AFTER months of letting our hair grow, botched do-it-yourself hair dyeing, and spontaneous head shaves, we can now leave it to the professionals – Westbury’s hair salons and barbers are back open and ready for business!
The return of hair salons and barbers marks the next stage of lockdown restrictions being lifted and life returning to a new normal in the town centre and in the surrounding villages.
Here, White Horse News talks to a few about how they are coping…
Ashley Humphries from Barbershop by AJH on Westbury’s High Street, said, “We are excited to be back! And I think Westbury is excited too, as within half a day of the government announcing that we could reopen, we were fully booked for our first weekend back! And we have been steadily booking up the rest of the weeks that followed.
“We have had to make a few changes to how we work to keep everyone safe. For the time-being we can no longer offer walk-in appointments, bookings can be made online and everyone gets a half hour slot. This gives us enough time with our client and time to clean up and sterilise after they have left. For those customers who don’t have access to the internet, they can book an appointment at the shop – they will have to wait outside to talk to someone.
“Hopefully people will understand the reason for these changes – and see the benefit as well, as there will be no waiting around.
“We will also be wearing masks and visors, and using disposable aprons and gloves. And for customers, there will be face masks available if they don’t have their own, and disposable gowns.”
Pauline Froggatt from Crowning Glory in Dilton Marsh said, “It’s been strange not seeing our regular clients during lockdown, but I do live in the village, so I have seen a few people when out – but it will be great to get back.
“We will be starting with all the people who had appointments cancelled from March onwards – so we have a huge backlog to work through – but it’s only fair that these people come first. We will be slowly working our way through it, but we will get there. Hopefully people will be understanding and patient.
“We are following guidelines to keep us and our clients safe – we were sent a 48-page document from the government – so we will abide by the rules. We’ll be wearing PPE and clients will wear face masks. There are only two of us in the salon, so we can stick to keeping apart by two metres. And we are asking clients to turn up on time and not early, as they will have to wait outside.
“Between each client, we have a half-hour slot to sterilise the chair and equipment, and to make the salon safe for the next client. We have also completed online barber sterilising courses – so everything will be safe to use.”
