It was necessary to have shown anticipation or to have patience, this Monday, to deconfine your hair after two months of closure of hairdressing salons. They are authorized to reopen, with strict supervision and in particular a space of 4 m2 per person to be respected.
At the Dessange de République salon (Paris, 11th century), the 200 m2 spread over two floors leaves room for the manager Gwenola Charles, who was in awe: “Usually, we can take up to 100 customers per day , I restricted to 50 and condemned one chair out of two. We also limited to one service, because we cannot keep customers four or five hours on site. But I am much more relaxed when I see that it is going well. We will not make up for two months of closure, the objective is to succeed in keeping our businesses. "
In the space dominated by white and light wood, the masks block the face of hairdressers as well as those of clients. Sonia and Manon, at reception, receive clients between two phone calls. They enumerate the sanitary measures before Mélanie and her mother Carole. "I let you put your coat in your bag, you will disinfect your hands and take your bathrobe yourself", adds Gwenola at their entrance.
For lack of shopping bags, the mother is given a trash bag, which she carries with her. "It's more than special," smiles the latter. But it's been four months since I had my hair cut ... It's a deliverance! Her daughter, a tall brunette in her thirties, assures that she has "no stress" and enjoys her "first outing in Paris" after eight weeks confined to Levallois.
Juliette, a quadra whose eyes reflect the smile that the mask hides, admits that she had "very much wanted this short cut": "I felt a need for lightness. I had no worries, because I already knew the living room, which was extremely clean. The small constraints did not spoil the pleasure. "
Customers delighted to return
By disinfecting his workstation, David says he is "happy to please his regular customers": "They are delighted to return. We continue to discuss. In our environment, we take care of the inside of people. And what about the adaptation to the elastics of the protections and these multiple fallow mats? "When you have 30 years in the business, no problem," laughs the virtuoso of the chisel at the pepper and salt temples.
When space is limited, the puzzle becomes more pronounced. On the same sidewalk, at Franck Provost, manager Marta had to mark the floor with black adhesive. It applies the directives (wearing a mask for everyone, glasses or visor for employees, no cloakroom or waiting room, etc.) and has extended its opening hours by two hours. "For me, the hardest part is communicating with the mask, because of my Spanish accent," she breathes, showing the places around. We are sold out until Thursday. "
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Gilbert pays without complaining the two euros of additional costs linked to the current measures and applied by almost all the brands. With his "thick hair", the sixty-something man managed to get his hair done "without an appointment", after an hour of chilly waiting on the sidewalk: "I don't work, so there was no emergency, but I had nothing to do. I did not have any apprehension and the gestures of distancing are respected. "
A few hundred meters away, near the Gare de l'Est, the small size of a walk-in men's lounge makes this distancing much more uncertain. With twenty people for just over square meters, the calculation is quick… The owner, "a little stressed", yet installed translucent plastic curtains to separate each station, and acquired a new disinfectant box. But some customers do not wear masks.
A regular called Ravi is nevertheless satisfied with his degraded: "I called Sunday to ask if all precautions were taken. As I resume work on Tuesday, it was time. The four men who are waiting in front of the sign seem ready to turn a blind eye to this random application of the guidelines, well helped by a price of 10 euros and by hair cascading down their ears.
