Sunshine Studio opens family-run salon in West Sussex

By James Calloway

Sunshine Studio, a three-person family business on Sea Road in West Sussex, has opened with four stated service categories: sunbeds, spray tans, waxing and aesthetics procedures.

The studio is run by Sasha Ann Doe, her husband Levi and Sasha's daughter Destiny Ann Dinwiddy-Smith. Sasha is the named spokesperson for the launch and for the family's plans to widen its service range.

Why did the family open the business?

The venture followed Sasha's redundancy from her previous job while she was seven months pregnant. Sasha's account connects that job loss directly to the opportunity to create work for the family through its own business.

Sasha said: “The unit next to us was up for rent and it was an opportunity we couldn’t miss out on.” Published information does not disclose the rent, lease length, deposit, opening date or terms of any finance arrangement. It also does not say whether the family holds the lease directly or through another entity.

What services does Sunshine Studio provide?

Four categories are named in the business's offer:

• Sunbeds
• Spray tans
• Waxing
• Aesthetics procedures

Alongside its sunbed proposition, the studio lists three other treatment categories, giving it a broader menu than a sunbed-only operation. Sasha describes this wider range collectively as beauty treatments.

The available details do not identify the tanning-bed format, equipment supplier, session length or spray-tan formulation. Nor do they specify the wax type, individual aesthetics procedures, treatment prices or appointment policies. The published range establishes what the salon does, but not the technical specifications or commercial terms that would allow clients to compare it with another provider.

How is the family operation structured?

The stated operating team consists of the three relatives named above. No additional employees, contractors, managers or visiting specialists are identified, and no commission or booth-rental arrangement is described. The report also provides no wage, licensing or qualification details for the operators and does not specify who performs each treatment.

“We now have stability and work for ourselves as a family business,” Sasha said. “We plan on making our business grow and offering things other than just sunbeds. We offer beauty treatments and are looking to extend that further in the future.”

Her comments set out two connected objectives: build the family business and widen the offer beyond sunbeds. The current service list includes three categories in addition to sunbeds. Sasha's reference to extending beauty treatments indicates that the range is intended to develop further.

How is the opening trading?

Sasha said the start has been slower than she hoped and expects business to pick up as people learn that the studio exists. No customer count, turnover figure, opening-week result or dated sales comparison is available to test that expectation against a specific trading period.

The named public channel is a Facebook page called Sunshine Studio East Preston. The report does not list a telephone number, website, opening schedule or booking policy. Customers are directed to the social page for further information about the studio and its services.

What happens next?

Sasha has announced an expansion intention without attaching a timetable to it. Her stated priorities are to grow the family operation, extend the treatment offer and build awareness among customers. No specific new treatment, staff addition or additional site has been confirmed.

For now, the commercial facts available are three named family operators, four service categories and a slower-than-hoped start. Sunshine Studio's next test is whether wider awareness and the three additional treatment categories produce enough business to support the expansion Sasha has planned.