Business owner and therapist Laura Kennedy credits her health and wellbeing salon’s success to ‘the strong women’ in her life.
Having launched award-winning Broughty Ferry salon Evermore during the Covid pandemic, mentoring a young team along the way – it’s clear she’s as strong as any.
Now, Laura and team are expanding services to ensure people with health conditions, such as cancer or dementia, can experience the relaxation and care of spa treatments.
Here Laura, from Birkhill, tells us:
- How her ‘lovely mum’ inspired Evermore’s team mission to make treatments accessible for all.
- The impact she’s seen first-hand of how wellbeing care can help.
- About those strong women – and how she manages her own wellbeing.
Laura, 37, says: “When lockdown hit and I discovered the old Millars shop in Gray Street was dividing into separate units, my gut told me to go for it.
“Having worked in the wellness industry for many years it was a dream of mine to create this wellbeing haven.
“And, looking back, I do wonder if I hadn’t done it then, would I have done it?”
Evermore opened in November 2020 offering beauty and wellness therapies.
The team were able to work for six weeks before they had to close again.
Letterbox facials
Laura says: “It was a worrying time but feedback about how the salon looked and how clients felt after treatments gave me the courage to keep going.
“Of course the lockdowns knocked our confidence. But I sold online products, creating Letterbox Facials and Spa In A Box, so my clients could have a home experience as close to being at Evermore as possible.”
Laura’s husband Ross and stepdaughter Emma, 14, were a great support during the uncertainty of lockdown.
“The launch would not have happened were it not for Ross. I’d continually go to him with new ideas, sometimes knowing they were bonkers to be told they were great ideas and to go for it.”
Laura’s deeply personal experience of seeing the difference treatments can make to wellbeing – also inspires her.
Cherished memories
Laura continues: “Sadly, my first client after training in oncology massage was my lovely mum Lauraine. I say sadly but now those are memories cherished.
“I was able to treat my mum during her cancer journey. That was special for both of us.
“There is lots of misinformation out there about massage – that cancer could be spread around the body. That is not the case.
“If you have the right qualifications and technique it can be very beneficial for clients. We adapt and look at clients individually, observing how they are during the treatment.
“The emphasis is not on fixing something, it is about listening to what their body needs, it’s a gentle touch therapy.
“With my training I knew what I was doing and took into account both the effects of disease and Mum’s treatment.
“It lets clients escape and not think about things for that hour.”
Strong women
Laura says being surrounded by strong women, including her Evermore clients and team, helps feed her passion to care for others too.
“My gran Betty is an inspiration and always pushed me to achieve my dreams. She’s 101 and I love visiting her in Ferry House care home. I go in and do her nails!
“And I have such a great team in Elise Thomson, Danielle Taylor and Amanda Robertson. We look after each other.
“Elise, 23, has just completed the Beauty Despite Cancer training. I’m so proud of her. It allows us to offer our oncology services to more people and always have a trained therapist on site.
‘I saw how massage helped Mum’
“Unfortunately for my mum she was in the later stages when we found out.
“But I was able to see how the massage helped her and how she was feeling.
“Many people think of salons or spas with the beauty aspect in mind. But the wellbeing aspect is so important. For both women and men.
“I wanted to make Evermore inclusive for as many people as possible, including wheelchair accessibility.
“Our beds are fully adjustable, we have skincare products specifically for people with cancer etc, we want to go that extra mile to make experiences more memorable.
“I hope they feel we genuinely care for them, because we do.”
‘She would have had a megaphone!’
“This is just the beginning. I’ve started training in massage for dementia so I’m looking forward to being able to offer that. I have lots of ideas to come!
“My dad Roger is and I know Mum would have been so proud to have seen my dream come true, too.
“If she was still here, she would be walking up and down Gray Street wearing a sandwich board with a megaphone telling everyone to come in for the world’s best massage.”
- We’d love to hear about your health journey – whether that’s wellbeing advice, giving insight into the challenges of living with a long-term condition or an achievement you want to celebrate. Contact us healthandwellbeing@thecourier.co.uk
