PRESS ARTICLES

 

Sunday 8th June 2014

The Daily Mail's YOU! Magazine

To read this feature on their website please click HERE.

 

The beauty therapist

"Her beauty therapy marquee is such a hit that Victoria Marcangelo, 31, from Pilton, works round the clock to pamper festival-goers.

 

When the first lorries start arriving at the Glastonbury site in April, a ripple of anticipation spreads through Pilton. Until 2011 I was just a festival-goer, but I experienced a more glamorous Glastonbury when I set up my therapy marquee, offering massages, waxing and pedicures.

I’d been running my own business, Angel-Oh! Holistic Therapies (angel-oh.com), from an outbuilding on my in-laws’ farm for less than a year when the opportunity to work at Glastonbury fell into my lap. A friend of a friend had set up The Yurt Company’s Love Fields, and was keen to make customers’ stays more luxurious. He provided a marquee, electricity, running water and sheepskin rugs – all I had to bring was my equipment. I decamped from the farm to the yurt field for five days, bringing two massage beds and dressing screens. Outlay was minimal at around £150 for extra blankets, towels, candles and tea. My assistant came with me, and my fiancé Joe’s parents looked after our baby daughter Indi (now four).

 

That first time, we had a steady flow of massages catering to the people staying in the 52 yurts, with prices starting at £20. Detoxifying massages were life-savers for the hungover. I plied them with water and used lavender and verbena oils to encourage lymphatic drainage. People needed to have their tired, achy legs soothed at the end of a day walking through mud. 

 

I won’t treat anyone who’s drunk and the only tricky moment was when a torrential downpour left the marquee flooded and I had to use all the towels to mop up. On evenings off, I’d meet Joe and watch the headline acts, before returning to my marquee at 2am. I was working on adrenalin but the exhaustion was worth it – I earned more in four days than I usually take in three weeks.

In 2012, the festival wasn’t on, so I had another baby! Last year was even busier than 2011. Women wanted waxes and pedicures because the warm weather meant they were in flip-flops rather than wellies. We’ve treated a few famous folk, including members of Snow Patrol and actress Carrie Fisher. We had over 100 clients in 2013, and the money I made has enabled me to install a sauna at my spa. This year I’m taking on two assistants and will keep my spa open, so I’ll be shuttling between the two. I wouldn’t miss Glastonbury for the world."