‘Excited to be back to work’: Myrtle Beach area hair salons ready to open amid COVID-19
Starting Monday women will no longer have to hide their roots from the world now that hair salons are reopening statewide following a near two-month shutdown caused by the coronavirus.
Despite the daily increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster lifted restrictions on close-contact businesses such as hair, tanning, nail and threading salons, tattoo parlors, body-art facilities, gyms and massage-therapy establishments, allowing them to reopen for business after being mandated to shutter.
With the openings comes a set of recommended guidelines many hair salons in the Myrtle Beach area are following to ensure the safety of both employees and clients. Those guidelines include clients and staff wearing face masks, changing smocks, masks and gloves after each appointment, wiping down stations after each use, providing anti-bacterial soap and screening clients before entering the facility.
With hundreds of appointments scheduled over the next two months, Amy Howie, owner of Papillon Salon in North Myrtle Beach, will do whatever it takes to stay open and service her clients, even if it means working 14-hour days, seven days a week in a face mask.
“We fought hard for our industry to be able to reopen their doors,” Howie said. “We’re in a different time right now, and for the safety of everyone in the salon, we’re taking extra safety precautions.”
Howie said clients will be required to stay in their cars until their stylist is ready to see them, wear an over-the-ear face mask that hasn’t been previously worn, and fill out a consent form before entering the salon. No walk-ins will be accepted, but an exception will be made to allow scheduled clients in with a child under the age of 10.
Along with using medical grade disinfectant solution to sanitize everything from the chairs and floors to styling tools, a sanitation station will be set up outside the salon for people to rinse their hands and have their temperature taken. Those who come to the salon without a mask will be provided one for a $3 additional fee, Howie said.
She added stylists will service one client at a time with appointments staggered throughout the day to give staff the opportunity to clean.
“We’re going to be getting them in and out ask quickly as possible in a safe manner,” Howie said. “That does cut down on our income but it’s not forever, you just have to what you have to do. We’re just excited to be back to work.”
April Mercolini, who owns Mercolini Beauty Lounge in Myrtle Beach, is enforcing similar procedures but won’t be offering blow drying services for the next few weeks, citing a study that alludes water molecules can pick up the virus. Children also won’t be allowed in the salon, she said, and her stylists will alternate days to avoid having too many people in the salon at once.
Mercolini, who also provides manicures and pedicures, will also have a clear partition between staff and clients.
Despite the added levels of protection, Mercolini said her clients, who have her booked solid for the next month, have been understanding, though noting some have taken issue with her halting all blow drying. But she said she’s not going to put herself, her employees and her clients in a position to get sick.
“I’d rather be more strict right now with everything going on. We’re just trying to make it work,” Mercolini said. “My clients are like family and we care about them and we care about their health, but we can’t have them here if they don’t feel even a little bit okay. It’s a scary time.”
With salons not only dealing with a lack in revenue in scheduled appointments since closing but the loss of seasonal events like prom, Alyx Kohut, manager of Lusso Beauty Bar in Myrtle Beach, said she’s remained positive and has used her time off to deep clean the salon and implement innovative methods to effectively conduct business and adhere to social distancing guidelines.
“When everything did happen we lost prom week and that’s a really big time for us,” Kohut said. “But in a positive light, this was a good time for us to deep clean everything, reorganize and prepare and give us time to reset and recharge but there were some negatives.”
With Lusso Beauty Bar following all the recommended guidelines, she said the salon’s two hair stations are now 12-feet apart with curtains installed between styling chairs to provide more privacy and safety to each client. With waxing services also provided, Kohut she’s moved everything to a room further back in the salon to avoid other clients and employees.
While admitting it’s a scary time, Kohut said she’s ready to get back to work and help restore a sense of normalcy to people and help them feel good again. With clients making appointments just moments after McMaster announced salons could reopen, Kohut knows she has a lot of long days ahead of her, but she’s up for the challenge.
“I know how important it is to feel good, and honestly, I think right now being that everybody has had such a difficult two months, just to feel good is so important right now,” Kohut said. “I’m also looking forward to that normalcy and seeing my clients, but everybody deserves to feel good after all of this horrible stuff.”
