Thank you for your continued patronage of Carte Blanche.

While we maintain high standards of hygiene as part of our normal operations, with growing concern surrounding the novo-coronavirus known as Covid-19, for the purpose of reassuring our customers, we are making the specific measures we take publicly available.

✙ Our routine hygiene practice ✙

• All tools that come into direct contact with customers are sterilized using at least one of the following methods, depending on the material: isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), UV ray, sodium hypochlorite (bleach). As an example, the nail pusher that comes into direct contact with skin is sterilized by alcohol for each customer, and at the end of the day is further sterilized in the UV sanitizer.
• Every morning our floors are mopped using diluted anti-bacterial Dettol or sodium hypochlorite.
• Every drop of water used in our salon goes through an imported commercial filter that recreates the properties of Japanese spring water. The filter is backwashed every month, and professionally maintained annually to ensure high quality and safety.
• Our Nail Designers and Lash Designers who serve customers face-to-face wear masks.

✙ Additional measures put in place in response to Covid-19 ✙

• Temperature checks will be carried out at the entrance. Out of an abundance of caution, we will be turning away customers recording temperatures above 37.5C (100F).
• Similarly out of abundance of caution, we will be refusing entry to customers presenting with coughing symptoms of unknown cause.
• For persons sneezing or coughing due to conditions such as hay fever and asthma, masks will be mandatory for others’ peace of mind.
• Hand sanitizers will be available for customer use at the reception. Customers are of course welcome to use this at entry, but more importantly for sanitization after handling cards / cash at time of payment.
• Customers who have misplaced face masks can ask our receptionist who will provide you with a new mask.
• For safe distancing, persons without appointments will be asked to refrain from accompanying customers inside.
• Our staff will lead the charge in trying to turn down speaking volume to minimize droplets.

We have also been in contact with the Mira Place mall management from early on, checking the mall’s standard operating procedure in place for Covid-19, in the interest of staff and customer safety.

In addition, we closely monitor not only Hong Kong government announcements, but also public information from health organizations such as World Health Organization, the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. We will be flexibly adapting our practices guided by best available science-based information as the situation evolves.

✙ Our stance on face masks ✙

Taking into consideration Carte Blanche’s spacious setting, excepting our Nail and Lash Designers who always have masks on while serving customers face-to-face as standard practice, we have maintained a voluntary stance on face mask usage. There are also instances during hair colouring and shampooing where a face mask is necessarily taken off.

While we have sufficient supply for both staff and customer use, in the context of the worldwide shortage of face masks, and the imperative nature of face masks being made available to already-sick patients, at-risk persons including the old and people with pre-existing conditions, and most importantly frontline medical staff, we are adopting a no-condemnation approach in relation to the usage or non-usage of face masks for healthy asymptomatic persons. Having said this, as is the case Hong Kong-wide, we have observed an almost universal uptake in face mask usage in-store since the onset of the Covid-19 concern in mid-January.

✙ Special cancellation arrangements etc ✙

• Due to our being a by-reservation salon, our usual practice is to accept changes and cancellations free of charge up to 18:00 the day prior to your appointment. In light of Covid-19, if you feel at all unwell, we welcome you to change your appointment free of charge any time with just one phone call. In doing so, we ask for your kind understanding that the cancellation policy is in place to not only allow us to reach out to customers on waiting list, but to also protect the livelihoods of our employees. We encourage you to promptly let us know of cancellations regardless of this special measure. Our usual cancellation policy will remain in place for no-shows.
• As worst-case scenarios, we cannot dismiss the possibility of escalating disruptions to our operations if there is further spread and/or government directives, including staff shift changes, shortening of operating hours and temporary closures. In such cases, please rest assured that we will be reaching out to all affected customers with prior bookings.

We thank you for your kind understanding and cooperation through these trying times.

Kyoko Tochikawa

Managing Director

Carte Blanche