Health and Public Safety Recommendations for the Reopening of the Professional Beauty Industry

May 2020

It is acknowledged that all services within the Professional Beauty Industry (Cosmetology, Barbering, Nails and Esthetics) carry some risk in this viral environment due to the nature of the services provided and the inability to maintain social distancing. With that said, licensed professionals have been trained to mitigate these risks significantly through the use of proper infection control standards required by the state regulatory licensing rules and regulations.

The following recommendations, therefore, are enhancements to those existing rules and they address the unique scenario presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the professional beauty educational curriculum, students are taught the definition of Universal Precautions. Therefore, in this environment we are going to follow Universal Precautions and assume that everyone is COVID-19 positive and take all the precautions necessary to mitigate the risk of the spread while still performing a service that is necessary and provides economic and psychosocial benefits to the population.

ALL EXISTING HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY (INFECTION CONTROL) RULES ARE STILL IN EFFECT AND ENFORCED

Recommendations

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):

            With the understanding that PPE is often not worn properly, will be in very short supply moving forward and will likely become very costly; we make the following recommendations.

  • Masks: Licensees should wear masks as a safety measure when providing a service. These masks can be disposable or cloth and must be disposed of or washed properly as required by the CDC. Disposable masks should be made available to patron and may only be used for a single customer. Even in the presence of Plexiglas partitions, a mask must be worn by the licensee.
  • Gloves: It is not a recommendation to require gloves. When gloves are worn for infection control purposes, they must be changed with each service and that volume alone would be difficult to manage. Gloves worn all day, become more troublesome than no gloves at all. It is recommended that licensees be more adherent to the existing rules regarding hand washing after and before each service. It is further recommended that the licensee washes hands in front of the patron if the opportunity exists

      – There are two exceptions where gloves are recommended – nail services and facial services. Gloves are to be worn for only a single service and hands washed thoroughly after they are removed.

  •  Gowns: There is no recommendation to wear gowns at this time. Due to the nature of this transmission, the wearing of gowns does not offer additional significant protection and is both expensive and uncomfortable.

Hand Hygiene:

 Proper hand hygiene is documented to be an essential action to reduce the spread of viral illness. All states require some form of hand hygiene (washing or hand sanitizer) prior to and after a service. It is recommended that these rules be more strictly enforced and acknowledged that hand washing is the preferred method of hand hygiene and it should be done as frequently as possible, but always after eating, smoking and using the restroom. Hand sanitizer should be made available for all patrons and required prior to a nail service.

Customer Interactions: 

The following recommendations reduce the number of patrons in a business at a single time and limit interactions that could be of risk.

Appointments: 

All services must be scheduled with adequate time in between appointments to properly clean and disinfect. Employers should be held accountable for allowing their employees to have enough time to allow for proper disinfection without repercussions. Patrons should be asked to wait outside or in their cars until they are called for their appointment. Appointments should be staggered to avoid multiple people in the waiting areas.

Double Booking:

            This should not be done unless each patron can be left in a single chair throughout the process and distancing measures maintained. Limiting the movement of patrons throughout the business reduces risk to both patrons and staff.

Hand shaking is not allowed!


Payments: 

Cashless payment systems are preferred, but not required. If Point of Sale (POS) equipment is used and a patron must sign or enter PIN, the equipment must be disinfected after each use.

Thermometers:

 The use of thermometers for temperature scanning is optional. A fever only indicates someone who is already symptomatic and likely knows that. The goal is to treat all patrons (many of whom may be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic) as though they are sick.

Signage: 

Signage should be posted that states services will not be offered to or given by anyone who is sick or exhibiting signs of illness. Patrons should be asked prior to a service if they have been sick or exposed to someone who is sick. If so, services should be deferred for 10-14 days.

Distancing: 

It is acknowledged that social distancing recommendations of 6 feet cannot be met in the actual service itself. However, the following distancing measures can be instituted to reduce risk:

  • –  If chairs are situated such that the patrons are closer than 6 feet – every other chair should be used or chairs staggered if possible.
  • –  There should be no more than 10 people in the business at any time (including staff) until those recommendations have been lifted by your state.
  • –  Break rooms should be temporarily closed
  • –  Waiting area chairs should be removed or spaced in such a manner to accommodate social distancing requirements

Disinfection: 

We will be following new disinfecting guidelines, which include cleaning and sanitizing throughout the facilities and between each appointment. Everything that is touched will be wiped down and disinfected, this includes all devices, tools, products, and all surfaces, and Will use disposable products for the Services.
 
Our Team will also have their temperatures checked with our non-contact digital forehead thermometer.
Please know that Team Reedchy service providers are required to wear protective gear, but some may be wearing more than others. Some examples of what you will see us sporting upon reopening include gloves, face shields, face masks, anti fog goggles and in some cases perhaps even a gown. Isn’t that Cool, huh?
 
We will be limiting our in store occupancy and will have social distance and protective shield throughout our space including our nail area and reception desk. We have also moved forward with touchless hands sanitizer and soap dispensers throughout our space as well. Upon entering, you will see a touchless hand sanitizing station.
 

 

Items to be temporarily Disallowed: 

Some items that currently are common place in these environments should be removed or moved:

  • –  Public coffee or water stations
  • –  Magazines/ books / newspapers
  • –  Candy dishes
  • –  Product testers/samples

 

Check IN

Client Screening

 
We will be screening our clients for COVID19 prior to arrivals. If you are sick, or have been exposed to someone within the last 14 days who has tested positive for COVID19, please let us know in advance so that we can reschedule your appointment. prior to our cancelation policy to avoid any fees/charges. Please be prepared to have your temperature taken upon arrival for your appointment. If your temperature is 100 or over, will be asked to cancel your appointment and reschedule and will be billed $10 of the service fee.
You must arrive wearing a mask.
you may be asked to keep your mask on at all times. If you do not have a mask, we will provide a mask for you at no cost.
 
Late Arrival
All spa appointments have been designed to allow the appropriate time for the full enjoyment of the service. Your late arrival may limit our ability to offer the fullest experience possible. Please understand that late arrivals will not receive an extension of scheduled services.
 
Gratuity
Rates do not include gratuity.
20% or more is both appropriate and appreciated. You Can Tip in Venmo to your service provider, please ask the frontdesk for more information.

 

CHANGES TO TERMS OF SERVICE

You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time at this page. We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Service by posting updates and changes to our website. It is your responsibility to check our website periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to our website or the Service following the posting of any changes to these Terms of Service constitutes acceptance of those changes.