Her Campus Leeds was lucky enough this week to be invited to an event hosted by the popular online booking platform Treatwell. We arrived at the venue, RMUK, a beauty salon local to Leeds, and were immediately impressed simply because it was so much bigger on the inside than we had anticipated! RMUK has been in Leeds for over thirty years, and its varied, modern décor and tranquil aromas instantly created a calm and welcoming atmosphere.
We were warmly welcomed with prosecco and introduced to the CEO and founder of Treatwell, Lopo Champalimaud. We chatted to him about Treatwell, the name change of the company (from Wahanda to Treatwell, a question he was asked a lot that night!) and his hopes for expanding the company in the future, including going stateside. Lopo was really engaging and inspiring to talk to, as he has so much passion for the industry and has big plans for the next 5 years.
(Treatwell CEO and founder Lopo Champalimaud)
The event itself was nothing short of brilliant. After speaking to Lopo, we were able to take a tour of the building: the treatment rooms were all individually decorated and smelled incredible. With prosecco and canapés readily available alongside the opportunity to trial some of the treatments at RMUK, it’s safe to say that we felt suitably relaxed…
(Two of the Her Campus Leeds team trying not to fall asleep during a head, back and shoulders massage)
We were lucky enough to experience a head, back and shoulders massage, a bamboo massage and a file and polish during the course of the evening. Other treatments available at RMUK included hair styling, colour matching and makeup consultations. There was a DJ playing music all night, aside from when Lopo gave his speech and welcomed everyone, and this added to the relaxed and calming vibes of the evening. It became clear very quickly that RMUK was more than just a beauty salon: the terrace on the third floor would be perfect for cocktails on a summer evening and the bar menu was very affordable, especially based on the central location of the salon.
Having met Lopo and other members of the Treatwell team, it is undeniable that this online booking platform has one key purpose: to ensure that those using the website have the best experience possible. Using RMUK as the venue for this event exemplifies this perfectly, as the evening demonstrated the high standard of salons and venues used by the company. It also helps to show the personal relationship between Treatwell and the salons that it works with. The owners of RMUK, Roberto and Laura, were also very welcoming, showing us around their beautiful venue and answering all of our questions. They were enthusiastic and helpful, and the event ran seamlessly because of their preparation and excellent staff.
(RMUK owners, Laura and Roberto)
In an age where we are becoming increasingly reliant on technology and our phones, Treatwell provides a service that we can use to eliminate the middleman and any awkward phone conversations when booking a beauty treatment. As many of our readers know, as students we would most likely be somewhat reluctant to spend our money on spa days and treatments whilst on a budget. However, having visited RMUK and having looked at the Treatwell website, there are great student offers – including 15% off on certain days – so it is important to check what is available and not to immediately rule out a pamper day!
All in all we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and left on a high, clutching our goody bags and feeling very relaxed and pampered after such a lovely evening. We would like to thank Jessica for our invite, Lopo Champalimaud for chatting to us and being such a lovely interviewee, those working at the event and the owners of RMUK, Roberto and Laura, because their venue was beautiful and they were more than accommodating.
(#treatedusverywell, thank you!)
If you would like to find out more about Treatwell or RMUK, the links to the websites are listed below.
Photos courtesy of Karen Wright.