Ban on beauty sector sparks fears for unsafe backyard treatments
SCOTLAND’S beauty sector has been ‘forgotten’ as spas, salons and nail bars have still not been given a reopening date.
The delay has sparked fears in the industry of uninsured ‘backyard’ treatments.
Hairdressers and barbers will be allowed to resume business from July 15 – with many already saying they are fully booked.
However, beauty salons, spas and nail bars have not been given an indicative date, unlike many other sectors in Scotland.
Salon bosses have raised fears this could see therapists working in a ‘backyard’ trade carrying out treatments in client’s homes – with no insurance in the event of an emergency.
They have also claimed it is unfair to open up the travel industry, which would allow people to jet off to holiday destinations – such as Spain – where they could easily have beauty treatments.
Michael Lumsden, director of PURE Spa, has 14 salons across the UK and 150 members of staff – all currently on furlough.
He had been expecting to open at the weekend in England and next week in Scotland, with customers filling up appointments.
However, both Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon have failed to give the beauty sector the green light – despite allowing hairdressers to reopen. Mr Lumsden has warned this puts the viability of his business at risk, with the furlough scheme due to be rolled back.
PURE Spa chief executive Becky Woodhouse was part of the UK Government’s working group on reopening the beauty industry – and insists that the whole sector was initially due to open up
‘Livelihoods at risk’
together. But she says both UK and Scottish Governments have decided to postpone salons, spas and nail bars with no explanation.
Mr Lumsden warned that this will lead to a ‘backyard industry’, with beauticians and therapists working for family, friends and clients in their homes. Miss Woodhouse said: ‘In our industry, a lot of people are self-employed or they rent a chair. This is their livelihoods at risk, with the reduction of self-employed help and furlough.
‘They aren’t insured to do treatments just now. If they do a treatment and it goes wrong, they wouldn’t be insured and neither would their client.’
In England, people can book a summer holiday to more than 60 destinations from Friday, following the introduction of air bridges, which means they will not have to self-quarantine on their return.
Miss Sturgeon is due to make an announcement on Tuesday after saying it is ‘very likely’ Scots will also be able to holiday abroad this summer.
Mr Lumsden says he does not know why people can travel but cannot attend a spa or salon – which they can do on holiday.
He added: ‘You can go to Spain and Italy on your holiday and get all your beauty treatments done there. It doesn’t seem fair.’
The summer period is usually one of the busiest for salons, with people booking in for waxing, tanning and to get their nails done before jetting off on holiday.
Last week Miss Sturgeon said she had ‘huge sympathy’ for businesses not yet able to open. But, she said that beauty salons have an additional risk due to the ‘face to face contact’.
She added: ‘We want to get every business trading, and trading viably as quickly as possible,but I hope people appreciate we have to take care.’