St Leonards salon starts offering 'silent appointments'

Laura Bates, owner of Creations Hair and Beauty, in Fernside Avenue, said after chatting to a number of people she found that some ‘get embarrassed by the small talk and it puts them off coming in’.

She added: “After studying and taking a fantastic course and becoming an official mental health first aider in the work place, I realised how important it is to look out for each other.

“I appreciate that sometimes coming into a salon it can be a daunting experience. We have just started advertising this and it’s become a hit with requests.”

Laura said the course she recently did ‘really opened’ her eyes to the ‘struggles and obstacles people are facing’.

She added: “Silent appointments aren’t a new thing or something we’ve invented by any stretch. As a salon as a whole, we always pick up people’s vibes about how they are feeling, and if they wish to engage or not and always respect that. It’s such a personal job.

“We are lucky enough to have a great relationship with our clients. We almost felt we didn’t need to suggest silent appointments, as we almost presumed people knew this was a thing.

“I decided to put a post on our social media to say that people could request a silent appointment. We had so many comments from people saying they stay away from salons as they feel they are daunting, judgmental places, which really isn’t the case for us. People said they hated the small talk they feel they are expected to have. They felt embarrassed by the whole appointment.

"It was such an eye opener to see that people feel this way. Obviously self-care is constantly in the press and it’s so important to take that time for yourself without having the embarrassment or stigma attached to suffering from mental health.

“We are an inclusive salon and felt putting it out there about silent appointments could surely only help those who struggle.”