Paramount has been making residents of Saskatoon look great for 65 years. “Paramount Beauty Salon” was brought to life by Herman Barrett back in 1950, located in the York Building on 23rd Street. 2 years later, Ellen Gaunt began working with Mr. Barrett as his receptionist. Ellen went on to become the second owner of Paramount (1968) and also the driving force towards bringing esthetic services to Paramount and Saskatoon. By 1955 she started offering the Paramount client, facial waxing, brow tinting, manicures, makeup and her real passion, facial treatments.
In 1966 Paramount moved to the lower level location at 145-2nd Avenue No. It was here that the esthetic side of Paramount really developed. It was in the 1970’s that pedicures, sculptured nails and artificial lashes (yes, we were doing them back then too!) were introduced. Women’s fashions and a ceramic boutique were also offered during that time. 1977 brought us the very first “Hydradermie” facial machine from Guinot. This signature Guinot treatment was ground-breaking in the facial industry at that time with its use of galvanic current to help penetrate nutrients into the skin offering a level of hydration that standard facial treatments were unable to accomplish.
The 1980’s saw Paramount offering electrolysis, tanning beds, massage, body wraps, and the first “Non-surgical Face-lift” machine that used electrical current to stimulate facial muscles, creating amazing results and long-term effects. Also during this time Ellen introduced the “Paramount Charm Classes” to young Saskatoon women, instructing them in proper skin, nail and hair care.
In 1994, Ellen realized her life-long dream of opening Saskatoon’s first full service Day Spa. Paramount relocated to a beautiful new facility on 1st Avenue North offering full spa & salon services including full and half day spa packages. Saskatoon women (and even a few men at that time) were quick to embrace this relatively new concept (in Saskatoon) and were anxious to go “spa-ing”!
As Ellen approached her “golden years” she wanted to find someone that she would feel confident to take over the reins of her “Paramount Baby”. She found that someone in Laura Dutka. Laura purchased Paramount from Ellen in August, 2000 and relocated it to its current location on the corner of 2nd Avenue and King Street. Since then Paramount has maintained its position as a prominent fixture in the Saskatoon spa industry. Over the past 14 years Laura has expanded the Paramount offering to include laser services, giftware, jewelry, women’s fashions, and the very popular Spa Suite, where groups of 2 to 50 can enjoy social time along with their spa services. And with new licensing legislation you can now enjoy your favorite beverage while having your Paramount spa or salon service.
Left to right: Ellen Gaunt, Sarah Dutka-Smith, Laura Dutka
Photo by: Richard Marjan, The Starphoenix
Paramount has always strived to be on the forefront of offering exceptional quality skin care services and corresponding products for its customers to use at home. This goal lead to the introduction of the YonKa (France) and Guinot (France) lines of products in the mid 1970’s, followed by Babor (Germany) in the early 1980’s. More recently in 2010, SwissLine (Switzerland), an advanced paramedical line, was introduced. Gehwol (Germany) is another line of exceptional quality that is used in all Paramount pedicures and offered for at-home use.
Paramount maintains a strong focus on the training and education of its staff and in turn, educating our guests so they are able to make informed decisions regarding their skin, nail and hair care services and product purchases.
Over the years, the service menu and the décor may have changed but Paramount has always and will always strive to deliver to its guests, the best we can offer in quality and value of services and products.
Laura Dutka
Opperations Manager
Paramount DaySpa Salon & Boutique
Paramount DaySpa Salon & Boutique 