Reopening tattoo shops and salons: what you need to know.
Photo courtesy of @hisorherssalon on Instagram.
Things are beginning to return to (a new) normal with non-essential workers like hairdressers and tattoo artists getting back into the swing of things. With a learning curve in unprecedented times, these businesses work to keep the public looking good, while also keeping them safe. “Both the clients and the stylists are wearing masks,” says Great Clips hairdresser Nathalie Alleyne, “it’s a little difficult to get the haircuts sometimes, around the ears and things like that, but we make it work.”
These reopened businesses are also implementing other forms of precautions such as distancing the clients from one another, checking people’s temperatures at the door, and sanitizing surfaces after each haircut. Kelsey Armstrong, a stylist at His or Hers Salon and Spa in Midlothian, takes these new precautions in stride, saying, “It’s just a lot of extra steps, you know? But you get a routine and you get it down.”
Tattoo shops, on the other hand, are forced to take even more precautions because of the proximity to the client and the natural contact that comes with tattooing someone. Jessica Simmons, owner of River City Tattoo in Richmond says, “our hours are temporarily reduced to allow more time for deep cleaning our stores daily… After each service the studio follows strict disinfection steps for proper sanitation.” These steps are taken to ensure the safety of everyone that had a revelation of a tattoo idea when it was impossible to get one.
Both the hair salons and tattoo shops feel that the return of cosmetic workers will give some hope for normality to the public. “It does raise morale because it makes a person feel better about themselves. When they look good, they feel good,” says Alleyne. The return of cosmetic workers is comforting and hopeful for many people, raising a question about how to classify essentialness. For River City Tattoo, it’s essential to positively affect the community and serve as a symbol of the right way for businesses to safely return.
For Armstrong, her presence is essential for the well-being of her clients. “My first client back, it was like a therapy session for her. We got to talking it out and I got to help her through a lot of things, be a listener for her,” she says.
The return of “non-essential” workers has provided comfort to the public. As eager as people are to don a mask, slather a bit of hand sanitizer, and get a much-needed haircut, the stylists are equally eager to get back to doing what they love. “We’re really grateful to be able to come back and make people look good and feel good,” says Alleyne.
