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When COVID-19 hit California, personal care services were immediately shut down. What we initially thought would be 2 weeks, turned into three months. I am finally back in my studio full-time this coming week and I’m not going to lie, my feelings are mixed, for sure. I’m SO excited to see my clients, but I’m also 100% nervous and approaching every appointment and interaction in my life with extreme caution. We are still very much in the midst of a pandemic and taking clients right now is a major exercise in trust and communication. Here are some things that I’ve found made my return to the studio run smoothly.

Get Your Game Plan Together: 

Reread not only your state and national COVID precaution guidelines, but also review your state board laws and regulations as well. If we are going to be getting back to business, let’s make sure we’re compliant to everything- not just because we don’t want to get fined, but because taking those universal precautions keeps us and our clients as safe as possible. If you aren’t using a scheduling service (I use Acuity and I love it, here’s a referral link if you want to try it), be sure that you are getting and keeping a very detailed and easy to access schedule so that if you do have to do contact tracing, you aren’t leaving anybody out of the loop.

 Reassess Your Service Menu: 

Because I made the choice to cap the number of clients I see in a week, I decided to utilize the time to restructure my service menu. If there’s a service you hate or one that takes way too much time (i.e., removing Acrylic sets) consider taking it off the menu for a bit. I know that specialization may not be in the cards for all of us, but if there’s a service you dread, nows the time to reassess if you can. I typically offer complex nail art as an option, and I’ve temporarily taken it off the menu because of the time commitment. 

Communicate Clearly

Don’t let your expectations be a surprise for your clients. in addition to an email that I sent to every one of my clients, I also added a highlight to my Instagram stories about the changes, as well as two new intake forms to my Acuity scheduling process. The first breaks down new behavior and procedure expectations: (i.e., no additional guests, masks must be worn at all times, no cell phones on the manicure table, etc….) clients have to read through and confirm every guideline every time they book an appointment. The second form is a COVID-19 Waiver, based on a template that I got from The Outgrowth Podcast. These are in addition to my standard intake form. Trust me, any client that is annoyed or turned off by having to take these extra precautions, is probably a client best left behind. 

 Do It For Real For Real:

This is for sure the most important point in this whole post- do it for real and not just for show. Our clients are depending on us to be compliant and to keep universal precautions FOR REAL. Regardless of whether or not you trust your clients to be honest or think COVID isn’t really a big deal, or if your one appointment is running over and you don’t want to make your next client wait for your disinfectant to reach its contact time requirements- do it right or don’t open. Period. Don’t lure clients into a false sense of security with a Barbicide certificate and a sneeze guard but not run disinfectant through your footspa or try to get one more use out of that pricey foam file because you just “barely used it once” - live every day like you are taking your State Board exam and the scary strict proctor is looking straight at you the whole time.

These certifications (above) are fine for refreshing your knowledge, anybody can take them, however, they do not immediately equal a compliant and clean salon.

Have A Dress Rehearsal:

The day I was permitted to take clients again in my state and county, I had my two best friends come in for services. Even though we have shared air throughout quarantine, I encouraged them to come in and with a critical eye, be brutally honest and to keep the same guidelines that I would expect out of my clients. Was there anything that made them feel uneasy? Were my directions easy to follow? Did they feel safe and secure? 

Give Yourself Some Grace: 

As artists, we all suffer from a bit of imposter syndrome- I’m telling you this right now and I need you to hear me, you did NOT forget how to do nails. You might be a little rusty and slow, plan for that, even it if means you can’t take as many clients per day or that appointment times will run a little late. That’s OK, give yourself some grace. When I did my aforementioned dress rehearsal, I was really slow- when I took clients the following day, I was much more in my groove.

Talk It Out: 

Remember when I told you to build a nail community- this is where that comes into play. Chances are your fellow manicurists are feeling the same stresses, some may be in other states that opened earlier, some may still be closed. It’s SO important to find your nail family- they are truly an invaluable resource. 

Take Your Time: 

Let me preface this by acknowledging that I understand that not everybody has the privilege to voluntarily not work. If you aren’t feeling great, it’s ok to stay closed longer. If you haven’t been able to get your hands on the PPE you need to keep yourself and your clients safe, don’t open yet. It’s ok to take more time if you need it and can afford to do so.