I got an inside look at Peterhead's newest and ONLY day spa, and heard from the woman behind it all...
ByIsaac Buchan
Kerry McWilliam has lost count of how many shoulders she has rubbed during an 18-year career as a masseuse.
She was once the head massage therapist at the luxurious Ardoe House, and spent five years with the Friends of Anchor charity, working in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI).
The 43-year-old has even travelled the country, teaching budding masseuses the trade.
But the mum-of-two has given all that up to open her new day spa in the heart of Peterhead.
The Blue Toon isn’t exactly the day spa capital of Europe, so how exactly did this idea come about?
I paid a visit to the new Indulgence day spa and spoke to Kerry about her new venture, including.
- Her long and winding road to ending up in the Blue Toon
- How she turned a former rehab centre into a day spa… with just her husband’s help
- What she can offer that “no one else can”
- And why she loves doing business in Peterhead
Kerry’s journey from Ardoe to ARI
I visited Indulgence for a tour of Kerry’s one-of-a-kind Peterhead day spa.
She is originally from Aberdeen, and has done it all when it comes to massages.
As we lounge on the comfortable seating, she tells me that before moving to Peterhead she was the head massage therapist at Ardoe Hotel, and had also travelled up and down Scotland teaching the trade.
And just before taking over the former rehab centre on St Peter Street, she even massaged patients at ARI.
“I offered massages for patients in the oncology, haematology and radiotherapy at the Friends of Anchor ward,” the 43-year-old tells me.
“It helped take their minds off of treatment and just made them feel normal.
“I absolutely loved it.”
From offices to day spa… in just three months
But despite her 18 years experience, opening her dream Peterhead day spa didn’t come without its challenges…
Kerry tells me she originally saw the building a year ago, but only pulled the trigger on her masterplan earlier this year.
“Our biggest challenge was trying to work full-time and do the renovations,” the masseuse explains.
“Me and my husband did three months of renovations to turn what used to be offices into the spa.
“We did all the work upstairs ourselves, and downstairs we had a local company do the plumbing.”
‘People in Peterhead are very loyal’ says day spa owner
Indulgence has been open for one month, offering deep tissue and hot stone massages, a hot tub and sauna.
The 43-year-old masseuse attributes her day spa successes to the people of Peterhead.
“The people in Peterhead are very loyal as I’ve found out, word of mouth is just amazing here,” Kerry beams.
“If it wasn’t for the locals coming in and using the facilities, I wouldn’t have a business.”
She then goes on to tell me how this is one of the big differences she has seen between working in the Blue Toon, compared to Aberdeen.
“Peterhead is a closer-knit community than Aberdeen. The loyalty here is amazing.
“Once they have been and they like something, they tell people.
“And they come back time and time again, it’s been great so far.”
So how has Peterhead day spa been received?
Since opening its doors and turning on the bubbles in the hot tub, Kerry tells me that the town has embraced her new business.
“The feedback has been good, I hope!” she laughs.
And now is all about making Indulgence a household name in the Blue Toon.
As I leave to let Kerry get back to her busy list of clients, It looks like a space on one of Indulgence’s massage tables will be hard to come by if her first month of success is anything to go off.
Indulgence day spa is now open on St Peter Street
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