Carly Wood sits on a plush and comfortable sofa in a warm lounge with large windows that give her wide-sweeping views of the bushland bordering Shepparton’s CBD, tranquil music playing and a calming scent emanating from a diffuser beside her.
It’s the luxurious spa lounge at Wellsprings Day Spa; the sanctuary she took ownership of at the beginning of the month.
She explains how 20 years ago, at 19, she nervously picked up the phone to cold-call Kylie Trevaskis and ask for a job at Beauty Central.
That call paid off, and Mrs Wood entered the industry which she remains just as passionate about today, if not more so.
The qualified beauty therapist, trained in all aspects of beauty and skin care, has been at the helm of Wellsprings since July 1.
It was somewhat of a full-circle moment, having worked at Wellsprings when Mrs Trevaskis first opened the day spa.
Mrs Wood spent seven years working there through the period of her life where she got married and started a family, before moving to Melbourne for a couple of years where she continued working in the spa industry.
When she returned to Shepparton, she started her own business called Luxe Beauty and Makeup Co. to fit in with her young family’s life.
“Luxe was born out of having young kids and wanting to be able to be at home and have more flexibility around my days,” Mrs Wood said.
“So I set up a little space at home and built a name for myself through that.”
Luxe offered all things beauty, but focused mostly on procedures that offered instant results, such as nails and makeup.
When Covid hit, she had to reassess her direction again. She continued on afterwards, mainly doing make-up, as that’s where the demand was.
In doing so, she built a loyal clientele and a trusted reputation.
"I’m proud of myself for holding on to the beauty side of it because it’s brought me to where I am now,” Mrs Wood said.
“People either know someone who has had their makeup done by me, or they have had their makeup done by me.”
When Mrs Trevaskis approached Mrs Wood to let her know she was putting Wellsprings up for sale, Mrs Wood said she was overcome with emotion because she knew she wanted it.
“To me, it was just a no-brainer; this pumps through my veins,” Mrs Wood said.
“But it was a case of ‘Can we actually do this?’ that we had to work out first.”
The wheels were set in motion in February, and her dream has now come to fruition in a handover that makes sense to both women, their staff and their clients.
“We (Kylie and I) think alike,” Mrs Wood said.
“We have the same taste, style, ideas, and a big part of who I am has probably come from her, too.”
Mrs Wood said the pair had been “joined at the hip” throughout the changeover period, but they’d been laughing and having a good time without pressure.
“The girls are amazing, the staff are just beautiful,” she said.
“Some of the girls I worked with back when I worked here before, so they were all happy and emotional that I’m back here again.
“Being on one side of it for so long to now being on the other side of it, I feel like I know how the girls feel and how they want the environment to be.”
As for the Wellsprings’ future, Mrs Wood is keeping some exciting plans under wraps for now, but said many things would stay the same, including the spa and hair lounge.
“There’s a demand out there though, and this space can certainly cater to what that is,” Mrs Wood said.
“You can have a massage and a facial anywhere in Shepp, but you don’t get that spa experience along with it, so I want to stay true to that because there’s nowhere else like that in Shepparton.
“You can come and have a relaxing facial, have a relaxing massage and then come out into the spa lounge and relax without having to rush out the door.
“It’s all about that experience from your head to your toes; the girls do beautiful rituals at the start of every treatment.”
She said she would continue to offer all the treatments currently on the menu, but saw an opportunity for a bit of a rebirth of the day spa.
“The feeling I had about 20 years ago when this was created, I cried because I was so excited for Kylie,” Mrs Wood said.
“It’s important for the community to know — because we have such a loyal following here — that I’m not coming in and changing stuff up and trying to modernise it or anything.
“We offer high performance clinical and natural treatments combined with beautiful spa rituals that leave you feeling relaxed and satisfied.
“There is still a market of people who want to come and have their skin looked after but have that relaxing experience at the same time; we offer the best of both.”