Should you charge clients for PPE?

I have seen a few posts recently from therapists wondering if they should charge for PPE in the salon so I wanted to offer different views on this so you can decide what will work best for you , your clients and your business. 

Understandably providing PPE to your clients comes at a cost.

Let us look at the different options to break it down into smaller chunks: 

You will need a mask for yourself, right? 
Well, this is nothing new and if you are a lash therapist you should be wearing a mask anyway to protect yourself of any fumes so the Virus itself would not change this and you can continue using your mask the same way you have before. 

Would it be fair to charge your client for this? 
Probably not as it is your own protection and even though it will also protect your client, you would be wearing it anyway and it is your duty as a professional to safeguard yourself and your clients as best as you can.

You will also need PPE for your clients, so this involves a lot more sets if you are a busy therapist. 

You can charge for this BUT your clients might refuse or say they bring their own. 
Just look at it from a different angle.....the PPE your clients are wearing will protect YOU  and not them! So, if you want to protect yourself and your family, you want to make sure your clients are wearing the right mask, right? 
Clients bringing their own PPE means it might be used and you have no control where or how many times it has been used and whether it is contaminated thus bringing the virus into your business or home. 

If it was me, I would want to provide the PPE to ensure that everyone is as safe and protected as possible. 

Should you charge for it? 
Yes but not directly. This is only my personal take on it so you can tweak it to suit your business but in my opinion you will need to change your pricing structure and look at your set up again as it will be completely different now. 

You are unable to provide back to back appointment, have clients for short appointments or a quick brow wax as the income provided by a quick appointment might be too low to justify then spending 15-20 minutes cleaning and disinfecting  the work spaces so you might have to relook at the set up and how you will take bookings, how you will space the appointments out or how much time you have to leave in between each client. This naturally means that your pricing might have to be adjusted slightly to account for the additional time you are spending during which you are not earning any money.

Depending on your current price structure this might not affect you too much but those who have been charging close to the breadline will find it more difficult so this is your ideal opportunity to change your pricing and open with a completely new approach. If you get your pricing right, it will be worth your time and you can provide PPE as part of the treatment, which keeps you, your clients and business safe and it also sends a very professional signal out there! A therapist who is willing to provide PPE to clients shows due diligence and care!

Don't forget......CHARGE YOUR WORTH! 

If the last few weeks and months have shown us anything then it is that clients are desperate to come back! They love you. They love your treatments. They love the time with you and they can't wait to book in with you!

Don't undervalue yourself, your time or your skill! 
CHARGE YOUR WORTH