THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though the government gave a green signal to beauty parlours to resume their operations adhering to the strict safety guidelines, given the nature of their job which involves close contact with their clients, social distancing is posing a major challenge for people in the industry. Keeping social distancing in mind, it has become difficult to modify their business in order to follow the order.
When beauty parlours and salons were forced to shut their doors on March 21 due to the threat of coronavirus, none of them imagined that their shops would be shut down for two months. “It has been two days since I opened my parlour, keeping all the safety measures in place. Clients have been asked to make appointments to avoid crowding. They have also been advised to bring their own towels,” said Soorya Raghuram, owner of April11 Beauty Concepts, Ulloor.
Soorya added that she is only taking haircutting and hairstyling appointments which have been allowed but enquiries are coming for other services as well. She says: “In our business, we work one-on-one with the client so it is impossible to strictly follow social distancing. Moreover, it is very difficult to do a haircut wearing gloves.”While owners are keeping their fingers crossed, they are also worried about how they will continue their operations in the days to come working with minimal staff and with new rules. With the ongoing lockdown, only a few staffers are available,” says Princy Philiphose of Spalon-Professional Beauty Parlour, Kumarapuram.
Highlighting the difficulties faced by the salon industry because of stringent safety measures, Princy says: “Cutting a client’s hair while wearing gloves leads to zero precision and the possibility of making mistakes. Wearing protective gears, you are away from your comfort zone and the customers also won’t be satisfied.” Similarly, people come for selective services that they cannot do at their homes, such as threading or hair colouring, but it is not permitted, she adds.
Like the neighbourhood parlours, big chains are also feeling the pinch. “We have lost a good number of our beauty products which need to be returned as they have expired. Also, there has been a dip in the number of customers,” says Aneesh P, manager at Toni & Guy, Sasthamangalam.Aneesh says: “We are getting a lot of enquiries from our clients regarding the hygiene protocols being followed. To ensure safety, we are working with 50 per cent staff and the customers are being given appointments with a gap of half an hour. Also, disposable towels are being used to ensure hygiene.”