I'm not a touchy-feely person. If there was any part of me that was a hugger, the pandemic scorched that out of my personality. So it should be assumed that I like my personal space and I anticipate many others to share the same preference - especially children ("stranger danger" is a very healthy concept!)
Given that one of our specialties is face painting, I take a lot of pride in my ability to avoid any kind of physical contact with any guest. Someone else can put the child in the chair and get them out; I advise each guest to put their hands on the armrests so there are no accidents; I like to use long brushes and have gotten good at minimal applications with maximum results. Most of the time, everyone has a good experience.
And then there are the guests on the other end of the spectrum.
Personal space? What's that? Holding still? Impossible! And let's talk about the most egregious violation - DIRT.
We already avoid blemishes, wounds, rashes, anything that can cause a communicable issue. We wash-rinse-repeat and use soapy water with EVERY dip of the brush. Neat and clean, safe and strong are the four corners of our foundation. But DIRT? It's the brick in the plate glass window of our foundation! It doesn't happen often, but when it does happen, it happens unapologetically.
So the policy? Politely and assertively, we explain our perspective and remind guest/parent/whoever can affect change that we need a clean spot to work on (p.s. we won't clean it! No need to tempt fate and the baby wipe aggravates an unknown skin condition!)
The show must go on, and I'm not trying to cultivate hypochondria, just a little balance for all involved.
Happy New Year! Make it a clean start!