Circuit breaker aftermath in Phase 2: What to expect on your next hair salon visit

The standard for all hair salons: Safe Entry check-ins for contact tracing, temperature checks, and the use of hand sanitiser will be offered.

Some salons are taking extra precautions. At Prep Luxe, your contact details will be recorded, while Chez Vous: Hideaway Salon will not service customers who have recently travelled out of Singapore in the last 14 days.

In addition, Oscar Lee, associate director of Chez Vous: Hideaway Salon, adds you will also need to sign a declaration form stating your travel history for the past 30 days, that you are not suffering from respiratory symptoms, that you’ve not received a quarantine order, isolation order or stay home notice, and that you’ve not had close contact with a confirmed or suspected Covid-19 patient.

At the salon, both their staff and customers will be asked to take an oximeter test, which measures oxygen levels in the body. “It’s an additional layer of defence that we’re taking as we are concerned about asymptomatic cases within the community,” says Lee.

To ensure social distancing, alternate seatings will be allocated. But if that is not possible, you’ll be sitting at least a metre apart from the next person. This will also apply to the hair wash area, where possible.

What this means: the salon has to take in fewer customers daily. It’s also best to make an appointment as your salon may not be taking walk-ins.

At Prep Luxe, co-founder Jacqueline Chang says the salon may also set aside specific days where there’s only one customer at its premises. This is to cater to those customers who may be immuno-compromised, to ensure their safety and health.

You know how, when you’re at your appointment, your hairstylist sometimes also works on another customer at the same time? That won’t happen now. Your hairstylist will be exclusively yours during your appointment time.

Edward Chong, salon director at Evolve Salon, adds that the team is also keeping all haircut-only appointments to 60 minutes.

For chemical services: For longer services, such as colour and perms, you can expect to be paired with one stylist and one technician for the entire duration of your session. At Prep Luxe, Chang adds that the team is also working on how to minimise physical contact when the dye is applied.

If you’re worried about hygiene, the salons have shared that everything from towels, capes, tables, chairs, cutting and styling tools, and even the wash basin, will be washed and sanitised or wiped down after each use.

All staff will be kitted out in masks, as will you.

To reduce high touch surfaces, salons will no longer offer magazines and newspapers for you to peruse.

We suggest pre-downloading an e-book, e-magazine like a copy of Her World or show onto your phone or tablet  – we’re secretly looking forward to re-watching CLOY for the nth time because we can’t get enough of Hyun Bin.

In addition, some salons will also stop serving drinks. So do bring along a bottle of water if you’re planning on doing a chemical session, like a colour or perm.

There really is no need to. Lee says bringing your own scissors or towels is discouraged.

“Using only the salon’s tools, we are able to make sure they are properly sanitised upon each use. It’s not about just protecting the customers, but also to protect our team as well.”

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