Looking a little shaggy or feeling sore? Do your toenails seem a little scary?
Help is on the way — barbers and stylists, physiotherapists, massage therapists and chiropractic professionals are gearing up to reopen, as provincial restrictions imposed to slow the COVID-19 pandemic are gradually lifted.
But you might have to wait a little longer and, in some cases, pay a little more, as personal-services businesses get ready to meet massive pent-up demand in the coming weeks and months.
Salons, barbershops, spas and offices are often in close spaces where clients and operators are less than one metre apart, so many are busy making alterations to keep clients safe and abide by WorkSafe B.C. guidelines issued Friday for service-industry reopenings.
The provincial safety organization released dozens of guidelines for each industry, including occupancy limits and workstation reconfigurations to ensure physical-distancing and hygiene for stylists, barbers, nail technicians, estheticians, and massage and physical therapists.
WorkSafe is also suggesting businesses create cohorts of workers who work together and don’t interact with other employees.
Businesses are being told to minimize the sharing of tools and products.
Fish Salon owner Donna Dyer plans to reopen in the first or second week of June with reduced hours and staff. The downtown salon won’t be booking or rescheduling appointments until it has a confirmed opening date, and is currently compiling a waitlist.
When it reopens, the space will include plexiglass partitions at each work station and spaced-out stylist stations. Staff will have completed a Beauty Safe course and adhere to strict sanitation and disinfecting procedures.
Dyer said the salon will open with eight stylists and three support staff, down from the usual 18 stylists, to ensure proper physical-distancing. And while most prices will remain the same, the cost of a haircut will increase by $3.
Masks will be mandatory for both stylists and clients, and will be provided by the salon — even though it’s not mandated by WorkSafe B.C.
“I’ve had pushback from one client [about wearing a mask], but we are going to be strict about that,” said Dyer. “We are in close contact with people and I have to make sure the staff and other clients feel comfortable.
If clients refuse a mask, “they won’t be let in the door,” she said.
Shelbourne Barbers owner Tom Klassen, who has operated his business for more than 30 years and has been a barber for 50, is aiming for a June 1 opening with reduced staff and fewer chairs, along with personal protective gear including disposable capes and masks. Only one entrance will be used and the number of people allowed in will be controlled. The cost of a haircut will likely be increased to cover additional costs of the protective gear, Klassen said.
Barbers won’t be able to communicate much with the clients, he said. “There will be a lot of silence. Kind of a cut-and-go situation. It will be tough to cut, and move the elastics [of the masks]. It’s going to be a whole different scene.”
Greg Robins, executive director of the Beauty Council of Western Canada — which is involved with training and certification — said the industry was relieved to finally get guidelines from WorkSafe B.C., since there has been a lot of uncertainty about what owners have to do to reopen. “Gearing up and retrofitting businesses is a huge undertaking,” he said.
Robins said despite the challenges of stylists and clients wearing masks, he believes it’s crucial for everyone’s protection.
He said clients will have to be patient as salons and shops slowly work through a massive backlog of clients. “We are hopeful clients can exercise patience and understand there are many protocols that our professionals have to work through, including cleaning their tools and work spaces extensively,” said Robins.
“People in this industry work hard. It’s a physical job and to be behind a mask with limited oxygen can pose a danger. You don’t want a hair stylist keeling over with a sharp pair of scissors.”
Health-related professions are being asked to consult remotely whenever that’s practical. When providing in-person treatment, they’re being asked to wear personal protective equipment, avoid treating more than one patient at a time, avoid sharing equipment, and aim to have just one worker per treatment room per shift.
Chiropractor Jack Chin, who runs Optimum Chiropractic on Shelbourne Street with partner Anna Cabrita, has been operating under the provincial protocols and limited hours to provide urgent care for patients.
He noted the essential-services workforce has included many front-line health-care workers, firefighters, police officers and those he calls “unsung heroes: the people in grocery stores working for minimum wage.”
Chin said he and his partner won’t increase patient loads or hours until the College of Chiropractors and provincial health authorities deem it safe to do so. “The green light won’t be a flip of the switch,” said Chin. “It’s going to be according to our college and [provincial health officer] Dr. Bonnie Henry.”
Shelbourne Physical Therapy, which operates at three locations in Greater Victoria, said in an email to clients that many of its physiotherapists will be starting work on Tuesday. More physiotherapists, as well as massage therapists and pilates instructors, will follow between June 1 and 15. The company said it is finalizing preparations to welcome back clients safely for in-clinic appointments.
Fix Healthcare, which operates in the Atrium Building downtown and at Selkirk waterfront, said Friday the clinics are busy preparing to open after receiving guidelines from the province and various professional associations.
The company plans a May 21 opening to resume its services, which range from acupuncture and massage therapy to chiropractic and osteopathy services.
