My Experience: An Esthetician's Life During COVID-19
Still Finding Joy in My Job
What its like to be an esthetician during a pandemic.
If you would have asked me back in 2010, the year before I discovered Esthetics, what I thought I would be doing with my career, I wouldn’t have ever guessed I would be doing and creating what I am today. When I first was introduced to this field, I was working as a hostess at a popular wine club here in Sacramento and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life since I had dropped out of college due to finances. The only thing I was creating was the daily special chalkboard sign out front of the restaurant. It was at that restaurant I met my future career, I bought a deal for a “spa day” and the rest is history.
That was now 9 years ago, so much has happened since then, and every moment a learning and growing process for me as an individual, a partner and a small business owner. And then, COVID-19 hits, and everything changed.
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Studying up to understand the deeper meaning of the functions in our lives.
I believe finding new ways and new paths when you hit a wall is fun. So when our country and globe faced a pandemic that was claiming lives, changing infrastructures everywhere and forcing us inside our homes, I knew our industry was going to get hit hard. Knowing that what I do puts me in direct contact with people, something that as we learned more about COVID-19 seemed like a #1 way to get or transmit it, I saw that we would have to drastically change how we do our jobs to keep everyone safe.
What else I saw was that people needed what we as Practitioners and a business offered, a reminder to take care of oneself, to take time out to keep not just our bodies, but our minds and spirits healthy so we can show up better for ourselves and those around us.
Knowing this and all the other challenges we would be facing as a small business, I woke up the next day after closing our Spa doors, went to my faith first, as a practicing Buddhist with the SGI, and prayed. I didn’t have all the answers, but I did have a foundation I could build upon, I could find opportunities where there might be obstacles at first.
I grew up Buddhist, with a mother and uncle that practiced steadily throughout my life. I strongly believe this had a huge roll to play in my optimistic outlook on life, like the quote says
If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything
-unknown, but last time I heard it was lyrics in a Taylor Swift song…
I believe that growing up having a firm foundation in something helps us develop belief in who we are, and what we stand for, that when times get tough, the tough buckle down and keep moving forward. Team sports, clubs, family traditions and more can all play a roll in strengthening our foundation and core principles, or values.
Whenever I hit a challenge, or especially after my first heartbreak, my mother would always encourage me saying, “Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy, and consider obstacles and joy as facts of life and never stop chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo*”, this is a blend of an actual Buddhist quote and a little mom-wisdom, but it worked. I learned that obstacles are inevitable, so why not face them joyfully and turn them into opportunities for growth. This mindset that I thank my mother for, came in handy more than I could have ever imagined.
Whatever faith you practice, or belief system you live by, the most important thing is how we apply our faith and what it teaches to our daily life, and to create value with our lives. Seeing the closure of our physical location as an opportunity and not an obstacle opened the way for us to create a new ways to experience wellness, and preserve our business.
The weeks following our (first) closure were filled with uncertainty, discussions about what our future will look like, and a realization that self care and COVID-19 are not going anywhere. Right away, we had a lot of support from our amazing clients, purchasing skincare, packages of treatments and gift certificates from us. This helped us get over the first month of being closed, but we knew that pre-selling services isn’t sustainable, and we knew there was more we could offer our clients, not just a day promised in the future, but something here in the present.
It wasn’t until late April that the first guidelines for COVID-19 in the Esthetic Industry came out. I came across a livestream webinar on Linkedin from Dermalogica, a well known brand and even more well known (among estheticians at least!) school known as the International Dermal Institute. I have gone to their classes and workshops over the years, and love the philosophy founder and visionary Jane Wurwand drives everything with.
I tuned in at 8am on my boyfriend's birthday, he totally understood, and learned how we can continue to do what we love but while keeping everyone as safe as possible. I have to be honest, up until that webinar, I had so many questions about how and if I could safely and effectively do my job.
Setting our Spa up for safety after taking Dermalogica’s Clean Touch Certification Training
“When you’re under pressure, don’t relax...rather, it is important to buckle down and refocus your energy.”
Offering virtual services as an esthetician can be tricky, and what I was focusing my energy on was building something tangible and sustainable that we can offer with a virtual component. Honestly, I was afraid to go back in to the treatment room and perform skin treatments, I had no idea how safe facials were for me or my client, nor if we were even able to continue offering them during this time.
That webinar not only answered so many questions I had about that and so much more, but it also reminded me that I am in the right field. I care about people, about their happiness, the health of their skin and being a part of it, I believe sound science and systems for safety and sanitation are needed right now to keep both our clients and ourselves safe and I am so proud to be a part of a community of practitioners whose focus is the safety of not just our clients, but for each one of us.
After tuning in, I felt so empowered to redesign our space and our treatments so that we could safely get “back in touch” with our clients. At the same time, I was getting so energized by putting together our social media, our YouTube guided meditation videos and creating ways for our clients to take self care, and the spa vibe, home. That was before we could reopen, and I was focused on getting everything ready and everyone trained on the new procedures. Towards the time where we were about to reopen, something in my gut told me to continue on with our virtual or socially distanced options as COVID-19 still here, we might have to close again. I just didn’t know how quickly that would happen.
With this second round of forced closures from our state, only two weeks after reopening our doors, I am not as scared or even angry, mainly because I expected it. We were taking our policies so strictly, and working so hard for our clients safety, however there are people not taking this seriously, not even following basic guidelines for safety. I knew that we didn’t learn our lesson as a country the first time, and were being put on a time-out until everyone got on board. This again made me reassured that our industry will thrive because we care so much about other people’s safety, and that’s what this is really teaching us, to care about other people by doing something as simple as wearing a mask. This has helped me to deepen my understanding of how “self care” really can serve others.
I am excited for the future of our industry because we put people first, and when you care more about who you do your work for, and less about what profit or gain you’ll get out of it, you’ll always be on the right side.
For now we have a few virtual options for wellness, continue to put out encouraging self care reminders in our social media and are getting together via zoom to brainstorm in more ways to serve our clients, lockdown or not. I look forward to what we can continue to create for our community, and how we can help people heal and remain grounded during such a tumultuous time. There’s no end to this story as I am still in the thick of it, but there is definitely a bright future at the end of the tunnel.
Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,
xx eri
*Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is the Buddhist mantra that we recite when we pray. It translates to: I dedicate myself to the Lotus Sutra, or the Simultaneity of Cause & Effect, Through My Voice/Sound. I practice with the Soka Gakkai International, an organization dedicated to peace and the infinite potential in each of us.