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Client showed up with a scary scalp rash and I had to make a call
Yesterday, my regular guy came in looking for a fade before a family wedding. As soon as I parted his hair, I saw this angry, crusty patch all over his scalp. It looked REALLY contagious, maybe even like impetigo. He's a good dude who tips well, and he was desperate to look good for the photos. I softly told him I was worried about spreading it and asked if he could see a doc first. He got mad and said it was just stress, but I offered a free cut next week if he got it cleared. Now I feel awful for turning him away, but my shop's cleanliness is on the line. How do you balance keeping clients happy with not risking everyone's health?
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baker.willow7mo ago
Remember my friend Maggie at her salon last spring. She had a regular client show up with weeping sores along her hairline, insisting it was just a sunburn. Maggie gently said she couldn't risk her tools spreading it to other clients, especially the elderly lady in her next chair. She mixed the client a small bottle of pure aloe vera from her own plant and told her to come back in a week, on the house. The client was upset but returned later with a doctor's note for folliculitis, thanking Maggie for her caution. It cemented for me that protecting everyone's health is the real foundation of the job.
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riverw177mo ago
Protecting everyone's health might sometimes hurt your business.
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sandraf986mo ago
Used to worry that saying no to a client would ruin my reputation for good. Reading these stories, especially Maggie's with the aloe vera, really flipped a switch for me. It's not about being rude, it's about being responsible for the whole room. That client coming back with the doctor's note says it all, you know? Protecting health isn't bad for business, it is the business.
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