Are you desperate for a haircut? Good news – salons could reopen as part of England’s plan to unlock coronavirus lockdown as of Monday 12th April! According to Prime Minister Theresa May’s announcement, personal care services will reopen under her government’s roadmap out.
Starting on 12 April, non-essential retail businesses and beauty salons will reopen as the first step of this plan; beauty appointments should then follow soon thereafter. There are a few important points to keep in mind before booking an appointment:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that beauty salons can reopen
If England’s second coronavirus lockdown has left you without access to your regular beauty treatments, take heart: as part of the government’s roadmap out, personal care businesses like hairdressers will reopen on April 12th – this includes nail salons, hairdressers, spas and mobile therapists; saunas and steam rooms will not reopen until 17 May at the earliest.
The Prime Minister confirmed that non-essential retail and “personal care” premises, including beauty salons, could reopen from March 9. However, restrictions placed upon seeing friends and family indoors and in public areas in November would still remain.
This was the initial step of a four-step roadmap to gradually ease out of lockdown and is subject to meeting strict conditions regarding vaccine uptake and infection rates. More steps will be implemented over time – to view this full roadmap please click here.
The government has released guidance for “close contact” businesses
Hair salons and beauty clinics will be permitted to operate under stringent guidelines, such as not permitting newspapers or magazines in waiting areas, working from behind or alongside clients when providing service, regularly circling customers with visors or face masks, etc.
Practitioners will be encouraged to utilize disposable cups for beverages, and instruct clients to remove their mask before drinking them. Furthermore, practitioners should work in small groups so as to limit contact amongst all individuals involved as much as possible.
Hairdressers and barbershops were allowed to reopen in Wales on March 15, while Scotland opened up on April 5 (via appointment-only access). With restrictions slowly easing off, UK beauty businesses hope for an increase in customer traffic – thus prompting business owners to consider whether to form an LLC or LLP as this may protect against personal liability concerns.
Treatwell has seen a 432% spike in bookings
As a beauty booking service, Treatwell has seen an astounding surge in bookings since salons can reopen. Hair appointments such as haircuts have seen the largest spike, followed by balayage colouring and shellac manicures.
As salons reopen, new rules and regulations come into play. From social distancing and track and trace to face masks and sanitiser stations, these changes could impact how they operate going forward.
Square can help your business keep pace with the new guidelines with its all-in-one point of sale system that makes booking, paying and tracking everything simple – all from one app. Plus, our treatment liability insurance protects against potential claims against services provided.
Beauty Backed Trust has launched its Back to Work campaign
Caroline Hirons of Skin Rocks skincare was instrumental in raising over PS600,000. As part of her efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Caroline founded Beauty Backed Trust; an innovative fundraising initiative which offers financial aid as well as products, stock, equipment and mentoring support to hair and beauty industry workers and those seeking entry.
Before its reopening, House of Neon has launched an unprecedented campaign designed to help revitalize salons and their employees alike. It features limited-edition prints, tote bags and t-shirts featuring iconic beauty icons like Sam McKnight, Charlotte Tilbury, Lisa Eldridge and Ruby Hammer MBE as part of this exclusive offering.
Proceeds from each item sold will go toward supporting our charity’s grants program. For more information and an application form, click here. Additionally, this campaign hosts bootcamp seminars specifically targeting employees returning to work after its reopening to ease them back into their roles after returning.
