Salons can cut hair outdoors in Fresno, California. Here’s why more aren’t doing it
It’s a sign of the times: You can get your hair cut and eyebrows waxed outside in Fresno County now.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow in California, salons were initially ordered to close indoor operations earlier this month. But on July 20, Gov. Gavin Newsom allowed people to get haircuts, manicures and massages outside.
The industry had faced an extra layer of regulation that other businesses didn’t. The change was made after State Assemblyman Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, and others called for salons and similar businesses to have the same freedom to operate outside as restaurants.
So far, a handful of businesses in Fresno and Clovis are taking advantage of the new rules – though there are plenty of challenges preventing others from doing so.
One professional called the solution unrealistic and a “slap in the face.”
‘Browchella’ makes its debut
Some businesses have made it work though, like Arch Haus of Brows on Third Street in Old Town Clovis, which moved its operations to its back parking lot. The eyebrow waxing salon, which employed four people plus its owner, had been closed for three months, reopened for three weeks and then closed again.
“What are we going to do?” said owner Nicole Justice. “I know it’s hot, but we’ve got to do something to get around this.”
So they rounded up tents, misters, and fans, borrowed some rugs and moved all their equipment outside.
“We like to call it ‘Browchella,’ like Coachella” (the outdoor music festival), she said. “The music is loud. The clients are happy as ever. It’s kinda amazing to me that clients are coming at 7 a.m. to get their service done.”
For customer Loke Coyle of Fresno, it was a welcome return to normal.
“It really sucks the whole not being able to do routine cosmetic appointments. I just always always have fun when I go over to her studio,” she said. “I’m a mom of three, so I look forward to those appointments to get out and get the interaction.”
Heat and other obstacles
But it’s not without challenges. The heat is a big one.
Though working outdoors may be easy in places like the coast, Fresno is in its hottest part of the year, with the forecast expected to hit triple digits in the days to come.
That’s especially challenging when both customers and professionals have to wear masks.
As a result, most places moving outdoors are shifting their hours earlier in the morning.
World Hair Stylists, a barber shop at the southwest corner of Blackstone and Shaw avenues, shifted it normal hours from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. so they could work outside.
They hauled out chairs and tables to hold their tools and sterilization liquids. Cordless electric clippers have been key.
Customers and barbers alike said they were happy with the situation, as a barber scurried to sweep up hair cuttings before a breeze blew them away.
But there’s no shaves, and no beard trims happening – a mask doesn’t allow for that.
Also not allowed per state regulations outdoors: No shampooing. No chemical hair services, including hair dyeing (a big source of income for many), straightening or perms. No electrolysis either.
Regulations also require the work to happen “contiguous with or adjacent to” a licensed facility. They must follow heat illness prevention guidelines, like providing access to shade and water. A hair dresser can’t just show up at your house.
It’s expensive to set up outdoors, said Jackelyn Madrigal. She’s a hair stylist and esthetician at Color Me Chula, renting a booth from La Vogue Beauty Shoppe in the Tower District, which is not doing any work outdoors.
Salons that are working outdoors are “investing in a lot of tarps, they have little tents. It’s a lot, considering we’re all already suffering financially,” she said.
Madrigal said she’d love to be back at work, but with the heat, the expense and pavement and parking lots surrounding her salon, it’s not doable.
Plus, she said she’s worried about catching coronavirus herself, given that she works in such close proximity to her customers.
The industry is highly regulated and she worries about liability issues, she said. Hair stylists can’t just make house calls without jumping through several hoops to be considered mobile professionals first.
“Personally – and what I’ve felt other stylists relate on – it kinda feels like a slap in the face for the profession,” she said. “It’s degrading something we’ve invested a lot of time in, a lot of education in. It’s all about sanitation … and protecting the health of our client.”
