With salon suites closing temporarily across the country alongside traditional salons due to the outbreak of COVID-19, independent owners of the salon suites are doing everything they can to come out positively when the time comes to reopen. It’s well known that great, long-term relationships are formed between stylists and their clients, often becoming like family. Like family, your stylists are striving to keep in touch. From reaching out to their clients on social media, email, phone, and text, to developing creative strategies for maintaining cash flow, these entrepreneurial spirits are working harder than ever, and you can help them succeed.

At Salons by JC, we, as well as our over 3,000 independent salon suite owners, ask that you keep the following in mind when it comes to your favorite salon suite owners.

Not all locations are closed

While the large majority of salons and salon suites have been temporarily closed to limit the spread of coronavirus, there are still many areas of the country where operations are continuing as normal, or as normal as possible. These locations are still accepting appointments and scheduling new appointments as well. We encourage you to reach out to individual salon suite owners or the Salons by JC location nearest you and find out if they are open if there are any changes to their typical hours, and when you can schedule an appointment.

If you have to cancel an appointment, reschedule for another time

This is a major one. If you know that your salon suite owner had to temporarily close, and you had an upcoming appointment, rather than simply canceling your appointment or assuming it’s been canceled, reach out to your stylist and schedule a tentative date change. With forecasts for COVID-19 related closures expecting to end anywhere from mid-April to early June, there is a wide timeframe that you could schedule one or more tentative appointments. This will not only allow you to have some much-needed self-care to look forward to but provide your stylist with much-needed support and an expectation of at least some normalcy and income.

When they reopen, remember the hygiene benefits of a salon suite

Salon suites have many benefits over the traditional salon, most of which, you have probably come to enjoy during the time you have had a relationship with your stylist. Some of these though probably went unnoticed in the past, but with the current crisis, are more important than ever. Salons are typically large, open room facilities and are often very crowded, sometimes with 10,20, or even more people in a single space. In comparison, salon suites are very often a private, 1 on 1, or possibly 2 or 3, individuals in a single room, including your stylist. This creates an inherently safer environment due to the lower number of possible viruses and germ-carrying individuals, the ability to clean the entire environment much more often and much quicker, and a distinct, individual relationship in which you know your clients and how they are feeling much more.

You can still get stylist support in the comfort of your own home

We know that it may have been weeks since your last stylist appointment. Your roots may be showing, your ends may be split, and your nails may be chipped, but we strongly encourage you, do not try this at home. Chances are your stylist has worked with you for months or years to help you develop a great personal style while maintaining healthy hair, nails, and more. Don’t ruin all this effort (and your hard-earned money) with cheap, off the shelf products which may cause serious damage, to your looks and your body, and when you return to your stylist, your wallet, because they’ll have to fix all that damage.
Instead, ask your stylist for tips! They may have products or kits you can take home or order during the time period between appointments. Additionally, many salon suite owners are providing virtual consultations, often at little or no cost to their clients, in which they can give you ways to keep your style in check as well as a roadmap for the future until you can get back into the suite.

Social media and reviews are a great form of support

Sometimes the greatest gift you can give is a kind word. Salon suite owners are no different. We encourage you to find your stylist on social media and give them a positive review. Let others know how great they are, the ways they helped you, and how excited you are to get back into their salon suite. Even more, they are probably very active on social media right now, so share their content, leave a kind comment, or maybe send them a direct message supporting them during this challenging time.

Gift cards are a great way to support your stylist until you can get an appointment

Do you want to support your stylist even though you can’t physically attend an appointment? Ask your stylist if they offer a gift card. Gift cards are a great way for you to provide your stylist with immediate income while also pampering yourself with some future self-care. It’s a win-win for everyone involved and it helps to ensure your salon suite owner will be around for a long time to come after the current crisis ends.

We truly hope you keep these tips, and your salon suite owners in mind, during this time. We know everyone has their own unique challenges to face but one of the greatest things you can do is reach out and help others. Your stylist will be extremely grateful. We’ll be extremely grateful.

From all of us at Salons by JC, stay safe and healthy, and we look forward to seeing you very soon!

Read more articles with tips for overcoming these challenging times in our other blog posts: 5 Ways Suite Owners Can Self-Promote During COVID-19, 5 Tips To Manage Your Business Online During Challenging Times, and Why Now Could Be A Good Time To Own Your Own Salon Suite.

Written by Nicholas Dunlap

Nicholas D. Dunlap
Director of Marketing