As more states open up their economies, we’ll see our hair salons, barbershops, nail salons and other beauty businesses begin to service clients once again. And while many of us will still be pretty wary of reentering these businesses, we will slowly try to get back to our routines, as well as support our local stylists and creatives.
The CBON Group (Cosmetics Based On Nature), a distributor that supplies and builds brands in the salon and spa industry across North America, is offering these beauty businesses some pre and post-opening tips on how to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the organization is based in Canada, its insights are globally relevant, and can be put to practical use for beauty services here in the United States.
“If beauty professionals are to return to their jobs and work in an environment that is safe for staff and clients alike, significant changes will need to take place representing a shift to a ‘new norm’ or 2.0 version of the industry from which we may never go back,” says Jeff Alford, president of The CBON Group. “This transformative change will come with a need for significant investment, retraining and re-purposing of salons and spas for a new life in the age of coronavirus and future outbreaks.”
Here are some main changes that Alford says salon owners will need to make for their businesses before opening their doors:
Educate your team. Beauty professionals go through extensive training in their trades, but the knowledge acquired to address infection prevention has often times been inadequate and varied across learning institutions according to Alford. In this ‘new normal’, returning workers will need to quickly get up to speed on the risks posed by germs to themselves and their clients if shops are to confidently open their doors again.
Make a distancing plan. In the world of beauty services it can be difficult to maintain a safe distance from others in order to contain the spread of COVID-19. To minimize the risk of exposure, we may begin to see the elimination of waiting areas, reduction of the number of workstations, fewer appointments and other steps taken to distance clients from staff and each other. It will vary across services and might look different for each business.
Practice client screening. In the new 2.0 salon and spa world, customers could expect rigorous screening at the door that could include temperature taking, checklist for symptoms and required use of face masks while receiving services. The idea of taking a spa day because one is feeling under the weather is a thing of the past.
Increase Sanitation practices. The virus that causes COVID-19 can remain viable on surfaces from hours to a few days, so disinfecting all client touch points is crucial. This should take place between each appointment and be allowed the requisite contact time. And not all disinfectants are created equal. Alford says salon and spa owners should be knowledgeable of the effective options and become very familiar with precautionary label language, proper usage, and compatibility issues to ensure germs, bacteria and viruses are being appropriately removed from their facilities.
Alford also had these five specific key strategies and tips that could help everyone acclimate to these necessary changes.
- Get all staff to attend infection control classes.
- Do a pre-opening deep clean and disinfecting, including making sure hospital grade disinfectants are used.
- Purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all staff and clients.
- Clearly communicate with clients and staff what procedures must be followed during each client visit.
- Record names and telephone numbers of each customer in case it’s necessary to trace who visited the business on a given day.
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