If you use Yonka-Paris skin care, throw a Gommage Party!

The Gommage Party

If any of you are using Yonka-Paris products in your salon(s), having a Gommage Party is a fun, albeit messy, way to get to know some new, potential clients and give them some great skin care advice. As many of you know, the gommage is not the easiest product for a client to use at home, so doing a demonstration and having each guest “do” the gommage with you is a fun and educational way to get the word out about this product and, of course, your salon.

Towels are essential for this exercise. Normally you would use Gommage over a sink in your home. Here, at the party, towels serve as the sink—in part—and keep the mess to a minimum. 

Make sure you have enough towels for everyone. They don’t have to be full-sized bath towels, but a wash cloth will not be big enough. Something in between or just use bath towels. I have many older towels I call “utility towels” that are clean but not in perfect shape. You could go to a thrift store and get bath towels for one or two dollars a piece. A well-worth-it business expense—and tax deductible!

• Have your guests fold their towels in front of them while they either sit on the floor or in a chair or on a couch
• Apply Gommage, being careful to be sure everyone uses the correct amount to begin with; you can always add more later on if need be
• Then start the gommage process (for important details, see Gommage Instructions)
• When the product starts to come off, that is where the mess—or perhaps the fun—begins
• Have them gommage onto their towel until the flakes have ceased forming
• Then you can either one by one have them rinse their faces off in the bathroom or
• You can provide some of the waterless cleanser (Yonka) and cotton pads for them to remove the residue. I prefer the rinsing-off-with-water method to be sure all of the remaining product is removed
• Then you can pass the Yonka Lotion spray toners around (have both toners available for those with true-dry or normal to oily skin types). This, too, is a wonderful introduction to a lovely Yonka product—their toner. In fact, if you decide to not do a full-on Gommage Party, be sure to have the toners available to be passed out during your talk so the guests can get the wonderful aromatics of the Lotions, even if that is all they will be sampling
• Have samples (or professional sizes to sample from) available of many different moisturizers in the Yonka line for all the different skin types or
• Perhaps having both the Pamplemousse creams (PS and PNG to cover most skin types) would be a good (and simpler) idea. You won’t have to bring many different moisturizer samples (there are so many in the line) and everyone loves the grapefruit aromatic in those creams
• Have your guests apply the cream of their (although it should be your) choice. They may not put the exact recommended cream on, since you won’t be analyzing their skin, but each person can get a whiff of the Yonka aromatics 
• Pass around a Yonka eye treatment cream

And wallah—you’re done! Their skin will feel amazing after using Gommage, and you are well on your way to selling products to these ladies going forward as well as seeing them in your new salon. Plus, it was a fun and relaxing way to have potential clients try a new product line. You aren’t pushing anything on them, they tried the products for themselves and no doubt fell in love. In essence, the products did a lot of the work for you.

Obviously if you don’t employ Yonka products in your office, you can substitute with your own product line and find something for your clients to try during the party. No matter what you do or use, get out in front of willing participants so they can meet you and learn about your new business.

For more information, see:

• Throw a party to create interest in your new business

Aestheticians: Stick to your Guns!

You may be interested in this article I posted today. CLICK HERE to be taken to the post on my layperson’s blogsite.

The Facial: all links so far

• Client Preparation: Part I 

• Client Preparation: Part II

• When a client comes in sick

• One facial experience—not a great one

• Preparing for your client’s arrival

• Don’t keep silent in a facial—music-wise

• Preparing for your client when you don’t work alone

• The “Oops” Factor

• Things that go BUMP....in the facial 

• Details on chart writing

Some of my printed material: all links so far

• Business Cards—a must have

• “Thank yous” and other notecards

• Client Product Instruction Cards

• Next appointment cards

• Referral Appreciation Discount Takeaway & Postcard

• Special Promotion Discounts

• “Happy Birthday” discounts 

• “I want you back!”—discounts and postcards

• Gift Certificates (GCs)

• Donation Gift Certificates (GCs)

• Take Aways/Take Ones

• Product and other information sheets

• Client Information Charts—Part I

• Client Information Charts—Part II

• “I’m Moving” postcard

• Details on chart writing

Misc business ideas and thoughts: all links so far

• WELCOME and Congratulations on starting your new business!

• A few new aestheticians looking for help

• Aesthetician’s questions

• Starting your career in skin care

• Some of my philosophy

• Where in the world is your business?

• Another aesthetician helped with Timeless Skin

• Raising your prices

• My Appointment Book

• My Appointment Book—2 

• When a client comes in late (or early)

 

Helping your clients’ skin: all links so far

• Sugar & Skin Problems

• Using dry skin products on oily skin—STOP THE INSANITY!

• MYTH: You have to change products

• Please NO comedone extractors!

• A word about food as products 

• Dermatitises: skin conditions you should know about

• Dry vs. Dehydrated Skin

• Sugar and your clients’ skin

• Monthly breakouts: Help for your clients

• Proactiv products and your clients' skin

• A Cautionary Calcium Story

What you’ll need before you get started: all links

• Furniture you’ll need to get started

• The essential equipment you’ll need

• The Trolley—Part 1
  

• The Trolley—Part 2

• Odds & ends you’ll need

• A few more additions you’ll need

A few more additions you’ll need

SOOTHING MUSIC is one of the most essential ingredients to have in your facial. Music helps to create a relaxing environment for your client. I have very specific preferences on the music I use in my facials.  I look for a monotone (“a voice or other sound unchanging in pitch; without intonation or expressiveness”), hypnotic sound. I will list a few of my favorites. Most of these are easy to come by on Amazon or other music source. 

• Steven Roach/Quiet Music I, II, III
• Stephen Halpern/Spectrum Suite,.and others
• William Aura/Aurasound l, ll
• Brian Eno/Music for Airports
• Iasos/Angelic Music

To play this soothing music, you’ll need a CD player or perhaps an iPod. I have always used CD players (and tape players in the ’80s!), but whichever device you prefer to use—play music! Silence, unless the client requests it, is deafening. Be sure your CD player has a repeat feature so you don’t have to mess with hitting replay during the facial. For a full list from my facial music library, see Don’t keep silent in a facial—music-wise (link below).

I have had facials where the aesthetician was playing the radio, set on a “quiet music” station, but it’s the radio, nonetheless, and I don’t recommend it. Nowadays many practitioners (massage, facial, and even therapists) utilize Pandora, a free online “radio” station that plays music you choose.

SHEETS. Flannel sheets are a welcome covering to any body. They are not only warm but they just plain feel good! Keeping your client warm is of great importance. No one can truly relax if they are feeling cool or worse—cold. I have both flannel as well as 100% cotton sheets. I am actually a stickler with full cotton. Poly/cotton blends or plain polyester sheets just don’t feel good to me. And if they don’t feel good to me, they probably won’t feel good for my clients who are lying on them. It doesn’t cost that much more to go the extra mile and get 100% cotton and/or soft, flannel sheets.

BLANKETS. Along with your flannel or cotton sheets, a warm cotton blanket is essential. Be prepared for the cold blooded. Have several blankets on hand in case your client needs them. Everyone’s comfort zones are different and some people (I am one of them) cannot keep warm easily while lying still. I have 3 blankets on my facial bed (one is over the entire area; one is folded in half; the 3rd on is for the feet area). I also have 3 spare blankets on hand for anyone who gets cold.

This looks like a facial bed I want to get into!

HEATED BLANKETS. I do use an electric blanket on the very bottom of my table. The bottom sheet goes over it, so in essence the client is laying on the heated blanket. You can purchase an expensive heated pad or blanket from a beauty supply or massage store. I have found in my years in business that a simple, twin-sized electric blanket from Target does a great job and is usually at least half the price.

My heated blanket has a range of heat from 1-10. When I am making up the bed for a client, I put the blanket heat on 5. Once the client is in the bed, I tell them the range and ask them if they want me to adjust the heat. Most people are fine starting out then ask me to raise the heat to 7, 8 or even 10 by the time I have the clay mask on them toward the end of the facial.

Even in the summertime, due to air conditioning in the office and the fact that clients aren’t wearing a lot of clothing (just a smock and socks), the heated blanket is a wonderful option for your clients. You may be surprised that you use the heat 365.  

SMOCKS. I think smocks are essential. I have gotten facials where there was not a smock for me to wear. Although the aesthetician left the room for me to undress and get (naked) in to her facial bed, I still don't like the feeling of having nothing on under the bedding.

All of these decisions are going to be up to you based on what you like and what you want to do. I usually base my decisions on my personal likes and dislikes. Since I dislike getting naked for a facial, I always provide a smock for all clients.

I have two different smocks available. One is a simple elastic top, the other has a Velcro closing. Why have 2 types? Thinner or less busty clients are fine slipping on the elastic smock. But for women who are very full busted or are overweight, they need something that allows for this. 

When I have a brand new client coming in, I usually put both on the bed. When I am explaining about putting the smock on, I grab the one they should use and inconspicuously remove the other one. I doubt my clients ever see this slide of hand. And having both smocks avoids any uncomfortable moments. You would never want to say something like, “You won’t fit into this, so I’ll get you a bigger smock.” Please don’t do this! Be prepared and please be discreet. I have heard horror stories of how other aestheticians have handled basic client procedures like this.

SOCKS. I tend to be cold-natured. Therefore I am sensitive to the needs of people who come to my salon who also may run on the cold side. I have always supplied warm, comfy socks for my clients to wear during their facial treatment. I would say only half of those offered actually wear the socks, but for those that do, the socks are a little extra that are always appreciated. I purchase super soft, thick socks that are easy to find. Don’t skip this small, seemingly incidental extra.

TOWELS. You will need towels, lots and lots of towels. I don’t think you can have too many towels. I prefer to have two towels resting on my lap. One fully spread out and the second folded in half the long way. The second, top towel is “hand towel” size and is what I wipe my hands on. The larger one is a “bath towel” and stays underneath the hand towel to protect my clothes. I don’t wipe anything on this larger, underneath protective towel. Otherwise my clothes could get product on them. When I worked at a fancy spa in Dallas, I wore very dressy clothing. My friends were always surprised I didn’t ruin them giving facials. Other than being careful and relatively neat, without the lap towels, it would be a disaster.

You also want a hand towel under the client’s head to catch the dead cells during gommage or any other exfoliation you may do in your treatment. It is best if it reaches to her shoulders without being too far under, so when it is removed, all you have to do is gently lift her head and her shoulders don’t have to lift up as well. That’s a minor detail, but the details count when it comes to your client’s comfort and ability to relax.

Finally, you may have a client who needs a rolled up towel placed under her neck. Some people have back and/or neck problems, so yo will no doubt run into people who need something under their heads. Sometimes rolling a hand towel does the trick; others need a flat, folded towel under their head to lift it up a bit.

Having extra towels on hand for cleanup is also a good idea. I like to have washcloths under a few of my products (that are not on my working trolley) to keep the drip from ruining whatever table or trolley.

MACHINES. Although I don’t think you necessarily need machines, I am still including a few words about them here.

I use no machines in my facials. I never have (except in my first two jobs) and I never will. This is my personal preference based on having used just about every machine available back in the 80s and not liking the feel of them in general and specifically not seeing results or not liking the results from using them.

Just about every aesthetician uses at least steam, if not other machinery. In Machines used in facials—are they necessary? on my layperson site (see link below), I discuss the different machines that a client may come across in a facial treatment. Obviously, I also explain my opinion(s) about the machinery too.  Here I will not go into the various machines you might use in your facials. I will leave that research and experimentation to you.

I think I have covered just about everything I use in my treatments and salon, from odds and ends to major pieces of equipment. You may find more articles with things I forgot, but for sure these posts are a good start for anyone!

For more information, see:

• Machines used in facials—are they necessary?
• Don’t keep silent in a facial—music-wise
• What you’ll need before you get started: all links

A Cautionary Calcium Story

This is an article that talks about an issue that isn’t about how a client would take care of her skin, but I felt it was important for you to know about in case you have a client who is having similar issues. Click on the link to be taken to A Cautionary Calcium Story.

When a client comes in late (or early)

Clients come in late, they come in early, and most often they come for their facial treatments right on time. Their timing depends on many factors on any given day. Traffic, kids, an office meeting that ran late, there are a variety of reasons a client might not be on time for her treatment as well as entering your office on the early side. Taking the early/late client arrival in stride is something to strive for vs. showing signs of irritation or disapproval. See my personal story below to find out why.

As I mention in Client Preparation: Part I, I tend to be early for appointments I have with other businesses and people. I try not to enter a business too early because I know how it feels when one of my clients comes in 30 minutes before their scheduled appointment. That is too early!

Several years ago I arrived at a chiropractic appointment with a new doctor. Because I wasn’t sure exactly where his office was, I left my home with plenty of time to arrive early or at least on time. The office turned out to be closer than I had expected, and I arrived 15 minutes before my appointment time. I walked into his office, which was a large room without any partitions. In other words, there was no reception area with his personal office in a private area. This doctor happened to be eating his lunch. As I walked in, he said in a rather nasty tone, “You’re early!” I was so taken aback by his tone; I said I could leave and come back, but he told me to take a seat and he’d be with me shortly. To say I felt uncomfortable (and wanted to bolt out the door) is putting it mildly.

I have never forgotten how bad this person made me feel about being a few minutes early to an appointment. OK, fifteen minutes early, but still there was no reason to treat me like I had just dropped a gallon of paint on his office carpet. I told myself then and there to never make one of my clients feel bad about being super early to an appointment. Perhaps in the past I had given a little attitude, but going forward I would be gracious and understanding. Needless to say, I never went back to this doctor, by the way.

You have a choice. You can be irritated about a client coming in super early or late and come across irritated with her or you can be calm and friendly. If she’s really early and you really can’t take her at that time, you can get her a glass of water or tea and ask her to sit in the lobby. Tell her you have a few things to do before you take her, then go into your office and do what you need to do. If she’s late, try not to make her feel like you’re rushing around, hurrying to get her in your chair. You can still get her out in a timely manner but never make her feel like you were upset or annoyed that she was late. You cannot undo that exchange, and even though your client was late, she might not come back if you treat her negatively—even once.

Usually a client will call or text to let me know she’s running behind. It is therefore essential to always have your business phone near you when waiting for a client. Nowadays my business phone is my cell phone number. In the past, however, I always had a landline business phone, where my cell phone was my personal number. With the landline, I was always in my office near the phone, so if a client called to be late I was there to receive the call. (This was also before texting was so commonplace.) With my iPhone, I take it with me into the lobby area of my office suite while I await my client’s arrival. Then if she calls or texts me with an “I’m running 5 minutes late” message, I won’t have to wonder where she is if she is late.

One client I had was always 20 minutes later for her 5pm appointment. It was so chronic that I suggested she make a 5:30pm (with me) and perhaps she’d be a bit early from now on. My only hope was that she then wouldn’t show up at 5:50! Moving her appointment to a later time actually fixed her chronic lateness. It worked for me because at that time I was taking as late as a 6pm facial. Obviously if your last appointment is a 5pm and you can’t take the client later, you’ll have to have a conversation with her to see what you two can work out.

As you may have read in Client Information Charts—Part I (see link below), I mark most things down on my client charts. Chronic lateness is one such item. Even if a client is late once, I will have marked it on her chart so that if it happens again, I’ll know this could be a growing trend. Same with an early bird. If a client continues to be 15 minutes early—always—for her treatments, I will come in 15 minutes before I normally would or make sure I"m ready 15 minutes early for he in case she, once again, arrives early. As long as this isn’t an inconvenience for me, I am happy to accommodate her without saying a thing.

Trimming your treatment. If a client is really late and I don’t have enough time to do the entire (time-wise) treatment, I will simply trim all the steps to the facial, hopefully in a way that is not noticeable to the client. Usually when people come in late, that completely understand if I have to cut their facial. Cut meaning trim it down to fit into the time frame I have for her now that she’s late. If you are careful, you truly can do the entire facial, albeit cutting things here and there and taking less time with each step, and your client won’t feel or see the difference.

It’s simple to do without removing any critical step from your facial. I don’t linger with any particular step. In other words, I click along from one step to another (not rushing, though). If this late client needs a lot of extractions, that step will have to but trimmed down and if she is really late, it may have to be cut altogether. In this case, say with a 30 minutes late client, I will give her choices in terms of what I cut. If she really came in for extractions, I will cut something before that in order to give myself time to not only extract her, but also put a clay mask on her face afterwards. I just couldn’t extract and have her leave my office without the clay being on her face for at least 5 minutes. Clay calms and soothes and is essential after extractions.

For more information, see:

• Client Preparation: Part I
• Client Information Charts—Part I