I had to try really hard not to fall asleep as I lay on the comfortable massage bed and snuggled under the warm blanket. The scent of the ‘relaxing’ aromatherapy oil was doing its trick, and the member of staff who had the tough task of trying to pummel out the knots and strains on my back was doing a wonderful job of relieving the tension caused by lifting and carrying three kids, a buggy and countless bags and lunch boxes. I could easily spend every Sunday like this, enjoying a twin mum pamper session at Xpress Beauty in Whiteley, Hampshire*. I suspect Husband wouldn’t been too keen on that though, as while I was indulging in some much-needed ‘me’ time, he was taking all three kids to the beach solo.
The massage room was clean and simple, with a bed that was far too comfortable and a fluffy towel curled over the hole where you put your face (a nice touch to stop you from getting those lines around your face!)
At the same time as my back, neck and shoulder massage, Steph, who blogs over at Renovation Bay-Bee, was having a massage next door, so they opened up the partition doors so we could chat if we wanted to. Both being exhausted twin mums we decided to *almost* nod off and use the time to our advantage by enjoying the blissful peace and quiet in the darkened room.
After our massages we went into the main salon for our pedicures, so we could get our feet ready for the summer. A group of us sat on the padded bench seat while our feet were soaked, buffed and polished. It was a lovely social area, perfect to visit with a group of friends. It was a great chance for us catch up as it’s so rare we get together without toddlers in tow. We sipped our hot coffees (another rarity for us!) and glasses of water as we chatted. The staff were all really friendly and joined in our banter, getting very excited when they discovered we all had twins.
I loved the results of my pedicure – I went for something a little bit different: blue sparkly nail varnish. I’ve had lots of compliments and three days on it’s still on perfectly and showing no signs of chipping.
Twin club benefits
Xpress Beauty invited Steph and I along to review their salon after hearing we’d reviewed Whiteley Shopping back in May just before it opened. They also offered our twin club members a 15% discount at selected times in return for us promoting their salon to our members through email, our website and on our Facebook page. Steph and I came up with the idea of a twin mum pamper morning as a way to promote the new discount to our members and introduce them to the salon. Xpress though it was a great idea, so offered a 20% discount for treatments on the day.
Does your multiples club negotiate discounts with local shops and services? The Fareham and Gosport Twin Club has been building up quite a list of local member benefits. It’s a bit like a local version of the TAMBA discounts. If your club doesn’t do this already, it’s really easy to set up. You literally just chat to shop owners, tell them about your club and ask them if they might offer a discount. In return you’ll need to offer them free advertising to your members. This could be on your website, Facebook page, by email or by giving our flyers at your coffee mornings. Finding places that are relevant to your members is key – if a business knows you’ll be buying at least two pairs of shoes, two hair cuts, two entry fees etc. then it’s in their interests to knock a little bit off the costs for you so you spend your money there rather than elsewhere. A beauty salon like Xpress is great too, because all multiple mums deserve some pampering! You can also ask the business if they might like to give a raffle prize for your annual events – our club manages to get a really impressive stack of prizes together for our summer BBQ just by taking the time to ask.
Giving something back to your members is a great way of retaining your membership fees.
The worst that can happen is a company might say no, but if you approach independent shops and small local chains then the chance are most will jump at the chance! Even large chains can sometimes be approachable, as often they want to engage with groups in the local community. Go on, give it a go!
*I received a complimentary back, neck and shoulder massage (usual price £25 each or £40 for two people having a treatment at the same time) and a file and polish (£14) from Xpress Beauty in return for writing this review. All views are my own and are genuine.
