Strands first opened in February 1980. At that time we had a total of ten staff members and were situated on Bermudiana Road where Portofino Restaurant now calls home.

We were purely a hair-care salon at that time and after building up a strong following, realized that the market for skin-care was starting to blossom. It was at this time that we decided, in order to take advantage of this new and exciting market, that we needed more space to offer skin-care. We were fortunate enough to find space upstairs of our salon and in March of 1983, Strands Skin Clinic opened its doors with three beauty therapists. It was clearly evident from the outset that the market for the sort of facility that we had opened was ready for it as we very quickly had to add more therapists to our staff. The skin clinic consisted of a spa that included whirlpool, sauna, showers and six treatment rooms. By 1989/1990 we realized that we had outgrown both the hair salon and skin clinic as we were only able to accommodate people on a wait list basis. We were aware that this was not going to be good for business unless we were able to expand our facility in order to accommodate the growing number of clients. This led us to start our search for new premises.

In 1991, we purchased an interest in the Sun-Life Building on Reid Street. The space is approximately 5,000 square feet and gave us a permanent home with secure ownership. Following major renovations to our new facility in which some $2 million was invested, in March of 1992, we opened our new state-of-art premises. This included an expanded spa facility which now includes steam room/water treatment room, sauna and therapeutic whirlpool in a setting of privacy and tranquillity with emphasis on individual personal attention.

We now have eleven treatment rooms with ten beauty therapists, a nail technician, sales consultant and ten hairstylists together with ancillary staff numbering 35 in total.

Strands Ltd. is also a distributor for many top-of-the-line hair and skin-care products together with several designer fragrances which we supply to the major department stores and hair salons on the Island. Our main product lines are Clarins, Nexxus, Goldwell, Nailtiques, Seche, Thierry Mugler, Azzaro and Montana.

Strands was the concept of Will & Carole Mayo, the husband and wife team who are still at the helm today. Will is a hairdresser by profession and came to Bermuda from the UK to work here some 30 years ago. Carole was working for a real estate company until she and Will decided to purchase the salon where he was working and since that time, heads up the management of the administration of the business.

Long-standing staff key to success They have worked side by side for 20 years now and, although at times it is not easy, it has proven to be a very successful and rewarding venture for them.

The staff at both Strands Hair Salon and Strands Skin Clinic/Day Spa are all highly skilled in colouring and cutting. Our range of Goldwell colour provides the client with the very best in hair colour and condition. We are proud to be a participating member of the OAC (Occupational Advisory Committee) for the National Training board for the hairdressing apprenticeship program and currently have a young Bermudian placed in the apprenticeship programme.

Over the years, we have had a number of young Bermudians train under our "in-house'' training program under the tutelage of our Salon Director, Mr.

Tim Horan. This course is still in existence and our trainees must participate in it while attending the apprenticeship program which will result in them receiving a City & Guilds qualification which is recognized world-wide.

We are very proud to be the appointed local exclusive distributor of Clarins products which come from Paris, France. Clarins is a world leader in the cosmetic market today. They are a great company to work with, always giving the consumer the best advice and solutions for their skin-care needs.

Unquestionably, our long and committed association with this very reputable line of products has put us in the forefront of our industry and enabled us to give our clients the very latest in treatments and retail products available on the market today. They continue to be the number one skin-care line in France and Europe, and in Bermuda! Strands is proud to report that its work has appeared in a number of international hairdressing magazines, such as Hairdressers Journal, Peluquerias, Hair Flair, Passion, Black Passion, Nobu, Mens' Passion and Coiffure Oz. Our hairstylists continue to do photographic work and as recently as August of this year, were featured in the summer issue of Coiffure Oz. This is a tremendous honour for us as a local salon, as we were chosen from thousands of submissions worldwide. We feel this great recognition for Strands and Bermuda.

We are proud of our reputation and the service that we are able to give to the community. We cater almost entirely to a local clientele and we are fortunate to have some very long-standing employees who together with our loyal clients have formed the backbone of Strands success.

Stylist Susan Mcilhinney Beauty therapist: Jane Walker Welcome to Strands: Receptionist, Gillian Mackie Strands warehouse staff: Hubert Faries and manager Sarah Sims.

Clinic reception: The clean lines of the interior of Strands Sure hands: Strands hairstylist Ian Shaw