A professional singer who swapped a life of late-night gigs for massages and mindfulness is up for a regional award.
Darlington singer Emily Bosomworth opened Skin & Tonic in January after stepping back from music and has been shortlisted for The Northern Echo's Best Beauty Salon Awards.
Although she still performs in three bands, Emily said she has dramatically reduced her workload since retraining as a beauty therapist.
The 28-year-old said: "I wanted to do something that was more regular and stable, so I thought I'll retrain and go into beauty.
"I'm still in three bands but I just kind of took my foot off the pedal.
"I was working all weekends, every event, everything that came up so I thought I'll change it up and do something more chill."
Just months after launching her business, Emily has been named a finalist in the awards, recognition she says came completely out of the blue.
She said: "It's crazy, I didn't even know anyone had nominated me.
"It's a very nice compliment."
Skin & Tonic offers luxury wellbeing treatments including massages, facials, pedicures, reflexology and Indian head massage.
She aims to give clients a relaxing escape. "It's all very Zen, relaxing, all good for the soul as well as the physical side."
While relatively new to the beauty industry, Emily brings a wealth of customer-focused experience from previous careers in hospitality, the care sector and as a professional performer.
She holds a City & Guilds Level 3 qualification in Beauty Therapy and an international Traditional Thai Massage certificate from the Chiva-Som Academy in Thailand, where she studied last year.
Skin & Tonic grew from Emily's passion for helping people slow down and focus on their wellbeing.
Emily uses aromatherapy-based skincare products to create a calming retreat from the pressures of everyday life.
Her long-term ambition is to expand the business into larger premises and eventually employ additional staff, although she says she is still finding her feet before making such a big leap.
For now, she is enjoying the dramatic career change.
"It's completely different," she said.
"It's so Zen, all my clients are amazing, everyone's so lovely and I just get to meet really lovely people who just want to pamper themselves, which is really nice to be part of."
Less than a year after opening, Emily's surprise nomination suggests her career change is already a hit with customers.
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Skin & Tonic Spa is one of 10 finalists selected from hundreds of reader nominations for the 2026 Best Beauty Salon award.
To vote for your favourite salon, complete the form in The Northern Echo each day for the next two weeks and return it to The Northern Echo Best Beauty Salon 2026, Local IQ House, 1 Dalston Road, Carlisle, CA2 5NP.
Votes will be counted soon after voting closes.
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