“Is it safe? Is it safe?”
Well, is your salon clean? Is it CLEAN?
Older movie aficionados may appreciate this lead-in taken from the 1976 movie classic, “Marathon Man” starring Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider and Sir Laurence Olivier.
As salon operators are still working to keep the pandemic of 2020 in the rear-view, the annual cold & flu season is upon us. Oh, boy. We all know what to do now, right? Hyper-vigilance should have become the norm when it comes to salon sanitation.
Well, the pandemic inspired many tanning professionals to do the really deep dive and clean up their facilities – top-to-bottom, full-out attack on germs in the entire salon. They established strong roles and cleaning routines for every salon team member. The cold & flu season is a good time to consider adding hand sanitizer for guest use and maybe even offering a disposable mask to those who want to wear one. You may have customers and prospective customers who are “mask-up” kind of folks. Take care of them!
Those of you who have taken Sun is Life® Training and Certification are certainly aware of the program’s module dedicated to salon cleaning and sanitization. If you have not yet received this education, read on!
As it has always been, offering a facility that’s “Sun is Life Clean” is key to helping your guests stay healthy!
Look, in order to enjoy their indoor tanning session, people come to your salon and remove their clothes. That tanning room had better be clean! Of course, using proper cleaning solution on the top and bottom sunbed acrylics is the first order of business. Make sure you are using only one towel and one side of that towel per acrylic. Leave the solution on the surface for several minutes and then wipe it completely dry. Solution residue left on the bottom acrylic may induce a photosensitizing response with some tanners. So, wipe until it’s dry. Bottom line: A guest should never be responsible for cleaning the tanning bed prior to using it.
Next, every (and I mean every) tanning room surface that a guest may touch must be sanitized. Door knobs, equipment handles and buttons, chairs, mirrors and more must be wiped with sanitizer after each session.
Moving on to the restroom – this is no place for a once-over. Clean and sanitize all surfaces that a customer may touch. Next, what message does your reception area convey? It reflects your salon’s image to the masses; current as well as prospective customers. It had better be spotless: no fingerprints on glass surfaces, no “dust bunnies” under chairs or tables.
Okay, you’re on a roll! Let’s address another prospective germ-spreader: eyewear. If you sell reusable eye protection (goggles), make sure they’re sanitized before each use. That’s right, even your guest’s personal pair of goggles. They must understand that a risk of getting conjunctivitis (pink eye) and other infections is prevalent and the owner/user of the eyewear can be re-infected. Keep an alcohol dispenser and cotton pads handy for your guests to use on their goggles each time they come in for a session.
Dealing with the pandemic caused most salon operators to forever change their business practices. As it has always been, offering a facility that’s “Sun is Life Clean” is key to helping your guests stay healthy!
