'We're so ready': Massage, beauty boutiques still waiting for green light to reopen - TheChronicleHerald.ca

[massage]

Megan Johnston thought her Calgary boutique would be in summer mode already.

Typically, this time of the year is the busiest for Vanity Vault, a southwest shop that offers such services as airbrush tans, teeth whitening, manicures, pedicures, brow and lash services.

“Initially, we thought we’d be back working in April,” said Johnston, an esthetician and makeup artist. “But that didn’t happen.”

Instead, the COVID-19 outbreak forced the months-long closure of Vanity Vault and other personal-service businesses.

As Alberta continues to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections, these businesses and services are still waiting for the green light to reopen in Stage 2 of Alberta’s relaunch plan.

The target date is June 19, though Premier Jason Kenney and Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw mused this week about moving up that timeline. Then again, the date could be meaningless considering what happened with the Stage 1 relaunch, which was originally set for May 14 but, at the last minute, partially excluded the heavily infected regions of Calgary and Brooks.

So far, retail businesses including clothing, furniture and bookstores, farmers’ market vendors, cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars, and hair salons and barbershops have been allowed to reopen, with some restrictions.

But Stage 2 businesses are still waiting — and frustrated.

“I get that, to a certain degree, we are a lot closer with the client,” Johnston said. “But any esthetician knows you’re wearing gloves, you’re following proper sanitation procedures.

“In terms of opening, we’re not really concerned. We’re not scared to open. We’re ready. We’re so ready.”

Hinshaw said this week that early results of Stage 1 are encouraging, but Albertans need to be mindful that “it’s not over yet.”

“We will continue to watch for that full incubation period,” she said. “We’ll be watching Calgary and Brooks as the hair salons and restaurants are able to open (Monday) and launching over the next 10 days to see what kind of impact that has.

“I think this should be taken by Albertans as a really excellent sign and a sign of what we can accomplish together when we continue to follow public health measures.”

Stage 2 will also see restrictions lifted for K-12 schools, libraries and theatres, along with larger gatherings permitted in some situations.

On a media call this week, Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the city will press the province to provide guidelines for businesses in Stage 2. Meanwhile, Calgary is also looking at best practice guidelines from around the world to help guide the next steps.

And while he was optimistic about moving on to Stage 2, he reminded Calgarians that the city is still one outbreak from the “being the worst place in the province.”

“The curve is getting flatter; there is no region in Calgary within the city that has more than 100 active cases right now,” he said. “So, if this positive trend continues, I imagine Calgary will be on the same level as the other parts of the province.”

Johnston said Vanity Vault has stepped up cleaning procedures along with offering a sanitation station for clients with gloves, masks, wipes and hand sanitizer.

And she said clients are eager to return, many of whom thought the services were part of Stage 1.

“We’ve had clients reach out and ask us if we are open because there has been some confusion,” Johnston said.

She said they have been closely watching the Stage 1 reopening and are considering waiting a few days after the official relaunch of Stage 2, just to allow things to settle.

“We’re just trying to stay on top of all the information that is coming in daily,” Johnston said. “We’re nervous for what happened in Stage 1 where 12 hours before everything was set to open, they were held back. We’re taking (the June 19 date) with a grain of salt.”

Dr. Cameron Forster, owner of The Samadhi Tree in the Southwest and an acupuncturist and doctor of Chinese medicine, said most of his staff have been out of work since the government-issued shutdown.

“We’re here to help in the medical community,” Forster said. “We want to do as much as we can to keep people strong, keep their immune systems up. We have been practising clean needle techniques and focusing on making sure the environment is sterile. We’re always cleaning . . . a lot of our practices and procedures are by the book as it is.

“The extra PPE measures we are taking in light of COVID-19, I don’t think are too much of a stretch from what we’re already doing. It’s already being practised.”

He said his clinic is eager to be back at work but acknowledged there is an opportunity in being able to observe how things progress in Stage 1.

“It’s going to be hard for us to anticipate what that’s going to look like for us, the volume, the capacity, how it’s going to change,” Forster said. “I had been booking up eight weeks in advance . . . and without having any tentative dates other than June 19, I already have a rebooking list of about 60 people.”

Prema Wellness Centre offers massage, acupuncture, esthetics, energy work and an infrared sauna at locations in southwest Calgary.

Brenda Videnoff, director of operations, said her staff are doing as much as they can to prepare for a mid-June reopening.

And it can’t come soon enough.

“It’s been a bit longer than we thought but we’d rather be safe than have to go through this again,” said Videnoff, adding her shop has had zero revenue since the government-ordered shutdown.

She said massage associations will require therapists to have eye protection, masks and single-use aprons over their clothes — an expensive endeavour. Their estheticians will have to wear plastic gloves and change them often during their facial and body treatments.

They’ve also had to remove table skirts and replace blankets with plastic mattress covers over the table warmers and under the linen.

Cleaning frequency has been increased, appointment times will be staggered, and they’ll limit the number of patrons in the spa at one time. Temperature checks and masks will be offered and protective screens have been installed at the till area.

All of the new standards and protocols have been sent to their clients, along with a survey sent to 600 members to help the spa prepare for the return of guests.

Videnoff said staff are ready to return to work.

“It’s going to be a pain in the butt, but we have to do it,” Videnoff said. “I don’t get overly frustrated (with the process); we want to do it the right way and make sure that our clients, our guests and team are protected.”

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