Salon magazine has had a complete overhaul and changed its name to Salon Therapist, in a bid to reposition itself as an essential guide for beauty and holistic therapists.
The B2B monthly, owned by Beauty & Health Publishing, has unveiled a new look in its December issue and added the word ‘therapist’ to the title to highlight the new direction.
The revamp follows the appointment of editor Gina Ghensi, who joined in October from the Cambridge Evening News.
Editorial has been split into five sections – face, body, holistic, essentials and knowledge – to help therapists pinpoint areas they are interested in.
Each section will feature the latest product and treatment information as well as advice and expert commentary.
Deputy editor Katy Rice said: “We changed the name to focus more on individual therapists, from student level through to those who have their own salon. We are targeting students, which is something we have not done before. We want to appeal to younger readers without losing existing older readers.”
She told Press Gazette: “The redesign is very fresh and funky with very cool graphics and lots of white space.”
Rice said one of the aims was to increase the involvement of salons with the magazine by featuring more practical advice. “The whole industry is growing enormously; there are so many more salons. Our culture is becoming more and more about pampering yourself. Whereas before, people would go to a therapist if they had a problem or an ache, now there are people taking a massage every month.”
The December issue has 68 pages, but there are plans to increase this in the next six months. The subscriptionbased magazine underwent a relaunch a year and a half ago when it changed its name from Salon Plus to Salon magazine.
Brett Fairholm, who previously worked for Archant, has joined the team as publisher.
By Ruth Addicott
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