A PENKETH salon which goes above and beyond for its clients has been crowned our 'Salon of the Year' in the Warrington Guardian Customer Service Awards 2019.
'A warm and friendly welcome and atmosphere' was the most common way customers described O'Neills Hair and Beauty when choosing it as their favourite.
Regular customers at the established salon and barbers on Warrington Road told us they were 'always made to feel like they were at home' and 'nothing was ever too much trouble'.
Salon owner Carl O'Neill, opened the hair and beauty spot with his wife Melanie 21 years ago and has been hairdressing for almost 30 years.
O'Neills offers styling and colouring as part of its hair services in addition to professional makeup, nails, waxing and other beauty treatments.
One customer added: "I had a spinal cord injury more than four years ago and am now tetraplegic.
"Nothing has been too much trouble for the salon.
"Carl the owner, purchased a ramp to enable me and others to access the building and at all times.
"I am treated with dignity and respect by all the staff."
Over the years, Carl's stylists have won a national competition for their hair and make-up and even jumped out of a plane to fundraise for The Christie which treated Melanie who was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in 2011.
On receiving the award, Carl said: "We are just humbled, it is brilliant to be named salon of the year among so many entries.
"We have great clients and we do our best to make them comfortable and look after them when they are getting a treatment.
"Our staff are brilliant and really professional, I'm so proud of their hard work over the years.
"The lads in the barbers at O’Neills cutting skills are second to none and work so hard to exceed expectations and greet everyone with a smile and great customer service.
"They are also thrilled to be part of making our salon the best in Warrington."
THE FIVE NOMINEES >
- O’Neills, Penketh
- Kemp and Collins, town centre
- Limelight, Marsh House Lane
- Beehive, Latchford
- Urban Beauty, Penketh
HIGHLY COMMENDED > Limelight
JUDGES were overwhelmed by the number of entries in our salon category but Limelight on Marsh House Lane stood out as a favourite.
Loyal customers heaped praise on Limelight with a large number commenting on the warmth and friendliness during every visit over the past 10 years.
Many nominations said they ‘felt like one of the family’ when they visited with staff constantly going out of their way to help customers.
One particularly touching nomination added: “I sadly lost my mother-in-law in January who also used the salon.
“The girls went out of their way to help Brenda during her illness, often sending texts to check up on her, offering her treatments at home or sending flowers.
“On the day of her funeral I was really shocked to see the girls had come to pay their respects as everyone knew Friday was one of the busiest days of the week in the salon.
“I can not thank them enough from the bottom of our hearts for their kindness.”
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The salon is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in July, a commendable achievement for a business.
Owner Laura Dobson said: “I still can’t quite believe it. I’m thrilled to bits.
“I am incredibly proud of our team who truly deserve this – especially Priscilla and Olivia who I have had the absolute pleasure of working with for more than eight years and now are close friends.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Urban Beauty
‘PROFESSIONAL, friendly and I’ve already recommended them to all of my friends’ was just one of the many nominations that led to Urban Beauty being named joint highly commended.
Customers said they were made to feel ‘like a VIP’ during their visits to the Penketh beauty spot and were also pleased to see staff would tell them no if they didn’t think a treatment was right for their skin type.
One customer, who now makes a 60-mile round trip to visit the salon after moving from the area, added: “I only left Warrington in September after 30 years.
“It took me the first 23 years to find such a wonderful beauty salon and needless to say I am still coming up to Urban Beauty for all my treatments.”
Nicola Johnson set up the salon on Honiton Way in 2010 with her husband Adam after deciding to turn their dream into reality and embark on a new venture.
Having extensive experience in salon management, training and further education, the pair set out to offer affordable treatments within a spa environment, providing high quality, luxurious treatments using only the best products.
Nicola said: “We are absolutely thrilled at being highly commended.
“We always say at Urban Beauty that it is all about the client and their experience with us.
“I make sure I really look after my staff and create a positive environment to work in.
“I recently heard our apprentice Lucy tell a customer we were ‘like one big happy family’ and it made me so proud."
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