salon interior profile
THE
SENSORY EXPERIENCE QED skincare founder Shoshana Eisner chats to Anita Quade about her apothecary inspired salon vibe.
Your brand QED was born out of a need to find a solution for sensitive skin, using clean science. Tell us about that? “My grandmother migrated from Hungary and had always reinforced in me that a good quality skincare regimen was part of your daily routine, like brushing your teeth. And I had been a skincare junkie since my Dolly-reading teens, and would slap on every product I could get my hands on. Fast-forward to 2006 and motherhood. As I have gotten older, my skin has become more and more sensitive. Being a Mum really hammered home that I need to protect our bodies and our environment. I am not against chemicals. I just think if there are great, natural ingredient alternatives, why wouldn’t we use them.” You have a background as a pharmacist working in both New York and Sydney – did you find something missing in the market? “Absolutely. When I returned to Sydney, I had the pleasure of working in a large, premium, service-oriented Pharmacy in Westfield, Bondi Junction. We had an extensive selection of skincare brands in store plus of course, between the DJs, Myer, Mecca and supermarkets, there was an endless array of skincare available for the customer in one building.” And yet, people were still not finding what they needed. Constantly, I would hear customers ask: “How is it possible with all the brands out there, that I can’t find skincare that works for me?” There were Luxury brands, there were sensitive skincare brands, there were natural brands but there weren’t brands that provided luxury skincare solutions for sensitive skin.”
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How important was it to integrate your pharmacy background and make it a bespoke vibe into your salon? “Leafy, quiet Bellevue Hill is mere minutes from well-known, hectic Bondi Junction. There is even a Heritage-listed National Park across the Road. We are close to the bustle but get to look at amazing nature. How good is that? Oh and except at school pickup time, there is lots of parking. This is really important for a Sydney-based salon.” Would you look to expand into other areas nationally? “We have all kinds of ideas for the future. Honestly, we won’t be opening other salons until the uncertainty of COVID is behind us at this stage as it is just too risky to open a new space.”
Your staff are highly trained how have you managed to educate and keep the staff throughout the time? “I am extremely fussy about my staff. I will only hire Advanced Diploma Therapists who have had many years of experience. They need to have the maturity and confidence to read the client’s skin and body language. They also need to make educated decisions about treatment options as all of our treatments are customised to the clients individual needs. And then we have extensive training in the QED scientific principles before they are let loose on a paying customer. Extensive training is the best! I get to have lots of treatments.
