Salons, spas and barbershops reopened Monday. Here's how it went (2024)

Salons, spas and barbershops reopened Monday. Here's how it went (1)

By the time Crystal Combs arrived at her barbershop in Southfield on Monday morningto open it up for the first time since March, some clients had already been waiting in their cars for 2 hours.

Combs doesn't normally open Exposed Barbershop on Mondays, but when she heard that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer allowed personal servicessuch as hair and nail salons, and spasacross the state to reopen June 15, she decided to open up for walk-in appointments.

Barbershops and other personal service businesses were forced to close under Whitmer's stay home order, which was put in place as a way to slow the spread of coronavirus.These businesses are some of the last to reopen in the state because they require close contact.

Since her barbershop closed in March, Combs developed new policies, such as washing every client's hair, using a first-come, first-serve ticket system where clients wait in their car until called, and requiring masks.

"It feels like it's a grand opening again," she said.

That sentiment is echoed by other barbershops, salons and spas in metro Detroit. After having their doors closed for three months, both owners and clients were eager to resume services.

New challenges

Anju Brodbine, owner of Woodhouse Day Spa in Rochester Hills,said Monday went "surprisingly smooth," considering that staff needed to do temperature checks and have clients fill out a health questionnaire before getting a treatment done.

Salons, spas and barbershops reopened Monday. Here's how it went (2)

"The hardest part is that these things are time-consuming," she said.

After a few hours, Brodbineand her staff were able to work out the kinks. Then, she had to turn her attention to making sure guests and staff were social distancing, harder to enforce than she thought after a three-month absence.

"Our guests weresuper excited, especially our regulars," Brodbine said. "Everybody wanted to catch up. There was a lot of laughter."

The mood felt different at 6 Salon in Birmingham, said Derrick Rassam, general manager of the salon, which also has locations in Royal Oak and Detroit.

"It was cool though to see how quick people adjusted to the new protocols," Rassam said. 6 Salon is also limiting the number of clients in the salon, requiring health screenings and temperature checks and installing partitions and signage.

Salons, spas and barbershops reopened Monday. Here's how it went (3)

Booking up quickly

Early demand has been strong, Rassam said, and clients who are overdue for a visit are particularly excited to get back.

When the barbershop chain Floyd's 99 opened up its reservation system Friday in anticipation of its reopening Monday, "thephones blew up and everythingtook off," saidRyan Dinsmore, general manager of the barbershops in Birmingham and Troy.

He said many reopening kinks were worked out ahead of time because other Floyd's 99 barbershops in other states opened back up before those in Michigan. Dinsmore said the barbershops are only taking reservations, no walk-ins, and the Birmingham location is nearly booked through the rest of the week.

Not everyone is rushing to open

Nefertiti, owner of TexturesBy Nefertiti, a natural hair care salon in Detroit, said she's going to wait at least another week to reopen and keep a close eye on the number of coronavirus cases in Detroit.

"Doing hair is up close and personal," she said."I’m being very cautious.We want to dohair but not at the expense of our health."

She has been busy outfitting her new salon space in New Center with partitions and sneeze guards. When Nefertiti does reopen, it'll be gradual, bringing back just a few clients and stylists at a time.

"When it comes to salons reopening, I think it's important to note that one neighborhood and one county can be very different from one another in terms of the virus' impact on the community," she said. "I’m in Detroit, and I'm taking it very seriously."

Monday morning at Exposed Barbershop

At her shop in Southfield, Combs' first client of the day got there at 7:30.Darius Kimpson watched Combs' Instagram post explaining the new procedures and had a feeling he should arrive early.

"She's in hot demand," said Kimpson, a Detroit resident who has been going to Combs for two years. "It feels so refreshing to have my hair cut."

Rodrick Byrd was next. As Combs washed his hair, she asked him what he's been up to.

"Same old, same old," he said. "Waiting for this day."

Salons, spas and barbershops reopened Monday. Here's how it went (4)

Byrd has been calling Combs throughout the last few months, trying to getthe earliest date that she couldcut his hair. He normally gets his hair and beard trimmed every week.

"People have been telling me I look like Santa Claus," Byrd, a Canton resident, said. He had been waiting in his car since 7:45 a.m.

Outside, Cedric Andrews sat in his car. This was his first time seeing Combs, and he liked that she knew how to work with dreadlocks.

Andrews had to resort to cutting his own hair a few weeks ago.

"I didn't want whiskers," said the West Bloomfield Township resident. "But I'm not good at doing it myself."

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Isaac Wright, a barber at Exposed Barbershop, arrived later, wearing a shirt and tie and a mask. Wright hadn't worked since March when the barbershop shut down, but he said he had been getting calls daily from customers ready to come back in and get their hair cut.

Salons, spas and barbershops reopened Monday. Here's how it went (5)

One of those clients was Deandre Travis, who had been tagging Wright in Instagram posts throughout the last few months on posts about needing a haircut.

"I don't feel like myself," said Travis, a Southfield resident. He has been wearing a hat to cover up his hair for the last few months, driving around to different gas stations looking for new options.

As soon as Travis found out that Wright was taking appointments, he called immediately and got the first one.

"I love this shop and I missed the good vibes," he said.

Travis considered going to another barbershop that was open, in violation of Whitmer's executive order,but decided to wait it out to show his loyalty.

"I can't stop smiling," he said. "I can be seen in public again!"

Travis said his next stop after the barbershop would be a restaurant. He wasn't sure which restaurants were open or where he would go, but he planned on finding somewhere to goshow off his new look.

Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com.

Salons, spas and barbershops reopened Monday. Here's how it went (2024)

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