There’s nothing like a good pamper session to make you feel special – and no one quite does pampering like the lovely folk over at Shelley and Millie’s. This fabulous family-run salon has made it their mission to help spread positivity. We sat down with one of the owners, Shelley Oxlade to talk pamper parties, wonderful window displays and why their customers are at the heart of everything they do…
Q. Tell us a bit about Shelley and Millie’s Salon for those who might not know?
We’re a family-run hair and beauty salon based in Crendon Street, High Wycombe. We’ve now been open for just over a year. I (Shelley) have over 30 years hairdressing and barbering experience, whilst Millie (my daughter) is a level 3 distinction beautician. Keeping with the family theme the team here also includes Ellie, Jordan and Loarlie. Jordan and Loarlie are both my cousins and have many years of barbering and hair styling experience between them, whilst Ellie is the daughter of my best friend and is a fantastic hair colourist.
Owning my own salon means I can do things a bit differently. For example, we don’t have set opening hours because we like to work around our clients. We also try to keep our prices affordable because we believe that everyone should be able to treat themselves every now and again. We’ll always explain our costs up front so anyone coming in for a treatment knows exactly what they’re paying for. Our clients are at the heart of everything we do.
Q. Why did you choose High Wycombe as a destination for the salon?
I was brought up in the town so I have a lot of relatives locally and I know a lot of people living here. Having that established client base means I’ve had some fantastic support since opening. The rest of the team also live in High Wycombe so everyone here knows the area really well.
Q. What do you think you do differently to other hair and beauty salons?
I really want to make everyone who walks in the door feel special. Every visit is a bit like a social event – the clients can come in and have a good chat and a bit of a giggle and we’ll offer them a nice coffee or, if the weather is nice, a glass of Pimms. We also host a lot of pamper parties for little ladies. We’ll give our younger customers a beautiful gown to wear, and we’ll serve them a mocktail in a special glass with an umbrella so they can enjoy feeling like a princess!
We also have a really good friendship with other local hair and beauty salons. For example, we love Moons Nails, QV traditional Turkish barbers and For Face Sake. It’s so important to help and support each other and recommend these places to others.
Q. You’ve become known for your amazing window displays, can you tell us a bit about them?
I love any excuse to decorate for an occasion – my Christmas Tree at home goes up in November! We often get a lot of traffic outside the salon so it’s great to do something to help catch people’s attention. I’ll usually come up with an idea for a window display but it’s poor Ellie who gets sent up a ladder for hours to work her creative magic.
Q. What’s your favourite part about running your own business?
I love it when I get to see all our recommendations on the High Wycombe Facebook Group, but my absolute favourite part of running my own business is when I stand in the salon on a busy day and look around to see everyone laughing, relaxing and enjoying themselves. They’ll all be getting glammed up and I’ll sometimes think ‘I’ve done it’ and then I’ll get a bit choked up.
Q. What ‘local gem’ would recommend to visitors of High Wycombe?
There’s so many – especially when it comes to food and drink options! If I had to choose a few, I’d go with Eat Thai because they offer such a fantastic service and great food; Bombay Palace because they’re amazing and I’ve been eating there for over 20 years; the Sosh Club over in Frogmoor is a fab choice for cocktails in an extravagant setting and I always get my lunch from Meze House in Church Street – the staff are lovely. Oh and I’d also recommend Zink Van which is on the High Street on market days – they do some lovely food and are always so friendly and welcoming.
Q. Do you have any exciting events/offers or discounts happening that you’d like people to know about?
We try to do different offers all the time. At moment we have:
- Spray Tan Party – 4 x ladies and a bottle of Prosecco for £40
- Father and Son (under 12) haircut for £25
- Ballyage, Toner, Cut and Blowdry for £100
- Ladies Pamper Party (based on a minimum of 4 people). Includes:
- Sole use of the salon from 11am on Sunday
- Cheese board and Cured meats
- Prosecco
- Mini Facial
- Choice of Basic Manicure with gel or Basic Pedicure with Gel
Cost = £50 per person
- Little Ladies Glamour Party (based on 5 little ladies) Includes:
- Sole use of the salon from 11am on Sunday.
- Sweets,
- Cakes
- Sandwiches
- Drinks
- Photo area
- Party Bags
- Birthday Sash (for the birthday girl)
- Hair wash, plait and glitter
- Nail file and paint
- Foot spa, file and paint
Cost = £200
Q. Where can people find out more about you?
People can find us on Facebook and Instagram. To book an appointment call 01494 441900.
Shelley & Millie’s is located 12 Crendon St, High Wycombe HP13 6LW