Big Island residents, unkempt after months of lockdown, returned to salons and barber shops in droves last week as more businesses returned to work.
After Mayor Harry Kim gave salons the go-ahead to reopen June 1, residents desperate for a haircut flooded barbers with calls for appointments.
“We’re not totally back to capacity,” said Patty Morrissey, owner of Headline News, a Hilo beauty salon. “There are some people who are still nervous about coming back. But things have picked up a lot already.”
Morrissey said her loyal customer base was quick to call for appointments immediately after the news of Kim’s announcement broke.
Many of her customers, she assumed, attempted to make emergency haircuts while in quarantine, with mixed results.
Kim’s announcement allowing salons to return to business came with a list of requirements to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19, some of which may limit salons’ ability to meet demand.
“We’re staggering our appointments so there’s only one person in here at once,” said Scott Achong, owner of Speakeazy Hawaii in Hilo. “And between each appointment, we have a period where we wipe down everything.”
Other requirements might be easier for salons to abide by. Achong said good salons are already in the habit of regularly sanitizing instruments, while requirements for social distancing don’t apply to hairdressers.
However, Speakeazy barber Michael Donahue said working in a face mask and gloves is difficult, as the mask makes him sweaty and the gloves make fine adjustments harder.
Despite the requirements, Speakeazy has had no trouble filling its appointment slots, Achong said — an impressive feat for a business too young to have an established client base.
“We actually hadn’t officially opened (before COVID-19),” Achong said. “We were just about to open in March, and then everything started.”
While many salons use appointments to limit the amount of customers at once, businesses that accept walk-ins have had a week of constant demand.
“The line is long every time,” said Sergio Cuenca, owner of Aloha Haircuts in Hilo. “People were waiting for three hours on Tuesday.”
One of Cuenca’s customers, Hawaiian Paradise Park resident John Doran, waited for more than half an hour on Friday, saying he was “way overdue” for a haircut, and didn’t want to try it himself.
“I think I need a couple inches off, at least,” Doran said, hair flopping over his eyes.
“We’re just glad to be able open,” Achong said. “Not being able to open for two months was tough for us, financially.”
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.