What do the federal government's protective measures mean for nail salon operators, customers and employees? Our nail designer Stefanie is affected herself and tells us what problems nail salons are having to deal with due to the closure. The existence of operators and employees is threatened - our nail expert provides insights into their lives in the shadow of the Corona crisis.

Nail salon in the Corona crisis: Questions for nail expert Stefanie

The corona crisis is pushing nail salons to the limits of their financial resilience - our nail designer Stefanie talks about the effects that threaten her existence, how she and her colleagues reacted to the closure and what plans she is making for the future.

How did the corona crisis start in your nail salon?
Nail designer Stefanie: In February and the beginning of March we had more cancellations due to illness, which is not unusual during the cold season. But that became more and because of this, many people canceled. In particular, high-risk patients or people who have high-risk patients in their family skipped their appointments. But the regular customers who have been there for years have come to the closure - especially for refills. From March 16th onwards, the number of customers thinned out more and more, especially after the Chancellor's first speech. Many customers were very uncertain, including about whether we were still working at all, because there were initially no concrete announcements from the government and although our industry was still allowed to work, many studios were already closed. People often called before appointments to see if we were still there. We worked from day to day and unfortunately were unable to make any long-term statements.

What were the first actions you took?
Nail designer Stefanie: Some customers simply didn't come to their appointment even without cancellation. We then started calling the customers the day before every day and asking if they would come. We have kept a Corona list with the appointments and the losses we are suffering due to the crisis. We have asked sick customers or employees to stay at home, even if they only have mild symptoms. We also tried to compress the appointments so that the employees had little idle time and could leave earlier or come later - unfortunately this also resulted in a lot of lost hours. Face masks and disinfection are always part of our everyday work, but during Corona times we separately advised customers to wash their hands before treatment. We disinfected all handles every hour and also regularly treated the cash register and the card payment machine with disinfectant.

What was the mood like among the customers and employees in the studio?
Nail designer Stefanie: In the week before the closure there was a lot of tension - most customers and employees were quite stressed and unsettled. Some because of the illness itself, but many also because of the unclear circumstances because no one knew what would happen next. Corona was the main topic in almost all conversations. We still tried to offer normal service and normal topics of conversation, after all, we want it to be a time out that distracts from everyday life.

When did the nail salon have to close due to Covid19?
Nail designer Stefanie: The closure ultimately came suddenly for all of us. Our last working day was on March 20th - from March 21st there was an official ban on opening hairdressers, cosmetic studios and nail salons.

How did the closure go?
Nail designer Stefanie: We were able to inform most customers in various ways. We also left corresponding messages on social networks and on our answering machine and tried to provide relevant information. We make every effort to answer questions and arrange appointments further afield. Of course, there is a note on the front door with all the facts we were able to gather.

What does the closure mean for the employees?
Nail designer Stefanie: For our employees, the current situation means short-time work with 60 percent salary. Most of them will get into financial difficulties because of course the costs continue to run for each of us. The colleagues are particularly unsettled because they don't know how long this crisis situation will really last.

What did the customers say?
Nagelstudio Stefanie: Many people are now writing to us saying that they will come back, that they will support us and we even had customers who simply transferred the money for an appointment that couldn't take place because of Corona. Vouchers are also purchased that can be redeemed in better times. We are incredibly grateful for that! It's nice to see that people stick together and support each other in times of crisis like this.

What are the biggest problems caused by the closure of the nail salon?
Nail designer Stefanie: I find the financial worries particularly stressful. Unfortunately, there is no specific opening date, so you can't plan at all. If you had safe times, you could prepare everything and see that customers get back into a reasonable refill rhythm. Of course, you don't know how many customers will come back, because one or two of them may have had money problems themselves - many will certainly think about whether, and if so, how often they can go to the nail salon.

What about government help for closed nail salons?
Nail designer Stefanie: Failures due to Corona are not easily replaced with state support at the moment, we were only officially promised the 5000 euros. Other nail design colleagues have already had to lay off employees in order to save the studio.

What are the plans for the future/reopening?
Nail designer Stefanie: I actually can't say much about that because no one knows yet how long we'll have to hold out and what our situation will be like. Should things start again soon, we will endeavor to offer our customers as normal and regulated a process as possible.

Do you think Corona will have a long-term impact on the work of nail designers?
Nail designer Stefanie: I think that customers will be unsettled for a long time and the question is whether they will come back at all. Many customers also come for special occasions, such as vacation, but whether that will be possible this year is anyone's guess - we will also be missing additional income there. This can threaten the existence of nail salons.

Close the nail salon and break the chain of infection

At first it was just a virus somewhere in China, but suddenly Corona became active in Europe and finally in Germany, says our nail designer Stefanie. One of the reasons the respiratory disease is so insidious is that it can be transmitted by already infected people who have not yet developed any symptoms themselves. What began with cancellations by individual customers has now expanded into the closure of nail salons - the COVID19 pandemic has Germany firmly under control. In order to avoid the spread of the respiratory disease and to protect employees and customers, the federal and state crisis team decided on guidelines for limiting social contacts on March 22, 2020. For service areas such as nail and cosmetic salons, this means temporary closure, as these businesses work close to people and therefore there is an increased risk of transmission.

Our nail expert Stefanie knows how difficult the situation is for some customers and, above all, what problems arise with artificial nails if they cannot be renewed. She has a few tips and tricks on how you can care for your nails in times of crisis.

Anyone who attaches great importance to beautiful nails and therefore goes to the nail salon regularly will be hit hard by the closure of the studios. Many people need well-groomed hands in their everyday work and are now on their own - the nail technicians on site are not allowed to help, because this is the only way to break the chain of infection.

8 questions for the nail expert

We asked our nail designer eight questions, the answers can help you deal with your artificial nails during the Corona quarantine.

What did you recommend to your customers when you had to close the nail salon?
Nail designer Stefanie: Some customers really panicked because we had to close. We have made every effort to accompany our customers by telephone, email and WhatsApp, to clarify questions and to offer tutorials on how, for example, they can remove Shellac from their nails when it grows out. We can now be reached at any time via social networks if you have any questions.

Which problems occur most frequently?
Nail designer Stefanie: The length, lifting, cracks, chipping and breaking are the biggest difficulties that customers now have with their growing artificial nails made of gel, acrylic, shellac or UV nail polish.

How long can you delay a refill?
Nail designer Stefanie: After six to eight weeks, most gel nails no longer look particularly beautiful without a refill. It depends very much on the nature of the natural nail, depending on what the natural nail surface is like and how quickly the natural nail grows - here you are lucky if the nails grow slowly. By shortening and painting over or carefully filing the gel mound, you can delay the refill a little and the nail tip remains protected.

When should artificial nails come off?
Nail designer Stefanie: The nails should definitely be taken off if they start to feel uncomfortable. If the nails are too long or have had lifts, you should file down the gel yourself - because moisture can collect as well as viruses and bacteria, especially in lifts.

What attacks nails the most during quarantine?
Nail designer Stefanie: Unfortunately, constant hand washing and disinfecting challenges the quality of the artificial nails, but it cannot be avoided at the moment - it is important to take a lot of care .

How do you protect artificial nails?
Nail designer Stefanie: For me, keeping them short is the best way to protect the nails.

Which nail modeling do you recommend to do yourself at home?
Nail designer Stefanie: I think Shellac and UV nail polish are also suitable for beginners and can be applied very easily, similar to normal nail polish. However, these types of varnish must be cured, which requires a UV lamp.

Looking ahead, what do you recommend to your customers?
Nail designer Stefanie: I recommend that my customers buy vouchers and, if possible, make appointments in the future so that they can get to it as quickly as possible and get back into their refill rhythm.