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'Glow to go' owner Ciara Redmond.
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Eoin Mac Raghnaill
Ciara Redmond, owner of the ‘Glow to Go’ salon on Abbey Lane in Arklow, has been celebrating a highly successful first year in business.
The Arklow entrepreneur had been working full time in a spa when she began to work independently on the side. Gradually her passion for doing her own work developed and eventually inspired her to strike out on her own.
“It was still during Covid restrictions when I opened the business, so it was very nerve racking,” Ciara said. “Thankfully it has gone really well. If the next year is as good as the first, I’d be really happy. I have great clients that come to me every few weeks, and they’ve been really good about spreading the word on social media. I’m really lucky in that respect.”
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Glow to Go is, as Ciara puts it, a “one stop shop” that offers a huge range of services. The salon does a bit of everything, including beauty treatments, spa treatments, facial treatments, body treatments, body wraps, exfoliation, spray tans, manicures, pedicures and nail treatments.
“I like to have a variety,” Ciara added. “I find that a lot of people will try some of my services and become interested in the others. I do package deals at the moment that are tailored to people going on holidays, and they have really been quite popular. The wave of weddings after Covid has obviously been huge too, as has the holiday market. With the debs coming up soon, that’s sure to be great business too.”
Ciara ran a contest to mark the anniversary of her salon, offering entrants the chance to win one of her packages with a value of €75. The response was emphatic, with over 80 people entering on Instagram and over 60 on Facebook.
Asked if she had any plans for the future, or advice for those considering opening an independent business in Arklow, Ciara said, “I’m quite happy where I am at the moment. I do want to progress the business and add more treatments as we go. I’m just so happy we have made it a year, I wasn’t sure if we would.
“To anyone opening a business I would say: as much as a lot of people dislike social media, it really is the way forward. It certainly has been for me. Long established businesses might not need it, but for people starting up I think it’s essential. That and being unique, trying to stand out and offer something a bit different.”
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