Happy new hair Inside Britain’s first Covid-secure salon
As lockdown lifts, what will the new normal be like? Sonia Haria introduces this three-page guide to life after coronavirus, with an exclusive look inside Britain’s first Covid-secure hair salon
Following Boris Johnson’s update at the beginning of the month outlining his road map to lifting lockdown, we now know that hairdressers, as part of the wider hospitality sector, are likely to reopen on July 4. For many of us, that’s not a moment too soon.
But apart from rumours, speculation and what we have seen happening in Spain and Italy, we have only been able to imagine what they will look like, post-covid.
However, in these exclusive first look pictures first- look pictures inside Gatsby & Miller in Amersham, Buckinghamshire (one of the first hairdressers in the UK ready for reopening), L’oréal – which has more than 25,000 salon partners up and down the UK – has created a blueprint for the entire sector.
The beauty industry as a whole employs over 600,000 people in the UK, and the hairdressing sector alone is the single largest contributor to the British beauty economy, valued at £6 billion. Throughout lockdown, the hairdressing industry has captured the interest of the nation like never before. One of the first memes that went around was the joke “We’re about six weeks away from knowing the real colour of everybody’s hair”. We have been captivated by the lockdown locks of politicians and news presenters and thrown our hands in the air when the news came that golf clubs and car showrooms would open before hairdressers.
It’s been 10 weeks since salons closed their doors; waiting lists were duly started, videos of DIY haircuts went viral and sales of at-home root concealers shot through the roof. There’s also been a worrying emergence of backstreet hairdressers working in lockdown to satisfy the demand from clients, simply unable to cope without their regular cut and colour.
While this July date is too far away for many (there’s even an online petition with over 6,000 signatures urging the government to reopen salons along with the rest of retail on June 15), salons are now preparing themselves for a grand reopening – Covid-style. According to the National Hair and Beauty Federation, 77 per cent of members say they already feel prepared to reopen.
Currently, there are no clear
government requirements for a salon to reopen, so these pictures serve as a guide to how hairdressers in the UK could operate – whether other salons adopt some or all of the measures in anticipation of the government’s
guidelines. “We know that many salons have been getting ready for a safe reopening, like our salon partner Gatsby & Miller,” says Beatrice Dautzenberg, managing director of the L’oréal Professional Products
Division. “How this salon has modified their space is based on the learnings from other markets where salons have already safely reopened and these modifications can easily be updated with any UK government guidelines.”
So what will a Covid-secure salon entail? First, the new rules need to be clearly communicated, and Gatsby & Miller will be using a digital screen in their window to display important messaging for clients, including constant reminders about social distancing.
At check-in, there’s a protective screen at the reception desk and markings on the floor to ensure strict social distancing. One dedicated stylist – wearing a mask – will welcome the client in and they will remain with this one stylist throughout the salon visit to help limit risk, following a one-way system.
PPE will play a big part in salons reopening, so at Gatsby & Miller all staff will be wearing gloves as well as masks (changed constantly throughout the day) and clients will also be encouraged to also wear a protective mask throughout the appointment.
The government is still to issue its guidelines, but L’oréal had acquired over one million masks and are producing over 100,000 hand sanitiser gels for the UK and Ireland to support salons in their safe reopening. Another salon already working with similar measures is Hershesons in London, who are planning on giving clients their own bag of disposable PPE on arrival (which will include towels and presterilised hairbrushes).
A regular feature of hairdressers, the backwash, has also changed quite significantly in the Gatsby & Miller salon. Protective screens have been installed above the client’s head, as well as in-between each chair. Each backwash station will be cleaned and disinfected after each appointment. The salon has also installed protective screens between styling stations.
“We have been working on reorganising and modifying the salon for a number of weeks and we feel confident to reopen safely anytime from now,” says Dawn Montgomery, salon manager of
Gatsby & Miller. “We have been taking note from salons reopening in Europe as inspiration. Ahead of opening, we will walk the team through every new protocol that we are implementing.”
The salon is also planning on hiring a risk-assessment expert to regularly check that the newlymodified salon environment meets the highest standards.
L’oréal has also designed an online training course on hygiene and safety, which it will encourage its hairdressers to use. By completing the course, the hairdressers will receive a certificate to display in salons, much like a Covid-secure stamp of approval. They have also produced a Back to Business support guide, with details on hygiene, safety measures, salon organisation and communication.
With a staff of 170 across two salons and a 5,300ft space in London, Hershesons plan to make their check-in and checkout process as “faceless” as possible.
“There’ll be an app for you to notify your stylist you’ve arrived at the salon, and you’ll be able to check out of the salon on your phone, too,” says Luke Hersherson.
There are also plans to extend opening hours from 7am to midnight, to allow more space and less contact between customers.
Last week, the Department for Business, Energy & Industry Strategy (BEIS), which hairdressing sits within, set up a task force to ensure salons are ready before the suggested July 4 opening date.
“The ideal situation is that we get a broad overview of what the Government requires, and then we can work out the details,” says Keith Conniford, the head of the Hair & Barber Council, who has been appointed as an adviser for the newly formed task force.
“What I don’t want is the Government to be setting ridiculous guidelines for an industry that they don’t even understand,” he adds. “There needs to be some input from our industry to make these decisions.”
Many hairdressers in the UK have already planned how they would reopen in a safe and hygienic way, but, adds Beatrice Dautzenberg from L’oréal, “salons have always been an environment where high standards of hygiene and safety are adopted and followed, as well as caring for clients’ well-being as the number one priority.”
The July 4 date for salons reopening is a cautious step by the British Government in comparison with other countries including America, Germany and Denmark, who opened hairdressers in their first wave of lifting lockdown. Many of the safety measures seen globally chime with the Gatsby & Miller blueprint so there is optimism that it will work.
“We have seen many European markets reopen hair salons successfully,” says Dautzenberg. “The consumer demand and eagerness to go back to the salon for their hair appointments is extremely high.”
‘There’ll be an app for you to notify your stylist you’ve arrived at the salon’