Local Spa And Salon Braces For Reopening

The Market Square spa and salon, Element5, is ready to reopen Tuesday with the “yellow” phase going into effect, and when they do the women of Saint John will breathe a collective sigh of relief.

“There are so many pictures of people, ladies coming out from quarantine with hair down to here, everything needs waxing, brows are unruly, nails are all grown out – blondes are losing their minds,” said owner and spa director Tracey MacDonald recalling the online pleas from Saint John’s women on her staff’s group pages. “Everybody is in the same boat.”

Element5’s Saint John and Moncton locations have been closed since March 16. MacDonald decided to forgo curbside pick-up or online delivery for products due to safety concerns. Besides gift card sales they have had zero revenue since the salons closed.

Once New Brunswick’s four-phase plan was announced MacDonald immediately began making plans, including installing Plexiglass at the front desk and manicure stations, ordering and setting up a steady supply of masks (made locally in Saint John) and establishing new operating protocols.

Although makeup and beverage services will no longer be offered at its Saint John and Moncton locations when they open Tuesday, the salons will be fully operational, although MacDonald is waiting for confirmation on the protocols for up-close services such as facials and dermaplaning.

“I want guests to know that we are taking it very seriously and you can feel safe coming in here, she said. “We have the sanitation and the handwashing and limited physical contact but can still come in and enjoy a relaxing service,” she said.

The past few weeks have been a dress rehearsal of sorts for the salon’s staff, with MacDonald playing the guinea pig as the hairstylists walked through doing their job in personal protective equipment (PPE).

“I actually had a hair color service, and it truly was a practice session because we wanted to see how this going to work,” she said.

The salon’s service providers will be wearing masks and face shields while working and guests will wear masks the whole time.

“We have some masks with elastics but some without so that we’re using fashion tape to tape the mask to your face,” MacDonald said.

“That way the hairstylist can work around the ears, without getting anything wet. We wanted to see is the tape going to stick, if it was going to last a couple of hours.”

Staggered scheduling will be implemented; even though the salon has six hair stations, only three stylists will be working at a time with expanded hours.

“We’ll probably be staying open later on Mondays and Tuesdays, we will extend our Sunday hours just to accommodate the increased demand that we’re expecting, especially in the beginning,” she said. “It’s just going to be meeting the demand, and not burning out the staff at the same time.”

Other changes include separate lounges for hair, spa and massage services, suspension of couples’ massages and rearranging layouts of the manicure, pedicure and hairstyling stations to create physical distancing. MacDonald can only fit three chairs in the pedicure studio that could hold six. She moved two chairs to the former couples’ massage room.

“We’re coming up with creative ways to still give the guests a spa experience with as little physical contact as possible,” she said. “We’re trying to just figure out what’s going to be in the most demand.”

Once everything has been finalized at Element 5, MacDonald is planning to share introductory videos on social media explaining the new changes to the salon.

“From the e-mails we’ve received, in the comments on social media, people are being very supportive” she said. “I think people will be very respectful of the new normal. I don’t anticipate resistance from being asked to wear a glove, or a mask or being asked to wash your hands.”

The pandemic is affecting many industries, but MacDonald believes while it might change the way guests view the salon/spa experience, the hair and esthetics industry is one that will always be in demand even if customers take their time returning to salons.

“I think it’s going to come down to whether if it is a self-employed esthetician or hairstylist that they’ve put these measures in place so they can assure their clients and their guests that, ‘yes we’re following all of the proper sanitation,’ she explained. “For the most part people are going to want to see that you’ve done all of these things.”

She added most service providers are very excited to get back to work and doing their craft.

“I was really, really worried until the government implemented the rent program because my rent is a huge expense for me. Being closed for three months, even if the rent was deferred, the money is still due,” said MacDonald. “It’s still coming out of my bottom line, I still have to pay it; this whole pandemic is having a huge impact on all small businesses.”

The support of fellow business owners and the community, and how they stay in communication with one another and share information and resources, has also been encouraging.

“Every industry has been impacted, so it’s that sense of community that we are all in this, we are all navigating through this in our own way,” she said.

The salon is almost completely booked up for hair and aesthetics appointments in June, although she said there are still spa appointments available to book during the week.

“We’re expecting it to be very, very busy,” said MacDonald.  “I check the voicemail every day, every day there are 12 to 15 calls.”

This story was originally published on Huddle.Today – an Acadia Broadcasting Limited content partner.