Mentoring !

As part of my action plan I wanted to take it upon myself to mentor and coach younger and less experienced learners in different aspects of Beauty and Spa Therapy.

I decided to start this process when a level 2 student started volunteering on a Saturday where I work; it became apparent that she was very enthusiastic but did lack some confidence and understanding in some areas such as waxing and the spa journey that clients take.

I chose this student mainly because she showed a real passion for the role. I started the mentoring by introducing myself and explaining what I wanted to do within the process and if there was anything that she wanted to focus on.

She immediately said that she would like help with her waxing technique and would like an introduction to the spa as she was considering whether to do the beauty or spa level 3 route.

When I had time I mentored her and let her ask questions; I also allowed her to shadow me whilst I was doing spa journeys. She said that that had really helped as she was always thinking of what to talk to clients about. I spoke through the consultation process of the spa and allowed her to practice on me also. I did this a number of times throughout her time at Revive.

I also showed her how to answer the phone whilst on reception and take payments; for me this was a great experience as it allowed me to pass on this knowledge once I had learnt it recently.

I helped her with her waxing skills when she was struggling with a client; I went through the techniques and approaches as well as the actual application of the treatment.

I shadowed her aftercare advice on as many treatments as possible and she asked questions on alternative products to offer. She quickly picked up on the products and how to communicate with the client.

She asked me plently of questions throughout the time she spent with me and said that she has really enjoyed and learnt a lot whilst volunteering.

Critically I want to continue to improve her skills if she continues into the level 3 as she shows real promise to progress as a beauty therapist if she chooses. I will do this by meeting with her on more regular occasions and once something has been learnt I will ask her if she wants to look into any other aspects of beauty therapy. For example I have friends who work on cruise ships, salons and spas so I could utilise them and encourage her in other avenues of beauty therapy.

J

Positivity !

Unit 25 – Working with and Leading People

Last week we had a session on positivity and attitude with the challenge that for the next week at work we would stay positive even when things might be harder or more challenging than we hoped for.

Saturday 13th February

A typical day for me; crystal clear facial, full body massage , crystal clear facial, lunch, lunch cover for reception, back massage, pool test, back massage, clear up. Nothing out of the ordinary apart, from a client that is known for being a bit of a handful sometimes.

So I stayed positive and prepared myself for little comments and suggestions on how to carry out the treatment the way she/he would do it (Even though she/ he has had no training within the beauty industry).

I welcome the client to the salon and take her/ him through to the treatment room, I ask how she/ he is, chat about the weather the usual things. She/ he seems happy, chatty and ready for a “well deserved treat” she/he states.

I leave the room for her/him to get changed and then the treatment begins. She/he talks a little and then becomes quiet, unusual for her/him. She/ he has fallen asleep. I carry on with the treatment cleanse, tone, massage, scalp massage and pressure points, mask, arm massage, and moisturiser. And then wash my hands I place my hand on her/ his shoulder and say that I will get her/him a glass of water if they would like to take their time and get changed.

Once back with water in hand she/he compliments and thanks me on a wonderful treatment and gives me a small tip. We make our way back to reception and he/she raves to the receptionist how relaxed she/he is and asks for me to do her treatment again next time. I say goodbye to the client and continue with my day feeling more positive and energised knowing that I have made the client’s day by relaxing her/him and giving them a well-deserved treat.

The next day however doesn’t go quite according to plan;

Sunday 14th February 

Valentine’s Day is packed; facials and massages are in my column completely back-to-back and neither me nor Carly have got a lunch. I will be completely shattered after this shift. And then I start to feel the negativity coming in, but I stop myself I think “No I’m not going to let this get to me. Think positive at least the day will go quick”.

I have a galvanic facial booked in first thing followed by a Dermalogica facial straight afterwards. Then a full body massage and a back massage then my dinner. Then two full body massages back to back and then two back massages at the end of the day. I know that with all this massage my hands will definitely ache tonight but I stay positive. It’s Valentine’s Day after all and people have booked in to see me and want a relaxing spa treat.

I go to the treatment room and set up my day, I gather all the products that I need and then fetch my first client who is waiting patiently in reception. She is a regular who I haven’t seen for a while so we chat and catch up on what we both been up to. When we sit down in the treatment room to go to the consultation she tells me that she’s meant to be booked in for a crystal clear facial. I say that this is not a problem and whilst she gets changed, I gather the products I need for a crystal clear facial. The treatment goes wonderfully and we end up chatting about what she’s doing this evening with her husband. I take her to reception she pays and books in for a further three treatments with me.

My next clients are booked in for a Dermalogica facial and a full body massage back to back. I go back to the treatment room, tidy my trolley and reset the couch. I make my way back to reception to find that they have has cancelled these treatments and have now replaced it with two back massages. I hurry back to the treatment room and change the bed around ready for the back massages. I now have a 15 minute wait until the back massage is in as they are both in the spa beforehand.

I do both massages and because it’s Valentine’s Day I also use a body brush and conditioning body wash on the back before the massage begins using warms mitts to remove any excess product. Both clients are very pleased with the massage and then go back into the spa for another half an hour.

The third back massage of the day cancels, so I now have a full body massage and a back massage until the end of my shift, I enjoy a full half an hour for my lunch; and then come back ready to cover reception whilst Carly gets hers. Whilst I am sat on reception a client comes out of the spa and asks for some lavender as he has burnt his foot within the Rasul, I have done first aid training in the past but my certificate is out of date and I call down to the office so that Carly can apply first aid. However it becomes apparent that she isn’t there, so I ask the client to sit and I go in search of her. She has left a note and gone to Tesco to get something for dinner and a phone number to call if I need her. I ring her and say that I need her quickly but she doesn’t answer so I leave a message.

I go back to the client with a glass of water and say that Carly will be back shortly as she is not on site. I then get him the Dermalogica Ultracalming toner but advise him that I cannot administer it and he can do but at his own risk. I then sit on reception and wait for Carly to come back in the meantime my next client has arrived but I cannot leave reception until Carly is back and she has dealt with the first aid.

I advise my client of this and get her a coffee so she doesn’t have to just sit and wait. Once I bring her the coffee Carly is back and is attending to the first aid. I let her know that I will take my client through once she has finished the first aid and in the meantime I will clean the locker rooms and Rasul ready for the next clients.

Once I have replaced the lockers with new robes and cleaned down the Rasul, Carly is finished with the first aid so I bring my next client through for her massage; I explain what has happened and apologise for being ten minutes late, she is understanding and says that she quite enjoyed sitting with a coffee and magazine before her massage. I do the massage and she thanks me, offering me a small tip at the end and going on her way.

Lastly the back massage arrives which is a new client so I go through all the forms and consultation questions that I need which he questions and I explain that they must be carried out due to health and safety and he agrees. He enjoys the treatment and falls asleep half way through. I take him to reception and he pays and books another treatment with me after following my aftercare advice.

Overall a really busy day and quite stressful at times but as I stayed positive and calm the day went smoothly and I also got £3.00 in my pocket in tips 🙂 plus comments from happy and relaxed clients.

J

 

 

 

Progress…

I’m making progress !!!

Yesterday at University, I researched a Continual Professional Development plan (CPD) and then used some template ideas to start me off on creating a CPD for a level 2 beauty therapy student that I have permission to mentor and coach. I chose the student because she exhibits a real passion for beauty and is always asking questions on how I do treatments or how I work my day to day bookings. She’s very enthusiastic and she’s stated before that she wishes to progress onto level 3 and above 🙂

The CPD plan I’ve created will be used within the salon and the student will be monitored on all of the aims that I feel she needs to concentrate and improve on more. The tasks that I want the student to practice are; eyebrow waxing, receptionists skills and duties, spa hosting and aftercare advice. These will then be monitored throughout the year and hopefully progression will be made. I hope that with my input that the student will gain more confidence, skills and techniques to achieve her level 2 qualification and go onto complete level 3 and beyond.

I’ve also took the time to update my action plan for PPD with reference to the mentoring and of my own professional development through the CPD and with keeping up to date on social media with all the new trends within the industry. It was an easy step to make as I already have accounts on the biggest social media sites so its just a case of ‘following’ or ‘liking’ the right people and companies.

J

 

 

 

Psychology of the Mind

Hi Again,

First week back at university all done and dusted (I say this now as I work the weekends so I kind of count them as my working week).

We got back into the swing of things with a new Unit 🙂

Business Psychology! Which looks like is going to be really good. We carried out some really neat Psychological activities that are meant to show a deeper understanding into your life! This one pictured below is just a simple drawing of a house (ignore the terrible art skills). But what it shows an in depth picture of my life.  

  

• The house is me; depending on how large or small the house is and where it is located on the page represents my personality. (So it seems that I take up most of the page and have a large personality?) The smoke coming out of the chimney may represent my need for letting off steam or an escape from being me? – I have to say I like my alone time 🙂
• The Tree is my father, the water (pond) is my mother; this doesn’t necessarily show how close you are to either parent or which one you prefer but it can represent what you think of your parents or which once influences me more. again I kind of believe this as I would say that my mothers work ethic has influenced me more than my fathers, this might be because my dad doesn’t like his job and only wants the best for me and my sister. And I think that my father has influenced me in other ways such as my sense of humour and the need to provide and protect my family.
• The Path; shows how easy it is to get to know you, so it looks pretty straightforward to me, however I like to think of myself as a complicated character so I’m unsure of this one.
• And finally you have to add to things that make the picture complete; the sun may represent my need to be happy in everything that I do; which may explain the long way around to my education and finding what I want to do. And the people; a man and a woman stick figure may represent my need for family as they are the most important thing to me. Next….Overall a really good week.

We had a great session from V. She’s our study skills coach and she went over some excellent ways of critical analysis, and assignment writing. The need for proofreading will be taken on and implemented in my work this year. One of the tasks we did in this session was matching up the descriptions to the main objectives of some of our assessment criteria. Something that really helped.

Overall I think most of this exercise does in some ways represent my life but others not so much.

Overall a good week.

J

Indian Head Massage… Again !!!

This week I undertook another Indian head massage tutorial (IHM); this time for a younger class of level 2 hairdressers. I provided the students without some information about my education in beauty therapy and then proceeded to go through a short presentation on IHM which included a short history, preparation instructions, contraindications, contractions, effects and benefits and aftercare   

 When I carried out the presentation I took any questions from the students to ensured they understood what I was explaining to them. 

Once I had taken questions again at the end of the presentation i then needed a volunteer for me to show the practical side of IHM. 

  
Once I had a volunteer I then told them students to find a partner and set up their  work area as I had done. 

I demonstrated warming up exercises for the hands and arms of the therapist and then carried out a ten minute IHM on my model; doing each step one by one and getting the students to practice this on their model. Questions were asked by myself and the students, and answers given throughout this process and I also helped students one to one if they were struggling with a movement.

Overall I would say that the IHM lesson went well as the students seemed enthusiastic and asked lots of questions throughout and at the end of the session. And seemed truly appreciative of the session. 

  

As part of unit 33 I have to carry out some development activities and this session was aimed at me practicing my communication skills with students this I feel that I carried out well; however for future improvement I would like to have extra materials that I can teach them and not just restrict their learning to IHM. 

J 

Progress in 2016…

Welcome 2016!!

Unit 30 was handed in and completed before Christmas, so now I have completed one of my action steps on my action plan for Unit 33. I managed to carry out relevant and helpful background reading before starting Unit 30 and it was much easier to start the overall report this way. I will definitely used background reading again before I sit and stare at a blank screen wondering where to start.

I would also say that in the build up to Christmas I did gain more confidence in the Spa Find range and did sell lots of Christmas gifts sets to new and regular clients. And since the new year has begun I have a new found confidence and approach to selling products to clients regularly and effectively. I generally now start a consultation with asking my clients if they have had the treatment before and if they are using any products currently; I can then determine whether they are in the market for new products and I will explain the benefits of adding an extra step into their home-care routine.

It not just Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise these days…. It’s pre-cleanse, cleanse, tone, ex-foliate, mask, serum, eye cream, moisturise, targeted treatments and more….

Reading and researching about new and upcoming products and innovative treatments in my spare time in magazines, articles, journals and on YouTube and twitter has given me a broader knowledge and confidence to strike up a selling conversation with my clients. Which coincidentally was another way for me to sell to more clients from my action plan steps.

 

 

 

 

Indian Head Massage Tutorial

I completed a Indian Head Massage (IHM) tutorial for some hairdressing mature level 2 students a while ago and am now updating my notes to my blog.

So here goes…..

• I organised a short PowerPoint presentation to keep the students interested ; this included the history of IHM, preparation, aftercare, contra actions etc.
• The students listened to the PowerPoint and asked questions throughout which I was happy to answer
• then a model was used to perform the IHM; I took the students through the routine step by step and allowed them to ask questions and for me to show them on their models if they needed extra help
• overall  the session was a real success and I have been asked by the assessor/ tutor to do this tutorial again for younger students
• when I do this again I  will aim to ask students questions throughout the IHM tutorial

Signing off …

J