INSIDER NAILS

A lot of you are upgrading your treatment menus ready for reopening, with a focus on luxury add-ons to help increase the average spend per client. More than a fifth (21%) of you are going to be promoting more advanced treatment options for the hands to minimise the appearance of age spots, while others are going to focus on the addition of a luxurious hand/foot massage (19%) or mask (17%) as a way to earn more money once you reopen.

Homecare is going to be important too as clients may not have been taking care of their nails during lockdown and will need to maintain the TLC you give in treatment. For those with peeling, flaking or splitting nails, more than half (52%) are going to recommend clients invest in strengthening products, while a further 50% are going to explain the damage caused when customers pick their gel-polish off (instead of having it removed properly). Find out how to get your acrylic nails arch placement right on page 69.

On the spot

Which of these would you most like to achieve in your nail career?

1. Become a nail influencer (13%) 

2. Have your work featured on a magazine cover (9%) 

3. Launch your own training academy (9%) 

4. Be an ambassador for a nail brand (7%)

39% have a loyalty scheme for nail clients

Which add-on will you be upselling to standard manicures/ pedicures post-lockdown?

1. Advanced options such as microdermabrasion (21%) 

2. Massage (19%) 

3. Hand/foot mask (17%) 

4. Nail art (10%)

77%  know how to treat a contact allergy if it occurs

29%  do stretching exercises every day to prevent RSI

What advice do you give to clients who have peeling, flaking or splitting nails?

1. Apply strengthening products daily (52%) 

2. Don’t pick off gel-polish (51%) 

3. Wear rubber gloves when cleaning (48%) 

4. Enquire about medication they are on (48%)

METHODOLOGY Insider is compiled from a monthly survey of spas and beauty salons. The people who participated represent a cross-section of the industry and were polled by email from March 3–10, regarding business for the month to February 28. Nail business for the Insider Nails page was calculated from data provided by salons that offer nail services among other treatments. The figures given represent the average score for each answer. Brands are ranked when mentioned by several respondents.