What Changes Van Council’s Georgia Salons Will Make Once They Reopen
Van Council Shares The New Protocol For His Georgia Salons
Van Council, CEO of Van Michael Salons, has been busy prepping his eight salon locations in Atlanta, Georgia to reopen April 24. Since it is the first state to allow hairdressers to get back to work, BTC Founder and Creative Director Mary Rector went live on Instagram with Van to discuss how he plans to operate his salons once they reopen while still prioritizing the health of his team and his clients. Keep reading to find out the new protocol his salons will be following post-quarantine!
For context, Van also owns 42 salons in Japan and is a long-time business owner. His weekly payroll is $310,000 for his Georgia-based salons, and he has continued to pay his employees while business was closed. He consulted with his team and has been on advisory calls with Aveda (Van is a spokesperson for the brand and his salons carry their product) to develop this plan.
1. Divide The Team Into Shifts
Van gave his team the choice of returning to work or not—if they don’t feel comfortable, they don’t have to come in. About half of his staff will be returning to work ASAP. He’s split these employees into two shifts to abide by social distancing guidelines and each shift will have specified days in the salon to minimize the number of people on the premises at one time.
Note: To limit the amount of people in the salon at one time, each hairdresser will only take one client at a time. Other guests will have to wait in their car until their appointment time.
2. No Shampoos And No Blow Drying
The only shampoos that will be allowed are color clients who need to be rinsed, and even then a towel will be placed over their face as extra security. “If we don’t have to be leaning over someone, we don’t want to,” shared Van. Blow drying will also not be allowed for the foreseeable future to prevent blowing particles into the air. Clients should come in with clean hair and stylists should stick to dry cutting only.
3. Use The Extra Time Between Clients To Clean & Disinfect
Because stylists will only be taking one client at a time AND there will be no blow drying, the extra time between appointments should be dedicated to thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting EVERYTHING in the salon. Here’s what you need to know about properly cleaning and disinfecting your salon before reopening!
4. Have Clients Sign A Waiver
Van is having his attorney draft a waiver for clients to sign before they enter that essentially states that they agree they are coming in at their own risk and that neither Van nor his salon is responsible if they were to contract the coronavirus.
5. What Else Will Change For Clients
As previously mentioned, clients will have to wait in their car until it’s time for their appointment. But that’s not the only adjustment clients can expect, and Van made sure to share the new protocol with his clientele in an email. Here’s what other changes clients should be made aware of:
- No greetings, handshakes or hugging.
- No refreshments will be offered.
- A staff member will be taking clients’ temperatures with a no-touch forehead thermometer.
- They’ll be asked questions like, “Do you have a fever?” and “Have you been around anyone who has traveled recently?”
- They should arrive with clean hair and if they’re getting their color done, they should expect to leave with wet hair.
While this is the plan for now, Van explained that he could change his mind at any given time if people’s health is being compromised. “Things change and if we feel like we need to shut down, we will,” he shared. “This doesn’t mean we’re opening up every day the rest of our lives. If we need to close, we will.”
5 Short-Term Changes To Make ASAP Once Your Salon Reopens
