Manemerised is now operating in Oak Flats. Photos: Supplied.
Former preschool teacher Courtney Quinn has launched a salon with a twist in Oak Flats, turning heads with her part braid bar, part pamper party wonderland.
Manemerised opened in early May, offering braiding services in a sensory-friendly space designed to build kids’ confidence through fun, inclusive hair and makeup experiences – complete with styling stations and even a runway.
For seven years, Courtney had juggled her home-based passion project Hair By Courtney Anne – braiding hair for kids and brides – with her job as a preschool teacher, eventually growing the business enough to leave teaching behind.
During the summer school holidays she opened a three-month pop-up in Stockland Shellharbour, eventually realising she needed something more permanent and taking the leap to open the newly branded Manemerised in a shopfront in Oak Flats.
“I always loved working with kids, but I just wanted to be in a bit more of a fun environment,” she said.
“I wanted to do something that was going to improve their confidence.
“I was a really shy kid growing up and when I started doing braiding, and then braiding extensions, the look on the kids’ faces was just heart-warming. It was beautiful.”
Courtney said she was drawn to the creativity behind braiding, with a multitude of styles and colourful accessories available for different occasions, from bridal hair to festival events.
“I like that it’s really inclusive,” she said.
“We’ve even started getting a lot of boys coming through wanting to get their hair braided, because there’s a Spider-Man out at the moment that has long black braids.”
The salon features five styling stations and a braiding bar, and her husband even built a runway where partygoers do craft and have high tea, before it turns into a runway complete with dress-up clothes.
Courtney said a big focus was on creating a sensory-friendly environment that helped children feel comfortable and special, especially those with sensory needs.
“Not everyone thrives in chaos, so it’s nice to have my own calmer space,” she said.
“Through the whole pampering process, myself and staff have been trained to engage with every child to make sure they’re feeling comfortable in the chair.
“It’s not about getting them in and out, it’s more about the experience.”
Courtney said the salon was also about building the children’s confidence, which tied into the brand motto, which was for everyone to sparkle through life being “confident with you”.
“Even the really shy kids, as soon as they get their hair done, it’s like this alter ego comes out and they’ve got so much sass and personality,” she said.
“Parents laugh about it all the time when their sassy attitude comes out and they’ve got this whole other confidence about them, which is nice.”
While she admits that the day before opening she was in tears about whether she’d made the right decision, her fears were soon put to rest.
“We ended up having a line-up at the front door and we had nearly 200 people through the door in four hours,” she said.
Since then, Courtney has been busy with pamper parties and the braid bar, and planning activities like Disney Princess styling for the upcoming Disney on Ice show in Wollongong.
Alongside the service, she also sells reusable ponytail extensions that she originally handmade but now has manufactured due to time constraints.
Despite having a child due in eight weeks, she’s still making expansion plans for the salon, including to extend operation from four to six days a week, and getting involved in more festivals and activations in the community.
“Eventually I’d love for it to be almost like a community space where you can come and there’ll be lots of different little workshops and events.”
Manemerised is at 47 Central Ave, Oak Flats.
