How Nail Salons Can Survive Post-COVID-19 Lockdown — Analysis

I will graph the previous 3 weeks of sheltering in place in my claws. Since my final manicure in early March, my claws have sported gel gloss, developed out gel gloss, really unsightly gel bits, a hasty coat of strong gloss, an Olive & June rainbow gradient, sloppy paperclip polka dots, and today, finally, some fairly good DIY geometric nail art. Every time that I ditch nail polish remover or swipe gloss way beyond the nail bedI find myself daydreaming about the day once nail salons are available and visiting clients once more. 

In Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, and much more nations, that day has arrived, whilst salon owners in New York and California wait to get a late-phase reopening. Even in the event that you can not wait to reserve that professional post-quarantine manicure, it is apparent which the nail salons that were able to survive the pandemic will probably appear very different than we abandoned them.

Manicures and pedicures, like a lot of other beauty solutions, need close physical contact to get a predetermined quantity of time. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advice especially designated for nail salon employees says that “as a nail salon worker, you may come into contact with the virus which triggers COVID-19 at your work by being connected with customers or coworkers for over 15 moments at one time.” The advice goes on to say the inescapable: “tasks like manicures, pedicures, and acrylic nails will put you in touch with customers.”

For Bertha P., a nail tech in Sundays at nyc, the demand for earnings outweighs the extreme health issues of returning into the salon. Bertha has used her savings to remain afloat because she worked in March, whilst relatives around her own fallen sick with COVID-19. “I had been saving for my children to go to school, but now I have been using [that money],” she states. 

Additionally, Bertha is immunocompromised. However, she will be moving back to Sundays when the doors burst. “My doctor told me when I grab the virus, it is likely a nine per cent survival rate. [Returning to work] is quite frightening, as my system is not excellent. I thought of applying to another occupation, but each job has a hazard.”

The Nail Industry & COVID-19

When nail salons shuttered across the nation, many studio owners seemed to alternative business models to remain afloat. Studios such as Sundays and Chicago’s Pear Nova shifted gears into e-commerce, selling branded gloss, manicure kits, as well as virtual courses. Pear Nova proprietor Rachel James states some nail techs offered their particular hand-painted press-on nails through the studio closed, or lived on “stimulation checks, generous hints from our regulars, and also a proportion of earnings from Pear Nova [e-commerce].” Others began GoFundMe efforts to help pay workers and maintain rent.