It has taken the cosmetic industry by surprise.
The industry is booming as more people have turned to cosmetic treatments and self-care in recent months.
“Very pleasantly surprised, ” Liette Saulnier, manager at the GLO Antiaging Youth Lab in Kelowna, told Global News.
“We’ve actually seen an upwards of 150 per cent and more of business.”
According to Saulnier, skincare and body sculpting treatments are among the more popular items these days.
Saulnier said some people have gained weight lately and are having a hard time trying to take off, “so we’ve just seen an uprise in our coolsculpting.”
Monique Rondeau is a regular client at the GLO Antiagaing Lab and has found herself booking more appointments lately.
“I’ve found since COVID, I’ve been coming to spas much more,” she said. “The travel budget is now being shifted to other things, so money is freed up.”
Travel restrictions and other COVID-related orders and guidelines are said to be playing a major role.
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“There are so many restrictions.,” said Saulnier. “We have so many people in the Okanagan who like to vacation down south for winter or they do a lot of events.
“They like to go to restaurants and out with friends and because we can’t do that anymore, then we kind of have to think about different ways to spend our budget.”
But the switch from in-person meetings and gatherings to virtual ones, such as Zoom calls, is also contributing to the surge in businesses, according to Saulnier.
“When you’re on a Zoom call, you see your reflection, you notice yourself and then you criticize,” said Saulnier.
“So I think it just made us more self-aware and it’s just made us really want to do more to boost our confidence or make us feel a little bit better.”
At the nearby Smooth Effects clinic, owner Kelsey Agar said she, too, was very surprised at how business took off once personal-service establishments were permitted to re-open last May after public health orders forced them to close for two months.
“We were nervous of what would happen when we reopened,” said Agar, “based on the fact that we were not sure that people would feel comfortable coming in.”
But Agar said clients returned fast and furious,
“Since we reopened, we definitely noticed an influx in clients, new clients as well,” she said.
She added that clients are splurging on themselves more than ever before.
“We’ve definitely noticed our clients are spending more,” Agar said. “I think people have more disposable income, so they’re focusing more on investing it back in themselves.”
That’s something Agar hopes will continue long after the pandemic ends.
“I really hope that this trend continues,” she said. “I’m really passionate about what we do. I love helping people.’
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