On Monday we brought you the winners of this year's IBPA Irish Beauty Awards. But there was more to the night than just those 16 winners. Above is a fab pic of Monart, which deservedly won the gong for Destination Spa of the year. The majority of the winners had reached a shortlist of 5, and from those lists we noticed some interesting things. We picked out ones-to-watch, areas that are beauty-central, and we also identified somewhere that seems to be sadly lacking in excellence. The results may surprise you!
Firstly, the ones-to-watch. The Spa at The Heritage Golf and Spa Resort in Killenard, Co. Laois appeared on two shortlists - Facial Therapist, and Destination Spa. Esthetique Skin and Bodycare Clinic in Donabate, Dublin, won for Massage Therapist of the year, and were also short-listed for Facial Therapist - so if you're in that part of the city, you've got a gem of a salon on your doorstep. Auriga at the tres swish Capella Castlemartyr hotel in Cork also made several appearances - two of their massage therapists made the shortlist, and they won Best New Destination Spa, too. Aghadoe Heights in Killarney did well too - winning Best Hotel Resort Spa and for Spa Therapist. No real surprise, as this is a bona fide centre of spa-ing excellence.
Beauty central? Northern Ireland! The number of salons and spas making the grade north of the border was remarkable - and great, as we're always looking for wee places to take a weekend trip to. Northern salons scooped the prizes for Beauty Salon with 1-6 rooms, and Beauty Salon with 6+ rooms. The lucky winners were Perfections Day Spa and Nail Bar in Coleraine, and Bellfield Centre of Wellbeing, Banbridge, Co. Down.
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And the place with the least representation, prize-wise? Dublin. Yep. Almost half of our entire population may live within the metropolitan area, but only 4 awards went to the Dublin area, and one of those was a training award for those within the profession. It's true that Dublin doesn't compare with the spa capitals further down the country, but I do think that because some of the IBPA committee members themselves have amazing salons in the city - Akina and Papillion, to name two - and as they can't enter because of their interest, that this skews the balance a bit.
Or perhaps salons really are better outside the capital - what do you think?
