When will beauty salons open Melbourne: Light as a Feather Beauty
Home beauty and hair salons might be the next casualty of coronavirus restrictions with confusion over State Government fine print on the industry reopening in Stage 3.
Outer East
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Fears are rising for home beauty and hair salon owners worried they’ll lose loyal customers if they’re prevented from opening under the next stage out of restrictions.
According to the State Government’s website, under Stage 3 hairdressers and personal care services are expected to resume – but for sole traders working from home it isn’t looking so good.
On the government’s website in order to open a salon must be a separate area from the home “in all aspects” and workers or clients cannot enter the owner’s residence.
According to the details there needs to be another entrance for workers and clients that is separate to the residence, and there can be no sharing of toilets or the kitchen.
Light as a Feather Beauty salon owner Sarah Robin said if home salons were prevented from opening it could mean many are forced to close permanently.
Mrs Robin said the rules were confusing and not clear.
“I have a separate door for clients but the room is part of my residence,” she said.
The Bayswater North beauty therapist said home salons were required to adhere to the strict council codes, the same as a shop salons, and therefore should be given the same opening rights.
Mrs Robin said she believed the vast majority of home salon owners were mothers who were furthering their careers and who had children at home, or kinder and school-aged.
“I’m lucky my husband is still working,” she said.
“There are a lot of mums working from home who are single and doing it alone.”
She said the beauty industry had been waiting three months to reopen and if salon shops were able to offer services before home businesses it could mean a loss of clients.
“I wouldn’t blame them (clients) for going to a shop front,” Mrs Robin said.
Mrs Robin said she had seen people call the industry “vain”, it actually boosted self-esteem and mental health.
“It provides a lot of comfort to people and boosts self-esteem and mental health – especially at a time like this,” she said.
“People are worried they’ve put weight on and they’re not feeling themselves after all this.
“So the mental health side of things is huge.”
The DHHS has been contacted for comment.
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