You want more business and loyal customers for your salon, but are you making it easy and welcoming for seniors to come to you? As the older adult market grows, so do the services and products geared toward them. Would you neglect to cater to a huge percentage of your market? By not recognizing and tailoring your salon for services for seniors, that is exactly what you are doing.
Having a senior-friendly salon benefits your business. It will help you attract more customers, and your salon will be seen as being more diverse. Continue reading to find out how to accommodate seniors in your salon.
Welcome Them Warmly Into Your Salon
Some beauty salons fail to make the right impression when an elderly person walks in. While you may have someone to welcome them, you must be attentive to their needs even after the introductions, not just in the services you offer but also in the little things such as offering them a drink or something to entertain themselves. Showing these seniors they have your undivided attention is enough to let them know they are a priority in your salon.
You should also invest in high-quality equipment to better serve your senior clients, such as a manicure table with a sleek design and salon seating such as pedicure and shampoo chairs. Good equipment will not only help you provide more attentive care to all your clients but show your senior clients that you are passionate about what you do and are ready to meet any of their needs.
Train Your Staff
If your staff is trained on how to assist seniors, especially those who have reduced mobility, they are better equipped to offer the services they need. Special treatments and the presence of salon experts well trained to deal with seniors suffering from dementia such as Alzheimer’s will be one of the many benefits of your exceptional salon.
Many older adults suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. While you will likely not see many patients exhibiting the later stages of severe Alzheimer’s, you may encounter seniors in the early stages of Alzheimer’s with some behavioral symptoms. Your staff should be able to accommodate their special needs and have experience with different types of hair to provide a range of beauty care services to improve their quality of life. Your experienced staff should also be able to keep seniors looking and feeling their best.
Make Your Salon Accessible to Seniors With Disabilities
A simple haircut can be a major stressor for seniors with physical or cognitive disabilities. For instance, getting in the door can be overwhelming for a senior in a wheelchair. You therefore want your doors and walkways to have enough room for them to move their wheelchairs through. Bright indoor lighting and a textured floor can also make it easy for visually impaired seniors to navigate.
If you are working with seniors who have dementia, you want to carefully check the water temperature and room temperature so that it’s not outrageously hot or cold. While this may sound obvious, some seniors are more sensitive to temperatures than others. Lastly, it would help to make safe spaces available for your residents who feel overwhelmed by smell, touch, and sound.
Offer In-Home Services
You can also contract with rehab facilities, assisted living and nursing homes, and independent living homes to provide complete at home salon services to their residents, including hairstyling, facials, light massages, and nail care. You can do this to relieve caregivers and the elderly from transportation problems and offer seniors who are homebound excellent beauty service.
Additionally, your salon needs to be available to work when called upon during unconventional business hours. If seniors require salon services during the early morning or late evening, you should have a team that can accommodate these requests. Your beauty salon can be a sanctuary for older adults who need more care and compassion in their later years, so use these ideas to help them feel understood and welcome.