Speakers - getting beauty salons open - meeting government officials tomorrow

We have some key speakers that we thought might be of interest to you regarding beauty salons getting reopened, next steps for government and the impacts of Covid-19:

1. Lesley Blair, Chair of BABTAC (British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology), who is meeting government officials tomorrow to confirm a set of guidelines that lay out next steps for helping the beauty therapy industry safely return to work
2. High profile award winning, salon owner Fiona Fowley, who is potentially having to close for good https://www.zen-lifestyle.com/team/fiona-fowley/
3. High profile beauty therapist, Kate Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/katekerrlondon_facialist/
4. Lisa Brown of Lisa Brown Beauty who has a professional home salon and can first-hand of the terrible financial situation she is now left in, plus her concerns around reopening
5. CEO of The Hair and Barber Council, Keith Conniford,
6. Millie Kendall of the British Beauty Council is supporting Lesley also

Key notes to Editors:

The industry has been particularly hard hit, with therapists and salons incurring huge financial losses due to closures and lost bookings, coupled with restricted government support for the thousands of therapists that are self-employed.

BABTAC and the speakers are available to speak regarding the financial and social implications of Covid-19, for their business and client base, and the necessity for government backed advice in in line with:

• Concern over the rising costs of PPE
• The considerations around providing treatment for an elderly client base
• The risks of untrained individuals forgoing official safety standards to offer treatment

FULL RELEASE FOR EDITORS

BABTAC (British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology) and the British Beauty Council are working together to help therapists get back to work safely

As a support for therapists nationwide, BABTAC is working with input from the British Beauty Council to provide a guide from a therapist’s point of view on the policies and procedures to be undertaken to get them back to work, whilst ensuring the safety of themselves and their clients.

Fronted by two beauty powerhouses, BABTAC Chair, Lesley Blair and the British Beauty Council’s Millie Kendall the pair are pushing government to listen to their advice and formalise the policies that BABTAC has drafted, based on years of industry knowledge and advice from infection control specialists.

Lesley Blair who is Chair of BABTAC and a qualified therapist herself says, “we know the beauty industry has been hit badly by Covid-19. If a therapist is making around £40-£50 per hour, then over a normal working week this equates to approximately £1500 -£1900 in lost revenue. This is not accounting the losses attributed from any retail sales associated with treatment.

So, we are working to produce guidelines that ensure a safe return to work for our members and indeed the beauty industry. Whilst doing this we must make certain that any guidelines are going to maximise client and therapist safety during these exceptional times and reassure clients that all possible measures have been adopted to ensure their safety”.

The policies and procedures document aims to help therapists now with the planning process to help them re-open efficiently when the time comes, whilst ensuring the safety of their clients remains of paramount importance. And an important message that BABTAC want to stress is that people do not stockpile now, when the NHS should be prioritised!

Topics covered in the guide include things like:

• Hygiene, cleaning and disinfection guidelines for spaces, staff and clients, tools and supplies

• Strategic planning and risk assessment

• Adapting protocols to ensure client and staff safety

• Appropriate communication with staff and clients

• Staff and client illness protocols

• Salon admin and space set up

For all customers, therapists and anyone concerned about salon safety, the guidelines will be available via the BABTAC COVID19 Support Hub on their website https://www.babtac.com/258-covid19-support (along with all our other tools, tips and resources relevant to this crisis) and will also be sent out to all BABTAC members too.

As well as this document, recognising that there was a bigger job to do in these extraordinary circumstances, BABTAC have been working constantly to provide the best advice to not just their own 10,000 plus members, but the beauty industry as a whole. Including their soon to launch ‘BABTAC Beauty Broadcasts’, a series of bitesize IGTV tutorials by experts such as Alison Young in how to upskill during this time.

Lesley Blair and Mille Kendall are available for comment.

Note to editors

About British Beauty CouncilThe British Beauty Council was founded to represent the voices, opinions and needs of the British beauty industry – from hairdressing to cosmetics, cosmetic surgery, therapy and spa; in education and training; and from formulation to manufacture, supply, logistics packaging, design, retail and media.

We are a not-for-profit, inclusive organisation that works to engage politicians and business leaders about the value of British beauty to the national economy, and its key role in the UK’s creative and cultural character.

Our ambition is to ensure that the beauty industry is recognised and valued at all levels of government, throughout the wider economy and by consumers.

About BABTAC

The British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology (BABTAC) is the UK’s leading membership organisation and insurance provider for professionals working in the beauty, holistic and sports therapy industries. With over 10,000 members, the not-for-profit company has been running for over 40 years, working to raise industry standards, lobbying for change and reporting on trends and issues. Aiming to better educate those working in and outside of the industry, helping to preserve the integrity of the beauty world that the BABTAC team feels so passionate about.

ENDS