The beauty and esthetics industry in Prince George has changed drastically during the course of the pandemic.
Denisse Wyman owns Beauty Trends in PG, which offers services ranging from facials to pedicures to hair removal and waxing services.
Wyman says she is seeing more customers coming in and trying out services for the first time, as they don’t have as many expenses as before the pandemic.
However, she also says her client’s needs have had the most dramatic change.
“People used to get these services when they’re going on a trip or going out, but people now are just coming for self-care,” she explained,” I see people coming in with different needs like wanting a massage just to feel the human touch and just talk.”
Additionally, the demand for facials has gone up due to the increase in skin-related issues caused by mask-wearing, while the demand for hair removal has gone down.
Business was quite slow in March, according to Wyman, however, she since experienced an increase in first-time clients coming in for their mental health.
“When you’re getting a service for yourself, you feel good and there’s something to be said about just feeling good and doing something for yourself,” she explained.
Social isolation has led to many of Wyman’s customers coming in just for some time to speak and experience a social interaction.
“The most important thing in my industry is building a relationship with a client and when you’re not able to see friends, you can come in and talk to someone who knows about your story and vent while knowing that information isn’t going anywhere,” she noted.
She advises anyone looking to boost their self-confidence or heal the sense of social isolation to consider giving a beauty service a chance.