Timing

[PaigeRosexxx]

Hello so I’m an apprentice in a salon and have been doing it on and off for a couple of years as I’ve had my little girl and because of Covid. Anyway, I’m settled now, and I’ve been here since September. I’m doing level 2 beauty therapy.
I love doing nails, eyebrows and spray tans! My boss is letting me do this on clients.
However, my timing is ridiculous if I do say so myself. Sometimes I could get gel nails done in 30 mins and sometimes it takes me an hour. I try and be fast but sometimes I feel like I’m rushing so take it slower. I had a pedicure in the other day and she had a lot of dry skin and it took a while to get rid of most of it. It took a lot of my time up.
I’m just looking for tips on how to be faster really. My boss said think about what you could be doing in spare time which is a good idea. Let them choose the colour whilst you are doing the treatment etc.
Thank you

 

[user 95727]

You will naturally speed up the more clients you do. It's defo a downside to working under someone elses time limits.
With regards to pedicures specifically, try to keep in mind that you may not be able to get rid of every bit of hard skin in one treatment, and ensure the client is aware of this also.
It also helped for me when I broke each part of the service down. For example, with the pedi, think of how long you are given to do the treatment, then each part of the pedi eg soak, hard skin removal, exfoliate, massage, cuticle/nail prep, paint. Hard skin removal is easy to just keep going and going, especially if they have alot of hard skin, so give yourself a time limit like I will spend x mins on each foot while doing the hard skin, and try and get as much done in that time, then move on. Don't necessarily rush, and don't show the client that you're rushing as you still want them to have a nice relaxing experience.
I always get straight into the service. Talk about colours and whatever else while you are doing it. If you aren't great at talking while working, again, you will get better at this with time and more clients. xX

 

[TheDuchess]

Analyse every part of your service to see where you can make time efficiencies without making the client feel rushed. I clearly remember my early pedi days where I felt rushed, didn’t do a good job and it felt like the client was getting an exercise class as I switched feet constantly. Now it’s a relaxing experience with just a couple of feet swops and I’m often surprised at how quick I’ve been - whilst still being really thorough.

Tip one. Let the products do the work. Get their feet in to soak ASAP. foot one, polish off, cut nails, file nails smooth, back into the water. Foot two, apply cuticle softener as soon as the nail polish is off so it’s got maximum time to soak in and pop whatever you use on hard skin build ups at the same time. you can use a bit of cling film or a cut up plastic bag to cover any hard skin so that the product doesn’t immediately wipe off. Have a clock in sight and give yourself a time limit to finish the nails. Swop feet (removing plastic - save for the other foot.)

Tip Two, don’t swop between feet too often. You waste time. Before you put the foot down, think and check whether you can do any more. If there’s not much hard skin you may be able to foot file and scrub the second foot without a second soak and then return to the first foot to finish off. When you’ve finished massaging the foot, keep it and apply your base coat before swopping feet. When I do gels I just work on one foot all the way through, I find it easier to keep the foot perfectly positioned for the 5 minutes it takes me to paint and cure and then swop feet. I hold the lamp over the foot rather than try and get their foot into my lamp. I use my little finger touching the client’s foot to get the distance correct.

Tip three, manage your client. I very often ask my client whether they’ve thought about colour as soon as their feet are in the water and before I sit down. Maybe they’re wearing a colour and want something similar, or maybe they want a change. If they say “red”, “coral” or whatever, I ask for more detail, Bright?. Soft? Deep? Etc and then fetch a selection (max 5). If they’re not wearing any polish on their fingers I might dab a few nails and ask for their thoughts. Very often the choice is made there and then, from my suggestion of a couple of colours and the personal touch of “trying on”. If they are a bit undecided I might bring over 2 colours for them to consider as I work. If they are wearing polish on their fingers I try on the polish on their toes as soon as I’ve removed the polish on the first foot.

I always note their actual choice and their “maybe next time” choice. Very rarely do I let my client flip through 120 colours without any guidance or input from me - it’s overwhelming and not very enjoyable. I check in with them during the service if they want to browse colours and we discuss options as I work. I make sure they don’t feel bossed around. After I paint one toenail I ask if they are happy with their colour choice. After I’ve painted one foot I say how great the colour is on them and invite them to admire their choice.

The first step to improving is to reflect on your experience and ask yourself how what you have learnt. By asking here you’ve really committed to your development, well done , keep us posted about your progress.