Irish Spa Association publishes reopening guidelines for sector

The Irish Spa Association (ISA) has published free guidelines for Irish spas and salons to assist business continuity.

According to the organisation, it has drawn on expert knowledge from international authorities, leaders and Government agencies to create a reactivation plan for the sector.

While the reopening of Irish salons and spas is planned for Phase 4 (20 July) of the Government’s road map, any reopening will be contingent on evolving public health advice, noted the ISA, which stressed it is committed to supporting the 25,800 people employed within their remit. There are an estimated 4,000 spas and beauty salons in Ireland, contributing to a sector that generates €540 m per year to the Irish economy.

“When we reopen the doors, we’ve got to think about it from the client’s perspective,” said Dr Patrick Treacy, chief medical officer, ISA. “Patients may ask themselves, is this going to be a safe visit for me? And should I do it or should I wait? Most importantly, we will have to fine tune our processes now so that when the doors reopen we are a well-oiled machine. We will have to look at the entire patient process, from sending emails, managing patient opt-ins and so on. I think owners should create a video for their clients that shows empathy and safety, outlining all we’re going to do to protect them when they visit us. These will include perspex shields, PPE equipment and possible Covid-19 testing.”

The ISA will be holding a webinar at 11am on 7 May to outline its blueprint and have a conversation about the ‘new normal’.

While optimistic, the ISA also said it is under no illusion and many challenges lie ahead. It has written to Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys calling for a number of supports, including financial support to enable the sourcing of PPE and other structural changes; assurance that the Government will continue to support the Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme until the business is able to operate in a feasible and sustainable manner; Revenue to introduce a moratorium on Vat payments; reduction of the Vat rate from 13.5% to 9% for services to support the recovery thereafter; and suspension of commercial mortgages, rents and rates to ensure liquidity for businesses.