Irish Spa Association supports reopening in June with safety protocols in place
The Irish Spa Association (ISA) believes that if spas and salons around the country following strict protocols and safety guidelines, they should be allowed to reopen in June.
The industry is currently due to reopen on 20 July, which is Phase 4 of the Irish Government’s road map for reopening Ireland.
According to the ISA, not only have customers been unable to access the industry’s services, resulting in many people adopting at-home methods, the closure has also led to a rise in the black market, left many professionals out of work, and has put many businesses at risk of never being able to reopen.
It said it has been inundated with calls from anxious Irish salon and spa owners calling for businesses to reopen, noting that other countries such as Spain and Italy, which have been hard hit by Covid-19, are reopening their beauty sectors already. “Overheads are continuing to stack up and a dangerous black market is continuing to grow. For example, professionals in the beauty industry are worried about treatments such as botox, fillers and microneedling being carried out in people’s homes.”
The ISA has published a business continuity plan with industry guidelines for Irish spas and salons to recalibrate and restart their businesses. ‘The Blueprint’ addresses many industry-specific concerns, including HR, risk assessment, new SOPs and communications. It has also launched an additional certification, which requires businesses to complete a checklist and successfully fulfil an assessment based on the ISA guidelines for best practice.
“It will be in each and every salon and spa business’s best interest to ensure they are ready to reopen with the right procedures in place,” said ISA co-founder Anita Murray. “The clients will complete an advanced consultation form before they attend the salon/spa. Where social distancing is not possible, we propose that PPE should be worn by therapists. Additionally safety screens will be in place on nail stations and at stylist service areas.”
ISA co-founder Peigin Crowley added: “This is by no means any suggestion of a return to business as usual. It is vital that the public and the businesses follow precautionary and preventative guidelines until the situation has completely normalised.”
Murray and Crowley recently took part in Professional Beauty’s World Spa & Wellness Conference, where they talked to PB Group’s MD Mark Moloney about the ISA’s business continuity plan and risk assessment guidelines.
