The following, as with all that I write about on this blog, is my opinion usually coming from my 30 plus years working as an aesthetician. I present this information in hopes of helping you find your own way. The following recommendation along with Things that go BUMP...in a facial (link below) are just two examples of subject matter that came to me while giving a facial.
Once in a while something will happen during the course of a facial treatment that either might be a mistake on your part or you simply dropped something or whatever else. When something unexpected happens, I recommend never saying anything like “oops” when it happens. This may seem like a silly suggestion or perhaps an ultra-picky recommendation, but just the word “oops” connotes to the client that a mistake has been made—something you really don't want to convey to your client.
I’ve been a working aesthetician for over 30 years. In all that time I have not come out unscathed as far as making mistakes in my facials. It doesn’t happen often, but things do happen. Probably a dozen or more times (again, in 30 years) I have accidentally dropped a dollop of clay mask into a client's hair. Oops! I usually go on with what I was doing, applying the mask, then try to get the clay out without saying a word, and usually I can (unless I pull the hair). A little water on a towel and the clay will come right out since it hasn’t dried yet.
I drop the caps of my product tubes from time to time. I don’t interrupt the facial to retrieve them, I just wait until the client is gone and when I do my cleanup, I’ll
find it, wipe it off, and replace the cap on the tube. No biggie. This
was harder when I had hardwood floors in my Chicago office, but I still
didn't miss a beat when a cap would fall. We both could hear it, but
because I didn’t oops it or say anything about it and just continued with the facial I’m sure my client didn’t spend any time thinking about it.
If something liquid falls it will be more obvious and of course you will need to not only say something but probably at least throw a towel over the area for the time being. (I wouldn’t suggest cleaning it up right then during a facial. I personally wouldn’t want someone’s hands on my face who was just cleaning something off the floor—even if you rewash your hands. Some things are just better left until the client leaves.)
Saying things like oops, oh my, yikes, oh no, or any other facsimile that might inadvertently come out of your mouth when something has gone wrong will only serve to make your client feel uneasy. And the most unfortunate thing is she may worry about whatever you told her went wrong for the entire facial. “I accidentally got clay in your hair. I’ll be sure to get it all out—don’t worry” is sure to make her if not worry, have some concern nonetheless.
Obviously, if something has gone tragically wrong and you need to let your client know—let her know by all means! But if you dropped something on the floor—just go on with the facial and your client doesn’t have to be the wiser. If you dropped something you need at that moment, take a Kleenex and pick it up off the floor, wipe it off if need be, and continue. You are not deceiving your client by not proclaiming the oops factor (that you made a mistake); you are allowing her to keep calm and relaxed and not focused on what you are doing wrong, which of course is of the utmost importance all facial long.
You may not think what I’m saying is true, but I am talking from experience. There was a time long ago when I would utter oops or something else when I’d drop something or the rare time I would get a tiny bit of clay in a clients hair. “Oops, I just dropped a bit of clay in your hair—sorry.” The client is supposed to be relaxing, not worrying about accidents that might be happening, so unless you need to speak up, clean up dropped or spilled items when your client has happily exited your office. In the case of, for instance, getting a bit of clay mask in her hair, try to get it out without disturbing the client, and know that you can do a better cleanup job once the facial is over.Also see:
