We have our hand-washing station set up much like Jill suggests. We have had this set up for the last few years and it works very smoothly. Most of my guests do exactly as Jill said — check in and then wash their hands and sit to wait. It has helped streamline our service immensely. Even the new clients don’t take long to get in to the swing of things and make hand-washing a part of their routine when they get here. I get a lot of positive feedback from guests that they really like that we take the time and care to make sure we all start every service with clean hands.

On a side note, once the service is over I give my artificial nail clients some scrub to wash their hands with. This introduces them to another potential home-use product and something they may want to purchase. After I am done with the color application, I like to give them a little of my favorite hand cream and smooth it onto the backs and palms of the hands. I am able to increase my retail sales by just doing these two simple little actions. It’s a great way to sell even if you don’t think you are good at retailing.

— Sandy