On Children’s Policies…
OMG. I hate this topic but I want to share it with you.
In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have a children's policy…but as you know, it is not a perfect world. I love kids and I genuinely think we have so much to learn from the joy and spontaneity of children…however we can still adore children and have policies in our salons when needed.
The day I knew it was time to get serious was a day many years ago. I was working behind the chair and I looked across the salon to see one of the salon apprentices applying balayage to the beautiful hair of a mother nursing her baby at the color table.
It wasn’t the nursing that got my attention, that was always welcome in our space. It was the thought of bleach falling from the color brush onto that precious infant.
A nightmare of a thought.
It was at that moment I realized that for the protection of the salon, the team and the guests, we had to implement a strict no children policy.
Here is our current policy (it has been similar to this for years but of course it has shifted here and there):
As a community focused salon, Virtue Salon welcomes families and children. However, due to safety considerations, children of all ages will not be permitted in the salon if they are not receiving a service. If a parent brings a child to the salon during the parent’s service, the service will need to be rescheduled at a later time when the child is not accompanying the parent.
In the case of a child coming in to receive a service, to ensure the safety of the children and guests at Virtue Salon, we will refuse service if a child will not sit still for a haircut. The liability is too great for Virtue Salon to assume responsibility for children in an environment that has many dangers present for children.
Some people were (and occasionally still are) pretty upset about this. In my heart of hearts, I knew I owed it to everyone to hold the line on this one. In addition to safety, it can be extremely challenging to stay on schedule when a parent is tending to their kids in the salon at the same time. It causes a lot of chaos sometimes
Many parents also find child care for their kids for their hair appointments and are hoping for a calm, kid-free environment for their self care time.
Some other things I have witnessed in my years in the salon industry:
A parent lifted their child up to “touch” one of the vintage chandeliers in the salon and the kid was LITERALLY hanging on the chandelier. If you could have seen my face…
Once a little one was running around the salon while their parent was receiving a service. The salon coordinator was on the phone when they had to run and pick up the child because the child had run out the door and was inches from traffic.
When I was teaching at a local cosmetology school, one of my students had to get several stitches because a young child grabbed scissors from a station and was running through the halls. The student caught them and got the scissors while getting sliced on the hand…
Are there exceptions? Of course!
One of my friends owns a salon in which she basically has her entire space to herself and she allows kids. That is awesome. Some environments allow this while others do not.
Consider what is best for you and your business liability, remember to document the policy, add to your website, social media and your online booking. If you do have a policy around children, it is essential to be consistent with it and keep the boundary consistent so clients they feel that they are treated fairly!
So much love,
Melanie
ooxx