Iron County salons open cautiously

By TOM LAVENTURE

[email protected]

HURLEY, Wis. - For hair salons that have been closed since March the sudden end to the coronavirus shutdown order was met with excitement and a strong sense of responsibility.

Kim Paris, owner of Headlines Styling Studio in Hurley, said she will be in her shop preparing to reopen under a new normal but won't bring in her two employee stylists until the initial coronavirus shutdown order expiration date of May 26. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling Wednesday would allow her to open immediately with the burden on the county to determine what safety measures would remain in place.

"I think just for safety reasons it's kind of nice just to hold off a little bit longer," Paris said. "Because now everybody is going to be out and I don't know if they are going to follow safety precautions as they were."

Much of the salon clientele are older people who are more at risk to the COVID-19 infection, she said. The decision not to rush back to normal is to help ensure safety.

One of the salon stylists would work three days a week with residents at area nursing homes, Paris said. The nursing home shutdown order came before the governor's order and will likely remain in effect for the foreseeable future, she said.

The salon will have new normal protocols that may include temperature screening. Clients are asked not to arrive early for appointments or wait in their vehicle.

Customers are also asked to wear a mask. Hand sanitizer will be available.

"If we close again then everybody will suffer," Paris said.

Before the pandemic a typical salon routine would allow three stylists with three clients. Clients who received coloring or other treatments would be socializing on the side and walk-in haircuts would fill the gaps.

The new normal will have two stylists working with two customers to follow distancing protocols.

Scheduling was adjusted to ensure that only four people are in the salon at any time. No walk-in appointments will be allowed.

"It's going to be quite crazy I think for a while," Paris said. "But it will be nice to see my ladies again and visit."

The standard capes that clients wear are not considered safe for virus prevention and Paris will use plastic garbage bags until disposable capes arrive. A hole will be cut for the head and the bag is cut off and thrown away after a single use.

The disinfectant protocols have always been strict for salons but even more so with the pandemic, she said. It will take longer to clean between customers but that is preferable to people becoming infected and another shutdown order, she said.

"Another reason for limiting the number of people in the store is to clean up between customers," Paris said. "It's going to take a while to get caught up."

All the retail products that were displayed in the lobby are now stored in the back of the shop and brought out upon request, she said. This is another way to avoid possible contamination from handling the products, she said.

The shutdown has been a struggle, Paris said. The family of three were living on the husband's income to pay the bills.

For her customers who were desperate for their hair she would mix a color treatment for them to apply themselves at home. She provided the materials and talked them through it, sometimes with success, she said.

It will be interesting to see the longer hair of clients, she has been hearing that some have been cutting their own hair.

"I am kind of curious to see what a few of them look like," Paris said. "It's going to be interesting."

Lori Munn, owner of Salon Nouveau in Hurley, said she had just invested a lot of time and money in renovating an historic building in Hurley to open her salon. The shutdown nearly destroyed her dream, she said.

"For me to have my income ripped out from under like that is devastating," Munn said. "I actually was afraid I was going to lose this property here that I busted my tail to buy and completely remodel."

With a disabled adult daughter and a husband who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Munn said she had no time to fall back on her other profession in nursing. She spent her time with them while she continued to ready her salon to open.

With a nursing background Munn said she appreciated that much of her cosmetology schooling over 11 months involved safety and sanitation protocols set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Cosmologists are able to recognize diseases and disorders of the skin, scalp, hair and nails and when to refer people with those concerns to physicians, she said.

It was upsetting that people with this training and ability would not be able to work through the shutdown while retailers considered essential continued to operate with much less ability to control prevention, Munn said. She emailed the governor, spoke to state legislators, the department of health, county health and law enforcement.

"I am concerned about people's health," Munn said. "But at the same time if you destroy the economy that is not going to help."

Munn was taking in customers on Thursday and said she is booked through May 23. Reopening is about doing it safely and reassuring her clients that it is safe.

"Customers were texting Wednesday night that they wanted an appointment," Munn said. "Some of my elderly clients are going to continue sheltering in place until they feel comfortable."

The protocol sheet for salons requires stylists and customers cover their face, and that stylists wear gloves. The guidelines also suggest that every customer receive a shampoo, she said. She is making her own hand sanitizer.