Welcome to the new normal!

In addition to the already high standards of hygiene, the following are the list of measures which I feel are necessary and will take once we are allowed to resume normal service. Some of this may feel excessive to you but please bear in mind I have clients from all walks of life, some are considered very vulnerable and/or have contact with loved ones who are. I have no wish to gamble with anyone’s life and feel it is my responsibility to provide the safest possible environment for my clients.

1. Corona Virus (Covid-19) Infection and Prevention Control Certified

I have undertaken paid training as opposed to free brand training so as to be completely free in choosing to use the best products and implementing the safest practices.

2. The majority of the new practices come following the recommendations in ‘Return to Work Guidelines for Nail Technicians‘ by industry experts Marian Newman and Doug Schoon (internationally recognised scientist, author and educator with over 30 years experience in the industry). In these unprecedented times, it is imperative that we follow science and research from credible and reliable sources.

MY RESPONSIBILITIES

PERSONAL HYGIENE

  • I will wash my hands between every client treatment
  • Gloves will be used for all treatments and will get changed between clients and after cleaning between clients
  • A mask and face shield will be worn during all treatments. The face shield will be disinfected between clients and a new clean mask will be used at least twice a day.
  • I will also wear a plastic cape that I will change between clients to eliminate transfer of dust particles.

TOOLS

  • All tools (i.e. cuticle nippers, cuticle pushers, electronic file, bits, etc) will be washed with soap and water, before being submerged in Mundo Rapid Instrument & Tool Disinfectant for a minimum of 5 minutes (bactericidal, virucidal, sporicidal and fungicidal) before UV sterilisation (kills at least 99.9% of residual bacteria and viruses).
  • All nail files will be disinfected between treatments with the Mundo File & Tool Disinfectant Spray (bactericidal, yeasticidal, mycobactericidal, tuberculocidal, fungicidal, limited spectrum virucidal – effective against Coronavirus including SARS and MERS, HBV, HCV, HIV, Influenza, Herpesviridae, Filoviridae – including Ebola, Rubella, Rabies and Measles)

This process will be carried out before every treatment.

BRUSHES

  • All brush handles will be disinfected between clients

DUST

You’ve all seen me covered in dust. Making your nails pretty required me to be a dust magnet. Unfortunately pathogens (like Covid-19) can spread via the inhalation of dust particles and as you know, dust gets everywhere, even over a screen. This is why there will be no Plexiglas screen installed at my workstation.

I have instead invested in an excellent dust and fume extraction unit made in the UK by a reputable company which will remove more than 99.7% of particles.

WORKSTATION

  • The entire desk, drawer tops and handles, all solution bottles, both lamps and both seats will be disinfected between clients.
  • Colour swatches are now displayed differently and will also be disinfected between clients.
  • Any glitter containers, gel pots and gems that have been handled by myself and clients will be disinfected between treatments.
  • The marked area on the floor will be disinfected between clients so you may put your belongings on the floor. The usual black box is fabric and cannot be made available for your convenience at this time.

CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

DISCLOSURE

  • Clients will be given an electronic form to fill before their appointments. This is to confirm you aren’t experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms, feeling unwell and/or have been recently in contact with someone who has or is suspected of having Covid-19.
  • The form will also ask if you have read and understood the new hygiene procedures and the fulfilment of your responsibilities. I cannot proceed with the treatment unless you have read and agreed to participate in these procedures.
  • The iPad will be disinfected between clients.

  • If you are experiencing any of the symptoms prior to your appointment, please contact me so we can make alternative arrangements.

HYGIENE

  • Please wash your hands with soap prior to your appointment. Soap and disposable towels are provided in the washroom in the building, you can get the key at reception. You may want to arrive a couple minutes earlier than your appointment time to do this.
  • After washing your hands, please try to avoid touching your face and hair.

ATTENDANCE

  • Please attend your appointment alone. At present, it would be impossible to keep the recommended distance between people and the other stylists in the salon if clients bring guests. I apologise if this negatively affects your service experience.
  • Please attend your appointment a couple minutes before to facilitate hand washing as there is no waiting area in the salon.
  • Please refrain from going on your phone or consuming food and drink during the appointment. If you absolutely must show me a nail design, please let me know in advance so I can disinfect your phone.

PPE

Until further notice, all clients are required to wear a face mask for the entire duration of your appointment. If you do not have one, I have disposable 3 ply face masks available to purchase at £1 each. The charge is cost price and much cheaper than sellers from the big selling sites online because I’m a bargain hunter.

BELONGINGS

Whilst I know it is convenient to grab a couple of things in town before your appointment, I respectfully ask that you keep your personal belongings to an absolute minimum as the black box I normally use for your belongings can’t be properly disinfected between clients.

If you can bring a disposable paper bag or recyclable plastic bag to put your handbag in, it will help you reduce the risk of contamination to your belongings.

PAYMENT

To limit the amount of unnecessary contact with cash, please pay using card. If you’re feeling generous or if my banter has been exceptional, you can fight me with your new nails to add a small tip on the card machine. If you’ve requested stilettos, I will probably concede out of fear.

LIMITED SERVICES, AVAILABLE APPOINTMENTS AND PPE CHARGES

Unfortunately, I cannot offer pedicures until further notice as I can’t ask clients to wash their feet at the premises. You might literally fall at the first hurdle – getting your feet up and in the sink.

An additional 15 minutes will be added on to appointment times. As most of you know, I normally work back to back appointments but this is no longer possible with the amount of necessary hygiene processes needed before the next client. I will not be charging clients extra for this cleaning time as I feel that I should be responsible for this as I am offering a service.

However I will be charging clients an additional £1 to partly cover some of the PPE expenses I’ve had to incur, this does not include the charge for a disposable mask should you arrive with one for your appointment. I ask for your kind co-operation as my credit card balance is far from understanding.

It will be a strict appointment only basis, as I need the time to prepare for clients.

There will be less available appointments because of the additional hygiene measure but please be assured I am doing everything humanly possible to get you in my chair. Please book all the services you require, including nail art and any repairs as I cannot run over your appointment time since there is no waiting area for the next client. Your patience is much appreciated, I am open to non-malicious verbal abuse in the meantime.

This is a team effort and I am so grateful you all will willingly participate so we can enjoy life’s little luxuries without compromising the safety of our community and our health service. I have genuinely missed you all and cannot wait till we hold hands again and put the world to rights. Excited to peer pressure you into getting all the colours and all the glitter and be obscenely extra!