Inside the hidden gem spa that's brought a touch of Santorini to Sunderland

A spa that looks likes it’s been carved from the coastal caves of Santorini is not what you’d expect to find beneath the arches of Queen Alexandra Bridge on the banks of the Wear.

But Sunderland businesswoman Leah Bowley, 28, says she always wanted to think outside of the box for her destination salon and spa.

Determined to offer something a bit different in her home city, Leah poured her life savings into creating Cove, its specialist carved stone walls taking style cues from sun-drenched Greek islands and its arches, a modern take on the nearby Queen Alexandra Bridge.

For many years, Leah, who is originally from Farringdon, juggled being a mortgage advisor with beauty before launching Goldilocks, which she ran for seven years in Pennywell before selling the business to focus on Cove.

She spotted the potential in new build business premises built on former waste land in Camden Street on the banks of the Wear near Southwick.

Surrounded by the more traditional industries in that area of town, it wasn’t the most obvious location for a luxury spa and salon.

But Leah says she knew she could put her stamp on the premises and, as she approaches her first year in business, she says it’s paid off, expanding the ground floor to meet demand and attracting people from as far afield as Middlesbrough and beyond due to easy transport links with Wessington Way and the A19.

“We opened in July last year and the response from Sunderland has been phenomenal,” said the self-made businesswoman. “I just wanted to create a luxury space, a place where people could come and relax and chat with friends.

“I’m a real perfectionist and put so much thought into the details, down to the change in music and scents from the ground floor to upstairs, as you go from a salon into a spa environment.

“We’ve get a lot of people from Sunderland, Cleadon, Durham and Middlesbrough, but also had requests from people further down the UK, who want to come and spend the day here for a range of treatments. We’ve had to implement a new booking system to cater for that, so people can have mum and daughter days and groups of friends.”

Downstairs at Cove features nail and pedicure areas, as well as hair stations. Upstairs, meanwhile, houses suites for treatments, ranging from a Japanese head spa room to aesthetics and laser treatments.

80% of the therapists are self-employed, hiring chairs and suites at the spa and salon, but all work under the Cove brand.

Speaking about creating the brand, Leah said: “When I opened my first business in Goldilocks, I was 22 and didn’t know a lot about business. It was a real hustle, so I’d go from treating clients, to doing my treatments, with my mam helping me out too.

“But I come from family who work in business, so I had that drive to succeed. I knew I wanted something bigger. Then I went to live in Dubai for eight months and saw the standard of salons they have there. I wanted to bring a luxury destination experience like that to Sunderland.

“I’ve driven past this area so many times, going to the garage or to the tiles shop - and I could visualise exactly what I could do with the unit. I came to see it as soon as it was advertised and the landlord was amazing.

“The feedback since we opened has been amazing and people seem blown away by the space. I feel like we have the best team here and everyone is striving for the same thing.

“I knew that if you’re going to open an independent business, the only way it would work is if you offer something unique and I feel like there’s nothing else like Cove here.”

On June 28, Cove will be hosting its first community event, which will be announced soon, and will see Leah team up with another Sunderland wellness brand as they take over a city landmark.