A SALON in Poole has been crowned the winner of the Daily Echo’s Beauty Therapist competition for 2023.

Meraki Beauty in Station Road came out on top following hundreds of votes and nominations for beauty therapists and salons across the conurbation.

Staff at Meraki said they were “immensely grateful” to win the award and have thanked everyone who voted for them.

Owner Esther McGraddie said: “It’s a huge win for us, we’re all really excited.

“There’s something so nice about getting a bit of recognition because I work so hard.”

The 22-year-old first opened the salon in December 2020, but just a month later was forced to close due to the Covid pandemic.

Despite the challenges, Esther has been able to come out the other side and establish an extremely successful salon.

She and her team continue to welcome hundreds of clients, offering a range of services including skin treatments, waxing, spray tans, lash lifts and nail sets.

Esther said: “Since December 2020, we have strived to create an individual and friendly salon that provides great service and to have that recognised is simply an honour.

“Our goal is always to give you the best and if we can inspire young girls looking to get into this industry along the way, even better.

“I’ve got such a nice team now. I’ve worked so hard to build relationships so that people actually enjoy coming to work. We’ve got such a good support network, and we all know the faces that come in here - it’s a lovely environment to be in.

“I’ve got so many clients that love coming here. It’s like a community, and for them it’s not always just about coming in for their treatment.”

Now, Esther and the Meraki team are looking forward to celebrating their Daily Echo award with their clients.

She said: “We’re planning on having a little do. I never got to have a party when I first opened the shop, because of lockdown.

“We have over 1,400 people on the booking system, so we might have to shut the streets down.

“Thank you to everyone who voted.”