Phase 3 Illinois: Hair Salons Reopen Under New Coronavirus Plan

OAK LAWN, IL — Scissors, clippers and forehead thermometers at the ready, south suburbans salons are raring to reopen. If you’ve been waiting ten weeks to get that bad quarantine haircut fixed or your hair highlighted, you may need to wait another month. Many salons are already booked through the end of June.

Illinois enters phase 3 to begin reopening the state economy this Friday, May 29, when COVID-19 restrictions are partially lifted for hair salons, hair braiders, barber shops, nail salons, spas, massage parlors, waxing centers, tattoo parlors, tanning salons, cosmetology schools, hair clubs and other providers of personal care services.

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Under Illinois Department of Commerce guidelines, personal care services can be performed as long as the employee and customer are wearing a face covering over their nose and mouth.

Laurie Harrington, who co-owns New Day Spa in Oak Lawn with her sister, Lynn Werkmeister, is planning to reopen June 1.

“This going to be a whole different challenge,” Harrington said. “We missed proms, communions, Easter. We had weddings booked. We opened earlier this month for curbside pickups of color kits for Mother’s Day.

Before you reunite with your favorite stylist, be prepared for a brave new post-pandemic salon. Personal care businesses, including barbers and hair salons, have been issued a six-page checklist with dozens of new requirements they must follow to ensure that proper social distancing is being maintained.

Waiting in your vehicle until being summoned, temperature readings, cleaning and disinfecting work stations after each client, hand sanitizer and face masks are part of the new salon experience. Massages and body treatments (e.g. body wraps, scrubs) of 30 minutes or less are also permitted under the new guidelines.

Harrington is taking additional steps to protect her employees and clients at New Day Spa, located in the Coral Shopping Plaza at 4710 95th St., Oak Lawn. She’s hung plastic shields between work stations, instituted split shifts with an empty chair between stylists. Manicurists and aestheticians will wear face shields in addition to facial coverings.

Facials will be limited to cleaning and moisturizing, and color projects limited to touch ups and highlights. Other services, such as massages and waxing, will not be offered until phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan.

“We’ve brought in a crew for deep cleaning and another crew to clean the carpet and sanitize the chairs,” Harrington said. “We threw away all our magazines.”

Since the governor’s announcement that personal service businesses could reopen with restrictions, Harrington has been swamped with phone calls and texts from clients. New Day Spa is booked through the end of June. Harrington will decide later whether to open Sundays, based on how her staff feels.

“Nobody has worked in ten weeks,” Harrington said. “Everyone is going to have a story. It’s going to be emotional. You get on a pace. It’s going to be different.”

She’s grateful for the support of her loyal clients. People bought gift certificates to support the spa, even though some said they wouldn’t use them.

“We’re just excited to open up and see everybody and welcome them back,” Harrington said. “We will survive this.

To schedule an appointment at New Day Spa, call 708-425-9591.

Other Oak Lawn hair salons on track to reopen:

Scissor Hands, 10822 S Cicero Ave., 708-423-3133. Will open June 1.

Salon 109, 10941 S. Cicero Ave., 708-425-4404

More on Patch:

Illinois Coronavirus Update May 27: 114,306 Cases, 5,083 Deaths