‘Phones ring nonstop’ as salons and barbershops reopen in Washington and Clackamas counties

As counties reopen in Oregon and COVID-19 restrictions ease, many customers are eager to get back to their personal care routine.

Dipped, a nail salon in Lake Oswego, reopened on Monday, and co-owner Brittney Coleman said demand for services was high.

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“Definitely higher than usual demand,” Coleman said. “We’re in a position where we can’t meet the demand just because we cannot book out the salon as it was intended to be.”

Coleman said because of the new spacing regulations, Dipped is running about half the capacity of the facility.

A lot of people have been waiting three months to get their nails done, Coleman said.

“I think that’s also why the demand is high,” she said. “People are ready to get back to some sort of sense of normalcy.”

Dipped’s customers, she said, “are aching to get in the chair.”

The Barbers, a Northwest barbershop chain with 35 locations in Oregon and Washington, has also seen a high demand at shops that are reopening.

The Barbers reopened shops in Washington and Clackamas counties, as well as elsewhere in the state.

“We open at 9, and when we open the doors there’s a line out front,” said co-owner Alison Lovell. “Our phones ring nonstop and we’re usually booked within the first couple hours.”

Dipped and The Barbers have moved from walk-ins to appointment-only service to comply with the new rules, which require screening clients for coronavirus symptoms, taking names and eliminating the use of waiting rooms, snacks or magazines. After signing in at The Barbers, clients wait outside or in cars to be called in for their haircuts, Lovell said.

Both businesses said they are focusing on cleanliness and safety.

“All of our clients are required to wear a face mask and sanitize their hands when they come in the door,” Lovell said.

“We have face shields and goggles and all kinds of PPE available for our barbers. Our number one goal here is to keep our barbers safe.”

After safety comes economic concerns.

Dipped, which just opened a brick and mortar location in December, is hoping to deal with being unable to book the entire salon by getting creative, Coleman said.

“We’ve lost quite a bit of staff through this pandemic, and not being able to offer the same amount of hours that we were once able to offer,” she said.

"It’ll be interesting to see what the different phases bring. This is going to be challenging.”

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker

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