Hairstylists and barbers in Owensboro are eager to welcome clients back safely under the new state guidelines, though that reopening date is still a couple weeks away. For now, they’ve been making the proper preparations.
Brooke Cecil, owner of Legacy Salon & Spa, said she will be following the new guidelines set forth by the governor and the CDC to protect clients and cosmetologists.
“What we do and how we do it has always required a level of care that has now been elevated to something that could result in a life-or-death situation,” Cecil said.
Cecil said her staff of 10 is ready to adjust not only their schedules but also the layout of their facility so they can space clients 6 feet apart, with no more than 10 people in the room.
Stephanie Boiling, a barber with Headquarter’s Barber Shop, said she is excited to get back to work for several reasons.
“I cannot wait to get back to cutting (hair),” she said. “I can’t wait to see my clients because they’re a second part of my family. I was spending more time at the shop than I was in my own house. I’m excited, the guys are excited.”
Boiling said the use of masks, disposable capes, spacing and screening logs for COVID-19 are the main adjustments for stylists. She ordered 200 disposable caps in anticipation of reopening.
“I was already ready to go back the week after (shutdown),” Boiling said. “This non-working thing is not for me at all. Of course, we sanitize and disinfect after every service anyways, so a lot of the statutes and the regulations they’re putting on us we’ve already done.”
Pam Tooley, a hairdresser who also does nails and skincare at Visions Salon and Spa, said one of the frustrating parts of the shutdown was having to spend money to buy specified supplies to be able to reopen.
The cloth chair she used isn’t allowed under the new guidelines, so she had to buy new furniture and has spent about $1,000 to prepare for reopening.
“We have enough to open, we just don’t have a surplus,” Tooley said. “I feel comfortable that I can control the circumstances in my room and make it clean and secure for me and my client. As long as I can feel that way then, yes, I’m ready to go back.”
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For the latest information and data on COVID-19 in Kentucky visit kycovid19.ky.gov or dial the Kentucky state hotline at 800-722-5725.
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