Why you shouldn’t bring children to your appointment

Have you ever wondered why many nail salons (or hair salons) ask you not to bring your children or grandchildren with you to your appointment? It’s definitely not because nail technicians or hairdressers are evil, children-hating beings, most of us love children, and I’m definitely not writing this to make anyone feel bad. I just don’t think that many clients with children have ever put themselves into the salon owner’s shoes and thought about the following reasons: 

The main reason on my list is that I don’t want to get sick. “My kid is home sick and I didn’t want to cancel my appointment with short notice, so I brought him/her with me.” Okay, I understand where you’re coming from, but if your child/grandchild is too sick to go to school, it means s/he is probably contagious and too sick to be around others. I’d rather lose out on one appointment for the day and have you reschedule, than have me catch whatever s/he has got and lose out on a 3-5 days income. The same applies to you. If you’re coming down with a cold, please respect me and my business and reschedule your appointment. There is no penalty fee for rescheduling an appointment, especially with late notice due to illness. Owning my own business means that I do not get paid sick leave. If I can’t work, I don’t get paid, and if I catch something from one of my clients, more of my clients suffer as a result. I could end up being contagious for days before I find out that I’ve caught what you’ve got, and who knows how many people I would have unknowingly passed it on to. Not only that, if I have to cancel appointments due to me being ill, it affects all those other clients who have had to have their appointments cancelled by me.

Secondly, having children in the salon is really stressful for me. I’m constantly worrying about what they’re touching, playing with, jumping on, climbing on, or if they’re bumping you. I can’t have your child constantly bumping into you while I’m trying to tidy your cuticles or paint your nails, it becomes a health and safety issue. What if s/he bumps you and it causes to me cut your skin? You get an infection from that cut and I end up being the one at fault. I can’t risk having that happen. 

Equipment and products in a salon are not only expensive, they’re dangerous, too. I can’t be watching your child to see if they’re about to break or damage something that will cost hundreds of dollars for me to replace, or have them pick up a chemical that could burn them, cause them to lose an eye, or poison them. Not to mention that each time you turn to speak to your child or grandchild, you move your body, which means moving your hands and interrupting the nail service. I can’t give you a perfect manicure if you’re wriggling around in your chair. Also, my liability insurance probably does not cover unattended children. All these distractions combined with starting and stopping during your appointment will not only give you a less than perfect manicure, it could possibly make me run late for the next client, resulting in me (and them) running late for the rest of the day. So having children in the salon is much more than just a minor inconvenience.

Lastly, as much as I love to have other people watch me work – and you’re welcome to bring an adult friend or family member with to your appointment – I don’t wish to be your child’s beauty school instructor.  If your child is really into make-up or nails, and you thought s/he would love to come and watch me work, please don’t do it. I love children who show an interest in what I do, and but I can’t have them sitting in on your appointment, as children’s attention spans aren’t all that long. It’s almost guaranteed that s/he will get bored halfway through, which then leads to the points mentioned above. Rather get your child to watch YouTube tutorials and buy a few DIY and nail polish or make-up kits aimed at children. You can spend time exploring this together, in the comfort of your own home. 

I know most people do things with the best intentions, but they often don’t see it from a service provider’s standpoint. As a service provider, it’s very uncomfortable for me to have to turn you away at the door when you arrive for your appointment with your children or grandchildren in tow, especially since my terms and conditions clearly state “no children permitted in the salon”. This is posted on Facebook on the bottom of the pinned price list, and on my website – see Terms & Conditions at the bottom the the price list page, or the T&Cs page. And, if I have happened let your children stay for one appointment in the past (and stressed myself out the entire time, due to all the points listed above), what are the chances of you taking advantage of that and bringing them with you again in the future? I don’t know, but there are a few people out there who would – and have – abused the once-off leniency.

Please respect me and my salon space and don’t bring your children/grandchildren to your appointment.

Side note: There are many reasons why I refuse to provide services for children under the age of 16:

• Their nail plates are still soft and not fully developed, so cannot handle the prep needed to get gel polish to stick. I’m not willing to do any damage to your child’s nails.
• The same applies for extensions. A child’s nails can be irreparably damaged by putting nail extensions on them, only to have the child accidentally bend them over or break them on something. Once natural nail damage is done, it’s permanent. Don’t allow your child have extensions until they’re 16.
• Children don’t sit still. I simply don’t have the inclination or patience to work on a fidgety child, which is why I don’t offer traditional polish (normal nail polish) services for children.
• If you’re not happy with my reasons, and still want your child to have a manicure or extensions, there are nail techs out there who do offer services for children – I’m just not one of them.