Salons and parlours are opening: Here are the precautionary measures that customers and staff must follow for a safe visit

The highly contagious novel coronavirus has infected close to 2 lakhs people in India and has resulted in more than 5,394 fatalities. After more than two months of nationwide lockdown, the country is gearing up to enter phase one of the three-phase unlock plan and it is safe to say a lot of planning needs to be done to ensure the safety of the people. This is especially important in industries which are highly tactile in their nature of servicing including salons and spas.

In the three phase ‘unlock’ plan, the centre has given a directive to open religious places, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, salons and beauty services and other hospitality services from June 8.

It is important to understand that since the beauty industry involves physical contact with the client such as during a spa, pedicure, manicure, waxing, threading or even while giving a haircut, strict hygiene and safety protocols must be followed. So, before you walk into your favourite salon for much-needed TLC or even to take care of that unkempt mane, greying hair and facial hair, there are certain guidelines you must follow.

Call before you show up

Gone are the days of just barging in your parlour for a last minute-fix. As we all are collectively trying to stay safe and follow all the hygiene rules, the first step is to make an appointment. This will ensure that your spa/parlour has the space to accommodate you while following the social distancing norms.

Another step to ensure everyone’s safety will be to log in the temperature before you enter the salon. Hand sanitizers and shoe covers may also be available right outside the door of the hospitality services. Some salons may also require Arogya Setu App to be installed in your phone and may even ask you to fill out a form stating your symptoms and travel history.

Since, saloons, parlours and spas involve high contact with the customer, the staff may don a PPE kit including face masks, face shields, gloves and shoe covers for maximum safety. The clients must wear face masks and face coverings as well.

Chair, table and equipments (whatever used) need to be sanitized after every client gets up. The staff member working with the client should wash his/her hands or discard the disposable gloves and wear fresh ones before tending to the next customer. Clients are also supposed to carefully discard their shoe covers in the bin. Additionally, whenever staying six-feet apart is not possible, the client and the staff may be separated with plexiglass to ensure the safety of both of them.

Since no precaution and hygiene methods can ensure a hundred per cent safety, some services that require close contact with the client may still not be available including face waxing, eyebrows or threading.

As the salons and parlours gear up to work with half of the staff strength, there will be limited customers inside the salons at any given time to ensure social distancing and avoid crowding. They will also dramatically cut down on the number of clients they see every day so an appointment is going to be a must. In case, you really have to wait, waiting in your car or outside the salon is strictly advisable.