Beauty industry workers learn about standards

Facilitator of the workshop, Rosemarie Charles,
is also an executive member of the Caribbean
Spa and Wellness Association.

By Linda Straker

A number of persons who operate or manage facilities in the growing Spa and Wellness Sector are more knowledgeable about the need for standards within the industry which, according to reports, lacks standards and operates “very loosely” within Grenada and some parts of the region.

More than 25 persons, who can collectively be described as beauty therapists, on Tuesday completed a workshop on “The Application of Regional Standards in the Spa and Wellness Sector in Grenada”. The workshop took place at the Grenada National Stadium and was funded by the Caribbean Development Bank, UKAID and the Government of Grenada.

Facilitated by Grenadian Rosemarie Charles, who is also an executive member of the Caribbean Spa and Wellness Association, the training involved eight modules which covered topics ranging from the difference between spas, salons and beauty clinics to legal requirements for operating a facility as well as to discuss a draft regional standard for the sector.

“Standards are not only for your clients, but for yourself,” said Charles, who explained that the purpose of the workshop was to provide knowledge on those standards and draw up a plan of action to ensure those standards are implemented in Grenada.

Some of the participants at the Spa and Wellness workshop.

The plan of action can serve as a basis for sourcing financial and technical support for improving the quality of service in the industry.

At present, there are no standards within the industry and the draft standard is based on best practices from other territories, in particular the USA and UK. Those who participated in the workshop had an opportunity to know about the do’s and don’ts as recommended in the draft, which must be adopted by relevant regional and/or national standard bodies.

Topics covered in the two-day workshop, which commenced on Monday, included Safety and Hygiene; Products; Physical Environment; Addressing Medical Emergencies; Code of Ethics; and Customer Service.

Charles said that she was very pleased at the turnout, because it shows that those involved in the sector have a willingness to be engaged in continuous training as efforts are being made to implement standards to operate as well as the certifications and qualification requirements for the sector.