year on year, we’ve grown our team, our clientele and created a wonderful space for customers to enjoy nail and beauty treatments and for team members to develop their skills in a job they love.”
The salon was awarded finalist status in the fiercely competitive Nail & Beauty Salon of the Year category in the Scratch Stars Awards. “It was such a proud moment,” Katia beams. “We all work so hard and pour everything into our work.
“To be recognised for our dedication gives us a sense of achievement that we’re on the right track. It’s pushing us to always keep going and work on improving ourselves year after year.”
“I believe it’s our team that makes us stand out as a salon. Five of us have worked together at Bellini for nearly two years and three joined last year.
“We’re multicultural and are all from different walks of life. We have a wide range of skill sets, and are hard working. We have been brought together through Bellini with one goal: to enjoy and express our passion for our work.
“Everyone always supports each other and I believe this level of teamwork reflects on the service our customers receive.”
The Bellini Nails & Beauty team
As well as a talented team, the salon offers a clean, bright decor. “We’ve always kept the salon light and fresh but during the first lockdown last year, we gave it a spruce up.
“Since moving in we have been dying for a new floor and even more so for floor plugs! We added a whole new bamboo style retail section and rearranged our set up to give our clients a better flow and space to enjoy browsing our aftercare products.
“We added splashes of varied nude tones throughout which compliment our feature brick wall and plush padded nail tables and reception desk.
“Downstairs in our beauty space, we switched our tan room for a brand new lash and brow bar giving us a third beauty room which has proved very popular.”
The result has seen a warm welcome from the salon’s clients. “We’ve created quite an earthy, warm vibe with our colour scheme and our clients love it,” Katia enthuses. “It’s calming and relaxing: just the right setting for a pamper and a chat at the nail bar.
“Downstairs we keep the music softer and lights dimmed for an ultra zen vibe where clients can enjoy our more relaxing treatments, such as massages and luxury pedicures.”
When asked about the team’s favourite area of the salon, Katia cited the nail bar. “When we’re not working around a global pandemic, it sits six nail techs side by side. It’s practical and sociable and lets us share ideas together as a team and allows us to make all our clients feel welcome and at home.”
This team bond has been grown with its finalist status. “It has brought the salon closer together and made us stronger as a team,” Katia smiles. “As one of the top five nail & beauty salons, we know the bar is set high and are always striving to maintain our high standards for our clients. It certainly keeps us on our toes and makes us want to continue learning and improving.
“For our clients, it installs trust that when they visit us they are in safe hands with a professional and recognised team of specialists.
“Finally, for me, as a business owner, I find it exciting and it gives me a rush to be celebrating all the hard work and dedication with other like-minded professionals in the industry at the awards!”
