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Despite added cleanliness and safety precautions, many Gainesville beauty and nail salons have not regained the customer base they had before the pandemic began.
Hoang Ly, Glamour Nails & Spa owner, is making sure that her clients are feeling safe and comfortable. Ly says her shop is Barbicide-certified, assuring that her shop is clean.
“Before customers enter the salon, we check their temperature, wash hands and when they’re leaving, we clean with 90-degree alcohol sanitizer. We took the Barbicide COVID-19 certificate. We want to help each customer coming into salon feel comfortable, relaxed and safe to get the manicure, pedicure, massage, like spa. Forget about the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ly said.
Salons have closed their waiting rooms and are only accepting appointments.
Salon owners are concerned about the future of their business. Long Nguyen, Glamor Nails & Spa owner, expressed his concerns.
“If I close the business, I have to stay here to make no money. I have no choice, man. I don’t want to apply for money or something, I want to work,” Nguyen said.
Christie Eaton was a nail salon client. She has not returned to the salon since the pandemic.
“I haven’t been to a nail salon in quite some time, due to the fact that I’ve noticed when I have gone in the past, that the cleanliness was just not being met in between each customer,” Eaton said.
Salons are cleaning now more than ever. Pamela Rode is a hairdresser for Salon Savoy in Gainesville. She says that waxing has been a challenge during the pandemic.
“I do eyebrows, which isn’t a problem. I just make sure that my hands are clean before and after. Then I’ve got one client that I do her lip, that makes me a little bit more uncomfortable,” she said.
The future of local salons remains unclear.