Mel Bone's beauty business, Zenspa, now a salon in Rankin Street

Bathurst resident Mel Bone is pinching herself after going from being a sole trader in a one-room studio to opening her own salon and employing multiple staff.

After starting her business Zenspa around 16 months ago, it wasn't long before Ms Bone realised the high demand for relaxation and pampering services in Bathurst.

With things taking off very quickly, she made the decision to find her own space and expand the business.

Zenspa is now a five-treatment-room salon that can cater for small group bookings as well, which is something Ms Bone is really focusing on.

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"There's five treatment rooms down the end, one of them is a couples' treatment room and that's something that's really hard to come by in Bathurst," she said.

"We can also utilise the couples' room for group bookings, friends, hens weekends, that sort of thing. Offering something a little bit different to the people of Bathurst and surrounding areas as well.

"We had a group in not long ago, they enjoyed some nibbles in the lounge before going in for their treatment. So that's something we really want to focus on going forward, to harness into the groups."

While owning her own beauty salon wasn't a childhood dream of Ms Bone's, she couldn't imagine doing anything else now.

After falling into the beauty industry when helping someone with administration work, Ms Bone developed a real passion for spa treatments.

She worked in day spas in Canada and Sydney, which is where she really developed a love for that aspect of the beauty industry, and where she drew inspiration from for her own business - Zenspa.

"This is not something that I pictured," Ms Bone said.

"I've always been someone who's very driven and someone who's very motivated, so I think running my own business was always on the cards, I just didn't know where my particular skillset laid until I went into beauty and particularly the spa industry.

"I think working in the day spas overseas and in Sydney were where I really started to realise what my passion was.

"A lot of inspiration has come from those two particular jobs in regards to what we're offering, in regards to the aesthetic, the lounge, the herbal tea, the environment and the whole experience."

Zenspa offers a range of beauty treatments, from massages and facials, to spa packages and waxing, and Ms Bone said she will eventually be getting a body range in as well; body scrubs, body rubs, etc.

With a step ramp and accessible bathroom facilities, the premises can cater for anyone wanting to relax and enjoy being pampered.

Everyone being able to access beauty treatments is important to Ms Bone.

"We're one of the few places in town that has full accessibility in regards to clients with additional needs and access restrictions," she said.

"We've got a step ramp and we've put in an accessible toilet as well. So if someone comes in on crutches or in a wheelchair for example, we can do their beauty services without them having to leave the confinement of the wheelchair.

"The beauty rooms are also nice and big, so we can move the bed around if we need to."

While no official grand opening has been held yet, Ms Bone is thrilled to see all the regulars enjoying the new salon, as well as welcoming some new faces.

She is still putting the final touches on a few aspects of the shopfront and fine tuning treatments, but Ms Bone said the team has received a warm welcome so far and they're looking forward to really cementing their name in the community as a hub for relaxation.

"It's overwhelming. Its been a rollercoaster in regards to finally getting to this point," Ms Bone said.

"I can't get over how much space there is and we're still slowly filling the space, it still looks a bit empty but it was hard to picture what everything was going to look like until it was finished.

"It was a bit slow to begin with but all of the regulars have found us and there's lots of word of mouth going around town which is exciting."

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