Honorable Mention 3
Honorable Mention: Best Hair Salon 6 or Less Stations, 2009
Bella Lucci Salon
35 Main Street, Suite 511, Poughkeepsie, NY
845-452-5824
Owner: Rebecca Lee
Year Founded: 2006
Mission Statement
“To create a complete beauty experience at each point of contact by delivering non-negotiable excellence in service, skill and atmosphere.”
Employees: 8
Stations: 4
Describe the culture of your business—how do you want clients to feel when they walk through the door?
First and foremost we want the client to feel warm and welcomed in a professional, comfortable atmosphere. We work hard to make sure the client experience begins as soon as they walk through the door. Every client is greeted with a smile, asked for a personalized coffee, tea or cold beverage, we hang their coats and seat them in the lounge. The clients are salon clients so the entire team says hello to the guests to insure they feel welcome at every stage of their visit. Education is one of our core values so from consultation to finish we discuss the clients goals and educate them on how to achieve them through product, haircut, color and we cross reference hair removal, nails, skincare and makeup. Our culture is very team oriented and customer focused.
What makes you different than other salons/spas?
We have received feedback via websites and verbally from our client base and we live up to our mission statement. Clients enjoy the experience at Bella Luci Salon because we are consistent, we are thorough, we use the best products available, we are honest, they know our goal is to make them feel and look beautiful from the inside out all the while protecting the integrity of their hair and enhancing their personal beauty. This service goal is achieved through constant education in and out of salon as well as chair education during the services. We have a model program so clients are able to visit and receive complimentary services to help us learn the latest techniques. We offer value added services, complimentary paraffin during color, complimentary makeup moment after a service, complimentary scalp massage, complimentary treatment added to color and haircut services etc.
List courses and other learning opportunities that you and your employees have participated in over the past year:
The entire team has gone to Bumble and bumble University twice for three and four day hands on cutting classes, we have had Wella Color educators come into the salon 3 times for color technique training, we have held monthly styling and product education classes with models, the team has gone to the Wella Studio in NYC for color education, stylists have gone to makeup education in CT for Jane Iredale, we have hosted Educators from Bumble and bumble for hands on styling education, the team has gone to IBS New York City for hair and makeup education.
What three words best describe your business as a whole?
Experience the difference
What is your customer service philosophy?
The customer is our priority and it is our job as talented client focused technicians to educate our clients as to what is best for their hair, their facial features, their coloring, their lifestyle and their goals all the while incorporating their ideas into a successful beauty enhancing end result that we recommend to maintain the health and integrity of our craft and their hair and skin!
What promotions do you conduct?
We send hand written thank you cards within 7 days of the first visit with a promotion. We send monthly hand written birthday cards with a promotion. We send weekly and sometimes daily e-mail promotions to fulfill last minute service opportunities. We have Facebook and Twitter promotions. We update our website with promotions. We do radio advertising with makeover contests. We have a client loyalty program and a client referral program.
What’s exciting, new, unique and enticing about your menu?
We use the only vegan line of nail care! The formulations are naturally colored and free of synthetic dyes, free from DBP and toluene and the colors are aromas are designed to provide you with a ritualistic experience to awaken or calm your senses. Our mineral makeup is purely sourced with no fillers or parabens. Our facial service incorporates a sensory journey as well as a personalized facial using product combinations to enhance your skin’s needs. We use soy and vegetable based hair removal which is virtually painless and is 99.9% antimicrobial antibacterial. We have award-winning color which has been reformulated for longer lasting color, more shine and vibrancy with a pleasing aroma during application. The hair care line is a results driven and environmentally friendly and one of the best styling products on the market.
How does your salon/spa look, feel, smell, and sound?
The salon is a renovated 1890 building and is warm and welcoming from the earth toned paint colors to the leather club chairs in the lounge. The walls are restored brick with exposed brick beam ceilings and original restored wood floors with poured concrete boundaries. The styling stations are actual furniture creating a very “homey” feel to the space which we have seen assist in the client relaxation process. The salon is an open floor plan which aids in the creation of a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
How does your décor and mood shape your brand image?
Our image is personal beauty and enhancing your personal features in a simple and easy to achieve manner. The salon is enhanced by painting and furniture but the original and natural state of the structure and building shine through. We didn’t completely change the building and turn it into something it wasn’t originally we just enhanced and highlighted it’s beauty. This is what we like to achieve through color, cut, style, makeup, nail and skincare for our clients.
What do you do to stay involved in your community?
We have raised over $2000, in April for Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation, we raised over $20,000 for St Jude’s Children’s Hospital in July, we donate certificates to help raise money for numerous local organizations, we provide complimentary makeovers, we provide educational materials on breast health to our clients, we assisted in raising over $10,000 for Lupus in February.
How often do you meet with your staff for goal-setting, personnel reviews or progress discussions?
They receive a weekly review of their goals for the week, they have quarterly reviews to touch base on their current position compared to the same time period the previous year and the previous quarter, there is a board in the break room updated daily to show their retail progress compared to the same week the previous year and their is an annual goal setting review.
Describe your business goals.
The salon goal in the near future would be to expand to one and a half more stylists, and one more assistant. In five years we would like to have a staff of 7 full time stylists, with two estheticians and a manager and one more front desk person. We are targeting for the salon to grow at a rate of 20% annually in services and increase retail from 20% to service ratio to 30% retail to service ratio.
