Under current state and San Diego County restrictions, personal care businesses, including services like waxing, can only operate outside. Many owners and estheticians have shared how that's just not possible.
The owner of Brazilia Skin Care and Wax Spa, Ashton Imerman, said the county should look at the current data and reconsider operating indoors.
“We're far enough along in this crisis where we can now look at the data and determine where the outbreaks are coming from,” Imerman said.
Imerman’s waxing studio is among the many personal care businesses that have been forced to stop indoor operations. Within the City of San Diego, they can move services outside, but Imerman explains this is an intimate service.
“Unfortunately, you're not able to do intimate services in an outdoor exposed area. You have no ability to control your environment, never mind create a comfortable environment for the client and esthetician,” she said.
Prior to the last rollback on businesses when waxing studios were allowed to operate, Imerman said they had a protocol in place and saw no infections.
“We were temporarily open for a few weeks at all four of our establishments and we saw almost 1,500 people without incident,” Imerman said.
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Another frustration the beauty business owner raised is how laser hair removal is allowed indoors because their licensing falls under the medical board, unlike the board of cosmetology which estheticians follow.
Imerman explains how both services are using the same PPE and sanitation equipment.
“There really is no reason why you should be able to get your legs lasered and not waxed,” Imerman said.
Imerman, alongside her sister and mom, owns four spas across San Diego, with a staff of about 40 women.
San Diego County Department of Health said decisions to move businesses back indoors would be made after the county is removed from the state's monitoring list. Still, the county can't promise that the return inside will happen immediately.
“We don’t have any light at the end of the tunnel we're just sitting here twiddling our thumbs and unfortunately, our staff is looking at us for answers and we don’t have any,” she said.
