After months of being closed, hair salons were part of Alberta’s re-opening Phase One on May 14. Rimbey hair salons are part of the many across Alberta that are happy to be back in business.
Owner of Style Right hair salon in Rimbey, Jennifer Anderson, says, “It feels good to be back.”
She expresses how it is great to see their clients again and that the salon, like many others, is playing catch up for all the cancelled appointments that fell within the shutdown.
In addition to scheduling an influx of appointments, as haircuts were in high demand following most people’s quarantine, salons have to adapt to new guidelines set out by the provincial government to re-open.
One of these requirements is enforced social distancing protocols such as minimizing the number of customers inside and ensuring that distance between clients in the salon is maintained.
Anderson says that Style Right is dealing with these changes “just one customer at a time. Clients are happy to be back.”
Another requirement for re-opening is that stylists wear masks while dealing with clients. Although clients are recommended to wear masks during their hair appointments, it is not mandatory for them except for when having their hair blow-dried.
Char Belle, owner and operator of The Cutting Corner in Rimbey says that the new mask requirements are the most complicated part of re-opening. She says a lot of frustration comes from when clients don’t want to wear a mask, or try to refuse to.
In addition, the masks are a point of frustration for the stylists, who find that it is difficult to breath with them on.
Despite this frustration Belle says that, “the start of Phase One is going well.”
With her staff strategically placed around the salon for social distancing, and other cleanliness protocols easy to maintain, Belle looks forward to the start of Phase Two.
Belle estimates that half of The Cutting Corner’s business comes from nails and waxing, both options that they’ll be able to offer again in Phase Two.