Susan Sunderland has spent her working life promoting the feel-good factor – after starting out selling holidays, she’s now pampering people!

A year after establishing her first beauty salon in Baildon nail lounge La Cote Maison in Browgate, Susan has recently taken over another salon in Mirfield.

While beauty treatments are often deemed to be among the luxuries people can ill afford in a recession, Susan believes they still need pampering to help them deal with the pressures of life.

“It is a stressful time and people want things to make them feel better, like a massage or reiki which is natural healing and a fantastic treatment for stresses, ailments or aches and pains,” she says.

Waxing, facials and pedicures are among the treatments she has offered since opening her beauty room in May last year.

Susan took the plunge to become self-employed after working for many years in the travel industry. “I enjoyed it, but I needed something else,” she says.

She followed her friend and sister into beauty therapy, but did not turn her back on travel. “I trained to be a beauty therapist but still carried on with travel because I loved that as well. Eventually I did part-time travel and part-time beauty,” she says.

Then her wanderlust set in and she decided to fulfil an ambition of living and working overseas.

“Because my mum has always loved travelling, I do too. I love seeing different places and it has always been at the back of my mind that I would love to work abroad, but I never really did it,” she says.

Susan initially worked as a rep in Lanzarote but ended up combining her favourite professions, working as a receptionist for a travel company and doing beauty treatments in a hairdressers.

When she returned to the UK five years ago, she worked in travel before deciding to take the plunge and open her own beauty business.

Susan built up custom by doing mobile beauty and pamper parties and gained some business training through Bradford Kickstart, a scheme run by Bradford Council and supported by organisations and service providers throughout the district to encourage and develop the growth in small businesses.

Susan was aware of the difficulty many businesses face in their first year of trading, but believes it is important you enjoy what you are doing. A year after opening Beauty @ La Cote Maison she recently took on her second salon in Mirfield.

“I love dealing with people,” Susan says. “I love the environment. It can be quite tranquil and I love the fact that when I do reiki it is helping people to get something out of it as well. I know I am benefiting people by giving treatments. It is in my nature, caring and helping to care for people.”

Susan says there are several qualities you need to be a successful beauty therapist. “You need to be a good listener, have qualifications, be caring and show people you do care because people talk to you about their problems. I’ve done a counselling course, and I think that helps.”

* For more information about beauty therapy courses, contact Bradford College on (01274) 433333.