Update (9 July, 2020): On Thursday, culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, announced that as of Monday 13 July, beauty salons and spas in England are able to reopen. It was originally announced during Prime Minister Boris Johnson's speech on June 23 that these services were not able to reopen with hair salons [1] on 4 July as they are classified as a "close contact service" and would only be reopened when they can operate in a "COVID-secure way." This left thousands of beauty industry professionals disheartened and frustrated [2], particularly after it was announced that pubs were given the go ahead to reopen on 4 July.
It will no doubt come as a huge relief to those working in the beauty industry who have been keen to get back to work as soon as possible. However, Dowden did note that "some restrictions" would be in place with regards to beauty salons reopening, meaning any treatment on the face is not permitted. Treatments performed on the face, which are not allowed to go ahead, include (but not limited to): facials of any kind (such as chemical peels, dermaplaning, microneedling, hydrafacials, LED therapy, laser therapy, microcurrent); eyelash extensions, tints, waxing, or lifts; eyebrow waxing, tints or reshaping; threading or waxing anywhere on the face, acupuncture, and makeup application. As many of these services are offered in spas, this will no doubt affect the sector.
As for other parts of the UK, in Scotland, hairdressers and barbers can return on 15 July and beauty salons and spas can return on 22 July, with no mention of restrictions. In Wales, beauty salons and tattoo parlours can reopen as of 27 July. Both hair and beauty salons in Northern Ireland were opened from 6 July.
For spas with indoor facilities such as pools and gyms, they have been given the green light to reopen as of 25 July in England. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have not yet been given a timeframe on when indoor facilities will be able to open.
Original Post (10 June 2020):
As businesses begin to plan their reopening amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it's important to start thinking about how the spread of the coronavirus is going to impact the way we seek out both everyday and luxury beauty treatments — and that includes spa treatments.
Much of the beauty industry falls under the "personal care" category, which is addressed in the third phase of the government's Plan to Rebuild [3]. This includes hair [4] and nail salons [5], piercing and tattoo studios [6], and spas, which have been given the provisional date of 4 July to begin reopening in England — provided the government is confident that the infection rate of the coronavirus has decreased sufficiently.
When spas do get the green light from the government, they will be opening with restrictions in place, which will include personal protective equipment, new appointment etiquette, and reduced occupancy rules.
If you're not sure whether it's safe to visit your favourite spa for a treatment come July, or aren't sure what to expect, read on to see how one spa in the UK has prepped for reopening.
Will Social Distancing Continue at Spas?
Social distancing will continue in spas and salons across the UK once they get the green light from the government to reopen. In the same way that some hair salons are only allowed to serve a certain number of customers at a time, spas will likely also begin operating with fewer customers for the next few months until it's safer to operate at normal capacity.
Operating with reduced capacity means drastically reducing appointments. "This will mean a loss of 300 available appointment slots per week," said Haylee Benton, beauty entrepreneur and founder of the Silver Fern Group. However, she sees this as a necessary step in keeping both staff and customers safe. She hopes by planning ahead, salons and spas can avoid delayed reopening and the need to increase treatments pricing.
Cecily Spa [7] in Berkhamsted has taken a number of precautions ahead of reopening. All of its staff have undertaken extensive COVID-19 safety training, while social distancing stickers have been installed on the floor with clear signage indicating where customers should stand whilst visiting. In addition to this, appointment times will be staggered and customers will be asked to arrive on time and alone to avoid overcrowding in the waiting or lobby areas.
How Will Spa Treatments Change?
Due to the nature of spas and salons offering a wide variety of treatments, each service requires different solutions in keeping customers and staff safe. Each treatment room needs to be sanitised more regularly and equipment needs to be easily disinfected or disposed of.
At Cecily Spa, manicures will be carried out with a sneeze guard situated between the therapist and client, gloves will be worn by the manicurist (a measure that many manicurists took before COVID-19), and masks will be worn by both the therapist and customer.
Upon reopening of the spa, couples massages will only be offered to those living in the same household.
To heighten their safety measures, customers' temperatures will be checked before starting treatments and online consultations will be required prior to any appointment, which will also serve as a declaration of COVID-19 history in addition to regular medical questions.
More luxury treatments such as hot stone massages, in particular, might be tricker to navigate. Because the hot stones are porous, they're harder to clean and they're also heated, making it a potential breeding ground for bacteria. If you want to book a beauty treatment but you're unsure what steps the spa or salon is taking to ensure maximum hygiene, don't be afraid to contact them and ask.
Will Customers Be Required to Wear Masks at the Spa?
Yes, customers will be required to wear masks at the spa and during most treatments (facials will not require masks for obvious reasons). Masks will be given to clients upon arrival who do not have their own. Staff at Cecily Spa will wear full PPE protection during appointments and won't be offering magazines, phone chargers, drinks or glasses or lunches to guests.
Online booking systems will be used, walk-ins appointments will be on hold for the time being, and contactless payment will likely be taken from behind a sneeze guard.
In addition to the PPE, Cecily Spa will have one full time cleaner solely dedicated to maintaining strict sanitation across the entire spa.
POPSUGAR aims to give you the most accurate and up-to-date information about the coronavirus, but details and recommendations about this pandemic may have changed since publication. For the latest information on COVID-19, please check out resources from the WHO [8] and the NHS [9].