Express Yourself

Over the last few months our inbox has been hit by an influx of emails touting new express services in salons. The rise of express treatments is in some ways nothing new; beauty businesses in cities such as London have touted ‘quick fix’ lunchtime beauty treatments for years. Designed to target hard-working professionals who like to maintain a polished or groomed look, they make perfect sense. We certainly aren’t averse to a quick beauty fix at Professional Beauty either; our only request is that an express treatment still feels akin to a regular salon experience. Part of the appeal for most clients when visiting a salon is to take some time out from their hectic daily life and just relax or feel pampered, even if that is for only 15 or 30 minutes. In our book, express shouldn’t mean rushed or hurried treatments and it certainly shouldn’t leave clients feeling short-changed. So here’s a few tips to ensure you express services are speedy, efficient and client pleasing:

• Choose carefully: When planning your express treatment menu, be realistic about the services you put on it. Select those that you know can easily and effectively be accomplished in the given timeframe.

• Make time savings: Minimise the time express clients spend in reception when they arrive and leave. If possible usher express clients straight to the therapist so their treatment can begin immediately and also ask them to pay during the treatment, so they can leave quickly too.

• Prepare: Ensure therapists are primed for the treatment in advance and have all the tools and products that they need right at hand.

• Staff adequately: If clients are having more than one treatment, provide the services simultaneously.

• Practice and perfect: You stylists maybe lightening quick to create a sleek blow dry or apply perfect polish to nails, but nothing beats a regular bit of practice to ensure that they can do so quickly, cleanly and perfectly in 15 or 30 minutes.

• Schedule it: Express treatments won’t appeal to all clients and they are most likely to be popular at lunchtimes or post-work around 6pm. So why not allocate a set time or times each weekday for express services?