SINGAPORE: For the past 10 years, Ms Leo Rui Yan has visited her trusted beautician for a monthly facial.

During every visit, she is the only customer there. The entire space has been booked out for her. 

While most commercial salons cannot afford this luxury, Ms Leo’s beautician can – because it is at her home.

Ms Leo started going to home-based beauty salons a decade ago when her mother introduced her to one. Over the years, she has seen a boom in the industry. 

"When I first started going for home-based facial treatments, I did not often hear of any of such similar services being provided in homes," said the 27-year-old, who works part-time in the media industry.

But she now sees many types of services, such as manicures and lash extensions, being offered from other people’s homes.

FIRST OFF: IS IT SAFE?

How safe are home-based beauty treatments? It is a question on the top of potential customers’ minds when considering such treatments.

There have been several cases in the news. In June last year, a beautician was jailed and fined for persistently performing aesthetic procedures without a practising certificate, despite being warned by authorities.

She had offered services such as thread lifts and filler injections at various places, including her home.

Earlier this year, a beautician offering treatments out of her home was sentenced to three weeks' jail for carrying out a double eyelid procedure on a patient even though she was not a licensed medical practitioner. 

The patient had a drooping left eyelid, and the botched aesthetic procedure made her condition worse. 

But do a few rotten apples spoil the bunch? Three home-based beauticians told CNA that safety is the priority.

Ms Vivian Thang, who runs Essential Home Beauty from her flat in Choa Chu Kang, sterilises all her tools. 

"Before I start any treatments, I always check for allergies or sensitivities to keep my clients safe. If they are pregnant, I'll tell them to let me know and I'll be more careful," she said. 

Ms Thang’s experience dates back to 2000 when she worked for a salon. She has received a wide range of training, from beauty products to equipment used in many treatments.

Lash technician Cahaya Kasih Muhammad Amin said she sanitises her work area and tools to avoid contamination.

At her home-based salon, Lash Hausss, Ms Cahaya does lash extensions, lifts and tints. She started her business at her home in Ang Mo Kio after completing a course at a lash academy.

The 31-year-old uses disposable eye pads, cotton buds, lash wands and applicators during her procedures to maintain hygiene. She also carries out consultations for first-time customers.

"I will explain to them … the risks. If they get an eye infection, (I'll tell them) what (they) are supposed to do. Because if you don't tell them, then if anything happens, you're liable," she said. 

Ms Cahaya added: “Sometimes the glue fumes can be too strong for them.

"There (can also be) chemical burns where if you don't close your eyes properly, or we don't tape your eyes properly, you might get chemical burns because of the glue fumes."

For customers who may have pre-existing eye conditions, Ms Cahaya avoids doing lash extensions for them.

Ms Cleo Chang provides eyebrow embroidery services at her home-based studio. She stressed that sterility and hygiene were the most important factors for her. 

"The safety procedures I take are no less than how a shop would operate or even better," she said.

She sanitises her hands and equipment, and wipes down the bed with an anti-bacterial solution before every client. 

Both the bed cover and needles used in the procedure are disposable.

"I will also prepare my needles in front of my clients so they know they aren't getting reused needles. Plus this is my own house so I take extra care to keep it clean and tidy," said Ms Chang. 

Some customers are unsure about going to a stranger’s house unaccompanied. Ms Chang allows clients to bring a female companion to appointments.

"Personally, I don't get this concern very often as I am very active on social media," Ms Chang said.

"I think my social visibility allows them to know my personality before they come for their eyebrow service."

She also frequently creates skincare videos with her husband, an aesthetic doctor.

One of her customers is Ms Min Poh.

"For me, what’s most important is the technician. As long as the technician is skilled, it does not matter if it’s home-based or (a) shop,” said Ms Poh, the founder of fashion brand Arcade Clothing.

Ms Leo admitted that she initially had concerns about whether the beauticians were properly certified or whether the products were of good quality.

After all, a botched procedure on someone’s face can be difficult to hide.

"However, after giving it a try, I was pleasantly surprised by the high standard of service and the quality of the products, which reassured me and kept me coming back,” said Ms Leo.

Her beautician would usually inform her in advance if the facial treatment may cause slight discomfort or a tingling sensation, she added.

IS IT CHEAPER?

The costs of beauty treatments at home-based salons are generally cheaper than those in traditional shops. 

Ms Leo pays around S$120 (US$89) for her monthly facial treatment. A similar treatment would typically cost more than S$200 at a commercial salon. 

This affordability has convinced some of her friends to give such businesses a shot.

Prices at Essential Home Beauty range from S$28 for 45-minute eye or neck treatment, to S$88 for radio frequency skin tightening.

The latter is a non-invasive procedure where practitioners use an electromagnetic device that generates heat to stimulate the production of collagen, elastin and new skin cells.

Before moving her salon to her home, Ms Thang owned a commercial salon in Jurong West. She opened it in 2009, after nine years of working as a professional beautician.

She eventually closed her shop in 2011 after its lease expired and moved to selling beauty products. 

In 2016, she decided to start her home-based business as she had a spare room in her Build-to-Order (BTO) flat. 

At that time, she was only open on weekends and public holidays. But as business picked up, she resigned from her sales job in 2018 and shifted her focus entirely to her home-based salon.

Before starting her home business, Ms Chang was a bridal makeup artist for 15 years. She had trained with makeup artists in Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia.

During that time, she rented a studio space with a photographer where she would do makeup trials and eyebrow embroidery services.

Seven years ago, she started her home-based business when she decided to buy her own house. 

"Instead of paying rent, I will use that money (that I earned from my business) to service my mortgage and be a homeowner," Ms Chang said. 

She charges S$460 for the first session of powder embroidery and S$380 for one session of eyeliner embroidery. 

To Ms Poh, the prices at home-based salons are comparable to those of commercial salons. 

"The price range can be rather wide, but I (would) rather go to the one I trust or have consistent good reviews," she added. 

She likes how personable home-based businesses are, especially for returning customers. "It’s also less pushy since there isn't a sales target to hit," she added. 

Ms Cahaya entered the home beauty industry in 2019, but her business struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. She restarted it in 2023.

Her prices range from S$8 to S$68, depending on the treatment.

She also offers slots until 10pm to cater to those who end work late. Most commercial beauty shops close at 8pm.

"I have friends who are working in salons, and want to get their lashes done. But it's very difficult. So I just figured that since I'm doing it at home, then why not just open late night slots?"

The late-night slots come with a S$10 surcharge, but she said it was cheaper than those offered at other places.

Besides affordability, another aspect of such businesses keeps customers like Ms Leo coming back: Personalised customer experience. 

This gives home businesses an edge over their traditional counterparts, which Ms Cahaya said focuses on getting customers “in and out”.

But at home-based salons, customers can open up and share.

"If they're getting married, they tell you. If they're having a baby, they tell you. Even if they go through the worst of the worst breakups, they will share with you,” said Ms Cahaya.

“Not everybody can open up to anybody. But when you are the one that they open up to, and I get to talk to them based on whatever experience that I've been through, I just feel fulfilled in a way.

"It's like you're having a free therapy session plus a beauty session. So you get two services (for) the price of one."

GETTING THE WORD OUT

When Ms Thang first started Essential Home Beauty, she posted about it on Facebook. Her husband also helped create a website for her. 

In the first three or four days, she had no customers – then she started getting one or two.

These days, it is two to three customers a day. Some customers have to wait up to three weeks before a desired slot opens up.

"I (focus) more on quality, not quantity, because I'm (running) a one-man show," she said. 

Social media was also how Ms Cahaya got her business up and running. When she started on Instagram and TikTok, she only had two to three customers a week.

She also got her business listed on Google to improve its visibility. She didn’t expect much out of it at first.

If someone is near Ms Cahaya’s block in Ang Mo Kio, they would see a pop-up of her business on the map. 

"Ten people actually realised that my place (has) lash services so from there they would Google and see all the reviews, then they will also book."

Getting new customers is one thing – keeping them is another.

When Ms Chang started her home business, her initial customers were brides. Most of her new customers were referrals from existing clients.

But as she pointed out, home business owners are “solely responsible” for all their customers.

"There will be no manager to escalate your complaints to or someone else to do your brows because your usual therapist or beautician is no longer working there,” she said. 

"Therefore, there is always pressure for me to be 100 per cent committed to give the best to my clients or I risk damaging my brand."

It sometimes means taking a few days off to upgrade her skills overseas. 

Apart from that, she is also careful about scheduling appointments so she can give her full attention to each client and avoid rushing.

WORRIES ABOUT BAD REVIEWS

The businesses CNA spoke to are rated highly on Google – Essential Home Beauty has a rating of 4.7 while Lash Hausss’ rating is 5.0, with more than 70 reviews each.

Despite this, they have had experiences with bad reviews.

One of Ms Thang’s customers left a one-star review, saying that her home business was “unprofessional”.

The client had visited Ms Thang twice and scheduled a third appointment, paying a S$20 deposit a month in advance.

The customer claimed that Ms Thang had contacted her two weeks before the appointment to change the date. 

But as the customer did not reply – she was overseas – Ms Thang ended up cancelling her appointment. The customer complained that her deposit was not refunded.

"(When) I receive a bad review, I respond immediately, clarify any misunderstandings, and address the customer's concerns," Ms Thang told CNA. 

She explained the reasons for cancelling the appointment and refunded the deposit.

Ms Cahaya recalled a bad review she received early in her business. It was during the busy Chinese New Year period and she took in clients via WhatsApp.

"As with every festive period, I was really busy doing lashes and replying to customers' texts that I accidentally double-booked a slot with two clients," she said. 

The second customer had to wait until the first one was done with her treatment. 

"Of course, she wasn’t happy. In the end, she couldn’t wait and left without getting her lashes done. (She) sent me a long text, telling me off," said Ms Cahaya. 

"I didn’t take it personally. Instead, I used it as a stepping stone (to) improve on business management and make customers' experience better.”

She created a website with her available slots, ensuring there would not be double bookings.

Ms Chang did not receive any bad reviews about her eyebrow embroidery business, but one customer lost confidence in her after finding out she was based at home.

"I terminated the consultation as I feel if there is no trust, the outcome will not be favourable." 

She was also not concerned with the news reports of illegal home salons.

"I am not worried as I do not participate in or engage in illegal services, so it doesn't affect me," she said.

HOME COMFORTS

Flexibility was one of the main reasons why the three business owners decided to move their salons into their homes.

When Ms Thang ran her commercial salon from 2009 to 2011, business was stable, but the hours were long with no flexibility.

Having a home salon also means she does not have to worry about rent.

"By cutting down on overhead costs, I can keep more of my earnings, improving my profitability," she said. 

"Working from home has also given me greater flexibility and a much better work-life balance. Compared to running a salon, I now have more control over my schedule and expenses," she added. 

Ms Cahaya, who worked full-time before restarting her home business, said it was not easy working for others – more so when she had a new baby.

"Especially in the beginning when kids still get sick and you want to take leave … It's actually very difficult," said Ms Cahaya, who is also a mother to a 12-year-old.

Working at a shop was out of the question for her. 

"You have to follow the shop's operating hours so it's really not flexible. When you work in a shop, the hours are long, and (they're) fixed," Ms Cahaya said. 

"While you will have customers when you work in a shop, it's not as flexible as doing home-based. For home-based, when you want to work, you can just open up your slot and people will book.”

She gets about five to six customers a day - and her only day off is Sunday.

For Ms Chang, working at home seemed to be "the only natural choice" given that she has two pet dogs. 

"I would be free from rental constraints and I can easily look after my dogs," she said. 

She plans to run her home business long term and has no plans to expand.

"I don't foresee myself renting a space and stressing over rental pricing and … any demands or restrictions a landlord would have. As it is my own home, I am able to customise my work studio into something that works for me and my comfort."

A PROFESSIONAL'S VIEW

The appeal of such home-based businesses is not lost on Dr Stephanie Ho, a consultant dermatologist who runs her own clinic at Scotts Medical Centre.

These businesses make it convenient for customers as the appointments can fit their schedules, and they can have the treatments in a private setting.

This saves on time and simplifies logistics, said Dr Ho, a skin specialist with more than 25 years of medical experience. 

She added: "Without the high rental cost of commercial spaces, the cost of home-based treatments is often a fraction of what patients will pay in clinics.

"They can perhaps personalise their treatments to more detailed specifications, for example, doing a treatment on the face while performing a different treatment on the eye area, and another on the scalp," Dr Ho added. 

Benefits aside, there are several potential risks that must be addressed.

As seen in media reports, certain home practitioners may offer treatments that are not legally permitted, such as unauthorised injectables, unsafe laser procedures, counterfeit Botox injections or unverified skin-lightening products, Dr Ho said. 

"Home-based practitioners are less likely to have undergone formal and rigorous training and certification, which can lead to improper techniques and unsafe procedures," she added. 

Such procedures can potentially lead to serious complications such as burns, scarring, infections, or suboptimal results.

She also pointed out that there are no strict industry regulations imposed on home businesses. Tools and equipment may not be properly sterilised, increasing the risk of infections, cross-contamination and skin reactions.

Unlike professional clinics, home-based setups may lack the proper medical equipment or trained staff to handle allergic reactions, burns, or other complications.

There is usually no professional liability insurance, which means that customers may have little recourse if something goes wrong.

The space at home may not always be designed for professional procedures, especially those with improper lighting or ventilation.

"While home-based beauty services are appealing, clients should be mindful of hygiene, product safety, and practitioner qualifications to ensure they receive safe and professional treatments," said Dr Ho.