• Taking Care of the Caretaker: The Importance of Self-Care for Personal Service Providers

    As a Personal Service Provider, you spend much of your time taking care of others. You provide your clients with an exceptional service while creating a comfortable and relaxing environment for them. While this work can be incredibly rewarding, it can also be emotionally and physically draining. To avoid burnout and continue providing top-quality service, it is crucial to prioritize your own well-being and practice self-care. In this blog, we will discuss why self-care is essential for our industry and share some tips and strategies to help you incorporate it into your daily routine. What is Self-Care? Self-care and burn out are two popular words we are seeing quite often…

  • DOL Fees Go Up Nov 15, 2022

    Emailed on Sept 13 from DOL – This increase was proposed for 2020 and the association and stakeholders pushed back on its timing due to the pandemic: “The Department of Licensing (DOL) has been working to update fee increases since the fall of 2019. These fees were initially intended to take effect in November 2020 but impacts due to the Covid-19 pandemic have caused delays. The last fee increases for the Cosmetology programs was in 2010. Under RCW 43.24.086, we must set fees “at a sufficient level to defray the costs of administering that program.” The current fees we charge won’t cover the costs of the Cosmetology programs. The proposed…

  • Announcing! 2023 Lobby Day in Olympia

    The Annual COWU Legislative Day will be on Monday January 30, 2023. (In Person) This day is an opportunity for you to meet your local legislators to address key points important to COWU and build relationships in Olympia.  To help make this event as successful as possible, you will need to be an ENROLLED ADVOCATE in order to Register by November 23rd, 2022.  We must schedule meeting with appointments early in order to get time in your district legislators’ calendars.  We will provide talking points and Capitol campus information, such as cafeteria locations and parking and your final meeting schedule 2 weeks prior to January 30th. We will also hold a virtual…

  • 2022 Annual Meeting

    ANNUAL MEETING OCCURRED SEPT 19, 2022: COWU conducted its annual meeting virtually on behalf of the organization and enrolled Advocates. At that time- the Board elections were tallied and a new Board of Directors was initiated for 2022-2024. President- Raeana Rader Treasurer- Moriah Holmes Secretary- D’Arcy Harrison Moriah Holmes (pictured below) has been added as a new Board member. Bio for Moriah Holmes: “Moe is a licensed cosmetologist of 10 years. Her passion for her craft shows in the care she provides, mapping out a customized plan with her guest to achieve their individual hair needs and dreams, with the utmost respect and personalized communication given. She is well trained…

  • Advocate Appreciation Month

    This year, we deemed AUGUST to be ADVOCATE APPRECIATION MONTH! Our enrolled members have been diligently working in shops, spas and salons and COWU wanted to show the love and appreciation for their survival, tenacity, strength and determination during the Covid19 pandemic. Our enrolled members have been diligently working in shops, spas and salons and we wanted to show the love and appreciation for their tenacity, strength and determination during the Covid19 pandemic. From shutdown, to applying for loans, to applying for unemployment and learning perpetually updated protocols- Personal Services providers and businesses have shown exemplary professionalism and business savvy. COWU organized one event in Eastern WA hosted by Studio…