Meet Sugar Spa. A luxury full services spa based in East Trinidad, specialising in services associated with hair, skin, nails and body therapy. “We have a full salon and offer couples services, body therapies such as cavitation weight loss, body scrubs, massages and much more. We offer pedicures, manicures and all nail enhancements. We also specialize in acne treatments, pigmentation renewal and anti-aging treatments such as microneedling, dermaplaning and a wide array of facials. We also provide laser hair removal.” says owner Lila Nanhu.

Lila always love the word ‘sugar” whenever she thought about naming a brand so using the word was an easy choice. “I’ve always loved the name ‘sugar’ for my business, as it’s a fun play on the word. Also, a lot of skin ingredients contain sugar as an ingredient, so I felt the name was very fitting for the spa.”

Running Sugar Spa is now full time for Lila who says she started off part time and then transitioned full-time into the business. As for what inspired Lila to start the business in the first place, she says, “I’ve always loved the beauty industry. I feel very rewarded when I work together with my clients to transition their skin from either acne or pigment. l try to create a friendship with everyone who walks through my door. We all learn from each other and learn something new every day.”

When asked what milestones she’s achieved since started the brand Lila rattles off the list. “Sugar spa started in June 2020 as two rooms, only offering skin care services. In a short span of a year and a half, I was able to expand the spa from just skincare services to a full-service spa. It was all about taking the time and attention to detail and putting it into every room, creating a different vibe in each area.”

Since starting the brand in 2020, Lila has certainly learned some lessons along the way. “It’s a constant work in progress. Time is never ending. It’s very rewarding but there is a lot of work and effort that goes into planning the days and planning the marketing, building client relations and the respect you get as a business woman.”

Now that Lila is well on her journey to creating a brand, she had some advice for budding entrepreneurs. “Take the chance . Be careful with trusting everyone too easily and never tell anyone your plans. Beingan entrepreneur is a 24/7 job, but I won’t have it any other way!”

When it comes building a brand, sometimes knowing what a brand is from the onset helps. When asked Lila says “Your brand represents your business, what it stands for and how you feel about it when you hear the name. “I believe a brand is your business. A business is the shell and the brand is what the business consists of. The brand is what people remember and identify with. And your brand is always developing.”

And what about the local brand community here in Trinidad and Tobago? Lila is seeing a lot of development. “With recent times I see a lot of new businesses and brands. People are becoming very creative with design and the look of their business, however, I’m not sure how long these brands will actually be around unless people are willing to put in the work for longevity of their brand.

Check out Lila and her Sugar Spa brand for all your spa needs.