expert opinion
help take the guesswork
out ofmum-to-be treatments with this handy guide.
With approximately 698,323 maternities in England andWales recorded by the Office of National Statistics in 2009, it’s unsurprising that so many salons branch out into pregnancy packages, but is creating mum-to-be friendly treatments really as simple as it sounds?
As a pregnant client myself, I’ve often wondered at the number of adaptations that might have been made in the salon to ensure the utmost comfort and safety during treatments. For example, does the salon have the appropriate level of insurance cover to treat me, will I be able to lie on the couch comfortably and have the staff been trained specifically in the needs of pregnant clients?
Anyone who is looking to introduce mum- to-be packages or advertise pregnancy- friendly treatments in their salon really must understand and appreciate the gravity of the situation at hand, and as such must go out of their way to reassure the pregnant client that their chosen treatment is safe, or where there is a potential risk, however remote, be confident enough to highlight this to the client at the time of booking.
That said, the rewards of catering for your pregnant clients can be enormous, as not only will you personally have a hand in helping to ease the stresses and strains often associated with becoming a mother, but also your details are more likely to be passed onto other mums-to-be either through word-of-mouth or even word-of- mouse recommendations from your pregnant
clients.And, with over 36,100,000 pregnancy forum links listed on Google at the time of writing and thousands of antenatal classes taking place weekly throughout the UK - this is one audience that is unlikely to diminish any time soon.
To help take the guesswork out of offering pregnancy treatments to your clients, we’ve challenged a team of experts to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.
I want to start offering treatments tomy pregnant clients - where should I start?
The first step for any salon looking to introduce pregnancy treatments should be to check the fine print in your existing insurance
policy.Although most policies will cover treating pregnant clients, it’s always best to advise your insurer of any changes in your treatment menu that may be a cause for concern.
We spoke to David Balen from Balens Insurance Brokers to clarify the situation with their policies: “Effectively there are no limitations for treatments during pregnancy except for what the therapist was taught at college on their course.
“However, as with any treatment, it is important to remember to keep your boundaries, offer towels or robes for discretion and never claim or imply that you are able to cure a condition.
“In addition, be clear with the client about what they can expect from the treatment [bearing in mind that pregnant clients’ skins may react differently to those clients who aren’t carrying a baby], including what the charges will be, over what period you expect the treatment course to take, and what may be some of the positive and negative effects of the treatment.
“Finally, remember to keep good records of what you have told the client - your records are your first line of defence if a claim is made against you,” he adds.
are there any treatments that cannot be carried out during pregnancy?
“At Urban Retreat we advise our therapists that themajority of our treatments can be carried out in the first trimester (up to 12 weeks) however the exceptions to the rule would be facials or body treatments that include some formof electrotherapy and we recommend that therapists should avoid the lower back area completely duringmassage. After the first trimester, switch to pregnancy specificmassages using pregnancy pillows to enable you to carry out the treatmentsmore effectively - and don’t forget that clients should be advised not to lay on their front after threemonths,” says Joanne King, BeautyManager for Urban Retreat.
With regards to electrotherapy treatments, Demilec’s David Jones goes into a little more detail: “Under no circumstance should any formof electrotherapy treatment be applied to a pregnant
woman.The electrical current can affect the cell function, the increase rate of blood flow, endorphin release,muscle strengthening etc. It is a contra-indication and should be strictly adhered
to.Thismeans ultrasound, Interferential current,micro-current, DC current etc...
“One of the dangers, apart fromthe woman losing the child, is if there are any problems in the pregnancy and it ismentioned that she has had electro-therapy, litigation could
ensue.As soon as they are diagnosed as being pregnant then they should not be treated until after the birth.”
Dermalogica’s Lesley Corridan adds: “Detoxification treatments should be avoided as increased toxic load within the blood can negatively impact the baby. In addition, heat-inducing treatments, which raise your clients’body temperature, should also be avoided to prevent distressing the baby.
GUILD NEWS 91
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