As Salons Reopen, Here’s What Your Next Hair Appointment Might Look Like
As summer inches closer and the news cycle surrounding the coronavirus winds down, some Americans are heading back to work. And as states begin to reopen, many in phases, people will understandably resume some semblance of a normal life— socially distanced visits with friends, a daily commute, and of course, hair appointments. But like going to the nail salon, your next bang trim or root touch-up isn’t going to be the same catch-up with your stylist that it once was. With new safety protocols in place and a demand for flexibility on the part of both clients and staffers, navigating your standing appointment will be a little harder.
The safety measures start even before you get to your hair salon. Once someone books an appointment at Gerald’s Salon in Plymouth, Michigan, “they’ll get a questionnaire about where they’ve traveled in the past two weeks or if they’re living with anyone who may have come in contact with COVID-19 or has COVID-19,” says stylist Nina Pesys. Other salons may choose to check your temperature before you’re allowed inside.
These measures may seem like overkill, but stylists are concerned about people still showing up if they’re not feeling great. “I’m worried that a client will still come in to get their hair done even when they’re sick ‘because they need it,’” says IGK Hair colorist Stephanie Brown. “This happens a surprising amount [anyway], but with our current situation, it’s scary.” If you’re under the weather, it may be hard to cancel if you’ve waited months for fresh color—but it’s better than potentially spreading your illness to others.
Aside from masks and gloves, temperature checks, and plexiglass partitions that separate you from other customers, the most noticeable change is that, depending on the size of your salon, you may be the only one in there. That six-feet-apart rule still holds, and in some cases, salon workers will only be able to host one guest at a time due to space restrictions. “As colorists and stylists, we will not legally be allowed to take or squeeze in more than one client at a time,” says Brown. On top of that, “we’re booking extra time because the sanitation measures have gone up quite a bit,” Pesys says. To make it work, salons may need to stagger which staff is working. Unsurprisingly, that’s going to lead to an uptick in demand, meaning it might be harder for you to book an appointment.
It’s also going to affect the stylists’ bottom line, which has some on edge. “Our daily client intake will decrease, so I’m getting used to the new normal in hopes we can still operate our monthly expenses without strain,” says TaKeisha Berry-Brooks, the owner of the reopened A Natural Affair salon in Memphis.
Another significant challenge is that some salons have received little to no direction from their respective state boards of cosmetology, which distributes licenses to stylists and colorists and typically provides education for salon health, workers’ rights, and safety practices. “I haven’t received anything,” says Pesys. “They did send me a reminder that my license fee is due this year, so they know where to find me.” Instead, she and other staffers at her salon received recommendations and advice from salons in states that opened up earlier.
Melissa Taylor, who owns the Beauty Lounge Minneapolis, a multicultural hair salon in Minneapolis, worries on behalf of her clientele, too. “COVID-19 has disproportionately affected communities of color, and there are so many unknowns pertaining to the virus,” she tells Glamour. While her salon is tentatively set to reopen on June 15, the tension and pain amid the recent protests against police brutality and racial injustice are her priority these days, coronavirus or not. “My greatest concern is for the well-being of our community and giving people space to feel,” says Taylor. “Although there are financial concerns, our community comes first.”
There’s also some trepidation about reuniting with clients in an increasingly polarized world. “A lot of clients were supportive, but there were a few who were challenging and not understanding—as if it were our fault to be closed as long as we were,” says Berry-Brooks, who feared that she would lose business to stylists who defied orders and worked throughout the lockdown. Even now—since everyone has an opinion on when and how to reopen, to say the least—stylists find themselves stuck in the middle. “To open or not to open? To work or not to work?” says Kari Leon-Guerrero, who owns KaRu Salon in Austin. “I’ve seen a lot of social shaming and divide amongst people for choosing to make some of the hardest decisions that they have ever had to make.”
And without a vaccine, salons in the process of reopening are finding it difficult to plan very far in advance. “I’m concerned about another wave [of COVID-19] and another shutdown,” says Leon-Guerrero. “I’m in the process of communicating with my landlord and requesting if we can go month-to-month until the fall.” As for the new changes in place? “I have a feeling some of it will be long-lasting, if not forever,” says Pesys.
It’s daunting, but all the hairstylists Glamour spoke with are excited to get back to work. “I am a sole business owner and single mother, so the self-isolation during the lockdown was very difficult—without a partner to share the emotional and financial burden with, I felt very alone at times,” says Leon-Guerrero. “I’m looking forward to the human interaction and camaraderie between my staff and clients again.”
As news about the novel coronavirus pandemic rapidly evolves, Glamour is committed to bringing our readers the most accurate and up-to-date facts. As a result, information in this story and others like it may change, and we will update when necessary. For the most recent news about COVID-19, please visit the CDC, WHO, and your state’s department of health.
Deanna Pai is a writer in New York City. Follow her on Twitter @deannapai.
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