Need your brows tidied or your feet pampered? Terri Gorham and her mobile salon will come galloping to the rescue

BEAUTY comes in all shapes and sizes - and so do parlours these days.

Of course there are still purists who rely on the tried-and-tested brick and mortar High Street salons. But a new breed of therapists and manicurists are thinking outside (or rather inside) the box for more flexible and decidedly wacky places of business.

For the past four months, Terri Gorham has been towing her mobile salon, The Brow Box - formerly a snug horse trailer home to two large mares - up and down the county, peddling her threading, tinting and mani-pedi services to firms off the beaten track.

"It's definitely a unique concept," concedes the 32-year-old from Trowbridge. “At first people don't know what to make of it. They ask if they can take pictures. It gets a lot of attention and gets people talking. It has the wow factor.

“You can't be stagnant in the way you think in business. You have to be flexible and be brave."

After honing her skill and building a steady clientele at the Market Hall, the beautician and nail technician initially followed a traditional path, opening a 'static' boutique, TinkerNails and Beauty on Church Walk. Itching to see the world, she wrapped up the fledgling business and set off for the United States.

Struck down with debilitating ME, she returned home from her travels and set out to find an alternative and adaptable way to keep her hand in beauty.

She got Googling and after ruling out intriguing - but ultimately too costly to convert - modes of transports, including second-hand ambulances, minibuses and UPS delivery trucks, she stumbled upon the ideal locale: a horse box.

"The trailer was a funky idea and it was low risk. It wasn't going to have engine problems and it was not as complicated to convert. I completely gutted it. It amazes me what I've achieved in that small space."

The revamp done and dusted came the tricky part: learning to reverse park and negotiate pesky turns with a trailer tethered to her 4X4.

"I had to take a trailer test in Swindon and at point we got to the Magic Roundabout," she recalls with a chuckle. "It was awful. I kept thinking, 'Oh my God, I can't fail.' I had spent hours practicing in the yard. I had no idea if I was going to be able to drive it."

Terri now heads down to the Glove Factory Studios in Holt every three weeks to pamper employees or tidy up those messy arches at lunchtime. She also drops in to the army barracks in Warminster and meets clients every Wednesday at Trowbridge Market.

She is also poised to take her little salon further afield during the summer festival season.

"The world is my oyster now," she adds excitedly. "I can take my business anywhere. I love the flexibility and there’s so much demand for threading everywhere I go. This is a great way to get a good balance in life and get to see beautiful locations.”

To find out more about The Brow Box or book an appointment call 07881 777655 or visit www.facebook.com/thebrowbox.