Following the reopening of hairdressers and barbers in Wales on Monday, March 15, customers in England are eagerly awaiting Monday, April 12, when hairdressing salons and barber shops are scheduled to reopen (along with all non-essential shops) in accordance with stage two of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown.
In Wales, hairdressers are currently only allowed to serve customers with pre-booked appointments, and are limited to providing haircuts only. Temperature checks are common before clients can enter the premises, and social distancing requirements mean that most salons will not be using every station in order to maintain the two-metre distance rule. Indeed, many smaller salons are likely to operate a one-in, one-out policy due to space restrictions.
During the series of lockdowns in England and Wales over the past year, those in need of a trim have been forced to decide between attempting to cut and style their own hair (sometimes with less than satisfactory results), or letting it grow and accepting the aesthetic consequences. With reports suggesting that hairdressers in Wales were ‘inundated’ with calls for appointments on and after April 12, and ‘heaving’ on that day, many people have clearly come to appreciate the fact that DIY hair care and maintenance is not as easy as it seems.
Another factor in the apparent ‘rush back to the salon’ is the community role that these locations play in many people’s lives. Particularly for those who live alone, a visit to the hairdresser is often a social occasion when having a chat with the hairdresser and catching up on the local gossip may be just as important as having their hair attended to. The state of a person’s hair can also affect their mental wellbeing and confidence, underlining the fact that lots of people have an emotional connection with their hairdresser and salon which they are currently keen to reestablish at the earliest opportunity.
While the government has emphasised that the gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions will depend on ‘data not dates’, hair salons in England are on course to reopen on April 12. The anticipated surge in bookings will be challenging for hair salons in terms of sanitation measures and customer numbers, but also heartening news from a business perspective, and a welcome sign that life is slowly but surely returning to some semblance of normality.
Bartletts Solicitors offers an all female team of lawyers specialising in hair and beauty treatment injuries. Call us for a free consultation if your hair has been damaged by a poorly trained, inexperienced or incompetent hairdresser:
https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/hair-beauty/hairdresser-injury-compensation.html