‘‘As a business owner in Dunedin you always look to Australia because the trend eventually comes to New Zealand,’’ said Ms Tan who is the business owner of Dunedin laser and skin care clinic, Groom.
The clinic recently won the award for ‘‘Medispa of the Year’’ at the MyFaceMyBody Awards in Las Vegas.
Ms Tan trained and largely worked as a pharmacist but was drawn into business management through her jobs at pharmacies.
‘‘I’ve always been big on health and beauty but the business and retail side of things fascinates me.
‘‘I like to bring new ideas to fruition.’’
She created Groom after seeing the popularity of laser treatment in Australia.
‘‘I noticed a trend over there where laser clinics were popping up everywhere.
‘‘I was just curious why that was. I looked into it a bit more ... then I was like ‘Wow, this is good, this is something New Zealand is quite behind on’.’’
She looked all around New Zealand but could not find anywhere offering skin care via laser treatment.
She first opened Groom on Hanover St in 2016 before moving to its current premises on George St in September 2018. That move saw a 30% jump in revenue.
Her clinic has three laser devices, worth about half a million dollars.
They offer laser hair removal, tattoo removal and skin rejuvenation — described as non-surgical, aesthetic care.
New Zealanders seemed to be more conservative than Australians when it came to laser treatment but that was slowly changing, Ms Tan said.
‘‘Laser hair went crazy in Australia 10, 15 years ago.
‘‘New Zealand did not follow suit. It could be because we live in a colder climate so there’s no need for viewing your skin all the time.’’
She said about 90% of her customers were women.
Men came in to have their necks, backs and chests lasered.
‘‘People are just moving from waxing to laser hair removal.’’
Botox and fillers were also popular.
‘‘It’s all about the selfie culture. Women, men they want to look better when they’re catching themselves in front of the cameras.’’
Ms Tan is also the business manager and shareholder for two pharmacies in Dunedin.
