Scotland hair salons share insights after first week reopening
Scotland is the second nation within the UK where hair salons have reached their reopening date, so HJ spoke to Scottish hair salon owners to get their thoughts on their first week of reopening and seeing their clients again.
Scotland hair salons share their insights and thoughts after reopening
Rainbow Room International has new client guidelines and steps for clients to follow
Dylan Brittain Owner of Rainbow Room International’s George Square salon in Glasgow says the team were ready to get back into the salons and doing what they do best – making clients look and feel amazing by creating their hair goals.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNTClRcBXeH/He said: "After the last lockdown we were fully booked for 12 weeks after we opened with further demand for rebooking and most clients booking three appointments in advance. This time is very similar, as many clients haven’t had their hair done since before Christmas or before, and they are ready to book in for their spring revamps and to get a fresh new look in time for the warmer weather. To ensure a fair process, our stylists started by contacting anyone who had an upcoming appointment cancelled due to lockdown first before opening our booking system. At Rainbow Room International we are proud to have a really great online booking system where clients can login easily and book their appointment in a few clicks."
Rainbow Room International has made some changes to its safety procedures this time round, as Dylan explains:
We have created new client guidelines to ensure these are up to date and clients feel as safe and at ease as possible when they are coming back to the salon. The guidelines will not only make our clients feel safer but also our team. We’ve also put together some ‘simple steps’ for clients to follow whilst in the salon and are asking all clients to fill in a consultation/health screening form prior to coming into the salon for their appointment.
The Rainbow Room International team has also carried out lots of training over the lockdown period on disinfection protocol and use of PPE and have participated in Risk Assessment and undertaken Coronavirus pandemic e-learning.
He points out: "Training is incredibly important to us at Rainbow Room International and ensuring our team are as knowledgeable as possible on COVID-19 and how we can keep them and our clients safe and comfortable during their time in the salon."
MARKDAVID Salon has given the salon space a refresh to get clients excited about coming back
Mark McCarthy, Owner of MARKDAVID salon in Edinburgh is delighted to be back in the salon and seeing all of the lovely clients again. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMjs5xEjHQv/ He said: "We've been working hard behind the scenes over the lockdown period to get our salon ready for reopening and we’re thrilled we can now show this off to our clients. Our salon back space has had a freshen up and we’ve added lots of nice little touches to get clients excited about coming back into the salon and seeing the new space. He added:Customer service and providing our clients with a unique and indulging experience is so important to us and all the feedback we've had from clients since re-opening has been incredible so far. Here’s hoping for a very successful 2021!
SESH Hairdressing has promised clients no COVID-19 chat
Simon Hill, owner of SESH Hairdressing had a sigh of relief when Scotland was given its reopening date for hair salons on Monday 5 April.
Simon explained: "We felt the suspense so much in the lead up to that moment and from then on until Monday 5 April it was all systems go to ensure we were ready for our clients to return to the salon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNXAxeRjLW5/Simon made the decision to open on Tuesday 6 April to let the team enjoy Easter Monday with their loved ones. On Tuesday 6 April when he opened the doors to the salon again, he said the energy was amazing and his clients were thrilled to be back.
Simon added:
We previously launched our #SafeWithSESH campaign to ensure our clients knew what we were doing to put their safety first. We have removed all magazines, can no longer offer hot drinks and even redesigned out back wash area to seperate the basins and place perspex screens between positions. We have gone above and beyond to meake sure the salon still remains a place of relaxation for our clients and promise no COVID-19 chat!
F&M Hairdressing is giving clients big transformations
Brian MacMillan, Salon Director at F&M Hairdressing was inundated with appointment requests as soon as the date for reopening was announced.
Brian said: "It was fantastic and geared us up for the big day. We had a team day prior to the opening, getting used to the new normal salon journey and allowing our team the chance to get back into the swing of things, taking care of any last minute changes needed. We also held a pre-opening skin testing session over several days, allowing clients to visit our small hatch and receive their skin test prior to their colour appointment – this helped us massively and resulted in a less stressful opening, knowing everyone had been tested."
Brian was delighted with the first reopening day and both the team and clients loved catching up once again after a long few months.
He added:
The transformations which are ongoing are fantastic and we have all settled in very well to the new normal once more. Our one way salon journey is still in place and all restrictions are being followed, with the local council visiting us and crediting us for our efforts. The safety and health of our team and clients is our number one priority and we have put every effort into making the salon as relaxing, comfortable and safe for everyone as possible.