WEST HOLLYWOOD—On May 29, the Health Department announced that hair salons and barbershops were allowed to reopen, but not without adequate safety measures and changes. Salons including ‘Benjamin’ in West Hollywood have been preparing and adjusting to the new and necessary guidelines amid the COVID-19 crisis. Some of the changes include a one client per stylist rule, a mandatory screening for employees and customers, including cough and fever, cloth face coverings for all, the elimination of magazines, coffee and other amenities, as well as contactless pay systems.
Benjamin Mohapi, of the self-named Salon that opened on Wednesday, June 3, told Vanity Fair, “everything has changed.” One of the most apparent differences is the amount of chairs in the salon being reduced by half to ensure the social distancing rule of a minimum of six feet between each client. With salons closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, it did not take long at all for the appointment-only bookings to reach capacity for the month of June.
Once salons received the official clearance to open, there were still obstacles in the way to ensure success and safety. The major obstacle being the protests that were sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a white police officer on May 25. Salons had the choice to board up their businesses along with many other stores or continue to offer services. The protests, new COVID-19 health guidelines and last week’s nightly curfews caused the opening week to be nothing close to resembling normal. Some businesses including ‘Mare,’ have decided to wait until after Mayor Garcetti lifted the city-wide curfew before opening their doors.
To book an appointment or find out more information about Salon ‘Benjamin,’ go to www.benjaminsalon.com/west-hollywood/.
