Wellness, personal services see long waitlists as Alberta launches Stage 2

Stage 2 of Alberta’s relaunch strategy starts Friday and it seems Albertans are ready for a little rest and relaxation.

Lipstick Empire, a medical spa in Edmonton, currently has a waitlist of more than 300 people.

“We’re booking into the end of July,” said owner Justine Martinson.

Martinson said she’s not surprised that people are eager to indulge in some self-care at this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We may have been deemed non-essential during all of this, but we know that to our clients and community we are very essential to their mental health and well-being.”

Personal services, including aesthetics, cosmetics skin and body treatments, manicures, pedicures, waxing, facial treatments and artificial tanning, can reopen in Stage 2, with restrictions.

“We have hand sanitizer at the door. We are taking your temperature, we built a screen around our front desk and our staff are wearing proper PPE with a face shield,” said Martinson

3:20 Stage 2 of Alberta relaunch will happen in June 12

Staff have been preparing for the Stage 2 announcement for months.

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“It’s been 85 days and we are ready to go,” said Martinson.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's been 85 days and we are ready to go," said Martinson.

“We had no idea how long this would go for. That was a challenge.”

To celebrate the relaunch, the business will be donating a portion of proceeds to the Zebra Child Protection Centre and Edmonton’s Food Bank.

Wellness services (such as acupuncture, acupressure, massage therapy, floatation/sensory deprivation, reflexology, reiki, energy healing, etc.) are also allowed to reopen in Stage 2.

All Sports Health and Performance reopened for chiropractor services during Stage 1.

Manager Lesley Smail said already having safety precautions in place made the transition to massage services reopening a lot easier.

“We had already had our staff meetings, we were all well-equipped with new procedures,” Smail said. “It’s nice and smooth to transition our massage therapists in here.”

Smail said she expects they will be offering massage services by Monday or Tuesday. The clinic is also experiencing a high demand for its services.

“We’ve got quite a long wait list. We are trying to get everyone in as soon as possible,” said Smail. “I’d say we are about 50 names deep.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We've got quite a long wait list. We are trying to get everyone in as soon as possible," said Smail. "I'd say we are about 50 names deep."

Smail said the big demand reflects Albertan’s need for a little downtime.

“I think a lot of it is mental health, the escape,” Smail said. “A one-hour massage is our freedom in the week.”