YOUR ONE STOP BOUTIQUE SALON: SALON GELLI

from Valour Lifestyle Winter Edition

A WATERDALE HOME

Your One Stop Boutique Salon

Salon Gelli Zahava Mimran

It was on a Monday morning when Gelli Lubelsky turned to her husband and told him, ‘We’re going to New York.’ Three days later they were on a plane. Gelli had decided she wanted to do a beauty course, but not just any course. . ‘I wanted to learn everything; hair, wigs, makeup.’ With little patience for learning slowly, Gelli spent two weeks in America privately studying everything she needed to know about the trade. The following week, back in London, she was ready to start, and in the almost six years since, Gelli has turned her business into a full-scale brand. With her constant training under renowned hair and beauty gurus across England and America, she has since expanded her services even further to include nails; making her salon a one stop beauty shop.

Whilst Gelli began by working from home, she wanted to be able to offer women the full salon experience. ‘Women have so little time to themselves, that when they come to have their wig done, or for a beauty treatment, I want it to be a special relaxing and pampering experience.

So when the apartment beneath Gelli’s became available, she grabbed the opportunity, and her salon was born. The space consists of a large salon and a kitchen where all the wig washing and colouring takes place. There’s also a large spare room for her own use, where she keeps her piano which she plays on to help her to unwind. Being an old Georgian building, it gives off a very ‘Harley Street’ feel, and Gelli tells me, ‘My clients absolutely love coming here. They tell me that they feel like they’ve walked out of Stamford Hill.’

Wig services: Amongst the many services Salon Gelli offers are the usual updos, hairstyles and cuts. ‘I just love cutting hair and wigs,’ Gelli admits. ‘Thinning, reshaping, fixing up messy cuts. It gives me such satisfaction!’ Aside from styling wigs, Gelli also sells a wide range of wigs, from cheap and affordable to the more expensive and exclusive varieties. ‘I never wanted to sell expensive wigs but my clients ask for them,’ she tells me. ‘However, I’m very honest and I will always tell a woman if a wig is worth paying for or if I can get her something equally as beautiful for a cheaper price.’ Gelli herself wears Beverly wigs – an Israeli product which she brings over and describes as ‘Absolutely amazing’. ‘A lot of my sales are to Brides. I love giving them a pleasant and easy experience from the start, and guiding them through what seems to be an overwhelming experience of purchasing their first wigs. I try to simplify it and make them look and feel their most beautiful.’Needing to know how everything is done, Gelli went to learn about lace wigs from a professional in the theatre and production industry. ‘A fascinating woman, she taught me how to build an entire lace front by hand from scratch,’ Gelli says, ‘but it takes an inordinate amount of time.’ Whilst Gelli doesn’t build lace wigs herself, she loves customising them and filling in the hairline for clients. ‘This way we have all the services under one roof.’ One of her favourite parts of the business is her ‘Revamp’ service, where Gelli brings old wigs to life. She tells me, ‘I love when somebody walks in with a wig that’s ready to be thrown out, or one they’ve never been happy with, and then walks out with a beautiful wig. Someone brought me four wigs recently, completely distraught. Each of them had a different issue, but we managed to find the problems and fix them one by one, and she left with four stunning wigs. I will always tell women in advance what can and can’t be done, whether it’s taking out or adding hair, texturising, thinning, or colouring. I tell them how long it will extend their wig life, and I always ask them - with a wink, ‘Do you want me to tell you that it’s ready for the bin? Or that you can do something with it?’ Some women just need me to validate that it’s time to let go and buy a new one, whilst others want to hear that they can get another year or two out of it.’

With such a successful business B’’H, Gelli confesses, ‘I never envisioned myself doing this but I’m so happy in this industry. I would never be here without my husband David’s trust and support. As a business consultant, he had the vision for me to turn this into a brand, and I worked so hard to get to where I am now. I’m beyond proud to bring clients into my new place.’ Although that’s not to say Gelli doesn’t have her plans. I’d love to offer waxing, massages, maybe even laser hair-removal here one day,’ she says. ‘I’d also love to get to the stage where I have enough workers that we can take on more than one client at a time, but it’s baby steps.’

When I designed this mirror and shelf combination, the designer asked me where I had seen it. I told him, ‘In my head.’ He said ‘It’s ridiculous, it’s never going to work.’ Turns out, it did! Help yourself to a chocolate, or a dab of perfume. I had this chair custom made. It’s really thick and so comfortable and luxurious. I find that once women sit down in it, it literally becomes a ‘Therapist’s Chair’, and women confide in me. I think that because when a woman finally sits down for a few minutes, she starts to think, and then things start to come out. Also, I’m usually standing behind the women as they talk, as opposed to facing them, so they have the security of that little bit of distance - and I’ve also got a great listening ear...

I custom designed my bags in Turkey just under a year ago, and I love them. They are really good quality and people reuse them all the time.

A TOUR OF THE SALON

It’s Salon Gelli. Lovingly designed by Gelli herself down to every last detail, to give you the experience you deserve.

This wall is my pride and joy. It took me about three hours to put up, single-handedly, with a ladder, wall glue and some fake flowers. When I opened the salon I rebranded my logo, which I had custom made including the font. For the big ‘S’ I had something extremely specific in mind, and my father who is very artistic actually hand-drew it for me, incorporating the hair into the letter. I love doing manicures and makeup as I get to sit down. I also love to create that relaxing spa experience. It’s a great place for makeup as the client sits in the natural light coming in from the window. For the VIP touch! I love how everything fits the colour scheme, down to the Nespresso box and the personalised cups!