BEAUTICIANS have lashed out, saying they still can’t make money despite their salons re-opening as lockdown eases.

Labelled as ‘manicure Monday’, bosses opened their doors to clients yesterday as the Government gave the green light to carry out certain treatments.

But workers say they were not busy as clients were left feeling frustrated by the limited offering.

Nail treatments, leg and bikini waxing and massages are back on the menu, but treatments involving work directly in front of the face have been banned.

Barbara Kasparian, 54, owner of The Works salon, in Woodgrange Drive, Southend said: “We were not flat out but that’s probably due to a few different reasons. We cannot do face treatments and I think a few people have decided to do their own nails now.

“I also think that some clients are a bit worried about coming back. We did think we would be busy when we re-opened.

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“The phone has not been ringing very much either. We think that as soon as we can do more treatments and people are feeling a bit more confident about going out then business should improve.

“It is frustrating that we cannot do face treatments and our customers are a bit gutted about it as well. We also want to earn a decent amount of money and we’re not going to while we are restricted as to what we can do.

“We are keeping our fingers crossed that it’ll just be a few weeks until we can do those treatments again.

“We have got all our personal protective equipment and are doing everything we can to get customers through the door.”

Lucy Jackson, 29, owner of Snap Beauty in Hamstel Road, Southend said she’s feeling grateful for the clientele so far but treatments that are being restricted by the Government make up 80 per cent of her business.

She said: “We had consistent bookings and we are happy with what we had booked, but if we were allowed to do the rest of our treatments it would have been busy.”

The Echo takes a look at what is different in the salon:

Screens and barriers will be in place between customers and staff in premises, with increased surface cleaning and hand washing enforced.

There will be more disposable equipment, and skin to skin contact will be avoided where possible.

The new measures will also spell the end of a spontaneous treatment in many salons, as businesses are asked to consider using appointment-only booking systems to minimise the number of people on site at one time.

There won’t be a cup of tea with the mani-pedi, as food and drink other than water are likely to be banned.

Customer chairs will be spread out, which may reduce the number of appointments.

If two-metre distancing cannot be maintained, for example when providing treatments, the person providing the service should wear extra protection.

This may include a clear visor that covers the face, in addition to screens and gloves. Businesses will be asked to keep records of customers and staff to share with NHS Test and Trace if needed.