The global beauty industry has been shocked by the covid-19 crisis, but the industry has responded positivity to the crisis. I spoke to a few owners across the beauty industry and asked them how they are coping since re-opening, the challenges they face and how long do they think it will take for the industry to recover.
‘When we closed our doors in March due to Covid 19, it was like we were living on a movie set it was so surreal. I was devastated but knew it was the right thing to do, being closed for almost 4 months was the hardest hurdle we have faced in business and being a new business of just 2 years as we were still building our brand and closing left us very unsure of the future and almost felt at one time we would be starting all over again but we knew we would be doing everything in our power to make sure our doors reopened. We used the time to upskill and carry on learning about everything that we love to do. We made maximum changes in line with all guidelines to ensure the best customer experience and to have a safe salon for clients and staff members. We have always been an upbeat fast pace salon with walk ins always welcome and we have now had to extend appointment times to accommodate all the extra sanitising before and after each client. Hygiene was always at the highest standards at Darque but now we are above and beyond with very strict protocols in place, we have sanitisers all around our salon, PPE is worn by staff & clients, social distancing is very important and we are very firm with it, we have Perspex between sections and portable Perspex for any clients who may be extremely nervous. Our client numbers have also been reduced as we no longer have a waiting area and we are limited to the numbers in our salon at one time. I feel like the salon experience still feels the same for our clients, just with a few twists. We have had amazing support from clients and great feedback with regard to all the work we have done to the salon to keep everyone feeling confident that safety is key when they enter. I do think our industry will take quite some time to bounce completely back to how it used to be if it even does, I honestly think this is the new normal now & I do think everyone will adjust to it and that amazing salon feeling that we all love will again return. It’s one of the safest places to be as our industry always has had the highest hygiene standards so after some weeks, I can see things getting better once everyone remains careful and all advice is always adhered to. We love what we do, and we are so happy to get back doing what we love the most and seeing our clients support us as soon as we open our doors is an amazing feeling. It won’t be an easy road but with passion and drive we will give it our all, we look forward to welcoming old and new clients back to Darque to experience the new salon experience’. Melanie, Owner Darque Tanning Studio & Blow Dry Parlour
‘Since covid shut us down, reopening will be a huge challenge for people especially within the beauty industry. We all need to make sure we protect ourselves and our clients with best practices and good product hygiene. I see the future being bright again, and I already have people rebooking back in – but it will take time’. John Paul Payne Makeup
Due to Covid 19, Gellicious Nail & Beauty Stuido & Gellicious Academy were closed from the 16th of March. Staff used this time to educate themselves on the virus and up-skill in salon cleanliness for a safe re-opening. Gellicious re-opened on the 29th of June following all guidelines set out by the HSE and we are delighted to welcome back our loyal clients that have stuck with us through this strange time. A constant effort is being made at Gellicious to monitor all updates regarding Covid 19 as both our clients and staff health and well-being are a priority to us. We hope to see you soon for your nail appointment, we have missed you all!
Kathy, Natalia & team – Gellicious Nail & Beauty Studio and Academy
‘I closed my salon doors on St. Patrick’s weekend and I never imagined it would be nearly four months before I held a set of tweezers in my hands again. While I’m delighted to be reopened I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit anxious as to what the future holds for my small business. The long term impact is that even when the Covid crisis is over people will still be very cautious about their intimate experience with their beautician. I think people are taking a step back and thinking ‘Is this the cleanest most hygienic place I can put myself in’. That being said the beauty industry has always adhered to strict hygiene procedures. I have totally revamped my salon with a new air purifying system and a sanitising unit, so I’m open for business looking forward to doing lashes for my amazing clients. Debbie Gibney – Lashes by Debbie Gibney
