Portsmouth beauty salons say they're glad to be back - and urge people to visit them

The beauty industry has been among the hardest hit by Covid-19 as salons were forced to close for five months.

Beauty salons reopened on July 13, three weeks after most non-essential shops and nine days after hairdressers and barbers, with facial treatments not starting until August 15.

Kim Kingston, owner of The Beauty Shed, Southsea, said it had been a turbulent time for her and her business.

She said: ‘I’ve been so angry. I’ve been unable to work for over five months and received no help from the government during the pandemic.

‘I received my late husband’s pension last year, and therefore have been excluded from any help. I’ve had to survive on my savings.’

She said the extended period of closure had not only been bad for her business, but had also had damaging effects on her clients, especially those with other physical conditions.

She said: ‘Not being able to have treatments for this amount of time has had a really negative effect on their mental health.’

However Kim said she was delighted to be back at work and that she was grateful for her customers’ support.

‘Now that we’re back in business, it’s absolutely amazing,’ she said.

‘I can’t quite put it into words but I feel like I have a purpose again. My clients are like family. They’ve been with me for nine years so it’s really lifted me up.’

The rollercoaster continued for other Portsmouth beauty therapists, with the Solent Medi Spa owner, Lucie Anne A’Bear describing this year as ‘heartbreaking’.

She said that she had worked hard to ensure the salon, in Castle Road, could safely reopen – and to keep the business in the black.

She said: ‘One minute we’re going to lose the business and the next we’re back on. It’s been a really worrying time and there has been a lot of mental strain.

‘We’ve worked really hard and we’re not going to let it go.’

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Lucie encouraged people to return to their local beauty salons to support local business – and she encouraged people to either make sure they keep appointments or to let the salon know about cancellations with plenty of time so the appointments can be given to others.

She said: ‘It’s been a heartbreaking five months of nurturing appointments and attracting new clients.

‘We’ve spent hundreds on extra PPE and health and safety. I had five hours of no shows on our first day back, despite reminders and a clear cancellation policy. It was really disappointing.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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