Holistic hair care and a range of speedy organic beauty treatments set in a spacious yoga studio. That's the vibe at Biba and Little Biba hair salon and spa on Auckland's North Shore. Editor Trudi Brewer shares a salmon poke bowl at home with owner Belinda Robb.
Photography Keryn Sweeney
According to stylist Belinda Robb, the joy of owning and operating a lean and agile business is like sailing a small boat. "You simply adjust your sails as the wind changes and off you go in a new direction." However for Robb, it's spotting the change of direction and keeping ahead of the curve that has seen her boutique business thrive. Brewer discovers the wellness vibe she has created at work also flows through every room of her minimal, yet perfectly appointed home.
CAREER
What’s a typical working day for you?
My week is varied, and I like it that way. I rise early and walk for exercise. Mondays I work from home at the dining room table or on the deck, with my partner. Tuesday and Thursday, I work 12 hours straight at Biba on the tools (cutting hair), and after 31 years I still love it more than ever. Wednesdays I train my team. Fridays I am back on the salon floor all day. On Saturdays I like to cook or bake for the team, I take in treats and socialise with them and our clients. This is my first year of not working Saturdays; the funny thing is I feel like I am missing out, it's such a fun day in the salon. Sunday I log off.
How did Biba come about and then Little Biba?
I opened Biba, a tiny boutique salon ten years ago, my daughter was one. I was new to Birkenhead Point and had no clients. With just one apprentice I started from scratch. I collaborated with stylist Stacey Beatson, and we offered complete head to toe make-overs for women from all over New Zealand. It was amazing, and the collaboration extended to working with influencers in nutrition, personal training, executive and life coaching and much more. From day one Biba was much more than a hair salon. It was discreet, a safe place for our clients to explore how they wanted to look and feel. Seven years on we outgrew what is now Little Biba, and moved down the road to a larger space. Halfway through the design phase, something wasn't “feeling” quite right. I'm an intuitive operator in business, and I knew I had to listen to my instincts. I spent many late nights just sitting in the new space working on the design, only to fall into bed knowing I was not 100 percent happy. This is my fifth salon; I am good at bringing the functional, and aesthetic design together, and I knew it had to be sustainable - not just environmentally but socially and economically too. The design was beautiful, but it was missing something. So after I practiced lots of meditation and yoga in the space, I was in there with my daughter, and she sat up on her yoga mat and looked at me and said “Mum, why can't it be a hair salon and yoga studio?” Boom - that was the beginning of an evolution for Biba. It went from a boutique salon to a holistic beauty and wellness platform, we offer hair, beauty, yoga, and events under one roof all thanks to my then seven-year-old daughter.
Belinda Robb with Gemma Wig senior colourist and Brooke Darrah emerging colourist from Biba.
Both the salon and beauty spa have a unique menu, how did you come up with the ideas?
It has been a natural evolution over the past ten years. Although others have described it as more of a revolution - it was both unique and unusual when we launched. I have taken risks, been bold and brave, and re-imagined the traditional salon into a more relevant and holistic place. I have embraced the power of collaboration, jumped on the wellbeing bandwagon, mashed all that up, and Biba has morphed into a lifestyle brand.
What about Little Biba in your original space?
Built on a hunch but with a deep understanding of our client's lives and our local community, we were already deeply connected to them through Biba. Our clients are low key, understated, quiet achievers - they are also super busy juggling it all. We offer fast, quality beauty services for the girl on the go. It's ideal for those with only a small window of time, where she can book online for some express pamper time. Little Biba has only been open for six months, and already it's popular.
We offer specialised services from brow feathering to appearance medicine, the key to each service is convenience.
What about the business name, Biba?
If you ask my Dad, he will say I have a way with four-letter words. My parent company is called Eden; my salon is Biba, my daughter is Skye. It's fair to say; I throw the odd floral four-letter word around at times, I can get quite passionate.
Biba Salon and Little Biba, on Auckland North Shore.
What is the one thing that is not negotiable when it comes to your business?
Quality – no shortcuts - period.
What lessons have you learned on your way to the top?
I'm not sure I would say that I am at the top by any stretch of the imagination. I am thrilled where I am and my place in the world. I would not trade places with anyone, for anything. So, I guess if the top is a place of contentment, then I am there. That said it doesn’t mean that I have any plans to sit still - quite the opposite. I am always on a new crazy tangent of some sort – I am still curious and exploring new crazy ideas and thoughts. I drive those around me crazy at times.
What makes a happy and productive team?
I think you know a happy team by the vibe and tone of the business when you walk in the door. You can't fake it no matter how hard you try. I'm fortunate to have worked alongside so many creative and talented individuals over the past ten years - I love my team. The nature of our industry means staff turnover is inevitable; I embrace those changes as they come. I am always sad to lose a team member, but at the same time it makes room for fresh blood, and that is essential for keeping you at the top of our game. Team Biba have a habit of leaving to travel, and then they return to the nest - and I love that.
What do you love most about your career?
Connection, creativity, and change.
What has been your career high to date?
At risk of sounding cliché - it's merely about the journey … and the fantastic people that I connect with every day.
HOME
How would you describe your tree-house inspired home?
Contemporary - it's a work in progress.
Where do you look for inspiration when styling or renovating?
My stylish friends, boutique hotels, browsing Airbnb, Instagram, Pinterest and books.
What makes a great interior?
I am all for the sensorial home – smell, touch, sound, feel and then looks.
What do you always have on your bedside table?
A book. Nothing else.
What is your favourite room in your home?
Our outdoor deck and the fire pit in the garden.
What are your most treasured possessions?
I am a minimalist.; I don't get attached to possessions. I am about having less and living more. If in doubt throw it out I say.
HAIR
Who is your hair icon?
Vidal Sassoon – he taught our industry the value of a great haircut. And as stylists if we do our work well, the impact runs deeper than the surface, it reaches a client's soul. This knowledge has inspired me in my work every day for the past 31 years.
What about your peers, who do you admire?
There a many including Wellington stylist Rebecca Brent from Willis York salon, she is a beautiful human inside and out and a woman whose work I genuinely admire. Colourist Amiee Marie Faesen Kloet owner of Amiee Marie Hair Studio, who is a blonde specialist - she has become one of my industry besties. Also master colourist, Australian Michael Kelly of Edwards and Co, he is so humble, grateful and gracious.
Describe your hairdressing style?
Natural and believable. Hair that looks lived in, slightly wild, undone more than contrived.
What inspires you as a stylist?
I love observing human trends and fashion and how they creep through every aspect of our lives. From art, architecture, design, music, food, flowers, clothing, make-up and hair. Truthfully, I get most of my inspiration from looking at other industries more than I do from looking at hairstyles on Pinterest. I like to watch trends and then interpret and translate them into the hair.
What are your tips on how to avoid bad-hair-days?
Knowing how to quickly up-cycle your hair is essential for anyone with a full and busy life. Dry styling is key. In the same way you take clothing to the dry-cleaners, now we do the same with your hair by using dry shampoo.
Some of Robb's hair essentials.
What is the one hair product you would never be without?
Currently, it would be Pureology Colour Fanatic; it offers 21 benefits in one bottle. And L’Oreal Professionnel Fresh Approach Dry Shampoo and a Tangle Teezer.
What hair trends are you most excited about for summer?
Not new but not going anywhere fast, I am still in love with the super soft, pastel colours– especially the soft, peachy tones.
What is the best way to find a new look to suit your style and skill?
Connect with and consult with your stylist.
What are the three tools (hot tools and or products) every woman should have in their bathroom?
Anything and everything Pureology, a ghd Air hair drier and ghd Curve Creative Curl wand.
What is your golden rule when it comes to hair health?
Make sure your stylist use Smartbond when you have your colour.
WELL BEING
What is your wellness philosophy?
A healthy mind is everything.
How do you stay balanced and happy?
Simple. I do what I love for a living, and when I am not working I spend my time with my loved ones.
What advice would you share with other women in business?
Self-love is a necessity, not an indulgence.
What do you do to get away from stress and recharge your batteries?
Rawhiti, Bay of Islands.
Where is your favourite wellness destination?
Byron Bay – farm to plate - it's food heaven. Surf, yoga, food, beaches, walks, nature, farmers markets – all my favourite things in one place.
SALMON POKE BOWL AND APEROL SPRITZER
Robb's delicious salmon poke bowl served in coconut bowls
Ingredients
1/2 cup of cooked warm rice and chia seed combination.
300gm fresh boneless salmon fillets, skin removed and cut into 10cm length pieces.
2 Tbsp black & white sesame seeds
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 mango
1 red chili, thinly sliced
1/4 cup coriander leaves roughly chopped
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Tamari
Juice 1 lime, plus wedges to serve
1 bunch of skinny asparagus.
2 tsp’s olive oil
Freshly ground salt & pepper
2 avocados, sliced.
Method
Coat the salmon with sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Grill in oven for ten mins - or until cooked to your liking, remove from oven and set aside.
Cut mango into cubes and place in a bowl with the chili and coriander. Mix a dash of rice wine vinegar, tamarin and lime juice, as dressing. Toss the asparagus in olive oil with ground salt and pepper. Chargrill on oven top griddle for four mins, and then set aside. Halve and slice avocado and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place warm rice at the base of coconut bowls, and then place the salmon, asparagus, mango, and avocado on top.
Serve with a grilled lime wedge and sprigs of coriander.
Robb's Aperol and orange spritzer.
Rinse and peel two oranges, keeping the skin in one long swirl if possible.
Cut each orange swirl in half and place in the fridge.
Add ice to four large wine glasses and place chilled orange peel on top of ice in a rosebud formation.
Add one part soda to two parts Aperol, and three parts Prosecco and serve.
Photography: Keryn Sweeney
Makeup: MAC Cosmetics makeup artist Lochie Stonehouse.