Spa and Salon Reopening Protocol Post COVID-19

In response to the current health crisis, there are recommended changes to existing day to day protocols which must be updated for safety.  These recommendations are changing rapidly, so it is advised that in addition to implementing these practices, the business owner:

– Always follow the local, state and national regulations and guidelines applicable to your spa or business.  These are currently being updated for COVID-19.

– See the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) websites for additional information.

– Go to OSHA through the United States Department of Labor for latest guidelines and documents on occupational safety during COVID-19.

– Establish and post new safety rules on walls and on website

– You should charge 20% more for the service to provide all the additional sanitation and PPE such as disposable gowns, face masks, etc.

– All rules need to be posted in the waiting area for viewing. These will explain new rules on temperature, signs of illness, PPE and Hand Washing, Sanitation and Disinfection of the Facilities..

– Trained staff member will invite the customer to read them.

 

The esthetician should now be required to use:

– Face masks

– Face shield when working close up like for lash application, waxing and extractions

– Hair nets

– Spa shoes, sanitize outside shoes and leave in drawer string bag.

– Uniforms, lab coats and aprons need to be washed daily clean.

– Proper protocol for sanitation and disinfection of the work station needs to be installed in the treatment rooms and performed after each client.

– Employees should arrive at the salon/shop showered and wearing clean clothing and change clothes before leaving the salon/shop each day.

 

Screening Questions

Screen clients, employees and representatives that need to enter your place of business,

They must answer no to all the following questions each time they enter your place of business, and sign an affirmation that all information is true, either on web or paper:

 

– Not present a fever over 98.6 F/ 37 C.  Forehead thermometer used at doorway by trained staff personal to document.

 

– Not presenting cold, cough, difficulty breathing muscle pain or headache in past 14 days.

 

– Not in contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19, sick and quarantined, in the past 14 days.

 

– Not in contact with anyone with these symptoms in the past 14 days.

 

Employees and clients are expected to:

 

• Always follow the local, state and national regulations and guidelines applicable to your spa, including those related to occupancy levels, social distancing and other measures intended to reduce the spread of viruses.
• Stay home if you are sick or are exhibiting symptoms of illness such as a fever or persistent cough.
• Refrain from shaking hands or other touching rituals.
• Wash hands for 60 seconds with soap and warm water prior to treatment, and verbally notify guest that hands have been washed; if washing hands is especially impractical, use hand sanitizer.
• Encourage guests to wash hands prior to treatment; if washing hands is impractical or guest would prefer, provide hand sanitizer, such as Repêchage®, Alcohol Antiseptic 80% Topical Solution Hand Sanitizer Non-Sterile Solution or Isopropyl Alcohol Antiseptic 75% Topical Solution Hand Sanitizer Non-Sterile Solution to sanitize the client’s hands. Feet can be sprayed as well.

 

Reception Area

– Clients are seen by appointment only, booked online with questionnaire and affirmation of having read and understand new rules.

– Schedule each appointment an additional 15 minutes apart to sterilize room.

– Schedule so that there aren’t more than two people in waiting area at one time.

– No guests of clients should be allowed.

– Remove of decorations and activities including tables, pillows, magazines,

reading materials, children’s coloring books and crayons, toys.

– Leave only two chairs.  If it’s not possible to remove seating areas, affix with tape until permanent removal is possible.

– Place of chairs at over 6 feet distance.

 

In order to ensure compliance with this Protocol, the customer will be welcomed by a

employee trained in applying the center’s entry and exit rules, equipped with PPE.

– This staff member will take the temperature of each client at the entrance using a forehead thermometer and provide the client with disposable booties to place over their shoes.

– Coats and bags will be placed in plastic bag and sealed by the clients to be stored by staff in coat room.

– This representative is responsible for disinfecting every handle and seats and every surface of the waiting room with which the customer came into contact, as well as making sure the customers do not touch anything in the center during their stay including door handles, surfaces, objects, etc.

 

 

Hand Washing

Both clients and employees are required to wash hands after each encounter.

– Proper hand washing should take at least 60 seconds.

– Use soap and wash your hands thoroughly.

– Wash all the way to your elbows, and pay to attention to washing in between your fingers and under your fingernails.

– Rinse your hands thoroughly with water and then dry your hands with paper towel.

– Make sure your hands are very dry, otherwise you will have a difficult time putting on gloves.

 

Putting On and Removing Gloves:

– Put on gloves in proper fashion and discard properly when finished with treatment.  Use tips of gloved hand to lift edge of the glove on opposite hand, turning the glove inside out as it is removed.  Hold removed glove in a ball in opposite hand. Take bare fingertip and lift under remaining glove, turning the glove inside out over the balled glove, never touching the outside of the glove.  Both gloves are now balled together inside out and can be thrown out.  Wash hands thoroughly before reapplying fresh gloves.

– Proceed with the facial, and discard gloves once the facial is finished.

– Repeat these steps before seeing your next client.

 

Setting Up the Dressing Area

– If possible, it is more efficient to have the client change in a separate room than the treatment room, so that the room can be disinfected in between clients.

– Instruct client on how to remove clothing and place in plastic bag.

– If possible, have disposable robe or spa wrap available. If not, have a clean robe or spa wrap wrapped in plastic on chair.  Use gloves and face mask when putting dirty robes in hamper.

– Remember to explain to the client how to put their personal belongings, including jewelry and purse, in plastic bag.

 

Cleaning and Disinfecting Before and After Every Service

 

– Disinfectants are products that destroy most bacteria (not including spores), fungi, and viruses on surfaces.

 

– A disinfectant used in the shop must carry an EPA registration number, and the label should clearly state the specific organisms the solution is effective against when used according to the manufacturer’s product instructions.

 

– All concentrated disinfectants must be diluted exactly as instructed by the manufacturer on the product label.

 

– Safety glasses and gloves should be worn while mixing to avoid accidental contact with eyes and skin.

 

– Use disinfectants only on clean, hard, nonporous surfaces.

 

– An item must remain submerged in the disinfectant for 10 minutes unless the product manufacturer states otherwise.

 

– Change the disinfectant according to the instructions on the label. If the liquid is not

changed as instructed, it will no longer be effective and may begin to promote the growth

of microbes.

 

– Keep the SDS on hand for the disinfectant(s) you use.

 

– Keep disinfectants out of reach of children.

 

 

Cleaning and Disinfecting Implements

• State rules require that all multi-use tools and implements be cleaned and disinfected before every service. Mix all disinfectants according to the manufacturer’s directions, always adding the disinfectant to the water, not the water to the disinfectant.

 

• Follow the item’s manufacturer directions for cleaning and disinfecting the device

 

• Before beginning a service, all work surfaces must be cleaned and disinfected, in most states.

 

• Wear gloves for all decontamination procedures to prevent contamination and protect hands from the strong chemicals. Wash hands after completing decontamination procedures.
• Wash and disinfect all brushes, tweezers, and other nondisposables.
• Wash implements thoroughly with antibacterial soap and dry them off first before placing in the disinfectant. This process is important to maintain the wet disinfectant strength and keep it from becoming dirty or diluted.
• Be sure all implements remain in the disinfectant for the appropriate amount of time according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not leave implements in longer than the recommended time—doing so will ruin certain items that will break down and have to be replaced more often.
• Once disinfected, reusable implements need to be sanitized in an autoclave. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires that autoclaves be tested weekly to ensure they are properly sterilizing implements. The accepted method is a spore test. Sealed packages containing test organisms are subjected to a typical sterilization cycle and then sent to a contract laboratory that specializes in autoclave performance testing.
• Remove, rinse, dry, and put them away.
• Store clean items in a covered container in a drawer or cupboard when not in use.
• Clean and disinfect bowls and other multi-use items. Dry and store properly.
• Change the disinfectant to comply with manufacturer’s directions and infection control regulations. If required, record on a dated log when the disinfectant is changed.

 

Laundry:

If possible, use disposable linens and towels.  If precluded financially, follow strict guidelines for doing laundry:

– To avoid cross-contamination, roll the used side of linens and sheets inward so the dirty side is inside the laundry bundle. For additional cleanliness, do not let the linens or other items touch your clothing before or after use. If being laundered, use gloves and face mask if well ventilated laundry room

– Be sure that towels, linens, and capes are thoroughly dried. Items that are not dry may grow mildew and bacteria.

– Store soiled linens and towels in covered or closed containers, away from clean linens and towels, even if your state regulatory agency does not require that you do so.

– Whenever possible, use disposable towels, especially in restrooms.

Disinfecting Equipment and the Treatment Room

Disinfecting the equipment and facial room involves the following procedures:

• Properly dispose of used supplies.
• Clean the wax machine.
• Disinfect the steamer and mag lamp.
• Disinfect the bottom tray and the inside of the towel warmer after removing all used items.
• Disinfect any other equipment used, and turn it off.
• Clean all containers, and wipe off dirty product containers with a disinfectant.
• Clean all counters, sinks, surfaces, and floor mats with disinfectant.

Single-Use Items

Appropriate handling of single-use items involves the following:

• Soiled items such as gloves and extraction supplies must be placed in a sealable plastic bag and then in a covered waste container or biohazard container.
• While in use, single-use items must be placed on surfaces that can be disinfected or disposed of, such as a paper towel.
• Keep the clean supplies separate from the used ones. Take out only what is needed for each service.
• Disposable extraction lancets and needles go in a biohazard/sharps container. (Check OSHA and state rules for proper handling.)

End-of-the-Day Checklist

At the end of the day, be sure to follow these procedures:

• Clean room as noted above and prepare room for next day
• Turn off all equipment.
• Leave the towel-warmer door open to dry, and empty the tray underneath before cleaning and disinfecting it.
• Clean anything that has not been cleaned after the last service including the bed, sink, counters, and doorknobs.
• Refill all containers, supplies.
• Check floors; sweep or mop as required. Check for wax spills.
• Empty waste containers. Replace with clean trash liners.
• Remove personal items from the area.

Proper Removal of PPE

When PPE is removed, a very precise procedure must be followed:

– Uniform or apron and put in closable laundry container

– Face shield if used, which must be cleaned and stored properly

– Mask is removed and placed in special bag for storage and discarded in designated container.  It is forbidden for masks to be stored in uniform pockets, desks or rooms.

– Remove gloves properly (see above).

It is recommended that the esthetician removes clothes and takes a shower immediately upon returning home before greeting or coming in contact with anyone else.

Download our FREE PDF: REOPENING SAFETY PROTOCOLS