MONTREAL -- Montreal's salons and barbershops are ready to get their scissors out once again on Monday, with many owners saying three months of forced closures has been them on the brink of closing for good.
Studio Coiffure PA owner Joshua Belair said as soon as the government announced that hairdressers would be able to get back to work, he was inundated with bookings.
“I think I had like 50 messages on Facebook Messenger and I was just like 'Why is my phone going crazy?'” he said. “Then I just see, 'Oh my God, I want to book, I want to book,' and I'm like, 'Oh, they just announced the date.'”
However, shaggy-haired people should be prepared to take some extra precautions when they go for their first trim. Doors at salons will be locked and customers won't be permitted inside to wait for their appointments. Once inside, masks must be worn and handwashing stations will be placed near the door. Stylists will be wearing personal protective equipment and every brush, razor and scissor will be disinfected between each client.
“We need from 15 to 45 minutes more per client,” said Belair. “That means we're going to have 30 per cent less clients per month that are going to be sitting on our chairs.”
Belair said the reduction in clientele means he has to enact a 7.5 per cent price hike to cut his losses.
With Montrealers unable to get a cut for three months, many have started trimming at home. Belair said that means he'll have his work cut out for him.
“Some of them have been telling us 'I didn't touch my hair' and other people are like 'Yeah, you're going to have to reorganize what I've done,'” he said. “Some guys shaved too short or it's unequal and some women did home colours so I think we'll have a lot of work to do whenever we come back in the salon.”
