Can I offer laser/ IPL from home?

[Saya]

My venture to set up a salon is becoming more challenging by the day, now with disagreements with the premises lease, and now I already have bookings for laser hair removal before I have even started training.

It looks like my biggest money maker is the service that I'm getting trained on - Laser/ IPL.

So I'm now considering perhaps just offering this for now, and from home.

With the Salon, I know that I had to get the place registered with the Healthcare Commission etc, but I couldn't find an answer to my query on their website..
Does anyone know if the same rules apply if I was to operate from my flat? and would I be allowed to operate as a mobile practisioner?

 

[Blue Rose]

Sorry you're having problems sorting out the lease, but in reply to your question, YES you do still need to be registered with the Healthcare Commission. If you aren't registered whilst doing treatments you are operating outside of the law.

You mention you have clients already lined up for treatment. Have you started the ball rolling though with getting registered as this can take an awfully long time?

The company you are getting your IPL machine off should be able to assist you with the whole process, but don't forget to factor in the price of registering (used to be about £1500 per year ) plus the cost & time taken for your CRB check.

If you're operating from a flat, I'm not sure whether they'd allow that - depends on disabled access etc.

One thing for certain though is that you WON'T be able to offer IPL as a mobile service as all premises where treatment is performed need to comply with HC regulations.

There are some machines that advertise they can be available for mobile therapists. Don't touch these with a bargepole as a) they don't work & b) you can't do mobile work with any piece of equipment that purports to offer IPL/Laser/LHE hair removal.

Hope the above is of some help.

 

[weezie]

Don't forget they were interested in IPL when they thought you would be in a salon. They may not be so happy to go to your home.

The other thing with this treatment is that after people have had their course if it is effective and this is all you offer they will not be repeat business. Lets say you have 30 people who say they will have it. (I assume they are friends and family? as you have no salon) they will all have their course of say 6 treatments then you will need to be advertising to make sure you have the next 30 people lined up and ready to go. If this is all you offer I am sure it will be a struggle to keep interest up at this level. This is where salons have the advantage as they have the footfall and can recommend clients who have come for other treatments to have it.

Also have you taken deposits from these people as what people say they will have and then actually do have is very different but with a deposit you can be sure they will come to you.

Not to put you off but it doesn't make sense to me just to offer IPL and I am sure many salon owners will argue with you that in the long term this is not necessarily where the money is. It may be a short term gain and a long term loss.

Many of us are making good money in the Beauty and Nails industry without IPL but instead we have training and passion and a range of technical skills.

I'm saying this to help you but I'm sure you will consider this yourself x

 

[Saya]

Thanks Cogsie and Weezie, for your valuable advice..
I think I spoke to someone in HC about the mobile option and they basically confirmed to me that as there are no premises, mobile IPLs are not regulated (exempt)?
However my suppliers think otherwise, so the question would be, how am I regulated and what do I need to do to make sure I am complying whilst mobile? The suppliers have confirmed that it possible to be a mobile IPL therapist.
And I certainly agree that the salon and the HC registration was a big attraction and the salon itself would encourage a rolling intake beyond my intial bunch of friends.
My suppliers will confirm the mobile option for me, so that I can start as soon as possible, until I have hopefully secured the premises.

 

[Blue Rose]

Hello Saya,

As I understand it, if you were to use a mobile IPL unit you would not be registered with the HC, therefore you would not be working within the law and you would not be covered by your insurance.

I used to offer IPL treatments myself but the costs involved & the amount of paperwork involved got too prohibitive for me. I did ask my HC assesor about mobile LHE/IPL units and I was told that these are catergorised the same as IPL machines so of course the registering etc would still be applicable. If you're not registered, you're not regulated.

I can't see how your potential suppliers can say it's ok to work mobile when you are not registered. I would be inclined to ask other suppliers their thoughts. Try Lynton Lasers at Lynton - experts in aesthetic technology as they were who I used, & are experts in their field. They are also the manufacturers of all laser & IPL units & really know their stuff.

Beware of buying something from a sales company. If anything was to go wrong with your machine, what would happen about replacement, repairs etc. How would the machine get serviced (another annual HC requirement).

Lots more to think about

 

[Saya]

Cogsi,

Lynton are actually my suppliers!
But they have since corrected themselves, for the record, even if you do go mobile, one would still need to register a main premises as well as whereever you carry out treatments as subsequent locations, even if it's the clients homes.
So back to square one, lol, I've started the registration ball rolling and the lease battle continues..x