How was your day?
Get it off your chest.
Hairdressers, barbers, beauty and nail therapists, massage therapists and personal trainers. Put down what you're carrying before you go home.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer, your manager or anyone else. Unladen Salon is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any salon, studio or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Take a few minutes between clients if you can. Breathe. That's allowed.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Going over what you could have done differently
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If a client was abusive or inappropriate
It isn't your fault, and it isn't part of the job. You can end the appointment. Write down what happened, and contact police if you were threatened or touched.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add a colleague, a friend or someone close to you in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling the salon or studio owner, there are other people you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes at the end of the day. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can at the door.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
About the client
You can end appointments and refuse to see clients who are abusive or inappropriate. Write it down, and contact police if you were threatened or touched.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell your manager or supervisor, and report it through your incident system.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. If you're driving, a 15 to 20 minute nap before you leave can help, or get a lift. Text someone when you're home.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Looking after people takes more out of you than they see
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
When a client tells you something heavy
- Clients often open up in the chair or on the table, sometimes about abuse or violence.
- You don't have to fix it. Listening and pointing to help is enough.
- 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7, for clients and for you.
- Debrief with someone afterwards, without names.
Difficult or inappropriate clients
- You can end an appointment if a client is abusive or inappropriate.
- Massage therapists especially: you never have to tolerate sexual behaviour.
- Write down what happened.
Chair rent, bookings and money
- Quiet weeks and no-shows are stressful.
- Check your pay and rights with the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94).
- The Small Business Debt Helpline (1800 413 828) helps sole traders.
Your body
- Standing, repetition and chemicals take a toll.
- Stretch, rest and see a physio or GP early.
Bad reviews and social media
- One bad review isn't the whole story.
- Don't reply when you're upset.
Bullying, harassment or conflict
You don't have to put up with it, and you don't have to sort it out alone.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- If your manager is involved, talk to someone outside your reporting line.
- The Fair Work Commission can make orders to stop bullying at work.
- For sexual harassment, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading the next booking
- Carrying clients' stories home
- Aches and pain
- Money worries keeping you up
- Pulling back from people
These are common, and they're not a weakness.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, you dread going in, or it's affecting sleep or home life, talk to your GP or EAP. A GP can set up a Mental Health Treatment Plan for Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
Support for you
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your salon or studio can add its own support numbers here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- 1800RESPECT. For clients who disclose violence, and for advice on supporting them, 1800 737 732.
- The Fair Work Ombudsman. Pay and rights, 13 13 94.
- Small Business Debt Helpline. For sole traders, 1800 413 828.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
If a client tells you about violence, you can give them the 1800RESPECT number. You do not need to do more than that.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard day. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"A client told me something that's stayed with me."
"Business is slow and I'm worried."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example in the back room or on the way home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Salon
Unladen™ Salon is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any salon, studio or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Salon that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · September 2026