By Michelle Barrett, Freelance Writer
Gaudia Chevannes-Aquart administers a facial mask to one of her clients at her Nirvana Day Spa on Lady Musgrave Road. - Carlington Wilmot /Freelance Photographer
WHEN GAUDIA Chevannes left Jamaica for the shores of England in 1985 on the arms of her new husband, an army officer, she had no idea that she would leave a year later with a Diploma in Beauty Culture from the London Institute of Beauty Culture.
Her sojourn into the world of beauty, and later the spa industry some 18 years later, has resulted in Chevannes-Aquart being one of this year's recipients of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Job Creation Award for small businesses.
Today, Chevannes-Aquart is owner and director of two full-service day luxury spas operating in the Corporate Area with a full staff complement of 26 persons between the two locations. Plus, adds the businesswoman, there are plans afoot to expand to other locations.
In addition to opening her new establishment, she is expecting her second child and revelling in her recent marriage to her friend of 17 years, Clive Aquart.
"Clive has always been supportive of me and my business. I am so glad that I've found somebody with his qualities. I believe that with him beside me and my valuable team behind me, we can make this a first-class spa not only in Jamaica but also in the Caribbean."
Although she was officially inducted into the world of beauty in 1985 after receiving her diploma, Chevannes-Aquart's interest in the industry started while she was a St. Hugh's High School student and doing stints during the Summer at a shop owned by Charmaine Hemmings (formerly of the radio drama Flora Lee fame) which emphasised grooming for the corporate woman.
"Back then I had the desire to operate a one-stop shop that (would) offer all the beauty services that women need," said an animated and eloquent Chevannes-Aquart at her new spa on Lady Musgrave Road in St. Andrew.
On her return home from England in late 1986, a pregnant Chevannes-Aquart settled into her new role as expectant mother but five months after her daughter Sherenne was born she joined the Face Place Salon in Savannah Plaza on Constant Spring Road. She got her first taste of the Jamaican side of the spa industry and learned all that she could about the business. She was, however, forced to leave the job after a month as her daughter fell ill. That didn't deter the young beautician as she also took time out to learn more about the spa business.
With financial assistance and the support of friends, Chevannes-Aquart became a full-fledged entrepreneur and opened Salon Aesthetique at 27 Lady Musgrave Road in St Andrew in May, 1988.
"When I first opened this full-service salon, many persons were of the perception that the spa experience was an exclusive luxury and only the very wealthy could afford such services. Because of this thinking, I had to do some aggressive marketing in order to build up my clientele," said Mrs. Chevannes-Aquart between phone calls.
Her marketing strategies seemed to have worked, as she captured accounts from corporate Jamaica, including a few banks and other financial institutions.
"As the awareness of the operations of a spa grew, persons began to recognise that the various spa treatments helped stress management and so more persons kept coming."
Eventually the business outgrew its location and the building was sold, forcing her to relocate Salon Aesthetique to Liguanea in 1993. Chevannes-Aquart's professionalism and aptitude for teaching, which she also did, was so renowned that she was contracted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), to provide training in the island's tourist resort areas. In addition, she was invited by the Government to sit on a committee to help write the cosmetology curriculum for the HEART Trust/NTA.
At the completion of these skill training workshops and the end of divorce proceedings from her army officer husband, she migrated to Florida where she owned and operated a similar business. She subsequently opened two others, but when business slowed down, she closed the stores and returned home at the end of 1999. On her return home, she managed the luxurious Strawberry Hill Hotel spa in Irish Town, St Andrew, but left after five months to concentrate on her own business.
With a new burst of energy, Chevannes-Aquart put her all into the business, acquiring new equipment and a new look, thus changing the name from Salon Aesthetique to Spa Aesthetique. Recently, she opened the luxurious Nirvana Day Spa at the Eden Gardens on Lady Musgrave Road, St. Andrew. As the name suggests, the spa is designed to keep one in total bliss, judging from the soft pastel wall colours, scented candles, soft music and royal treatment given to customers by the staff.
