Beauty is in the eye of everyone as Yorkshire spa aims to get some relaxation in our lives

ENTREPRENEUR Maxine Stead launched the Alexandra House and Spa after a career in cancer research.

A move away from cancer care and treatment meant she was travelling a lot to London, she said her blood pressure was up and had to go on medication.

Nine years ago a holiday to Bali proved to be a pivotal moment for Maxine. Back home, there weren’t as many spas as there are now. She said: “People had and have busy jobs need somewhere to relax, especially juggling kids, work, looking after parents. We all need time to switch off and settle in mind and body.”

It wasn’t plain sailing for her Bali-inspired spa, as she said, “banks didn’t want to know me,” having never owned a business before.

Finally after self funding, she took on a rented property, taking on two staff and training them in Indian head massage and raki.

Working with lastminute.com got Alexandra House Spa through the worst of the recession and today, Alexandra House has 10 employees, and is looking to expand in the new year.

Maxine said: “It’s about holistic relaxation rather than beauty. I want people to walk through the door and know they can totally forget about everything that is stressful in their lives.

“Spas were seen as a luxury when I started with Alexandra, they were a real treat, now people realise you have to look after yourself. You don’t want to burn out and it’s ok to spend money on yourself.

Massage and body treatments range from £30 to £78, and spa days. Packages include the Mostly Men Experience for £172.

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In the world of beauty news, new treatments seem to come round every day. Varying qualities and some terrible results have made us jaded.

Thankfully, Olaplex isn’t one of them. Architect Hair in Headingley were one of the first companies there to get the product fresh from the US. Knowledgable Architect hairdresser Shannon said: “It’s not a miracle worker, but it’s as close as we’re ever going to get!”

Opalex, which is used like a leave-in conditioner, works by fixing the broken disulphide sulfur bonds in hair that are broken by dyeing or exposure to heat – having had a sample, this isn’t just scientific waffle.

The treatment at a hairdressers lasts 45 minutes – a simple process for a hairdresser, though it does leave out the lotions and potion that are part of the fun of going to a salon.

It’s beginnings, unsurprisingly, are rooted in the US. When a hairdresser, a doctor and scientist walked into a conference.

Instead of a bad joke, they came up with the treatment Olaplex in a garage, a Californian technology tradition.

Olaplex’s biggest claim to fame so far is enabling the famous-for-being-famous (and other dubious incidents) Kim Kardashian to go from jet black to platinum blonde in a dye job that would normally turn her hair a bright shade of orange.

Promoted as an upgrade service for hair colouring, it was invented by Dean Christal from the US, designed by Dr Eric Pressly PHD in Materials from UC Santa Barbara and Dr Craig Hawker PHD in Chemistry.

Leslie Spears of Star Qualities, the company behind the UK launch said: “Olaplex is all about passion, quality and sharing. As a salon owner, I believe that the people in this country who set the top standards for hairdressing are the Top Salons and Top Stylists in each town. It is their passion and commitment that should be rewarded.”

This comes as a definitely recommended, though it will make the most impact on hair that has been dyed multiple times. 

A treatment at Architect Hair in Headlingley will cost £30, and buying a bottle yourself will cost £33 – only after the initital treatments in house.