Cork salon a top ‘Destination’ for hair, beauty and wellness

AN INDEPENDENT wellness salon has announced that it is offering bespoke education opportunities to independent salons and hairdressers across Ireland and the UK.

Bespoke Destination, an independent wellness salon in Mitchelstown, is among the finalists for The Irish Hair and Beauty Awards colour technician of the year category.

The salon recently announced they are now offering independent salons and hairdressers in the UK and Ireland bespoke and empowering education.

Based in the rural location of Mitchelstown, overlooking the Galtees, Bespoke Destination is the perfect place to enjoy one-to-one attention, unwind and de-stress.

Founder and owner of the salon, Deirdre O’Sullivan, recognised the need for more educational hubs and establishments where hairdressers and salon owners throughout the UK and Ireland could visit with their teams for educational opportunities.

Deirdre noticed Dublin was often the first and only port of call for hairdressers looking for educational courses, and she wanted to give salons in Cork and the surrounding areas more accessible education.

Based in a private location, with high-end luxury interiors and wellbeing at the heart of the business, and with Deirdre already having a strong relationship with Image Skillnet and the Irish Hairdressing Federation, Bespoke Destination was the perfect establishment for this initiative.

Deirdre has worked with reputable brands including Kevin Murphy and Redken, and has also worked in Australia with L’Oreal and Kerastase. She has experienced education with several brands in different countries and she knows what it takes to provide excellent education. However, she also wanted to make her educational offerings at Bespoke Destination unique, where it is not about competition but, instead, is a safe place where everyone can learn from one another and empower one another.

Deirdre regularly attends educational courses with the salon to ensure she is constantly updating her knowledge. She recently attended a graduation party at Not Another Salon as part of the Hilton Hundred, an exclusive 12-month social media and mentorship programme with Sophia Hilton.

Female empowerment plays a huge role in the Bespoke Destination ethos, and Deirdre was passionate about having many female industry leaders providing education in the premises, supporting them by promoting their educational courses at Bespoke Destination on social media and via her extensive educational database.

To kick-off Bespoke Destination’s educational offerings, Deirdre welcomed international hair cutting educator, Ben Brown, to the space to host an exclusive, hands-on masterclass for ten experienced hairdressers. Further education has been lined up with Not Another Salon and the salon is also finalising an oncology and aesthetics wig clinic.

Discussing the recent masterclass, Ben Brown said: “Bespoke Hair is in such a beautiful setting overlooking the mountains. The ethos of the salon is all about wellbeing — that shines through from the moment you step inside the door. It was a wonderful, interactive day.

“I so much enjoyed working with all the participants. In my view, small, independent salons like Bespoke Hair deliver equivalent and, in some cases, higher standards of cutting expertise than many of the top name UK salons,” he added.

Discussing the launch of Bespoke Destination, Deirdre O’Sullivan said: “As an industry, it is important that we work together to upskill and continue to deliver the highest standards.

“As hairdressers, we need to share best practice, build up a peer community and learn from each other. Ultimately, we all gain, especially our clients.

“With that in mind, it was so important to me to launch Bespoke Destination and to be able to host incredible education for hairdressing professionals, allowing them to continue to grow and enhance their knowledge and skills.

“Our goal is to ensure that Ireland continues to be a leader in creative hair, beauty and wellness and that Bespoke Destination is the place to visit for education in the south of Ireland, county Cork and Mitchelstown,” Deirdre added.

“We hope that salon owners and teams from across the UK will also be excited to visit our hub for the very best educational offerings, allowing us to grow together.”