Before Mooeys had a name, or a logo, or a following, it started as a quiet longing.
At the time, I was running the Aqua Sana spa at Center Parcs. A five-million-pound operation. One hundred and fifty staff. On the outside, it looked impressive. On the inside, the pressure was relentless. Every day was full of responsibility, decision-making, holding space for others, managing stress that never really switching off.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, I realised something very simple but very powerful.
I didn’t have anywhere I wanted to go for my beauty treatments.
As a professional woman in my thirties, I couldn’t find a salon that felt right for me. I didn’t want a “wanky” salon where I felt judged the moment I walked in without a full face of makeup. You know the type. The subtle looks. The unspoken rules. The sense that you needed to look a certain way to belong.
But I didn’t want a budget experience either. I still cared about quality. About professionalism. About feeling looked after. Also, I am a professionally trained beauty therapists and you wouldn’t catch me dead in one of those nail bars.
What I wanted was somewhere warm. Somewhere friendly. Somewhere fun.
A place where I could turn up in my scruffs, exhausted after work, or dressed up and feeling great, and be treated exactly the same. Where no one cared about my title, my status, my income, or what I looked like that day. Somewhere the kettle was always on. Somewhere the chat flowed naturally. Somewhere I could just be a human.
So I decided to create it.
Mooeys was built in my flat in Frome, in spare moments grabbed between work, life and sheer exhaustion. It wasn’t glamorous. It was late nights, scribbled notes, ideas formed on sofas and kitchen floors. But it was intentional.
From the very beginning, Mooeys was about creating a home-from-home. A place that went against the grain. A salon where everyone was welcome, and everyone was treated the same.
Because Mooeys was never really about beauty. It was about people.
The social space. The banter. The chats that start with nails or waxing and somehow end with life stories, confessions, laughter and sometimes tears.
Beauty therapists are often the world’s quiet counsellors. We’re the first to hear the big news. The engagements. The babies. The weddings. The breakups. The moments people don’t always share anywhere else. We listen without judgement. We hold space. We care.
And in the middle of all of that, we still give a cracking beauty treatment.
That’s the magic. That’s Mooeys.
In 2015, I had my first baby, and from that moment on, Mooeys began to grow in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Salons opened. A franchise brand was built. Products were developed. Training programmes were created. Systems followed. Structure followed. Responsibility multiplied.
And while I am so proud of what Mooeys has become, growth comes with a quiet cost.
When you’re building something big, when you’re running it from your spare room two hours away from the salons, it’s easy to become disconnected from the thing that made you fall in love with it in the first place.
I miss the salons. I miss the people. I miss the everyday conversations.
I miss sitting in the space, feeling the energy, hearing the laughter, watching connections form in real time. I miss being close to the heart of Mooeys.
And that’s where Moo Chats comes in. Moo Chats is my way back to my why.
It’s an intentional pause. A return to community and connection. A way for me to sit down with the people who make Mooeys what it is and simply have a chat. The same chats we have every day in our salons, now shared beyond those four walls.
We record inside Mooeys, because that’s where the soul lives. I talk to our therapists, our franchise partners, our clients, our suppliers, and the wider Herd. I listen to their stories. I laugh with them. I hold space again.
Because it’s always the people that make the place. And we have the most incredible humans in our Herd.
In a world that feels increasingly transactional, where people are more disconnected and lonelier than ever, I believe places like Mooeys matter. Little pockets of warmth, joy, cheeky chat and genuine care. Safe spaces dotted quietly around our corners of the world.
Moo Chats is an extension of that belief.
It’s not about perfection.
It’s not about polish.
It’s about presence.
So if you’ve ever walked into a Mooeys salon and felt at home, this is for you. If you’re curious about what really happens behind the scenes, pull up a chair.
Grab yourself a cuppa, come inside the Herd, and let’s have a chat.
Where to Listen & When
Moo Chats will be available wherever you listen to your podcasts, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.
Launching at the end of January, with new episodes dropping regularly.
Make sure you subscribe or follow Mooeys so you don’t miss the first conversations from inside the Herd.
Hit follow, and we’ll see you there 🐮💬🎙️
