NOTE: This content was originally created for the SKincare Fairy Godmother Podcast, it has been edited for ease of reading
In this week's Treatment Room Tuesday, We are going to talk all about spa etiquette - this topic was suggested by a few of my clients at the Atelier, so I’m excited to dig into this a bit. I also asked what YOU want to know about spa etiquette over on my Instagram @amberbudd, and so I’ll be answering those questions also! Let's dig in, huh?
Prep to do before coming
Remove eye makeup if wearing any
Depending on your service you may need to grow out hair, or trim hair, or shower prep for a spray tan. Always ask if you have questions prior to your appointment.
What to wear - is it okay to come right from somewhere else?
Absolutely! A lot of clients come from the gym, or roll out of bed on a saturday to come in.
Be on time
And expect the same of your provider. And if you’re planning to be late because you’re in line at Starbucks, please don’t roll in 15 minutes late with a Starbucks in your hand, without one for your provider - bring one for them too. ;) (brownie points!)
Can I go somewhere after? I.E. Will I be a hot mess?
Yes you can go somewhere else, however not all service providers would say this! I’ve had facials where I ended up with oil all over my hair, but I hated that, so I try really hard to make sure you can leave and go in public decently.
What does undress to comfortability mean?
Oh, this is SO directed right at me, I tell my clients when they come in for a facial “undress to your comfort level” which means I provide you a facial gown, You can wear that, or you can wear whatever you want - a bra, tank top, whatever. But please still cover your breasts under the gown or the table sheet for modesty, and making sure there are no boundaries crossed.
Should I tell her (my service provider) if I’m unhappy?
YES! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I’d want to know if I wasn’t living up to expectations. Please tell us so we can fix it, or troubleshoot with you!
Can I bring my kids?
We don’t recommend it, even if your salon or spa allows kids. Think of your time as YOU time. Also think of all the hazards for little Tommy or Janie…there's hot wax, chemical peels, scissors, and blades… it's not a place for children unless you can keep an eye on them 100% of the time.
Can I use my phone?
I don’t have a problem with it, but some establishments are no phone zones. If you have a service with your eyes closed, or you’re having a facial, do you really want someone disturbing your peace? And if you’re having a service around your head, it's really challenging to work around it. (and if you're having lash extensions or lash lifts, that's a NO...your eyes are taped shut...you literally can't.)
Also, how often do we have phone-free time these days? TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT! I always joke when my client's phones are ringing “did you want me to get that and tell them you’re busy?”
What should you expect from us?
Never bullies you
Listens well
Doesn’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with
No inappropriate comments or touch
Offers recommendations for home care to enhance and continue your results
Should I keep my shoes on?
Personally I wouldn’t, but that’s up to you, unless your service provider asks you to specifically remove them, for example if it’s pouring rain outside, they may ask you to remove your shoes so as not to soak through their table coverings, etc
Is tipping customary?
It is! And it’s greatly appreciated! - Most service providers make about 30% of their take-home pay in tips
Occasionally a salon will be a no-tip establishment, and it is very well marked
Also, remember if you’re on a membership option that most of the time those don’t have tips built-in, so if you’re the classy tipping type, you can add that separately!
What should I do if I’m uncomfortable with what's asked of me?
Speak up! You do NOT have to do anything you don’t want to! If your provider doesn’t honor your comfort level, RUN.
Know that in some services- example: Brazilian wax - you are signing up to be half-naked on the table, in different positions, but we always maintain our professionalism and will help you find different positions if the ones we are asking for won't work or make you too uncomfortable.
Can I speak up if something hurts?
Please DO! While we try to be gentle, we can’t feel what you’re feeling, so please say something
Red flags to look out for?
Inappropriate touch, dirty environment, bullies, double-dipping wax sticks or reusing things that can’t be properly cleaned and sanitized.
What makes the job easiest for you?
Seriously, remove your eye makeup for facials and eyelash appointments of any kind. This ensures we get the most time with you to perform the service - if we have to spend 5-10 minutes cleaning your eyes, somewhere else has to sacrifice time, like your face massage, or your lash application.
TELL US if something has changed in your medical history or routine. This is actually kind of serious because if you add or change something, there is a change of things like skin lifting during a wax, or service being more intense than planned, or lashes not adhering like usual, and the more we know, the more we can help troubleshoot or avoid issues popping up.
If we ask that we minimize chit-chat, please know it's not because we don’t want to catch up, it's because we need to focus on something specific and don’t want to cause any unnecessary issues.
Is it rude not to want to chit chat, I’m shy!
Oh goodness no, it’s not rude, it's YOUR service, YOUR time. Just mention it to your provider, and if they don’t honor that, remind them. And if they still don’t honor your request, you may want to look for a new provider.
However I will caveat that sometimes we want to let you know when something is changing, so you aren’t surprised - like if we are coming in hot for extractions!
Talking vs not talking // do I have to?
Absolutely not! Only talk if you want to, but if you’d prefer not to, just let your service provider know so they can honor your request
When should I reschedule?
For ALL services: if you’re sick, have herpes/cold sore outbreak, or pink eye
For waxing and skincare, add in that you should reschedule if you have a sunburn
I’m positive there are other things I’m missing, but please know that if we ask you to reschedule, its because we care, not because we want to embarrass you, or leave you hurting for a wax, ro whatever.
If we ask you to reschedule because you’re sick, its for several reasons:
If we pass whatever you brought in to other people, that’s not fair to them.
If we get sick, we become unemployed for the length of time we have to be out, and state unemployment doesn’t exactly cover the flu or a cold.
We are held to standards of hospitals…if we have a fever, diarrhea, or are vomiting, we HAVE to stay home. No questions asked. So please don’t share.
What do I do if I need to cancel?
First, respect the cancellation policy - ours is 24 hours in advance to avoid any fees being assessed and that's pretty common. We know emergencies come up, and they are unavoidable, but canceling because something “better” came along, or you just don’t feel like it, is not only unkind, but it makes us unemployed for that timeframe if we can’t fill that spot.
Second, cancel as SOON as you know you can’t make it, so we have the best chance to fill that spot as possible
Alright friends, that’s all for this weeks Treatment Room Tuesday, If you have follow up questions, don’t hesitate to reach out on Instagram @amberbudd - I’d love to connect with you there!
Cheers to Glowing skin!
NOTE: This is a transcription of the Skincare Fairy Godmother Podcast Episode 1. It may have been changed slightly for ease of reading vs. listening.
In today's treatment room, we're going to learn all about chemical peels - what are they? What are progressive peels? Who are chemical peels good for and why I wouldn't necessarily recommend buying peels online.
First, let's dive into what a chemical peel is. There's two types of exfoliation, manual and chemical.Manual is things like brushes, scrubs, microdermabrasion, and hydrodermabrasion. Chemical is peels and enzymes, which work by dissolving the bonds between the skin cells that hold them together. Manual exfoliation works by scrubbing or vacuuming, sectioning.
So what are the different types of peels? There are a lot of types of peels, and they all address different things. There's glycolic, lactic, TCA, Mandelic, Jessners, and many more. Have you ever seen the episode of Sex in the City where Samantha gets a chemical peel? Most of the time, it's really not like that. That's a really outdated way of peeling the skin, in general, and that level of peel is almost always done in a doctor's office.
I can't speak for all estheticians. So I'm just going to tell you how we do peels at the Atelier. We work in what's commonly referred to as progressive peels, which are a series of four to six peels and they're spaced about two to eight weeks apart. We start with a gentle peel to see how your skin responds and get your skin "used to" the peeling process. Next, we move into a more in-depth peel and keep working our way up in strength or level at each visit if possible. So if your skin's handling it well, meaning there was no irritation post-peel (you might have some redness and flaking but it shouldn't be coming off in sheets, and definitely, you shouldn't ever have any rashes or hives - if you are, then that's something you would want to talk to your aesthetician about).
Once we've completed your peel series, we go to maintenance facials, which are done about every four to six weeks. You can repeat a peel series to increase your results after about a six month break typically.
Who are chemical peels good for? Honestly, because there's so many different types, they're really good for literally everyone. A skilled, knowledgeable esthetician should be able to tell you based on your skin type, tone, and goal which peels you can and can't do, and develop a treatment plan accordingly. There's so many things that peels are good for, and it's definitely worth bringing up with your esthetician if you're not sure.
Lastly, why shouldn't you buy peels online?
Well putting it frankly, you just never know what you're getting when you order something like that online. Peels can be really aggressive and dangerous if not used properly. So unless you're ordering one from your esthetician to use at home under his or her direction, I just wouldn't recommend it. It's not safe.
NOTE: This is a transcription of the Skincare Fairy Godmother Podcast Episode 1. It may have been changed slightly for ease of reading vs. listening.
In today's treatment room, we are going to learn all about chapped and cracked lips.
The skin on the lips is different from the rest of the face - facial skin is about 16 cell layers deep, and lips are only about three to five layers deep. That's why you can see the red tinge of blood vessels, that's what makes our lips red.
Lips also don't have any hair follicles or sweat glands, so they can't produce any oil of their own which naturally makes them predisposed to being more dry.
What can cause chapped or cracked lips? The most common are: weather exposure, sun damage, licking your lips constantly, ingredients, being dehydrated, allergies, or contact dermatitis.
Let's talk a little bit about a couple of these things individually.
First thing, stop licking and biting your lips. I know it's challenging, I know it's a habit, but it will make a huge difference long term.
Next, make sure you're getting enough water every day, roughly half your body weight in ounces. So if you're 150 pounds, you're going to aim for about 75 ounces a day. This doesn't include if you're working out or sweating a lot due to your climate.
Eat your water. You can have fruits and vegetables - those do count.
When you're going to be out in the sun, make sure you're wearing an SPF lip balm - that can really help to prevent cracking and peeling, not to mention damage. This does matter also if you are in a colder climate if you're going to go snowboarding or skiing or something you should definitely have SPF on your lips.
Pay attention if your splits or dry lips happen immediately after starting a new toothpaste or a new lip product or a new skin product. At that point you might need to speak with your doctor or eliminate that product. A really common thing that irritates around the mouth is toothpaste, so finding the right one that works for you is really important.
Avoid menthol or camphor in your lip products. Those are naturally more drying and irritating to your lips. Some people have trouble with peppermint as well. So something just to bear in mind if you happen to be having trouble with it.
What happens if your lips are already dry or chapped? How can you fix it?
First, recognizing the difference between occlusive and hydrating ingredients. Occlusive ingredients tend to be things like beeswax, Vaseline, petroleum jelly, and aquafor. Hydrators are things like shea butter, apricot and wheat germ oils.
You want to either find a product that has both or you're going to want to layer them -hydrator first with your occlusive on top. If you put the occlusive on first, the hydrator can't get where it needs to be. The occlusive layer holds the hydration in and because lips don't produce their own oil, we need to apply oils, butters, and hydrators and then seal it in with that occlusive. The caveat to that - if your product is one that has both, you can try that out without an occlusive on top for a little while and see how that does for you.
So what are some favorites of mine? My personal favorite is Amber Budd Skincare Lip//Conditioner. Followed by a thin layer of Vaseline at night. I have naturally really dry lips so even though our lip conditioner does have both the hydrator and occlusive ingredients, during the day that's enough for me, but at night I do like to put a little layer of Vaseline on top to make a more intense treatment. I also really like the Sara Happ lip balm - the one in the little pot. The company says the tube and jar are the same, but I can't say I agree. :)
Last tip: if you have flaking peeling lips do not, do not, do not (!) pull the skin. Soften it with your lip hydrator or conditioner. Break it off if you need to, but do not peel it. If you have to peel it. It's not ready. Just let it be.
That is it for her treatment room lesson for today. Do you have any follow up questions? If so, head over to Instagram and DM me @amberbudd -That's where I hang out most often online.