A SALON owner has issued a rallying cry for customers to support the beauty industry after losing 75 per cent of her business due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Emma Gatt’s The Treatment Rooms, in Panfield Lane, Braintree, is only able to offer manicures, pedicures and massages after the Government banned facial treatments

Emma described the last-minute u-turn as “heartbreaking” and said the restrictions are causing a big financial headache for her and others in the industry.

She said: “I’ve spent five-years building the business up and concentrating on skincare treatments so to suddenly be told you can’t offer most of that is really tough.

“But the hardest part for us is knowing barbers are allowed to do beards and work on the face but we aren’t. Facial treatments aren’t allowed in England but they are in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland so none of this makes sense.

“We understand the concerns the scientists have but if you look at somewhere like Braintree - the infection rate is actually really low so what’s the problem?

“We are and have always been a hygienic industry for obvious reasons so they need to let us do our jobs like normal or offer some more financial support because this cannot continue.”

Emma says her business did receive a grant to support it through the lockdown, but there’s no cash available now the salon has reopened.

New safety measures like ventilation units, PPE, a Covid screening test and deep cleans are in place, but business is at an all-time low. Emma is pleading with customers to support salons, which face a financial crisis.

She added: “I’m not making anywhere near enough money now because we can’t offer facial treatments. I had a full diary booked for two weeks before we were about to open.

“But when the Government said they weren’t allowed at the last minute, it basically wiped out all my customers.

“We’re now having to close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays because it just isn’t viable to open anymore. To be honest, I’m bleeding money and getting nothing to show for it.”

She added: “I totally understand some clients have lost their jobs and a lot of people are scared about coming in after all the scaremongering that’s been going on.

“But there’s so much going against the industry at the moment that we really need support from the public.”

“Whether that’s buying a gift card for a future treatment, or purchasing some of our skincare products - just doing something like that will make a difference.”