Victoria Jane McKenna

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Lizzie Bath | Spa Director at Ye Olde Bell Spa, Nottingham

Lizzie has more than 20 years experience in beauty therapy and has worked with leading luxury brands and products. She worked for 13 years as a senior spa therapist at Nuffield Health and Fitness and launched LB Therapies before helping to design the new mutli-million pound spa at Ye Olde Bell in Nottingham.  Lizzie is now Spa Director with Sadie Ardron-Levack and also manages the beauty therapy treatment teams.

 

How would you describe your occupation and what does it involve? 

I’m the Spa Director at Ye Olde Bell alongside Sadie Levack. We are responsible for everything so it’s a very busy role.

Our job is to be everything to all parts of the business. This can be from managing our spa family  team to ensuring the safety of guests using our facilities. Every day is very different, one day I might find myself lobbying parliament and the next minute I’m going over health and safety documents or organising maintenance and site visits.

However the favourite part of my job is when I’m in my spa uniform performing treatments.

 

Does your style ever cross over into your work? If not, how do you maintain your identity?  

At work I mainly wear a spa uniform, which I love. We had them designed specifically for our spa, which was a fun process, they are a beautiful mulberry colour. Being in uniform means I can easily jump into different work roles. 

The only time I’m out of uniform when I’m working is if I have a meeting off site. 

I must confess I have bought so many pieces of clothing in the mulberry colour to match the spa uniform, so I suppose that’s a cross over. Even my work boots are mulberry colour.   

 

What is your signature item of clothing and why? 

Over the years I have bought many classic pieces that are my wardrobe staples. I then use accessories to modernise them. 

I don’t shop often but when I do I love boutique shops, I very rarely shop on the high street and try to buy quite classic pieces.

Most of the clothes in my wardrobe I wear year after year. My favourite item is my tan cowboy boots which I found in a little shop in Somerset about ten years ago. I wear them with so many outfits as they are sooooo comfy, they really are a good all rounder. I’ve worn them with everything from an Armani summer dress from 2002, to a simple pair of skinny jeans. I love mixing old with new and experimenting with all styles.  I don’t follow fashion as much as I see fashion as something that has to make me smile. If I don’t light up when I try something on, I don’t buy it. 

 

What advice can you give to someone who wants a makeover? 

Find what you most love about yourself and work from that point. Stay true to yourself, don’t try to be a slave to fashion, make fashion work for you.

Work with your body shape, when I put on weight it goes straight to my stomach but very rarely to my legs so I often have them out and find flattering shapes for my middle.

 

Who’s your style icon and why? 

Kate Moss she’s had so many styles over the years and is never afraid of mixing styles.

 

Give me a quote to inspire someone who loves fashion but wants a confidence boost. 

Only buy something you love as that will define your style. It doesn’t matter if it’s a £5 dress found in a charity shop or a pair of Jimmy Choos - ask yourself do I absolutely adore it? If the answer is yes go for it, if you love it you will wear it with confidence and it will make you smile and you are sure to shine.

Find out about spa treatments at Ye Olde Bell Spa, Nottingham here