Nail Bars approved by Safe Salons

[tigi]

I just have reservations that the customer is more savvy these days and can often be more cynical than in the past. Will they think that because cash has changed hands, that the recommendation is not as clear as if not?

I am not asking safe salons not to make money, I am merely stating that I wonder if the client will think its a gimmick and steer clear?

I am sorry if anyone thought my comments are wrong, but i think that if money changes hands then the customer MAY think its just a gimmick. I want legislation, I have nothing to hide and I know its a dificult one, I wont be joining safe salons, not because I dont believe in what they are trying to do, but because I feel paying for it is not for me.

 

[Nco London Gina]

It's basically another form of advertising.

You pay to be 'recognised' as a 'safe salon' and get to be advertised on the website.

simple as that really

Every day we deal with consumers in the salon. The haven't got a clue that there are many brands of gel, acrylic.. etc
Normally they come into our salon saying that they don't want acrylic because it ruins your nails.

My salon doesn't actually offer acrylic (only gel), but obviously not for those reasons!! I tell them that it's not all acrylic that damages the nails... etc

We are a very busy salon and we are not panicking about these nss even though we are twice the price. We use good products, do great nails and offer a good service to our customers at a fair price.

The bottom line is that consumers often don't have a clue. It's up to us to educate them. This is what I think safe salons might be trying to do, but as of yet, consumers don't know who they are either!! Maybe that will change in the future??

Gina xx

 

[marketing-geek]

I hope that everyone agrees that the industry needs some regulation.

Too many salons are offering 'below standard' service in terms of their skills and practices and this gives the industry a bad name (think back to the bad press a couple of years ago in the Bristol area).

If we wait for the government to step in it will probably be after somebody has died as a result of contracting an infection, or after somebody has had the nails deformed through somebody using a 'home made' blend of chemicals. A bit like somebody has to die in a road traffic accident before traffic measures are put in place.

SafeSalons are working extremely hard to raise the standards in the industry which will benefit everyone involved who takes their profession seriously. Victoria Smith is a well known figure within the industry and knows what she's talking about. If the industry was regulated by a government person, do you think they would have the same level of experience???

Yes SafeSalons charge (and so do you!). But if you look at what you get out of being a SafeSalons approved salon you will see that it represents excellent value.

It may not be for everybody - nor is Marmite - but I take my hat off to Victoria and her team for taking the bull by the horns and doing something that is long over due!

 

[fairynice]

A very inflammatory comment....using words like extortionate and scam, and yet you say it is a good idea!!!
Just because you do not think it is for your business, does not mean that this is not the way forward for others.
How many threads on here have mentioned educating our clients about the dangers of NSS and MMA?....and now you are saying clients are too uneducated to check out a salon before they go.
Should we all give up and go home?



You say is/was associated with EzFlow as if this was a bad thing!!
The Managing Director of Safe Salons Victoria Smith was a Master Artist Educator with EzFlow, which means she knows her stuff, and has paid her dues within the Nail Industry IMHO.
I have had many dealings with Victoria, and have always been inspired by her passion and enthusiasm for the Nail Industry, and her innate professionalism.
I wish her and her team at Safe Salons every success.

If we wait on the Government, or Local Government to do something about regulating our Industry...we will be waiting a very long time....actually we HAVE been waiting a very, very long time already.

We bleat on and on, on here about raising standards and when someone actually does something about it, because they dare to make it a 'business' and charge for their services all of a sudden we are calling it a racket and a scam.

As far as I am aware Safe salons are working closely with a lot of leading brands in the UK and also Habia.

Therefore if someone was to come on here in the Consumer Forum, asking for a good nail tech in an area, I would be pointing them in the direction of Safe Salons.

Well said...

 

[lilly]

I think local councils should be responsile of regulating health and safety in salons in their area, after all anybody can very easily get window stickers and certs printed up to stick in salon windows to impress clients and lets face it Jo public would be none the wiser if they were legit or not.

 

[marketing-geek]

I think local councils should be responsile of regulating health and safety in salons in their area, after all anybody can very easily get window stickers and certs printed up to stick in salon windows to impress clients and lets face it Jo public would be none the wiser if they were legit or not.

The probelm with leaving it to local councils is that there would be different standards through out the country.

Yes, people can forge certificates and window stickers - but this is illegal and should they be found to be making claims that cannot be verified then they would deserve everything the courts would throw at them.

 

[Zingara]

Yes, people can forge certificates and window stickers - but this is illegal and should they be found to be making claims that cannot be verified then they would deserve everything the courts would throw at them.

Yes and No.

It's illegal to forge a copy of another organisations window sticker or certificate and claim its genuine, but to be fair, I could print up my own window sticker saying (for want of a better phrase...eg only, and not that I really would!)

"Approved by Lyndsay's School of Hygiene"

and I am! There's nothing illegal about that....and theoretically it could mean as much to some clients as Safe Salons does.....because they don't know one from the other. To the client....who has the better standards? They aren't to know!

I don't think there's anything wrong with Safe Salons, I just don't think they have established a position in the market in the eyes of the consumer (maybe they will in the future - who knows), that warrants me paying out their membership. I have better ways of getting a return on investment on my money right now.

 

[lilly]

The problem with leaving it to local councils is that there would be different standards through out the country.

Yes, people can forge certificates and window stickers - but this is illegal and should they be found to be making claims that cannot be verified then they would deserve everything the courts would throw at them.

I understand what your saying but any standards are better than none even if they are different from county to county ?

RE the certs, I think it would be very easy for a dishonest tech to make a cert or window sticker that is worded carefully that could make them sound like they are a hygienically clean salon even when they are not and this wouldn't be illegal would it ?

In a previous thread I said that if I could afford it I would buy into safe salons but after thinking again I'm not sure I would, If I was Jo public and didn't know any thing about what to look for in a salon and saw an ' official' looking cert/sticker saying that the salon was a hygienic and clean salon as opposed to a salon that had nowt in the window I know which one I would use, I think its too easy for dishonest salons to jump on the band wagon with this type of thing and then no one would know who is official or not, safe salons would be a waste of money then cos it'd only be us tech that would know the difference ?!

I know this is going off the safe salon thread but I still think things like this that are to do with health and safety should be non profit making ?

 

[1999judy]

In all honesty I don't think clents would have the faintest idea what it meant to be approved by anyone. And I don't think they care. If you're good and they're happy they return.... if you're not they don't and bad mouth you and you have no clients.
JMHO here...

 

[lilly]

I've just re written my last thread to make it more read able, but I totally agree with what you said !

 

[mizfearless]

It's not just approval and a quick metion on there website.
my rep has got my collegues training for free. plus I get discounts on product.

 

[lilly]

It's not just approval and a quick metion on there website.
my rep has got my collegues training for free. plus I get discounts on product.

Sorry I'm not with you, what do you mean ?

 

[fairynice]

Do you not think if I had the extra every month I wouldnt join of course I would !!!?
Maybe my buisness just about ticks over compaired to yours ?

so you are saying that the cost of say...2 packets of cigarettes a month is too much for you??? I have just opened my salon so I have a bit more time before I am doing more than ticking over....

 

[lilly]

No I don't have the money of 2 packets of cigarettes, to use to get a safe salon sticker, althought I dont exactly know how much a packet is, I know I am hygienically clean, I have done enough time at collage and teaching in health and safe to know that, I hope your salon does well.

 

[1999judy]

Let's not get personal geeks please.
Everyone has a choice and doesn't need to explain themselves on a personal level.:hug:

 

[1999judy]

It's not just approval and a quick metion on there website.
my rep has got my collegues training for free. plus I get discounts on product.

I'm not altogether sure on this but I'd check who is offering the free training and discounts and get the full details of what the offers are directly from them.

 

[1999judy]

I'm not altogether sure on this but I'd check who is offering the free training and discounts and get the full details of what the offers are directly from them.

Sorry I didn't explain why I changed my post.....but just check out who you are working with etc. and if free training/products at a reduced rate etc. xxx

 

[mum]

I heard today that Safe Salons has gone into liquidation




Ruby

That is a shame because it was started for the best reasons to help the industry. Trouble is, this type of thing has been tried a few times before and not as a business but as a voluntary situation and it didn't work then.

The industry as a whole has never really pulled together. Plus so many technicians get so defensive about their own practices and take general comments so personally (as can be seen on so many posts on here)

 

[Jolicatellas]

Shame if Safe Salons has gone into liquidation, I hate to see a business fail, especially one that had good intentions.

The thing is a Standards service should be free and salons that don't meet the criteria CLOSED DOWN, with a view to re-opening when/if they can prove they are safe! Standards should be country wide (with other countries embracing each others standards). As is the case with restaurants. Only when dodgy places are CLOSED will consumers start to question 'why'.

1999Judy said: If you're good and they're happy they return....
Sadly consumers keep returning to nail salons that have done dodgy or painful work which is why these places continue to thrive!!

Safe Salons sounds like it had the right idea & making a start towards better standards, while councils and government are doing very little, and I commend Safe Salons for this. However, we'd all fair better having a shut down/protest day on the steps of Parliament! Until someone has the power to shut down dodgy salons no-ones eyes will be open.

 

[the-male-geek]

I can confirm that rather sadly Safe Salons have indeed called in the Administrators.

It's a real shame as they had some fantastic people working with them, who all had the industry at heart and were working towards a common goal of improving standards in our business.

It's a tough marketplace to be operating in at the moment, and the old adage of "cash is king" has never been so true. Many a GOOD business is being shown no mercy by the banks at the moment, and the shopkeepers of the UK (small businesses) are suffering the consequences of the complete mess the banking system have got themselves into.