AUSTIN, Texas — Garbo Salon will reopen Friday but with stricter guidelines than what the state is asking to keep slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
Friday will be a soft reopening with only three stylists at the North Austin location, owner Marsha Power said. She's owned the local salon for 35 years.
More employees will start coming back to work later in the month and even more in June.
“Haircuts lift people up and they make you feel better, cleaner, ready to go. A fresh start. And people miss that. They might miss us, caring about them, listening to their stories. And we miss them as well,” Power said.
The salon has several visible changes – including a COVID-19 assessment form, masks, a forehead thermometer, and hand sanitizer when you enter.
Stylists will wear masks and clients will have face shields available for them to wear while getting their hair shampooed.
But not everyone will be shampooed – only those who need to have color rinsed out. The salon is also not planning on blow drying anyone’s hair.
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“We're taking all of this seriously, taking care of ourselves and our clients. And that's going to be the luxury part of their visit currently because not blow drying and not shampooing the hair, which is part of this effort that they really love. We're going to miss that, too, and that type of service. But taking care of them and ourselves in the business and respecting what's going on, I think is the most important,” Power said.
Stations and tools will be sanitized in between each client.
Some stylists have also spent the time not working learning new color correction techniques for those clients who attempted at-home hair coloring during the stay-home period, Power said.
“We've always had these protocols in place. They're just souped-up now and they're going to be a lot more visible,” Power said.
If you plan to get a haircut, it’s recommended that you call ahead instead of walking in.
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