Olive + July By Clare Lamberth

OLIVE +JULY

Olive and July owner, Chloe Sherrell, was just 23 when she answered her calling to starting her own business. From humble beginnings in a spare bedroom at home, now having two clinic locations, a 5 treatment room Instagram-worthy Subiaco Beauty Clinic and now Perth’s latest luxury Spa, Olive and July Spa.

I sit down with Chloe to learn more about her journey how she juggles 17 staff and how she launched a new Spa in the midst of a pandemic.

Tell us about yourself and how you first started out in the industry?

I am a down to earth person who genuinely loves to care and nurture people. My love language is physical touch and you’ll find me constantly hugging or massaging my loved ones, so naturally beauty therapy was my calling! Helping people feel their best on the inside out is my true passion. I love to create and design beautifully structured brows just as much as I love to massage and bring in some reiki energy to my clients. I do enjoy the finer things in life, so my luxe style has helped me get on the map when it came to my salon designs! I studied beauty therapy at the age of 18 and went on to work in some of Perth’s top spas and salons. After gaining experience and learning my strengths as a beauty therapist I was ready to go out on my own. I was just 23 when I decided to work from home and transformed my spare bedroom into a relaxing, fully equipped beauty room. After 6 short months of working from home, I needed a salon space as the demand was there! I rented a room off a friend who owned a clothing store, I was there for 8 months before I found my dream location next door to my bestie’s hair salon! So I signed the lease on the old doctors surgery and renovated it into a luxe 5 treatment room beauty clinic, where I have grown my team from myself to 17 wonderful therapists and receptionists! But of course that wasn’t it for me, I was eager to continue to grow my empire and in February of this year, opened Olive and July Spa, our second stunning location!

Chloe Sherrell

What treatments do each of your venues offer and specialise in?

Subiaco offers the latest beauty therapy treatments which includes brow styling, brow lamination, brow tattooing, lash lifts and tints, classic, hybrid and volume extensions, All waxing, makeup applications, facial treatments which include medi peels, relaxing, yet result driven facials and of course everyone’s favourite facial massage! South Perth offers the same as Subiaco Clinic (excluding makeup) but with a Spa vibe, When having a facial, you slip into a robe first and relax in our relaxation lounge afterwards. We have added on manicure and pedicures, spa scrubs, wraps, massages (including pregnancy massage) reflexology, epsom salt bath tubs and sauna to our treatment menu.

Where does the name Olive and July come from?

I have a cocker spaniel named Olive who was just a puppy when I started the business and I was born in July, so I named it after her and I! I then adopted a friend for her, who is also a cocker spaniel and named him July! Now I have two fur babies with salons named after them.

Tell us about your team and what makes them so special?

are all qualified and have ongoing extensive training with the company. Each one of my staff members are special in their own way and I have somehow managed to bring an incredible bunch of women together who not only work so well as a team but support and care for each other. We truly are like a family and have so much fun while at the same time, working together towards the same end goal, which is to make sure our clients receive the best possible service!

What key attributes do you look for in an O & J team member and what do you look for that sets an applicant apart from the rest?

When hiring I of course want to see experience in the industry, however passion and determination is just as important. I have hired people that may not have much experience or are fresh out of study that end up being the most incredible therapists, because that passion is there. Being well presented and well mannered are crucial and I like to see or rather ‘feel’ a nurturing energy. Someone who is willing to work hard to succeed and try their best in all aspects is someone who will stand out to me!

What’s your professional development and training philosophy for your team?

At Olive & July training is a huge part of the company. Any new staff members go through extensive training to ensure they are competent in performing all treatments ‘the Olive & July’ way. We have regular training or ‘up-skilling’ sessions with all staff, even those who have been working in the industry a long time. It is important to have refreshers as a group to share ideas and keep the passion alive! The industry is always evolving and I believe it is so important to keep up with all of the latest trends and technologies to stay at the top of our game!

Congratulations on your new O&J Spa property. How did this come to be and how has the process of expanding, staffing, fitting out during a pandemic been?

Thank you! Spa therapy is a big passion of mine so I always wanted to create a beautiful day spa eventually. Fortunately I worked hard to create a name for myself which then led to client demand, where I was able to expand to a second location. Instead of creating the same sort of thing I offer in our Subi Clinic, I wanted to create a luxurious Day Spa. After the first lock down, the demand for beauty therapy was huge, so the expansion seemed natural however it definitely made it a very difficult process. Renovating is always exhausting and then to add in delivery delays due to a global pandemic meant we were delayed by a couple of months. When we were finally about to open in early February we were faced with another lockdown and of course this was heartbreaking. We have since been through another two lock downs and it has been one of the most stressful things I have ever had to face, which I am sure is the same for a lot of people. Having to stand down my staff each time we are forced to close and then having to explain to my staff that we need to run a tight budget when we are operating because we don’t know when we will be forced to shut our doors again is extremely hard. I am now leaning on the side of caution and expecting to have to close again any day which makes it hard for future planning.

Your design aesthetic is exquisite. Can you tell us about the design process? Where you drew inspiration, what you hope your clients draws from their experience of the O&J Spa design and how you went about bringing it to life?

Thank you! I had a vision in my mind of what I wanted the Spa to look and feel like. I spent hours upon hours scrolling Pinterest and Instagram, collecting inspiration of anything that I liked and eventually had a vision board of what colours and textures i wanted to go with. I drew up the designs myself and started the fun part... shopping! I sourced most of the furniture and soft furnishings online and at some of my fave local stores. I knew what I wanted, I knew how I wanted it all to look and when I put it all together, It was just breathtaking! I was so happy at how it all tied perfectly together and felt so luxe yet so relaxing. I want all clients to walk in and instantly feel relaxed and calm. I wanted it to feel luxurious, like you’re on a holiday and floating around a stunning, clean and elegant space, being pampered and nurtured.

OLIVE AND JULY SPA ISN’T JUST A SPA IT IS AN ULTIMATE EUPHORIC EXPERIENCE.

Explain your clients experience at your South Perth Spa.

The South Perth Spa is truly unique to Perth. I completely designed it top to bottom and created a dream world for not only our clients but our staff as well. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted with warm neutral tones and textures. As you step in further, you are pleasantly surprised by the attention to even the smallest details. The light beams through the most glorious stained glass windows and hand crafted chandeliers, as well as archways and stunning original cornices of the old heritage building. Upon approaching the lovely marble reception desk you are greeted by our friendly receptionists. You are then escorted down the beautiful hallway filled with original artworks and statues and brought to our stunning locker room. The locker room features a gorgeous arch mirror, private spacious shower and toilet with stunning gold fixtures. Each locker is filled with a luscious robe and dressing gown for the ultimate luxurious and comfortable experience. Once changed into your robe you are brought into our magnificent waiting area. Every week you will see a different set of enormous flower arrangements, designed for us by one of our beautiful clients. The waiting area also comes with the most comfortable couch and arm chairs to make you feel as if you are waiting on a cloud. Our staff will always offer refreshments while you wait. Once your Therapist takes you to your treatment room, you will experience only the absolute best treatments with intuitive connection. The kind of nurturing connectivity, that I spend so much time instilling in my team. Each treatment room was uniquely designed to bring you the most comfort, relaxation and warmth. Two of the treatment rooms come equipped with a two person tub for the ultimate Epsom Salt Bath experience. After your treatment, you will be brought into our Relaxation Room, which features a built in skylight. Upon gazing up and seeing the bright blue sky and clouds by day, or shining stars by night, you are instantly relaxed. Inside the Relaxation Room you will also find our Cedar Infrared Sauna, which can be used as an add on to any treatment or on its own. Each chair is separated by a floaty, elegant privacy curtain so you can sink in and completely unwind. You will then be brought a hot tea and a glorious fresh fruit platter crafted fresh each morning by our staff. Olive and July Spa isn’t just a Spa it is an ultimate euphoric experience.

Any challenges you had to overcome during the process?

Definitely the lock downs have been the hardest. After a large fit out, there’s nothing worse than having to halt business operations. It has not only been financially stressful but emotionally exhausting too.

What sets O & J apart from your competition?

Olive & July is a unique experience. Our team are all so warm and friendly, we go above and beyond to deliver the best possible customer service so this definitely sets us apart from the rest. Not only that, we keep up to date with all the latest trends and are all so passionate for what we do, you can really feel that as a client. We take the time to ensure we understand our clients needs and wants and tailor our treatments to suit that client. There is no one size fits all, every single client is different and we really do try our hardest to deliver the best treatments tailored to them. Plus our spaces are just gorgeous, who wouldn’t want to come hang out at our locations!

Any plans to expand further? Or any exciting projects coming up in the pipeline?

In just four short years I have gone from a home salon to two large locations as well as came out with my own skin care line so for now I feel like I have been running at full steam ahead and would love to just nurture what I have created and really ensure both locations, my staff, my clients and my skin care range gets my full attention! In saying that, we are always evolving and will always jumping on the latest trends and technologies so if anything new appears in the beauty industry that aligns with my vision, you bet we will be offering it!