BACKING NEWPORT: City has helped hair and beauty salon grow

A NEWPORT hair and beauty salon manager has said living in Newport has helped her business expand and grow.

Abi Scrimshire, who has been the owner of Inca in Stow Hill since 2005, has said the city is one which supports its independents.

The business mainly focuses on beauty and hair as well as facials, but has now decided to look at other opportunities.

After being registered by the Health Care Inspectorate Wales, the salon has now got an IPL laser hair removal and photo-rejuvention outlet for their clients.

This means that the salon, now known as a clinic, is able to offer advanced skin therapies such as laser hair removal.

However, the IPL treatment will not only be able to help clients get rid of unwanted hairs anywhere on their body, it will also enable them to have treatment for acne and it will also help diminish thread veins, age spots and freckles.

Ms Scrimshire, who works with a team of five staff, has said that the city and Inca’s growing client base has helped to enable them to install the laser removal clinic.

She said: “I think because Newport is quite a small city it enables us to sort of specialise in a certain area.

“In larger cities you can be a bit overwhelmed with all of the beauty places as there are so many you can choose from all doing a similar thing.

“Because Newport is small it enables us to do really well.”

With the introduction of the laser clinic, Ms Scrimshire has said it’s a great investment for Inca.

She said: “I think people are expecting long-term results with beauty now, they don’t want short term, and now we can offer these long-term results to them through the laser treatment.

“It’s about confidence really and as well as beauty. The amount of interest we have had has been amazing and people have come to us that we have known for years and have shown their interest.”

As the hair and beauty salon is located in Stow Hill, it is set out of the city centre and is located by the crossroads where The Handpost pub is.

Ms Scrimshire believes that being in the Stow Hill has helped them create a lasting client base, and is proud of being from Newport.

She said: “I have moved around a little before coming back to Newport. I think the development of Friars Walk has helped to improve the city but even with the new development Inca has been here for years and has done really well.

“A lot of the independent businesses and Inca survived through the recession.”

The beauty salon’s senior therapist, Vicki Richards, , who has over 12 years’ experience in laser hair removal and advanced skin therapies, will be in charge of the sessions, which are available now.