Franchise Sector Summaries - Salons/Personal Care Services

salons

Background

With virtually all salons  and personal service establishments across the country having been forced to shutter, it is important to ensure ways to safely reopen them, allowing stylists and other personal service professionals to get back to work and consumers to enjoy (within appropriate limitations) the services provided. Hair professionals have been extensively trained and have deep experience in delivering safety and sanitation as an important aspect of their jobs for decades. Massage therapists and estheticians are state licensed, which licensing requires instruction and testing in safety and sanitation. It is not new in a COVID-19 world for these professionals to have an intense focus and understanding of their personal health and safety, and that of their customers.

General Recommended Guidelines: Salons

  • Practice social distancing throughout the salon.
  • Hand sanitizer should be prominently provided throughout the salon. 
  • Follow all existing health and public safety (infection control) rules that salons must abide by that are enforced by each state’s regulatory board.
  • Employees should consider wearing masks as a safety measure when providing a service. Salons may want to consider providing masks to clients.
  • Salons should consider scheduling services through an appointment or an appointment like app. Salons and customers need to recognize and accept that an appointment is essentially any action or series of actions aimed at ensuring customers enter a salon only when it is their time for a service. An appointment does not have to be a specific time made a day or days in advance. It can be an app-based system for queueing and stacking and prioritizing customer visits.
  • The number of people in the waiting area should be limited.

General Recommended Guidelines: Personal Services

  • Only private treatment rooms should be permitted.
  • Establish safety and sanitation protocols meeting or exceeding CDC guidelines.
  • Extensive cleaning of treatment rooms & all common areas.
  • Cleaning of all surfaces in each treatment room after each service.
  • Service providers should wash their hands before and after each service.
  • All studio employees should wear PPE.
  • Customers should wear PPE.
  • Following social distancing guidelines.
  • At the employers’ discretion, it is recommended that employers conduct a daily temperature check of employees prior to work beginning. Per CDC guidelines, minimum temperature indicating possible fever is 100.4°F.

Employee Recommended Guidelines: Salons

  • Any employee who is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms should not report to work.
  • At the employer’s discretion, it is recommended that employers conduct a daily temperature check of employees prior to work beginning. Per CDC guidelines, minimum temperature indicating possible fever is 100.4°F.
  • Employees or stylists should be provided a written copy of guidelines before returning to work.
  • Stylists will wash hands before and after every customer. CDC approved hand sanitizer is acceptable if soap and water are not readily available.
  • Cleaning between clients:
  • Clean and disinfect chairs and headrests.
  • Clean and disinfect all shampoo bowls, handles, hoses, spray nozzles, and shampoo chairs.
  • Clean and disinfect any surfaces or areas around the styling chair that the client or client’s items may have contacted during the visit.

Safe Working Environment

  • Workstations should be placed 6 feet apart. When that is not an option, dividers may be used to mitigate contact.
  • High customer contact areas should be sanitized with EPA approved cleaners every frequently. 
  • Excess furniture and non-essential items (magazines, toys) should be removed from waiting areas or denoted in such a way as to render it unusable. 
  • Where appropriate, UV lighting should be used to sanitize all surfaces and tools.
  • Where appropriate, barbicide or other sanitizing solutions should be applied to tools and other equipment.

Customer Recommended Guidelines

  • If customers are waiting, encourage them to wait outside the establishment for safe social distancing.
  • Contact the customer to come into the business for services once their place in line is up next.
  • Appointment times should be staggered to limit in-store waiting.
  • No testing products should be present in customer areas.
  • Clean capes should be used by stylists for each customer.
  • Floor stickers and signage could be used to provide guidance for social distance.
  • Product displayed should be limited and clear signage regarding handling of product should be displayed. Utilize employee assistance to purchase.  
  • Food or beverage offerings should be eliminated.
  • Restrooms should be cleaned/sanitized frequently.
  • Payment: 
  • Encourage credit card usage. When the exchange of cash is necessary, wash and sanitize hands after each transaction.
  • Encourage use of touchless payment where feasible.

Download guidelines.

 

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