Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Rewarding Excellence - The Winners of the 2007 British Beauty & Spa Awards Announced

The 11th annual British Beauty & Spa Awards have rewarded the individuals, salons and spa’s that have achieved excellence in their categories at the most prestigious event in the beauty industry’s calendar. The British Beauty & Spa Awards 2007 took place recently at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. Compered by GMTV’s and Dance X’s Ben Shepherd, attendees enjoyed a glamorous cocktail reception before dinner and entertainment, followed by the awards ceremony and dancing until the small hours. Finalists in all 17 categories waited in anticipation for the category sponsor to announce who was awarded with the prestigious title and coveted trophy.

Celebrating 11 years of rewarding and recognising the best in the beauty and spa industry, the British Beauty & Spa Awards, presented by Health & Beauty Salon, reflect the way in which the beauty industry has developed over recent years. Categories celebrate both business acumen and hands-on treatments and procedures from salons, spa’s and individuals within the British beauty industry.

“The beauty and spa industries have grown and developed and the British Beauty & Spa Awards has grown in line with their development. From the outset, we wanted to recognise and reward excellence, innovation and professionalism by businesses and individuals within the beauty industry and each year the number of entries we receive is a fantastic testament to the British beauty industry. There are so many dedicated and professional therapists, salons and spas in the UK, ” comments Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Health & Beauty Salon, Jayne Lewis-Orr.

Health & Beauty Salon magazine launched the British Beauty & Spa Awards in 1997 to raise the profile of the professional beauty and spa industry by recognising and rewarding innovation and excellence throughout the industry. They rapidly became the most prestigious awards in the industry.

The judging for the British Beauty & Spa Awards takes place over two days, where representatives from the sponsoring companies, along with industry experts are split into groups to read through the dossiers, ensuring that the criteria is met before selecting the six finalists in each category. Judges cannot confer with one another during the judging process, with the individual judges marking all entries independently. This year the British Beauty & Spa Awards introduced a practical judging session for the finalists in Facial Therapist of the Year, Body Therapist of the Year, Nail Professional of the Year and Manicurist of the Year.

Previous award winners include celebrity nail technician Leighton Denny, who sculpts the nails of supermodels and celebrities alike. The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, a previous winner of the Day Spa of the Year category is a favourite of Madonna's when she's in London, while the luxurious celebrity bolt-hole, Champneys Forest Mere, in Liphook, Hampshire, and the beautifully located, Stobo Castle, on the Scottish Borders, are both previous recipients of the Destination Spa of the Year Award. Meanwhile, Glasgow-based Rainbow Room International Beauty and Spa has won the Scotland and North West Salon of the Year category three times, and is now in the prestigious Hall of Fame, as is Saks, Julijana Zappia, Claire Fairest, One Spa, Leighton Denny, Beauty with Sara and be…healthy & beautiful.

It is not only the winners that have celebrity clienteles. Many of the sponsors are the chosen brands of celebrities. Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow favour Doctor Hauschka with Decléor, Guinot and Darphin regularly appearing on the celebrities’ favourite product lists, and what celebrity has not experienced the total bliss of an ESPA treatment.

“The night was a tremendous success,” added Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Health & Beauty Salon, Jayne Lewis-Orr. “Each year the standard of salons, spa’s and individuals entering the awards is exceeding our expectations and they should all be justifiably proud that their achievements have been recognised by the British Beauty & Spa Awards.”

The British Beauty & Spa Awards Winners 2007: