It’s been a long wait (and grow out process), but most salons are finally ready to reopen their doors. If your local salon is going through the reopening process, make sure to respect their guidelines to stay safe. We spoke with salon owner Anna Pacittoof Salon Pure in Montreal to get her perspective on what reopening has been like — and are also sharing some suggestions on how to safely enjoy your first post-quarantine visit.

COVID-19 hit many salons hard — even as many are starting the reopening process, there are a lot of difficult changes and decisions that need to be made. Here’s how Anna navigated these changes for her salon, Salon Pure.

“Salon Pure in downtown Montreal, that I specifically operate, and manage daily, has exceptionally expanded its space to accommodate staff, and clients’ need to socially distance [themselves] so clients can feel safe. We [want to] ensure that our people can service clients at a schedule that allows them to make a decent salary, and accommodate clients as soon as we possibly can.

We have implemented changes imposed by our government, and have gone a step further, to improve and elevate the quality and standard of our services. Some of these changes (like.strict sanitation rituals, organized and more effective scheduling, and more regular advanced training) will stay on even after COVID-19.”

“We are having difficulty in finding support staff, since some of our assistants, and two moms on maternity leave have not returned, as they were scheduled to. I truly feel proud to be in a location like "Les Cours Mont Royal" a stunning old building built in 1901, who's owners and administration have helped us out tremendously in allowing us to quickly expand our space.”

In general, it has been difficult, weird, emotionally, and physically draining, and great all at the same time. Great, since our numbers for the first two weeks have been good, and our team members are so charged with positive energy: so willing to help in making this work that everyone is producing beautiful work. They are focused and giving it all they've got. [And] difficult, because it is not easy for the team to work with all the new measures, and because we have huge bills to pay. Hopefully, the hike in our prices will help alleviate this.”

“As for Aura Distribution, (a mainly Davines distributor, that I proudly [and] artistically represent) has stayed open to sell through our salon online boutique, in collaboration with all our salon clients. Our online service is set up to give full commission to salons, and commission to individual hairdressers, within each salon.

I have [along with] other members of my team (Roch Lemay, Daniel Benoit, Antoine Vadacchino, and others) given virtual classes, free of charge (happily!) to keep our people motivated, as well as our industry community.

“I feel that so much more positive has come out of this situation than negative. This is a wake up call for the world. I feel confident that we are all realizing that we all need to make changes to the way we live and view the world (and our planet) for our benefit, and the benefit of future generations. Let's take this seriously, and collectively, make a difference.”

illustration by Kevin Wilson

Make sure that your first visit back to the salon is as safe and enjoyable as it can be.

Please wear a mask at all times — this is not optional! And try to stay at least six feet apart from other people at all times.

The waiting area of your salon will most likely be closed. Call when you arrive and the receptionist will let you know when your stylist is ready to see you.

The salon is most likely operating with limited people for your safety. If you do come with someone else, they will have to wait outside or in the car during your service.

Please sanitize your hands upon arrival, and avoid engaging in physical contact with others.

Please stay home if you’ve experienced a cough or fever within the past 72 hours. Your salon community will appreciate you rescheduling to keep others healthy!

Only touch retail products you intend to take home with you. The front desk team can prepare your product order for you during your service.

by Lauren Hannel, staff contributor

Illustration courtesy of Kevin Wilson of Salon Del Mar