La Belle Jolie - beauty, wellbeing & aesthetic therapies
The British Hair and Beauty Awards, salon of the year 2019, 2020, 2021
book onlinecall usemail us
/covid19.pngCovid-19 - safety and care in the salon.
 
Thankfully due to our already high standards of disease and infection control at the salon there is very little we have to do to comply with the new industry and government legislation, we have always operated as if we were in contact with a highly contagious disease.  We have however never laid this out publicly. Please see below for our current and upcoming disease control procedures.
covid19 safetyVisible changes to your visit
 
You will not see a great deal of change in the salon as we already had detailed disease and infection control in place when the salon began trading. However below are the visible changes that will affect you;
 
Upon arrival if you are wearing a cloth mask you will be asked to remove it and place it in your bag, you will be provided with a fresh mask for the duration of your visit.
 
You will then be required to wash your hands, if you are receiving a treatment that doesn't require us to touch your face we can provide you with a disposable mask if required.
 
We will guide you to where you can place your personal belongings, but please do not put handbags on any surface, they are high risk bacterial and viral contact points.
 
We also ask that you do not touch or use your mobile telephone whilst in the salon, these are also points of high risk bacterial infection.
 
We regret but friends and family will not longer be able to sit and wait for you during your treatment, we have two waiting rooms and these are reserved specifically for clients only.
PPE
 
Every new staff member receives PPE training as part of their health and safety induction training.
 
As a matter of routine our basic training ensures that we carry out all treatments as a "worse case scenario," we select a blood born virus such as Hepatitis, and work as if both therapist and client were already infected.
 
We also wear protection if we or clients have common colds to prevent us catching and spreading it, so wearing face masks for all treatments will be a very small transition for us to make.
 
We will now be adding in face shields for all employees.
General cleanliness
 
We have always operated with the highest standard of cleanliness and infection and disease control throughout both our treatment rooms and common areas of the business.
 
Contact and tranmission points have always received regular daily attention, such as, light switches, door handles and the credit card machine. They are now cleaned before and after each client "turn around" and, at the very least, hourly.
 
The bathroom is sanitised after each client and we are currently looking at automating all contact points in the bathroom with infra-red sensors for the lighting, flush, tap and soap dispenser. 
Linens and Laundry
 
We have always had an in-house laundry as we prefer to have full control with a hands and eyes on approach to sanitation, when it comes to out-sourcing we cannot trust what we cannot see.
 
We have clear pathways that all used linen follows to avoid cross infection, each room has a dirty linen bin, we have separate clean linen baskets to return fresh linen.  Our washing machine has a medical cycle that maintains the heat of the wash at 60 degress constantly, from start to finish.
 
We have always used fresh linens for every client,  treatment rooms are fuly stocked with fresh towels at all times and therapists have housekeeping gaps between each client to allow for the correct sanitisation and linen management practices.
Tools and equipment
 
We have always used disposable equipment where possible (please see our "about us" page for more information on this).  Where this isn't possible we employ a three step process of SDS, sanitise, disinfect and sterilise.
 
Whilst metal tools are sterilised in an autoclave and then with a glass bead steriliser prior to and during treatment, we have now changed this.  Metal tools will still be sanitised with ultrasound prior to being sterilised and will then be sealed in to sterile pouches ready for re-use. They will as always be kept in a broad spectrum disinfectant, bactericide, virucide and fungicide during treatment.
Staff personal hygiene & presentation
 
Many people notice that our staff look very old fashioned, with white medical tunics, hair tied up, no jewellery and nude finger nails - this is how a beauty therapist should look.
 
Hair carries bacteria and should be tied up above the collar at all times whilst working, no one wants hair dangling in their face whilst receiving a facial. 
 
Jewellery can harbour bacteria, conduct electricity and cause serious accidents if caught.
 
Finger nails should be short and clean at all times, therapists cannot perform their work correctly if their fingernails are visible above the top of the finger.  Nails can also harbour bacteria so should appear perfectly manicured and clean at all times. 
 
We provide therapists with enough tunics for a fresh one for each shift of the week they work and we replace them as and when required. 
 
We also have strict protocols about personal hygiene, therapists are required to shower every morning and not to wear overpowering deodorants and perfumes and wear a fresh, clean uniform.
The small stuff
 
All our team are taught "Nothing happens by accident at La Belle Jolie," and it is a mantra you will often hear during staff training. 
 
Every little detail has been planned and thought out, small touches such as, covering your foot mat with couch roll - you therefore know no one else has stood on this,  giving you your nail file after your manicure - whilst this is a lovely thing to do, it is also because we throw them away after your treatment so it's far nicer you get to keep using it, your pedicure bowls have discreet disposable liners - so you know no one elses feet have ever been in contact with you pedicure bowl. 
 
Whilst therapists have always washed their hands and arms before and after treatments, we are now asking that clients wash their hands before their treatment.
/rodofasclepius.pngSalon medical guidelines
 
We have always had very specific medical guidelines which you can read here, however in short, they can be summed up as;
 
If you have any medical condition no matter how small, if you are taking medication for it or being monitored by a medical professional, we cannot perform any treatments on you without prior medical consent. It is the law and we can't work round it and we won't lie, this can be confirmed by our professional body B.A.B.T.A.C., the London Local Authorities Licensing Act of 1991 and any insurance company in the UK that protects beauty salons.
 
If you start to feel unwell for any reason, cancel your appointment at least 24 hours prior to the start time coughs and colds tend not to develop 15 minutes prior to a massage so you may incur our cancellation policy.
 
If you have any unexplained rashes, growths or fungal growths, please book an appointment with your doctor or visit your pharmacist and wait until an appropriate diagnosis has been issued and the condition cleared, prior to booking with us.
 
If you have anything parasitic making its home about your person do not book an appointment until you have seen a medical professional or pharmacist.
Abuse policy
 
Our team have the right to work in an environment free of abuse or threat.
 
Any abusive behaviour will result in you being invited not to visit the businesss again and may result in further action.
 
We will always work within the boundaries of licensing and industry laws, we will not take risks with our or your health.