Children in salons??

[Chameleon]

I have a question to ask on policies on having children in salons while doing tretments on the mother or father!!!

I ask this as i had a lady walk in to the salon to day and wanted an eye brow wax,however she had her 2 boys aged around 4 and 6.

I told her that my policy was not to have children in the salon.However she assured me that they would behave.....

So what do i do i let her into the treatment room and proceed to consult and and then do the treatment.

Her sons just ran around the room,trying to get thier hands on everything,my wax machine,galvanic,stereo,hot cabbi...at one point her youngest son was getting up on the couch while i was waxing her eye brows

By this time....well i was ....well i could just have said alot of profound colourful language,but i kept my cool and firmly told her boys to"behave"...

To my astonishment she told me not to talk to her boys that way

I proceeded to give her my price list and pointed out that there was in writing for clients to arrange a babysitter before coming to the salon.This is a professional establishment and not a creche!!

She paid her treatment and left the salon,while i "tidyed up" the treatment room...
My husband just kept out of my way for 10 mins while i had a cup of strong black coffee!!:!::lol:

So what do you do in situations like this do you have policies like i do and NOT to permit children of a certain age in the salon??

i dont mean in doing treatments on children,thats something i wouldnt entertain personally,only children over a certain age of 14.

Any info would help

 

[bombini]

I have had this before but luckily most children are really well behaved - even some that you think are going to rip the place apart.

One that sticks in my mind is a lady that was having her eyelashes tinted and her young daughter asked me about a million questions which nearly drove me round the bend and constantly touched things - ie wax heater which was very hot !! :irked::irked:

I usually let them come in the treatment room but if there are any problems I let the client know I won't be able to do the treatment again if children are present !

 

[honeymummy]

I cant stand free range badly behaved kids in the salon and treatment room!
it is dangerous as well as annoying, plus other clients want to relax

i was doing a facial once and the daughter was climbing on the couch and was laying on her mum in then end.

the mum said ' do many clients bring their childern in the salon?'
i said ' no, they leave them at home!'

there is a salon near me that has a sign on the door ' please do not bring babies and children into the salon '
tho and onother larger salon has a little play area which is a good idea, if the children stay put

 

[Carolep]

I am glad I am not the only one with this problem! It happend to me a few days ago, a new client came for a set of tips and decied to bring her 8 year old daughter along. she was a nice child but she got bored to she stared scrathing through my trolley draws, spilling her tea, knocked my open gel jar on the floor, played with my nail trainer and ran through the house! The mother made out like she didnt see what was going on! what do we do about this as if you are diplomatic about the situation the mother give attitidude

 

[looby lou]

I have recently introduced a 'no children policy' to my salon. For the 18 months we have been open I have allowed children and basically people have took advantage!

It got to the stage where when certain clients were due in I would get really uptight, then when they arrived and proceeded to let thier kids run riot, i would be on pins, then came the palpitations and the desire to throttle both the kids and parents!!

Joking aside, other clients and staff were complaining and I wasn't prepared to risk losing several loyal clients for the sake of the odd few. Other clients get thier kids looked after so they can be pampered so why should they put up with someone elses??!

 

[michelle g]

I understand totally where you are coming from, had a few in the salon myself.
i don't understand going for a relaxing tratment and having the kids running
around. i certainly wouldn't take my two it would be more of a nightmare then
a pleasure! If clients ask if it is o.k to bring thier children i normally say i would
prefer you didn't because they do get bored and the salon is not an ideal place to have
children running around when people are paying to relax.

 

[rouge]

I have only one client who brings her daughter with her, but I've known her for a few years and know I can trust the child to sit and behave. She usually brings something to do.
The salon I used to work in, if anyone brought children in, we would give them some colouring pencils and some paper to keep them occupied. But most clients knew that bringing their children was a last resort if they couldn't get anyone to mind them. And they were only allowed into the treatment room if they didn't touch anything - this was made clear to the parent before the appointment started, so they knew the rules and we didn't have to do the telling off! Otherwise they would have to rebook at a time when they could come without the children.

 

[1999judy]

Most of the time I don't mind people having their kids with them and tbh it's a bit cheeky me being mobile telling them different. I can't work with children climbing allover their mothers though it's totally impossible.
When I have worked in a salon I had a table and chair for kids with colouring books, crayons and a few toys....seemed to do the trick.

 

[estherlou]

What a nightmare, the only time i'm happy with kids in the salon is if its a friend who i know with a well behaved little one, it hardley ever happens but for the odd quick treatment i don't mind, i get them to sit in my pedicure chair and give them a sweet. i personally would never take my kids to a salon, especially for a facial, thats just madness! xxx

 

[Noodle]

Our very own Becki posted this thread, which you may find interesting:

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/40800-no-kids-allowed.html

 

[eager beaver]

This is a flip sided srguement, as a) they are the paying clients, and if they dont have any childcare/family but are desperate for a leg wax do you turn them away (despite the fact that salons are not safe for kiddies)
B) the client who has saved up for a treatment, but has to put up with hearing kids in the next treatment room/mother/therapist sounding harrassed!
I have children, so can see why some people bring them, but personally i wouldnt take them in unless i knew 120% they would sit good as gold and not utter a word (never gonna happen with me!). in teh last salon i worked, a little girl started playing with the remote for the couch (thankfully i was not the therapist), and manged to break it (it went as low as it could, and wouldnt go back up again). Thankfully it was under warranty still, but it took three days to get someone out so the salon was one bed down (so in comes the therapists own portable couch- very luxurious!)

 

[cosmicbabe]

I have only one client who brings her daughter with her, but I've known her for a few years and know I can trust the child to sit and behave. She usually brings something to do.
The salon I used to work in, if anyone brought children in, we would give them some colouring pencils and some paper to keep them occupied. But most clients knew that bringing their children was a last resort if they couldn't get anyone to mind them. And they were only allowed into the treatment room if they didn't touch anything - this was made clear to the parent before the appointment started, so they knew the rules and we didn't have to do the telling off! Otherwise they would have to rebook at a time when they could come without the children.

I agree totally with you

 

[Sals]

It is a problem if you're mobile. It once took me 3 hours to do a rebalance because the client's 20 month old kicked up such a ruckus. He even had a tantrum sitting on her lap! I wouldn't have minded so much but her husband was there and didn't do a thing. And I didn't charge accordingly for my time. Lesson learned.

 

[JDs]

I have it posted in the main lobby of the salon that children for their own safety must stay in the lobby and underneath that I have " We have the Right to Refuse Service to Anyone.."

If the children act up, I quietly go directly to them and in a soft but stern voice, ask them to go in to the lobby sit down and find something to do. I haven't ever had the parent say anything to me. I figure that if the parent won't take control..I will. Buggar them if they don't like it.
To me it is strictly a safety issue.

 

[ruthsy]

I would say no children except for breastfeeding mothers with infants - I know from my own experience how difficult it can be to even get your hair done.

 

[deehair]

:cry::cry: dont worry about it she should be lucky they didnt really hurt them selves, you put the policy in place for a reason.:hug: so if it happens again just stick to it if they ask for it to be bent say no due to health and safety act:Grope: i personally wont carry out treatments till children reach 15 for colour 12 for cuts ect the most il do is hair up
so dont stress ova it if your in salon put a note in window/reception area then they cant argue. keep your chin up deehair :smack:

 

[Ophala]

I'm still fairly new to the business but I had a client come in for a pedicure a few weeks ago with a very young baby, the baby slept during the manicure bt woke up as i started her pedicure and even though i offered to get the baby out it's pram the mother got up and walked with a wet foot across the salon to get the baby and then fed it (bottle) while i continued with the pedicure.

I was pretty understanding as it was a newborn baby and all but the client had her foot in a very awkward position coz of the baby on her knee and i got back ache trying to sit at a funny angle!!

And the worst thing was the husband came in during the treatment (he'd been sent home from work with a cold) to tell the wife he was going shopping.....why couldn't he have taken the baby for the hour!?!?

 

[littlegrohl]

I tell my clients that -if they bring children with them i can not garantee that they will be happy with the finished product.. I like to give you (the client) 100% of my attention and when children are present i have to give 50% to them, making sure they are safe in my environment. I tell them that i am happy to try and work around a time that is good for them, and if this is a problem and they need to bring the kids i have no problem if they bring a DVD so the kids can watch that.((working from home i find a number of my clients have kids that they just have to bring and a couple of the older ones are happy to sit and watch TV)) In the end though.. if they want my complete attention on the service i provide, kids are not reccomended and certainly at NO time are they allowed in my salon room.

 

[tinkywinky]

Personally I wouldn't go near a salon with my children. a) it's not fair on them b) its not fair on me as a client - where would the ME time be? and c) not fair on you as a therapist.

I do go to mums who have kids at home when I am doing treatments and am cool about that. Only cos I know how hard it is to get childcare and the cost of it too.

 

[StangGal]

"Unruly children will not be tolerated --- in fact they will be sent home with sticky candy and a new puppy!"