Hair salons and barber shops opening with full books, long waits for appointments
Many local hair salons and barbershops will reopen Friday with strict safety precautions and full appointment books as Allegheny and most surrounding counties enter the green phase of COVID-19 restrictions.
This is the first time salons in this part of Pennsylvania are permitted to be open since mid-March, when they were ordered to close to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus. Since then, many people have let their hair grow, cut it themselves or crossed state lines for haircuts in Ohio and West Virginia, where salons have been back in business for weeks.
Salons and barbershops are allowed to operate at 50% capacity, and stylists and barbers must wear masks and sanitize equipment between customers. Some are planning to check clients’ temperatures, use mobile pay and limit the number of appointments in a day.
Puccini Hair Design in Oakland is completely booked from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It’s closed Sunday.
“We are only working at 25% capacity, rather than 50% like the law said,” said Sal Puccini Jr., the second-generation owner.
For now, that means customers will be 10 feet apart rather than the required 6 feet.
Salon chain Philip Pelusi is planning to reopen its 10 storefront locations Friday. Owners are still waiting to hear back from Westmoreland and Monroeville malls to see if those locations can open, too.
“We are actually not doing some services right now, like paraffin treatments and facials, because they are too high-touch,” said John O’Neill, vice president of operations and training.
Kevin Kappel, owner of Joe Madia’s Barber Shop in Uptown, said he will definitely open Friday. “I’m anxious to get back in the shop and start hammering things out,” he said.
He said the governor’s restrictions on barbershops and salons were too harsh.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “On a normal day, there are only four to five people in here anyway.”
Big Tom’s Barbershop in the Hill District will also open Friday. Owner Thomas Boyd Sr. said they will limit the number of customers inside and follow safety procedures “like at the dentist or a doctor.” But its barbers won’t turn anyone away.
“They made our industry look bad,” he said of the state’s COVID19 restrictions. “We know about infectious diseases. We know to wear a mask.”
Twelve27 salon in Downtown is not reopening until Monday.
“We wanted to give our team more time to prepare and adjust,” co-owner Veronica Ballard said. “And we are closed on Sundays, so it just didn’t really make sense.”
They are introducing a COVID-19 wellness form all clients must fill out after receiving their 48-hour appointment confirmation.
“This way everyone that comes in is held to the same standard,” Ms. Ballard said.
Most salons contacted have been overwhelmed as they try to rebook appointments for clients who were scheduled before the state stay-at-home order was enacted.
“Our biggest hope for this reopening is that we can effectively and safely get all of our 2,000-plus guests rescheduled and back into the salon as soon as possible,” Twelve27’s co-owner Hilary Ballard said.
Salon owners said they are taking appointments weeks and even months down the road. Staff members at Philip Pelusi are calling people who were recently rescheduled and rebooking them for this month.
“We are in the process of calling all the people that were scheduled for appointments the week before we closed. They will have first priority in scheduling,” Mr. O’Neill said.
At Joe Madia’s Barber Shop, Mr. Kappel is preparing for a big crowd Friday.
“The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the green phase was announced,” he said. “My schedule is pretty much all booked for Friday, and we open at 6 a.m.”
Puccini Hair Design has some customers booking appointments into September. The salon is reserving the first hour of appointments for its older clients.
“Despite being in Oakland, we have a very diverse clientele,” Mr. Puccini said. “We want to make sure all of our senior customers feel safe, too.”
Customers will see new safety standards and maybe new prices, too. As salons and barbershops purchase personal protective equipment and operate under limited circumstances with fewer customers, many are struggling to make up for lost income.
Mr. Puccini has heard some salons are raising prices, but he’s not.
“We didn’t want to raise prices because we figure that a lot of people are in the same situation that we are right now,” he said. “Our goal is to provide affordable hair care.”
Philip Pelusi is also sticking to the same list of prices for its services.
“It’s a big debate in the industry right now,” Mr. O’Neill said. “Some places are charging a COVID-19 surcharge to help pay for things. We went around and around but decided against it.”
Twelve27 is adding a $10fee to some services and has raised prices slightly to compensate for the fact it is taking in fewer clients each day. A women’s cut costs $50, according to its website.
“What will never go away is our care for the customer’s experience,” Hilary Ballard said. “Instead of added pampering in our space, we will be giving added care, time and attention to the safety and cleanliness of the experience.”
Big Tom’s Barbershop is raising prices by 25%, Mr. Boyd said.
“Things cost more, and there is more headache now. A price increase is called for.”
Mr. Puccini said a salon visit used to be more like a rock concert, with the focus on stylists’ work rather than what goes on behind the scenes.
“Going in for a haircut normally, you just get your hair cut,” he said. “Now everyone is paying attention to the sanitizing process. It’s like going to a concert and wanting to see what the sound guy is doing.”