Tasneem Furniturewala, owner of Thatz Me salon at Lamington Road. Pic/ Bipin Kokate

As Maharashtra-s lockdown lifted with Mission Begin Again, Mumbaikars have been slowly getting back to their work places that have been significantly transformed. Barbershops and salons, which have been shuttered since March 23, continue to remain locked up because of concerns around the beauty industry being an inherently close contact-based business. Smaller independent enterprises such as Furniturewala-s are trying to survive the severe losses. "The new normal is not going to be exciting," she says. "I foresee business being sluggish. That said, we may get requests for hair services—cut and colour. But because facials and waxing involve high-contact, they will not be feasible at the moment. Customers are going to be apprehensive." Pre-lockdown, her salon catered to five clients at a go. She says she will now have to service a single client at a time. She admits she has had to let go of some of her staff to meet overhead costs.

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A staffer pastes instructions on the shelf cautioning customers to refrain from touching the products

Salons across the world have been labelled high risk given the difficulty in practising social distancing in a close-contact environment. Establishments, however, are going the extra mile to shake off the unpleasant label. Behind the downed shutters of Lakmé salon at Bandra-s Linking Road, a handful of staffers are overseeing changes in seating arrangement. Styling chairs are now going to be kept at a minimum distance of 1.5 metres. The beauty and salon chain has implemented 55 enhanced safety measures in line with the Beauty and Wellness Skill Sector Council guidelines. All they-re waiting for is a green signal from the state. "The safety measures start from the appointment booking to client entry right to revised service processes and payments," says Pushkaraj Shenai, CEO, Lakmé Salon. Recently, medical professional and skin expert Dr Sneha Prabhudabholkar was asked to do a risk assessment and review of the chain-s service protocols for threading, waxing, manicure, pedicure, facial and hair services in order to ensure there are no chances of infection transmission. "We-ll be using single-use kits for 90 per cent of services, biodegradable disposables across all services, contactless billing, and all tools will be sterilised after every use," says Shenai. Whenever they do open, they are likely to operate at a maximum of 50 per cent pre-lockdown capacity. This means a sparse rota system with reduced working hours for every staffer. Shenai says more than 300 salons across the country have begun operations after the gradual lifting of the lockdown, except Mumbai, one of the most competitive beauty markets.

A salon employee from the Bandra branch disinfects the seats

The reopening of the salon comes with a heap of additional expenditure: gloves, capes, towels- all disposable, soap, sanitising and washing products. Hairdressers will have to wear single-use aprons and disinfect their scissors and brushes between cuts. It-s the reason why several establishments plan to levy a safety and hygiene fee. While Bandra-s The White Door will impose a 5 per cent fee on the billing amount, Enrich Salon plans to charge R150 plus taxes. Tariff for services will also see a 10 to 15 per cent rise.

Sana Dhanani

Sana Dhanani of boutique salon White Door, has spent the last three months devising ways to deliver services with minimal contact. The new touch-free facials, she says, will see a technician use beauty devices such as the Foreo brush to cleanse and improve facial contours; a jade roller to lift the skin and the NuFace, a microcurrent facial toning device to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. No hands. "Clients will be offered disposable shoe covers, masks and gloves, while our staff will be in disposable PPEs and face shields," says Dhanani. When the lockdown was announced, she got down to reassuring clients that they will be pausing their memberships for the duration temporarily. Since then, her team has been in touch with them over social media for queries. "At the moment, we-re roughly looking at a July 1 re-opening," Dhanani tells us. While the 35-year-old has the resources to invest in high-tech equipment and recover the costs from her clients, smaller establishments and barbershops are staring at a tough future.

Last Wednesday, some of the city-s salon and beauty parlour owners sported black bands on their arms as they protested outside their establishments against the government-s move to not allow them to resume work just yet.

A man sits at the entrance of a half-shuttered barbershop during the recent cyclone. Pic/ Sayed Sameer Abedi

Prakash Chavhan, secretary of the Mumbai chapter of Salon and Beauty Parlour Association of India, says barbers are more than willing to follow safety guidelines and invest in equipment. "For this, many of us have even mortgaged our belongings and sold jewellery. We have no choice." Chavhan has been inundated with calls from anxious barbers requesting assistance to keep the business afloat. "A Mankhurd barbershop owner called to say that the landlord has thrown out his belongings, because he is unable to pay rent." The association is also looking into the plight of barbers in the smaller towns of Maharashtra. Incidentally, the gram panchayat of Khedgaon has released a rate card for barbers that Chavhan considers ludicrously low as per market rates. According to the list, a shave will cost R30 and a haircut, R20. "You don-t even get a cup of tea in that amount anymore. The gram panchayat has taken an arbitrary decision without consulting the barbers." Maharashtra has an estimated 10 lakh barbers.

Meanwhile, at-home beauty services continue to remain suspended. But, Vikram Bhatt, founder of salon chain Enrich, which also offers at-home visits, says the experience in Gujarat and Bengaluru has been encouraging. "Our technicians, who visit residences have been given extensive safety training. We held two online exams during the lockdown and a certification course to ensure they are equipped to handle the changes," says Bhatt. All clients and staffers have been asked to download the Aarogya Setu app to gauge the wellness of potential clients. Incidentally, Lakme has steered clear of home visits. "In a densely populated city like Mumbai, there is a risk in service providers going from home to home. Hygiene levels are difficult to monitor," Shenai says.

A man sits at the entrance of a half-shuttered barbershop during the recent cyclone. Pic/ Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Safety standards for customers and stylists also means visiting the hairdresser will become a less intimate ritual. The homely warmth, lazy lounging while browsing a magazine over a coffee, may soon be a thing of the past. Bhatt says they plan to install transparent acrylic screens between customer seats as virus-blocking shields. Reduced interaction will be the mantra. Dhanani agrees. "While I will dreadfully miss the chit-chat, we would want clients to not lounge before or after their services; this is to ensure everyone-s safety."

Safety measures planned by Lakmé salon based on the Beauty and Wellness Skill Sector Council guidelines

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