A CITY centre hairdresser has been named Hairdresser of the Year for a second time in an annual competition held by the Journal.

Studio 15 on Milford Street, owned by 28-year-old entrepreneur Sophia Cormack, first opened on Saturday, July 4, 2020.

Sophia comes from a family with many members in the hair and beauty field. She got her first exposure to the industry at the age of 13 at Toni & Guy in Salisbury, run by her sister and brother-in-law, Louise and Phil Smith.

Sophia said: “I then left at 23 to do my own business at 24.

“It was surreal, really, it was just something that I needed to do to make my next step in life and I just knew that Salisbury needed something where there was everything- sunbeds and hair and beauty, because obviously we’ve just got one shop of each around here.

“Obviously covid hit, which put a delay on it, which was quite scary because I thought, ‘Oh, my God, is it ever going to pick off the ground’. Not the greatest start, to start a business just after covid, but I’ve struggled through and got there, so it will be four years on July 4 this year.”

Despite the rocky start to the business during the pandemic, Studio 15 has won two awards in its four years of operation.

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Sophia said: “For me to win it again means- it’s nice that obviously I’m maintaining clients, keeping them happy, but also we’re still growing as a business.

“We’ve got a good connection with our clients that we see regularly. We’re a nice and laid-back salon, but professional.”

Since 2020, the variety of services offered at the salon have gradually expanded beyond hair and beauty, adding team members with different specialties such as aesthetics, massage, facials, rapid transformational therapy and kinesiology. The salon has also recently added a self-service teeth whitening machine.

Sophia said: “It’s the one stop shop. It’s got everything under one roof.”