Coronavirus: beauty industry slam State Government over mixed messaging
The State Government’s repeated changes around what beauty salons can and cannot do has angered beauty operators, who’ve labelled the mixed messages as “absolutely deplorable”.
Hills Shire
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Beauty therapists say they have been “forgotten” and left “sick with confusion” after the State Government repeatedly changed advice about what type of beauty businesses could open this week.
The Prime Minister Scott Morrison shut down beauty salons, mobile and home operators in March.
But on the weekend Health Minister Brad Hazzard offered some reprieve, advising that beauty shops could sell products, but not offer services.
Earlier this week, the State Government website which advises what you can and cannot do said: “Services provided at home by spas, nail, beauty, waxing and tanning, salons, tattoo parlours or massage parlours could reopen.”
It led to a number of home and mobile operators excitedly reopening.
Kelly Steinhauer, who operates Nails by Kel which services The Hills, North Shore and Northern Beaches enthusiastically told her customers via social media she was reopening.
“The rumours are true gals MOBILE SALONS ARE BACK IN BUSINESS,” she wrote on Facebook.
“My phone blew up bigger than Christmas,” she told the Hills Shire Times.
“ I was set for a huge few weeks and everyone was so excited to get pampered again.”
Yesterday the advice vanished from the NSW government website and she was forced to cancel all her appointments.
“I was half way through my third client yesterday when my phone blew up again with people saying ‘The government have retracted their mobile beauty policy Kel quick close the business again’,” she said.
“My head started spinning and by 2pm I had to walk away from my phone as I thought I was going to be sick.”
Then late last night just after Ms Steinhauer had just finished cancelling all her appointments the advice changed again and the nsw.gov.au website advised that mobile beauty and personal care services could reopen.
“The last 24 hours have been the worst of my business life,” Ms Steinhauer said.
While I’m grateful now to be operating today they have made me look for a fool.
“I look incompetent and like I am back peddling and the abuse I have copped for it is hideous.”
Her comments are echoed by other beauty operators in Sydney.
One manager of a Sydney beauty salon who didn’t want to be named labelled the advice “unfair”.
“It has to be fair for everyone because we are all providing the same service,” the person said.
“Allowing mobile businesses, but not businesses at homes or based in a premises is unfair,” she said.
“How is a mobile business performing the same services any different to a salon or spa environment?” she said.
“The government is favouring one type of business over another.”
The person also labelled the idea that salons could now “sell products” as ridiculous as “that doesn’t pay the rent”.
Sally Holland from Ultrabrow in Baulkham Hills said while she understood the government had a responsibility to keep people safe the messaging had been confusing and inconsistent.
“There does not seem to be any alerting when the site is updated and if you did not check it daily you could have had a huge fine,” she said.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has been contacted for comment.