Hair, nail salons are preparing for reopening Monday

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. - We are currently on the long road to reopening the state, with Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb allowing businesses like restaurants, clothing stores, and salons to open back up in May 11th with some restrictions.

Businesses like Nails R Us have been closed for months and to hear the news that they can now reopen this coming Monday, the owner says she is relieved.

Debbie Nguyen has owned Nails R Us in South Bend for the last 7 years so when the Governor announced state-wide closures, her business was affected.

“It’s very tough very very tough and we have bills to pay and everything so it’s very hard for us,” Nguyen said.

She says that it's been especially difficult since Nails R Us is a family-run business. Since Nguyen and her husband are considered owners and employees, they aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits and can’t apply for PPP loans.

She tells ABC57 she is glad to be able to reopen on May 11th.

“I feel so happy. I feel so… thank god. We have to be reopened and I’m ready,” she said. “I have ordered sneeze guards you put on the table, each table and we provide the masks if they wanted to but I recommend that they should wear a mask when they come to the salon.”

Masks and gloves will be worn at all times by employees and clients will be encouraged to wash hands before and after their appointment.

“Practicing social distancing 6 feet apart, even the pedicure chairs we have here, we still expand far away from each other so nobody can be close to nobody,” she said.

When it comes to scheduling, there are no walk-ins allowed. That means the salon will be less crowded than it normally would be. Anyone who is sick will be rescheduled to a different date.

As an extra precaution, Nguyen plans on requiring those who’ve been sick recently to sign a consent form.

“During coronavirus like this, had they been sick, they have to sign and make sure that they are in good condition,” she said.

So if you are looking to schedule a nail appointment soon remember to wash your hands, bring sanitizer if you want, and most importantly wear a mask.

Now other businesses are facing the same issues. R and G Salon and Spa is just one business affected by the shutdowns.

“It did affect our business; definitely big time but that fact is we were kind of preparing things were going in different countries. We were expecting something coming our way so we tried to keep ourselves steady as much as we could and save before we closed,” Roula Fayad, the co-owner of Roula & Georgio Salon and Spa said.

They too are getting ready to reopen this coming Monday. But it’s not going to be business as normal and you will probably see a lot more masks inside.

“When clients walk in we definitely take their temperature with an infrared thermometer. And we make sure they are wearing masks by requirement, and we hand them hand sanitizer,” she said.

As per guidelines, every employee and customer is to wear masks or face coverings in the salon.

Employees will also be wearing gloves and face shields.

Fayad says they already disinfect and clean after every client anyway but will continue to do so now more than ever.

In regards to scheduling, they have cut down on the number of people allowed inside the building at a time.

“We’re definitely taking it easy on scheduling and keeping the space,” she said. “Safety comes first.”

And they are following social distancing guidelines of 6 feet apart, meaning the clients will be spread out and will not be sitting right next to each other.

For those who are set to come in, the owner is asking for the person to come alone without family meaning one person at a time to help with social distancing.

They will also be taking out magazines and beverages to limit any spread of the virus.

“This is a new lifestyle we’re going to face right now and we have to live with until they come up with something as a treatment, vaccine, etc,” she said.

With the reopening’s, a lot of people are glad to be able to set up hair and nail appointments again but it is very important to do so safely.

And if your sick or have a pre-existing condition, it’s a good idea to reschedule for a later date.



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