As Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy comes into effect, we are seeing a number of Airdrie businesses opening their doors, while others have chosen to wait a bit longer before welcoming customers back.
The Hair Lounge opened its doors to clients on May 19, and owner Wendy Bates said she has been working tirelessly since closing on March 16, to prepare for the relaunch.
“I feel great about re-opening and am happy about the processes we have in place,” she said.
“Everything we did was extremely well thought out. This is the new normal and we don’t know when it will end. We have done everything in our power to provide a safe and comfortable environment designed to stop community spread.”
Some of the new procedures The Hair Lounge has implemented include:
- Clients park in the lot and call the salon to be told when they can come in.
- Clients are asked not to bring purses, backpacks or outerwear (phones, keys and wallets are permitted).
- No refreshments, outside food/drinks or magazines.
- No plus ones. One person per chair, per appointment.
- Clients will use hand sanitizer upon entering.
- Put on a mask (provided by the salon, clients are asked not to bring their own).
- Clients will be asked to sanitize their phones.
- Staff will take the client’s temperature.
- Staff will ask five health questions.
- Clients will be asked to wash their hands for 20 seconds before their service begins.
- Payment will be accepted via e-transfer or touch-less card transactions.
Bates added that each stylist will have 15 to 20 minutes between each appointment to sanitize their equipment, and plexiglass dividers have been installed between each station. They will also be running at half capacity.
To view a video of the salon’s new safety measures, click here.
Bates brought in a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and sanitation trainer to ensure all of her measures were as effective as possible.
She said the feedback regarding the new procedures has been very positive and people seem to appreciate the measures that have been put in place.
Samantha Niton-DeForge has been getting her hair done at The Hair Lounge for three years and was Bate’s second client after re-opening.
“I am absolutely amazed with all the continuous measures in place around sanitization,” she said.
“Wendy Bates has taken absolutely every measure to make this an incredibly safe experience.”
Niton-DeForge said she would recommend The Hair Lounge to anyone without hesitation, as “you’re essentially in a hospital-grade environment.”
Nadine Woitt, owner of Mezzanine Hair Studio, has decided to wait until June 1 to re-open her salon.
She said she wanted a bit more time to put her safety measures into place.
“We wanted to hold off a bit to ease back into things,” she added.
“For me, it was worth the extra couple of weeks to make sure we had everything ready.”
When Mezzanine does re-open, Wiott said they will have a number of similar procedures in place including calling from your car before your appointment, masks, gloves, half capacity, sanitation at the door, as well as entering through the front door of the salon and exiting through the side door.
“We will be doing everything we can to make the experience as close to what clients are used to as possible,” said Woitt.
“We won’t be taking chances, but we want people to enjoy their experience.”
