THE owner of a Mildura-based beauty boutique says things will be as busy as ever when it reopens next month.
Natalie Misale opened her business, The Lash Beautique by Natalie, in February, but was forced to close only a month later due to COVID-19 restrictions.
She said her business had been wildly successful until the closure and that it was “incredibly sad” to shut.
“I wasn’t able to do the job I love and see my clients, which is a big part of my life socially as well,” she said.
“It was also scary because I didn’t know how long I would have to stay closed for or where my income would be coming from.”
But, the wait finally ended for Ms Misale on Sunday, with the Victorian Government announcing beauty therapists, spas and tattoo parlours could resume trading on June 1.
Only 20 patrons will be allowed inside each premises at one time and social distancing restrictions will still apply. Contact details of each patron must also be recorded for tracing purposes.
Ms Misale said the announcement was a pleasant surprise and she had since received an influx of messages and calls from excited clients.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to open up so soon,” she said.
“But I am booking up fast, which has been fantastic. I spent Sunday on the phone with clients telling me it’s the best news they’ve heard in a long time.”
Ms Misale said it wouldn’t exactly be business as usual, however, with some stricter safety measures now in place at the boutique, including urging clients who are sick to reschedule.
“When I was in isolation I was able to consider new products and services I could offer my clients,” she said.
“But, I also thought about what I would need to do to keep people safe, like taking a lot of time between appointments to sanitise properly.”
Clients will also be asked to arrive no more than five minutes early to appointments and to leave children at home if possible.
Ms Misale said although she had the option of opening earlier, she would be waiting until June 3.
“My son is home from school at the moment, so I have to wait until he can be cared for before I can reopen,” she said.
“But I really can’t wait to get back to work and I know everyone in the industry is going to be super, super busy.”
