Maldon Nub News aims to be supportive to EVERY element of the community from business and shops to people and charities and clubs and sports organisations.

Everyone is finding it tough at the moment and wants life to get back to normal.

We will be profiling some of these local businesses and groups regularly over coming weeks in a feature called UP CLOSE IN MALDON in the hope that we can be a supportive springboard for your full return to business as usual.

Today we talk to Alicia Varnals, owner of Maldon's newest beauty salon, Alicia's Aesthetics & Beauty in Mill House, Fullbridge. Alicia opened her new business just weeks before lockdown two and is now open again. During an in-depth Q and A session Alicia reveals why she set up business in Maldon as well as what she loves about the town's community and what she hopes to achieve in her new venture.

One thing that Alicia is clear about from the very start of her interview with Maldon Nub News is how she wants her clients to feel from the moment they step through her doors.

"It's really important to me that when women come to see us here they feel relaxed. I never want them to feel self-conscious or worried about stepping into my salon," she says.

"I know some women feel like they don't belong in a beauty salon or that somehow someone will look down on them – well, I don't believe in that.

"I believe being pampered is good for every woman, of all ages, sizes and types.

Alicia is also keen to make sure men know they are welcome at the salon, too – and that they can also benefit from the treatments offered.

"Especially with the lockdown experience we've all been through, where so many people – men and women - have ended up feeling like they need a boost and that little bit of extra confidence again.

"I really want this salon to be able to help them with that."

The building that houses the newest beauty outlet in Maldon is just outside the town centre, in Fullbridge House next to the river. Once you turn off the main road at Fullbridge Mill, it's easy to follow the drive round to the back of Fullbridge House and park close to the entrance of Alicia's Aesthetics & Beauty. It's a peaceful, quiet spot and once inside, it's hard not to feel relaxed in the spacious and trendy salon.

Alicia soon introduces Holly, who is one of the staff at the salon full-time – and who she worked with previously in a Colchester salon before making the decision to take the big leap and open her very own place. It's easy to see the excitement and anticipation they feel as the new business is launched.

As they show the rooms they have for different kinds of treatments, Alicia talks passionately about aesthetics and the way people sometimes think about them.

"It's really not about changing your face," she says, "it's about enhancing what you already have."

Each of the rooms is light and airy, with individual treatment areas well-spaced.

"We want all our clients to feel safe," Alicia says, "so we have put all our Covid-safety measures in place."

She explains how even some of the techniques used in some treatments have had to be adapted, such as in threading where the thread is now held in a different way.

The list of treatments provided is extensive and includes everything from facials, eyebrows and lashes through to aesthetics, fillers, anti-wrinkle treatments, nails and hair styling and extensions.

The hair styling and extensions are carried out by a visiting hair specialist.

Opening a new business at this challenging time might seem brave, but for Alicia it's been a double whammy as she moved home just weeks ago, too – so that she could live in Maldon, of course.

"I have always loved it here," she says, "the town is beautiful and the community is so kind. It's just such a nice place to live and work.

"Having my own business here is a real dream come true."

• More information on Alicia's Aesthetics and Beauty is available by calling 01621 929271 or visiting the link here.. You can also email the salon here.