Sharing your treatment room is not the ideal situation, however, it is the fact of esthetics life sometimes. How do you share a room and save your sanity? There is some luck involved, if you get super respectful co-workers who share your infection control philosophy and will respect your personal esthetics products then you've hit the jackpot.
If you share a room and the owner buys all supplies, equipment and product lines it makes it a little easier to manage. It makes it easier in that you don't have to prevent co-workers from misplacing or stealing your expensive equipment and products. This type of treatment room sharing is ideal from this standpoint, it is not your money that is being lost if co-workers steal your stuff. However, it creates another host of issues.
What I found when sharing a treatment room was that things tend to move around a lot and you have to scramble to find the items that you need in a hurry--before your client arrives. In my experience, other estheticians will let product lines run low. There were times I couldn't find basic things like cotton rounds, tweezers, and applicators. These are basic things that we all need, and we need them right in the moment of a facial or waxing, and we don't need to scramble during the facial to find them. There is nothing worse than not being able to find the right supplies when you need them!
I recommend bringing in some of your own supplies. Once you determine what things tend to run low. Bring in some of my own supplies--less expensive supplies like: cotton rounds, 4x'4's, my own brushes, and sponges. Don't forget to label your supplies and if you are worried about co-workers helping themselves to your stuff, find a locking cosmetology container.
A lot of estheticians will squawk about spending any of their own money for these supplies. I understand that position, and while I get no one wants to spend their own hard, earned money but you have to think about it from a different vantage point. If you don't spend the money, if you don't have the supplies you need at your fingertips, your customers will begin to notice. If customers begin to notice, your earnings will progressively drop as well. It might not be fair that the spa owner doesn't take care of this, but spa owners are spa owners--you have be in charge of your own career. Fair is out the window, you need to bring customers back to make money!
When I shared a room with my own equipment and supplies, I was more aggressive about protecting my financial investment. I had a lot of money in both equipment and supplies, and the last thing I wanted was some co-worker to run off with my stuff. With three non-locking closed cabinets and no way to secure my expensive items, I bought a rolling and locking cosmetology cart. All the expensive products went in that cart, and things like product manuals and Wubbies went in the non-locking cabinet.
While it is never easy to share a treatment room nor is it ideal, it is manageable with some advanced planning. We can't control who we share a room with. It might turn out that you share a room with very respectful and courteous people, and all is well. Or the opposite could occur and you need a plan of action to keep your treatments running smoothly and on time.
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