Buy Cheap Buy Twice
What major red flags have you seen in salons and therapists’ prices….
Have you ever looked at salon prices and thought, that’s expensive? Or that’s cheap? And wonder why?
During the current cost of living prices, lots of salons and mobile therapists are offering treatments at lower prices, with offers and discounts. But you must ask why?
Some are trying to keep their head above water, with rates, bills and wages creeping up on them, where others are less qualified and using cheaper products.
Natasha* went to a local salon regularly. She saw an offer on HD brows, a treatment she hadn’t had before. The senior therapists carried out her treatment and once finished, she showed Natasha her brows. They were thin, uneven, different shapes and thickness. The senior therapist didn’t ask her what she would like or even map out her brows. It was basically are shape and tint. HD brows is a brand and includes 7 steps to brow perfection. After Natasha’s encounter with the salon, to rectify, the therapist had to take them even thinner to even them out. After 3-4 months of growing them back out, the offer was defiantly a moment where the cost was outweighed with time, and uneven brows!
It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When
you pay too much, you lose a little money – that’s all. When you pay
too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you
bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. – John Ruskin
Bargain hunt;
Everyone loves a bargain, but if you see an advert for ‘gel nails £10’, or ‘Botox £80’ it should ring a few alarm bells. Products should not be that cheap, you should be guessing what is in them. Or is the wage not fair? You should be looking for a good paid wage to support you local therapist.
If your searching ‘lemon bottle near me’ and you see a huge variation in prices, starting thinking about why? You see the lowest price and perhaps think ‘I’ll save myself some money and go there!’ But be aware. The product could be fake. The person could not be qualified. The person isn’t medically approved or trained. 1 day courses in fat dissolving, with no prior knowledge, would certainly be huge red flags and someone I wouldn’t trust injecting into my body. All it takes is for them to inject into the wrong spot and…game over.
Models are different to offers.
Some salons or therapists may offer their services cheaper by stating they are ‘models’. This can be for various reasons. They need to pick up speed, confidence, familiarise with the steps and method or need photos for portfolio or social media. This would be stated in the advertising. The therapist might well be qualified and insured; they may just need a few clients as models for the above reasons.
What am I looking for when booking treatments?
Qualifications- check your therapist is qualified in the treatment you are having. Regulated courses which result in qualifications from VTCT, City and Guilds or CIBTAC, are government backed and regulated. These may be NVQS, VRQS, awards and certificates. There are various ones but a basic level 2 and 3 is required by most boroughs and insurances.
Accredited courses such as day courses in certain treatments are also fine if backed by and insurance company or endorsed by certain companies. Certain treatments and brands can only be taught as this level as there is not a regulated course for them. This may change with new regulations set out in the governments current consultation.
Insurance– ask to see you therapists. insurance. Don’t be afraid to ask. They should happily give it to you if they are. You need to know if you’re in safe hands! Insurance companies only insure those qualified.
Portfolio- Look at their previous work. Images on social media, Facebook, Instagram. Make a judgment based on their past work.
Reviews– You should be able to see a past review from clients. Weather it’s on Google, Facebook, stories on Instagram or screenshots of feedback from clients. This will give you some positive thoughts around the treatments you’re having with the therapist.
If you do not feel comfortable with any of the above, your gut instinct is telling you to avoid…. Book with someone else.
If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional…. Wait until you hire an amateur
*Names kept anonymous
Katie Nicholls
