A beauty therapist has claimed the government’s decision not to open salons along with the rest of the hospitality industry is ‘disrespectful and lazy’.
This Saturday saw bars, restaurants and hairdressers re-open for the first time in three months with strict new safety measures, however beauty salons and nail bars have been told they’re still unable to welcome clients.
London-based facialist Teresa Tarmey, who has been forced to shut her salons in Knightsbridge, appeared on This Morning today along with beauty therapist Lindsay Nesbitt, from South Shields to discuss the decision.
Teresa told that beauty is a ‘massive part of the economy’ which has been ‘left behind’, while Lindsay said that clients’ ‘mental health and confidence’ could be affected by not being able to see their beautician.
London-based facialist Teresa Tarmey (pictured) has claimed on This Morning today the government’s decision not to open salons along with the rest of the hospitality industry is ‘disrespectful and lazy’
Beauty therapist Lindsay Nesbitt, from South Shields, told that clients ‘mental health and confidence’ could be affected by not being able to see their beautician
‘It’s coming to crunch time now,’ said Teresa, ‘I’m in central London, which is a swanky area with high rent costs. I’ve had help with my wonderful landlord.
‘But I feel for people who aren’t as lucky as me, who don’t have landlords willing to help. We’re an industry who have been left behind which is the most disappointing part.’
She went on: ‘It’s super disrespectful. Everyone is nervous and on edge wondering if we’re going to survive. It’s disrespectful it’s laziness.
‘They need to look at the sector, they’ve put us all in the same category. It’s a huge industry and a massive part of the economy. I think it’s just laziness.’
The beauty therapists appeared to discuss the government’s decision not to re-open beauty salons along with bars, restaurants and hairdressers
Lindsay went on to argue that many clients, both male and female, will be affected by not being able to maintain their personal appearance.
She said: ‘It’s impacting people’s mental health and confidence, because of the way their personal appearance is.
‘I’ve had several messages over the last six weeks especially, people saying, “I don’t feel myself”. Maybe their husband hasn’t seen them without treatments.’
She added: ‘People are ringing, they’re messaging my personal Facebook account trying to get appointments.’
Teresa went on to argue that as beauty therapists working in close proximity to clients all the time, the importance of cleanliness has been ‘drilled into them’
The issue of re-opening salons was raised last week during PMQs in Parliament, and Lindsay told she found the video of Boris Johnson laughing while discussing the issue ‘absolutely infuriating’.
She said: ‘That video absolutely infuriates me. They’re laughing, it’s people’s livelihood, it’s their career.
‘We have a lot of people who rely on treatment, we have elderly people who live alone. They come for the chat, they like the atmosphere. It’s a lot of people it’s affecting.’
Lindsay went on to argue that many clients, both male and female, will be affected by not being able to maintain their personal appearance
Lindsay told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield (both pictured) how elderly clients rely on their visits to the beauty salon
Teresa went on to argue that as beauty therapists working in close proximity to clients all the time, the importance of cleanliness has been ‘drilled into them’, claiming her salon is ‘geared up like a hospital.’
She told: ‘As beauty therapists, it’s drilled into us to be clean, of course, we have clean environments anyway.
‘Me and my team all wear the masks, it’s natural for us to wear masks and sometimes gloves, and we have steriliser all over the clinic, everyday before the pandemic.
‘We’re pretty much like doctors, to be honest. We’re geared up like a hospital would be. We’re much safer than people going out on a Saturday night.’