– by Doreen Marion Gee –
This is part of a rotating series of articles on members of Sidney Meet Up Women’s Networking Group, featuring women in business on the Saanich Peninsula.
The replenishing experience at Anam Cara Spa + Beauty Bar in Sidney is not just about the shiny manicure or soft supple skin. Something much more profound is happening in the beautiful serene haven quietly tucked away just outside the town centre.
The very congenial owner of Anam Cara Spa + Beauty Bar, Shannon Hall is a licensed professional Esthetician and a Reiki Practitioner. Her services include Reiki Energy Healing, skin care, manicures and pedicures, tinting and waxing, massage, makeup and beauty bar.
Shannon offers her clients a holistic, safe and healthy experience grounded in a loving and caring professional approach. “I want to treat the client as a whole person” – which also includes their mental, emotional and spiritual state. A strong sense of ethics fuels Shannon’s passion for her work: “I want to keep everything pure and clean” and “use local products that are safe for the skin, with no harsh chemicals, parabens or carcinogens.” Demonstrating special consideration for her clients’ health and safety, Shannon uses LED light instead of potentially-damaging UV light to cure gel polish in her manicure treatments. Pure lavender products and the finest quality essential oils add a touch of luxury to the cozy oasis. Shannon’s beautiful skin care products are totally natural and organic, derived from nature’s own anti-inflammatory packed with vitamins and minerals – seaweed.
Anam Cara means “soul friend;” Shannon “wants to help you have a better relationship with yourself.” She believes that the positive repercussions of her “loving touch” and pampering treatments go very deep into the client’s psyche, removing barriers to personal healing. “Being good to yourself here helps you to like yourself. And that makes you a happier, better person out in the community.”
Many rejuvenating treatments are packed into that golden hour with Shannon – they could be a gentle healing touch, empathic listening, energy work, or a tender foot massage and pedicure. “You are being loved in this space!” Her caring treatment gives a little nudge to her patrons to turn that kindness on themselves. Clients walk out transformed. Just this once they put their own well-being first, taking time for themselves and catalysing a process of self-caring they will carry into their daily lives. “My goal is to help people see the essence of who they are and to love that!” Calling herself a “facilitator,” Shannon wants to nurture and boost her clients’ self-esteem: “People feel really good when they leave here.”
Never underestimate what a little bit of self-love can do. When people feel good, they are more inclined to do something good. This is much more than just pretty nails.
Contact: www.anamcaraspa.com.
