A NEW YOU BUT IN
THE WAIT IS OVER AS HAIRDRESSERS, BEAUTICIANS AND BARBERS RE-OPEN
IT WILL NO DOUBT be a different experience as people step back into hairdresser, beauty salons and barber shops this week after a long wait but things are sure to feel a little more normal after a much-needed new ‘do.
Hairdressers and beauticians in north Wexford have spent the last few weeks preparing their new working stations, which for Gorey’s Eikon Beauty involved a change in premises also.
‘We’ve been in the process of moving premises to Market Square from St Michael’s Road and July was our date. So it has been more of a rush in the last couple of weeks to get ready,’ said owner Roisin Leacy.
‘There’s huge demand. We have extra staff on and extra days due to the demand and there’s quite the back log. Particularly for our lazer hair removal, people have missed appointments and are quite eager to get in,’ she said.
The Covid-19 hygiene relations have not come as a huge shock to Roisin and her team, as she explained that clean practises are a huge part of the beauty industry.
‘The beauty industry controls hygiene quite well. We always use disposable equipment like nail files, it’s nothing hugely abnormal. Our only concern would be the extra time that’s needed between clients. It reduces the amount of clients we can take in a day.
‘But in our new premises, our therapists can take a room so there’s no large communal area. Clients will feel a bit more secure and we’ll be offering all of our services such as facial, massage, etc. We’ll be providing gloves and masks for our clients, there’ll be extra sanitisation processes at the door and staff will be wearing visors for certain treatments.
‘We have consultation Covid questionnaires, they can be done online or here in a secure room,’ she said.
The new rules in the new normal for Eikon include being on time, coming alone to an appointment and there will be no serving of teas or coffees.
The same is true for Dolly Murphy of Dolly’s Hair Salon in Kilanerin, who she said that she will miss the social aspect.
‘We did appointments before this and I did allow walk-ins but now I can’t allow walk-ins, so it’ll be different. Sometimes when people come in they nearly go to give you a hug as you’re like a counsellor to them.
‘I can’t offer refreshments like I would usually and I’d always have sweets for the kids like lollipops, so all those personal touches I did as a small business to make it an enjoyable experience, I feel that has been stripped away. I will try my best but I’ll miss the social aspects of the teas and coffee with the clients,’ she said.