Live Chat by LivePerson"Definitely worth the trip from Norway. Thanks for a much needed break-I've been looking forward to a proper massage for a long time!"
Urban Angel Day Spa is a fabulous small dry day spa in the heart of Birmingham City. The Spa is owned by Carol Starkey who purchased it from the founders, John Ivens and Catherine Walsh in February 2006.
I fell in love with Urban Angel and purchased it because it met with my own personal philosophy and ancient business plan!
Having turned my back on full time employment I lurched in to the business of spa. With a background in hotels and healthcare it seemed to me that the world of spa is what is needed by the masses. Hotels cater so well in giving people a break and I love that about them. Healthcare caters so well for those who are seriously ill. However the majority people seem to fall in to the middle ground where help is needed (even if most people are a little shy to admint it!) but not enough to warrant a visit to the doctor/hospital.
I'm personally passionate about wellness and passionate about customer service. I'm also dedicated to my own personal development and you'll find my nose stuck in a book at every opportunity I have.
My personal belief is that life is for living. Each person has a responsibility to live their life to the full and experience as much as possible of what the world has to offer. In order to do this you must be ok in yourself. You must be true to yourself. Know and respect your own values and stick to what you want out of life.
The problem is most people don't actually do this. They caught up with their roles in society and start doing what they think others want them to do and get all stressed out.
This to me is where the role of the spa is so important. Providing "a little peace of heaven" where people can truly relax - however much or little time they have- and providing a range of therapeautic services that also pamper body mind and soul is critical if people are to live a fulfilling and rewarding life. This in conjunction with a continuing programme of self development provides people with the necessary armour to achieve all their dreams.
One of the things I most love about Urban Angel is that when you arrive in the Chill Out lounge you would just never believe that you were in the centre of the city! It's incredible the feeling you get. My team are always so happy everytime a new client gets to the top of the stairs and without doubt they'll hear "wow -this is fabulous"!
Birmingham has the second largest business and finance sector in the country and most of it is on our doorstep. I just love the fact that we can provide that "little peace of heaven" to people who work so hard and generally carry so much stress.
I'm a young "nearly" 41 year old. I'm happily married to John who is a Finance Director and we adore our gorgeous son Ben, who is now 10 and absolutely football mad and our newly acquired mad lurcher dog, Bess.
I'm very ambitious and spend a lot of time working which gives me great pleasure and a great sense of achievement, if not a little stress from time to time! People think it's great to own a spa, and indeed it is, however I must burst the bubble and say that I probably get no more spa treatments than the average professional! There is also a downside to having spa treatments when you own a spa in that you cannot stop working - you end up looking out for things, analysing, checking etc.
It actually reminds me of where I started off! On a Music Foundation Course where I studied Singing, Piano and Flute. Being a music lover I was delighted to specialise in the subject for 2 years. Howver the pleasure I got from listening to a beautiful piece of music began to diminish as I was told to listen out and follow the tuba or to listen and note down the key changes throughout a piece. Listening to music soon became a chore! (one I hasten to add that I still love)
Being (at that time!) a rather flamboyant and theatrical character I decided to pursue a career in Musical Theatre and won a place at Laine Theatre Arts. I loved the theatre and spent as much time as I could in London. Being stressed out by exams my Mum and Grandad decided to whizz me off to the beautiful Isle of Wight for a much needed holiday. I fell in love with it. So much so that I begged the new owners of the hotel for a summer job. For a quiet life they agreed to house me and give me work for 6 weeks over the summer holidays. I left home for the Isle of Wight as soon as I could, but knowing I had to return home for further exams in two weeks time, I was determined to make myself indispensible! I did that so well that my 6 weeks turned in to 6 years and I went from washing the dishes and singing in the bar to running the hotel!
After that I came back home and took up another hotel post for 3 years before moving in to healthcare. This was probably the most exciting time of my career and involved me developing and working on Government contracts and subsequently being invited to Downing Street. I'm also very proud to have invited to make a speech at The House of Lords! During this role I developed pro-active programmes to help people with physical injuries and disabilities that were preventing them from living their life they wanted too. The results we achieved were nothing short of amazing and it was breathtaking to see people's lives turn around completely in just a few short weeks. It was not uncommon to witness someone arriving on a stretcher but leaving 3 weeks later doing circuits in the gym.
With a reputation for business development I was persuaded to move in to psychiatry where I remained a Director for Priory Healthcare for three years and was priviledged to see and learn about such debilitating and life threatening illnesses. When I look back I feel it's such a shame that these people are missing out on so much that life has to offer. Through the provision of spa I sincerely hope that we can do as much as possible to prevent as many people as possible from developing chronic illnesses especially those that develop as a result of stress or anxiety or confidence or self image.
Deciding to move in to self employment was a big step. I have always worked hard and got so much job satisfaction. However it was something that I had in my head for a couple of years or so before i finally gained the courage to make the move. I carried out so much research and put together an impressive business plan that would see me making plans and taking huge actions to open a Destination Spa in Lough Derg County Clare, Ireland. This project was one of those occasions were everything mysteriously falls in to place. I am priviledged to have spear headed an incredible team to develop what still remains the best spa concept to date. After raising an incredible $18m euro our plans were dashed when our planning appeal failed and the property and site was later purchased by Deloras McNamara - the lady who won $117m on euro lottery!
In this grand business plan though lay the objective to create a supporting network of urban day spas and that is where Urban Angel came in to my life.
My personal ambition is to provide a service that makes a difference to people's lives. Not just when they are in the spa but everyday of their life. I want people to receive really good customer service that is warm and caring and professional. I want a service that is delivered by caring people who want to develop themselves and be better at what they do today than they were yesterday.
I want provide a professional environment for staff to grow and develop and to learn how to really satisfy each clients needs and be proud of a service that exceeds expectations.
I want to provide a service in a place that is easy to get to and is great value for money.
I want to sit back and see my staff and clients fulfil their potential and love the life they live.
The next step for me is to really grow and expand the Urban Angel branding. In November 2008 I took out my second lease in Worcester and spent 3 months refurbishing before opening our second site. I want to offer other salon and spa operators to work with this great brand as well as expand potentially through franchising. My aim is to have a spa in every major city and town in the UK as well as fulfil my original plan of developing and opening an amazing destination spa.