Phase 2: 6 things to know when you go for a facial or massage now

You’ve become so used to doing this that you now have your phone ready out of habit. Keep doing it.

SafeEntry check-in is mandatory. Don’t forget to check-out when you leave too.

Along with Safe Entry, temperature screening will also take place.

Some places, like Clarins Skin Spa, will ask you to declare your travel history while others, like Kew Organics, will appeal to customers who’ve recently travelled, to wait 14 days after their return to Singapore, to visit their premises.

Fresh linens will cover the treatment bed you lie on, every customer will get a clean (not recycled) facial gown or robe to wear, and towels, of course, will not be shared or reused across customers.

The Spa Esprit Group, which runs beauty and grooming brands like Strip, Browhaus and Spa Esprit, is taking it one step further, by using disposable bed covers, and staff will also continue their existing protocol of using fresh towels after every treatment.

The company’s 10-step hygiene protocol includes therapists being kitted out in protective gear that includes gloves and face shields at all times throughout the treatment.

Should you bring along your own towels, just in case? We understand how you might want to but you shouldn’t. Your personal belongings would not have gone through the same strict hygiene and sanitisation protocols that the salons and centres are implementing, so this might compromise the safety of staff and other customers.

In addition to sanitising tools and equipment, all common high touch areas, such as door handles, counters, cupboards, light switches, faucets, sinks and the ensuite shower will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

Clarins Skin Spa therapists will also use a new face mask for every treatment session, while customers will be given a special bin to stow their own mask while they enjoy their treatment.

At Kew Organics, a one-to-one therapist-customer ratio will be implemented, which means that only one staff member will attend to you during your entire session. All tools are placed in a UV steriliser — kills up to 99 per cent of germs and viruses, after every treatment (above).

While the outlets we spoke to did not explicitly say that they’ll be taking in fewer customers every day, we do know that there’s a chance it might happen. To ensure that there is ample time for a thorough sanitising and cleaning in-between appointments, the intervals between treatment sessions will likely be extended at salons like Clarins Skin Spa (above).

Which leads to the next point…

Not every place will be accepting walk-ins. For example, the Spa Esprit Group (above) says sessions have to be by-appointment only.

To avoid disappointment, it’s best to make a booking. Samantha Ong, marketing director of Spa Esprit Group Beauty Division, says that by doing so, you help the stores “forecast the number of customers coming in at each time”. And this, in turn, helps the outlets comply with social distancing directives.

Stay 1-metre away from the nearest person! In addition to this, most salons are also taking measures to reduce cross-contact – they may have you do your treatment registration in your treatment room or in other private areas on the premises.

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