This month sees popular Porthcawl hair salon USTU celebrate their 20th year in business and, if you are lucky enough to be on their client list, you’ll know that owners Paul Barry and Wayne Keene have worked tirelessly to create a stunning environment with a staff skill set that is second to none.
USTU Vale Life popped in to see what changes have been made and what the future holds. We think the salon is gorgeous, why the updates? PAUL: When you’re creative, you can never rest on your laurels. Wayne and I are constantly striving to enhance USTU, which we believe is an open, light and relaxing environment. We, our staff and our clients deserve the very best.
What changes have you made to the salon recently? WAYNE: We are very excited about our new shop front project. We have been working with a company to create a frontage that will complement the interior and we are delighted with the result. Our clients tell us they love it too! Your clients are very important to you? PAUL: Absolutely, we’ve built up a very good, loyal clientele over the years who are looking for exceptional cutting, colouring and styling techniques but who can also feel relaxed and comfortable in the knowledge that a high quality service doesn’t mean high prices. We only use the best quality products on the market which include Joico, Kebelo and Fudge. We’re very proud, and delighted, to have been selected as one of the very few GHD and Joico destination salons in the area. 66
Your staff are important too? WAYNE: Most definitely. We have recently introduced our new uniforms, which we feel creates an even better impression. We regularly attend courses to refresh our skills and to learn any new techniques with products and, as committed educators; we send our staff on regular training courses so that they keep ahead of the trends and product innovations. All our staff look up to one another, with the more mature staff teaching the younger ones. We have a very loyal team – many have been with us for ten years or more. What are your particular specialities? WAYNE: We are all trained to offer all of the elements of hair dressing, but I particularly enjoy very technical hair cutting techniques and colour correcting. I’ll do whatever it takes to get a colour to where a client wants it to be. PAUL: My specialities would be formal hair, hair ups and complex, more refined work. I love anything artistic, visual and avant-garde. USTU are planning a party in the Autumn to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Watch this space!
USTU 94 John Street, Porthcawl 01656 773770 Like on Facebook, follow on Twitter