Sensational Staff

Another year has come and gone and I can’t believe how quickly the time passes; it has been nearly 3 years since I bought Cactus Club Salon & Spa. My life has witnessed a flurry of change and improvements: a lot of learning and growing alongside a whole lot of chaos and excitement. What a great time I’ve been having!

Of all the dynamic and fantastic things I get to experience at Cactus Club, the very best one is my staff! Cheesy sounding perhaps, but not many people in this world are blessed enough to have staff who’s qualities include things such as patience, empathy, dedication, kindness and humility. And, they’re some of the most highly skilled, talented girls I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I remember times in my life on the phone trying to book a haircut or facial thinking I was part of a bad game of Russian roulette. “What will I end up with? What if they aren’t nice?” I can honestly say that the thought has never crossed my mind here. These girls are truly the best in the business and the only challenge is getting an appointment, which only gets harder when you actually work here! (Worst of all is that we always seem to have to miss that epic scalp massage at the sinks and sipping tea in the great room in the Spa.)

The Spa… What more can I say, who doesn’t want to own a Spa, if only to dream of the treatments you would have done, if only you could get out of the office. (Who puts an office in a Spa anyway?!) Coming from a background in the hair industry I felt like a fish out of water up there, having to amass all of my information from the experts who work in the Spa. This has truly been the most difficult and rewarding part of my job. When you visit a Spa, you have the pleasure of experiencing deep relaxation and quality treatments all the while floating around in a blissful environment. But behind the scenes, the staff must be educated on all the safety protocols from sterilization and disinfection to product ingredients and treatment contraindications. With an industry that is always changing, this is a daunting task. Not only are these girls constantly educating themselves and collaborating, they do it so darn quietly.

Since 2010 we have seen many additions in the Spa including a new nail room, a St. Tropez spray tan booth, a Reflexologist, a new selection of body treatments by Comfort Zone and numerous product launches by Dermalogica. If you haven’t visited our Spa before I highly recommend that you do. We offer so many treatments that can help you achieve your goals of overall health and well-being. The girls upstairs are nothing short of miracle workers, worth every bit of the climb.

In the past few years we have seen so much professional growth within the Staff. I was fortunate enough to travel with two of my Stylists to London, England to the Toni & Guy Academy where we learned the most advanced, cut and colour techniques. I did suffer some serious remorse when I looked back on the hundreds of clients who I said, ‘oh yah, this dual voltage flat iron will totally work overseas!’ Um…NOPE!  I think we blew up nearly every tool we took with us.

Two other Stylists traveled to Montreal for a week long cutting course at Mekka S’ysteme d’education, where one endured the week with pneumonia. (Honestly, they are that amazing!) One of my Apprentices attended advanced cutting training at Suki’s Academy in Vancouver for two weeks; others attended a Surface Hair symposium in Saskatoon. These are only the big ones; all year long our Stylists are committed to attending ongoing training. Last spring they created a Look Book, which was beautifully photographed by Heidrich Photography.

Last but not least, one of our dear friends and former colleagues was diagnosed with breast cancer and her story is heartbreaking. In an attempt to raise some money for the family my staff banded together and put on an event for her that that was so outstanding I still can’t believe it. Not only did they volunteer hundreds of hours putting the fundraiser together but they also spent hundreds more putting together a hair show. In the end, they raised over $14,000.00! What an extraordinary accomplishment.

I would like to thank each and every one of you who have made this Salon & Spa the very best place to work and visit. Without the amazing Staff and the enthusiastic, loyal clients, the Cactus Club would not be the place that it is today. This, in my eyes, is the absolute best place in Southern Alberta to receive the highest quality treatments with the most talented Stylists and Therapists around.

Come for an hour and you might stay all day, and don’t forget…. you’ll never have to worry about leaving a tip!

Welcome

Welcome to our new website! This project has been a long time coming and we’re thrilled to offer you updated services, new products and other exciting changes.

We are proud to announce the launch of our new selection of Comfort Zone Body Treatments and Facials. These treatments are designed to complement our existing services and will provide you with an outstanding Spa experience. Dermalogica remains a core product in Skin Treatments.

We have redesigned and recreated this website, social media and brochures, offering you more options to collect valuable information and connect with us. In early 2013 we will be introducing our new Membership program, providing you with many ways to save on products and services all year long.

Our website will continue to evolve over the coming months and we’ll be blogging and updating our social media regularly; connect with us however you’d like between treatments and we look forward to seeing you in person soon!

All the best,

Mandy