When Tasneem Desai entered the beauty profession, she had no idea that 13 years later she would launch Tranquillity Spa in 2020. Desai’s spa is in a cottage at her Johannesburg home where she offers facials, massages, manicures, pedicures, waxing and laser hair removal. Desai said she got involved in the industry because of her sister. “My eldest sister had the idea of wanting to start a beauty spa and operating one with me. We then took a course, but I was the only one who finished the course,” she told Vutivi News.
“It was during my years of studying that I fell in love with the beauty spa profession.” When the businesswoman started out, she had less than R2000. “I used the R1500 that I had to buy a massage bed and some oils, took the towels I had at home, transformed our garden cottage into a working space and started working,” she said. “I then introduced the other services that we offer, and each time I made a profit I reinvested it into my business to the extent that I now have equipment that is worth over R200,000.
“Working during Covid-19 was especially hard, but because I had support from friends, my business grew fairly rapidly,” Desai said. She told Vutivi News that running her own business fulfilled her because nothing beats a satisfied customer. “I know that I did something that makes them feel good about themselves, and giving them…peace of mind, even if it is for two hours,” she said. “We help people to improve themselves in a world where people are always looking to improve their aesthetics whether it’s losing weight, fixing skin problems, or removing cellulite.”
Desai said that the key to her success was ensuring that when people walked into the building, it felt more than just a beauty spa. “In the 13 years that I have worked in this sector, I found that once you personalise the experience, customers definitely come back,” she said. “Most of the treatments feel intimate and my treatments are all personalised to the customer’s needs and this has worked very well as I was able to operate right through the lockdown.”
Desai also said that people should not consider going for massages as something that was only done for fun. “Just as we go to the gym to keep physically healthy, we also need to do something to improve circulation,” she said. “Massages are not there just for relaxation, but improving circulation. When a massage is done right you will feel sluggish the next day, but the following day after that you feel amazing.” It was all about showing your body the love and care it deserves.
