IN need of some relaxation? Then The Beauty Box in Holsworthy is the place to go.

Now under new management, the business holds a commanding position on The Square and offers a wide range of professional and natural beauty treatments.

The Post was invited along to the recent opening day, by new owner and experienced beauty therapist Lauren Woodridge, to experience some of the treatments on offer.

Greeted with a smile, Lauren was incredibly welcoming and accommodating, discussing in detail what the preferred outcome for the massage and facial treatment on offer may be — ‘do you want to feel relaxed, de-stressed, revitalised?’

Lauren then asked a number of questions to ascertain what type of treatment was wanted and needed, ensuring she knew skin type, preferences and problem areas, and got to work preparing the perfect blend of oils and products, tailoring the experience. Lauren said this personalised approach was important to her as she had worked at numerous spas in the past where work was ‘a bit like a conveyor belt’. She said: “I love to do the best treatment for the client and I love making people feel relaxed.”

This passion to create the ‘perfect treatment’ even took Lauren so far as to create her own product range: “I have my own brand called ‘Natural Reflections’. I’ve had the products for two years now and I put the whole collection together myself.”

When asked why she decided to create her own brand instead of stocking another, Lauren said: “Cosmetic science is a passion of mine. When I was starting out I was looking for the right range to use — there were some I liked, some I didn’t — but nothing quite fit.”

So, Lauren embarked on her own product line. She said the name of the collection in particular had an odd back story as it takes its inspiration from the coast: “I was stood in the sea one day, as you do, the sun was shining and it was bouncing off the water and I thought ‘what a lovely example of a natural reflection’, and from there the name was born.”

This environmental feel runs through the whole business, as all Lauren’s products are produced using locally sourced ingredients, where possible, and the packaging the products come in is environmentally friendly.

Lauren said: “All the products are professionally made to UK safety standards and are vegan and cruelty free as well as being free from palm oil, parabins — all the nasties — and the packaging is made from recyclable material.”

As well as massage and facials using her own products Lauren offers Deliah make up for weddings and other special occasions, waxing and spray tanning and manicure and pedicure treatments. All products used are environmentally friendly and locally sourced where possible. When asked if this was important to Lauren, she said: “Definitely. It was a really exciting venture to make my own products and it was important for me that the products are natural and environmentally friendly. It is such an important, current issue and if I can do my bit to help then that’s great.”

Lauren said the products she has created all have a Cornish honey base and harness its natural healing capabilities: “Honey is the theme that runs through the collection. Honey has this wonderful antibacterial, healing property which is great for the therapies I offer. It is locally sourced where possible because I think it is important to stay local — I adore living here and if you can support local business and local bee keepers then that’s great.”

And this love of the area was apparent. Although a relative newcomer to the town, having lived in the area for only three years, Lauren has family connections in Holsworthy and said she loves the town and is excited to start the next step of her journey here. She said: “I’ve been a therapist now for 20 years. I’ve always managed spas for someone else, but it is a real passion for me so when I saw this place was on the market I thought, ‘this is my chance to do something for me’.”

Lauren has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the beauty industry, having worked at high end establishments across the country with some quite impressive clientele. She said: “My first job was with Clarins in Selfridges department store in London. It was amazing working in the flagship store but I didn’t enjoy the rigidness of the job — always having to wear and talk about a certain product each day. I prefer talking to customers about all the products and finding the best ones for them.”

This led Lauren to Champneys where she worked in treatment development: “When they started to open day spas I went with a fresh team and trained them. This was a good challenge but it meant staying in hotels a lot and I missed my family.

“We then went to Hertfordshire and I started in a spa doing treatments for celebrities, including the England football team — I’ve even worked with the New Orleans Saints American football team — that was certainly an experience. I don’t treat injuries but because of these experiences I am able to offer deep tissue massage.”

Lauren then moved to London to manage a five star spa in Knightsbridge before starting a family and making the decision to move to Holsworthy: “We moved down to Devon to be closer to family, my two children now attend the local primary school and we live near the park. It is great to be part of such a wonderful community and I am proud to be on The Square. I’m just really excited that this is mine.”

Lauren officially opened the doors to The Beauty Box on Friday, April 26, with the help of her mother Jan Spencer and two children, Ellie and Xander, who cut the ribbons.