Clinic profile: RÖ Skin

Clare De Groot and Claire Mason opened RÖ Skin in Stamford, Lincolnshire two years ago with one thing in mind – an obsession with skin.

Friends since teenagers, the pair were only 23 years old when they opened the first branch of RÖ Skin as a beauty salon inside the Holiday Inn in Peterborough. The salon is still going strong, offering beauty services alongside the expert facials RÖ Skin is really known for. 

But it’s the Stamford clinic that the duo is particularly proud of, having decided to open a second site that focussed on advanced skin treatments after developing a passion for skin science. “We started off at the Peterborough salon mainly doing CACI non-surgical face-lifts, but we soon realised that there’s so much more that you can do with the skin,” says De Groot. “We always wanted clients to upgrade their treatments, to start looking after their skin as soon as possible, so we began to delve more into skin and started going on lots of courses at the same time as building up our staff. When we opened in Stamford, that was the realgame-changer.” 

Organic growth 

The pair spent time building on their respective Level 3 Beauty Therapy qualifications training in various product brands, devices and treatments in order to be able to really change their clients’ skin. “It’s always fascinated both of us, we’ve always been so intrigued by the skin, how clever it is, and what you can do to it. We’re really big on telling clients that you don’t have to try and mask a problem with injectables, you can actually fix your skin,” says De Groot. 

“With patience and encouragement you can really repair damage and encourage cell renewal, and that’s what we try and get our clients to understand; that it’s not a quick fix, but you can change your skin.” The RÖ Skin sites are just a 20-minute drive apart and share a beautiful, modern Scandi-inspired interior – something De Groot says isn’t just important to the business’s branding, but also for creating the best experience for clients. 

“We spent a lot of money on the Stamford clinic; we had an architect design it with lots of light woods, spherical shapes and neutral colours,” says De Groot. “We went to so many different skin clinics, ones that had had really good reputations, but they were all very clinical. You get a good treatment and good results, but why can’t you have a clinical treatment in a beautiful, tranquil environment?” 

The peaceful vibes created by the clinic’s interior flow through to its treatments, with massage even incoporated into RÖ Skin’s clinical facials where possible, to make clients feel comfortable and relaxed. The clinic’s Fundamental Facials include mesotherapy, needling, radiofrequency and vitamin A-based Environ treatments, some of which incorporate sculpting and lifting manual massage. 

The Popular RÖ Super Facial is a bespoke 85-minute treatment incorporating a series of tools tailored by the skin therapist to the client’s exact needs. “We use all the tools we have at our disposal to treat the skin and we mix it up to adapt the treatment each time. Even if a client is having a Super Facial every month, every month it’ll be different,” says De Groot. “This approach keeps them excited and invested in their skin health – they begin to understand that it’s an ongoing commitment.” 

Treatment toolkit

Environ has been the core product brand at RÖ from the beginning, and De Groot says they’ve remained loyal simply because it works. “We believe in it; the skin recognises vitamin A, and we get the results for our clients,” she says. “We explain to them that the only way to change your skin is to use medical-grade, active ingredients.” The clinic also uses DMK Skincare Enzyme Therapy, a treatment that detoxifies and oxygenates the skin. 

In terms of devices, RÖ does a lot of laser work with Cutera’s XEO CoolGlide, providing laser hair removal and the removal of vascular veins, skin tags and cherry angiomas. We wanted to take on laser to step up our offering and treat the skin on a more advanced level, so we did a lot of research,” explains De Groot. “There are a few clinics in Australia and America that we really respect, and they use Cutera. 

You get what you pay for – the results are unbelievable, what you can do with it to change the skin.” 

Cutera’s Laser Genesis treatment has done a lot to build the laser manufacturer’s reputation, and it’s working very well for RÖ too. “We’ve had great results with rosacea, but it’s also a really good all-rounder because it’s so good for every single skin type to promote cell renewal and skin rejuvenation,” says De Groot. “We use it as an add-on in our higher grade, bespoke facials. It’s so stimulating that the skin looks amazing afterwards; it gives instant results.” The Laser Limelight photo-rejuvenation treatment is also popular at the clinic; able to treat pigmentation, mild to moderate acne and other indications in one to three sessions. 

RÖ will soon introduce Aqua Gold Fine Touch therapy, a needling treatment that uses microdosing with a bespoke cocktail of active ingredients to rejuvenate the skin. Dermaquest peels are also on the way to allow therapists to treat melasma. “Laser Limelight is brilliant for pigmentation caused by the sun but it doesn’t treat melasma, whereas these peels at the right grade can,” says De Groot. She and Mason are perfect examples of skilled, talented advanced therapists from a beauty background who achieve brilliant results for their clients and sustain a healthy business without injecting. 

Starting with skin

While De Groot believes dermal filler, for example, has its place in the industry, it’s not what RÖ Skin is about. “We always tell clients that if they’ve decided they want to have filler, always, always go to a medical practitioner,” she says, “Because if something went wrong, therapists like us don’t have the right tools or expertise to be able to fix it. 

“It’s also perfectly normal to have a few lines and wrinkles. You can correct a wrinkle or volume loss but if the skin looks really dull or you have textural problems, the face is going to look like it’s in need of care,” she adds. 

De Groot, Mason and the staff that make up the RÖ team, pride themselves on offering clients more than great skin. “We don’t ever want them to think that we’re just trying to sell to them. We tell them to call us if they ever want any advice, not just on their skin but their general health; nutrition, hormones… we always try to be there for them and help them understand what’s going on underneath their skin,” says De Groot.