Hair we go: La Jolla salons and barbershops get set to reopen as restaurants continue to resume dine-in
As San Diego County moves further into allowing business reopenings as coronavirus restrictions ease, owners and customers in La Jolla are adapting to a modified business as usual.
Hair salons and barbershops were permitted to reopen May 26, a week after restaurants were allowed to resume dine-in service and more retail stores could let shoppers inside — all contingent on following the county’s Safe Reopening Plan.
According to the county website, salon employees must “complete a health screening at the beginning and end of each shift, and both stylists and customers must wear facial coverings for the duration of the hair appointment.”
Eyelash and eyebrow services, facials and shaves are not permitted.
With houses of worship being given state guidelines to reopen in-person services following a weeks-long closure due to coronavirus-related restrictions, several in La Jolla are planning to do so.
Jenna Brader, a co-owner of One 10 Salon at 7863 Girard Ave., and her three business partners are prepared to open the salon Monday, June 1, following county guidelines.
“We’re asking clients to text from their cars when they’ve arrived and we’ll OK them to come in and take their temperature,” Brader said. “Anyone with over a 100-degree temperature will be asked to rebook their appointment for at least 10 to 14 days later.”
Masks must be worn by everyone, all surfaces must be disinfected and proper signage must be posted.
Brader said the reopening is a relief; the salon’s closure in March “was a shock; none of us saw it coming where we had to shut down for this length of time.”
Clients also are eager to return. Brader said her phone lit up the day the county announced salons were allowed to reopen.
“We have missed everyone, and we have missed each other,” she said. “We are excited to be together again as a team and make our clients happy again.”
At Waylon Salon at 5726 La Jolla Blvd. in Bird Rock, owner Alli Hayes also is set to open June 1. She has prepared by having the salon professionally deep-cleaned and plans to expand from being open five days a week to daily to allow more time between clients.
Her 10 stylists will return with staggered appointments, and Hayes expects appointments will take much longer due to sanitizing the shampoo bowl between clients, plus other precautions.
“I think this is going to be the new norm,” Hayes said.
“Most [stylists] won’t be able to take more than three color clients a day. That’s a big deal for us,” she said, noting that she would normally see six or seven clients per day with the help of an assistant. There will no longer be an assistant in the salon in order to minimize contact.
Hayes will not have a manager at the front desk to help with scheduling, so clients will book online or through their stylist.
Nonetheless, Hayes is happy to reopen. “It’s been an uneasy time,” she said.
Restaurant reopenings continue; residents mixed on returning
More restaurants are reopening their dining rooms throughout La Jolla, with several coronavirus safety requirements. Among them are daily thermal or temperature scans of employees, spacing all tables at least six feet apart or, if unmovable, installing a barrier between tables; requiring diners to wear facial coverings when not seated at their table; and disinfecting restrooms and “high-contact touch points” frequently. Tableside food preparation and self-serve buffets and salad bars are prohibited.
“It’s going well,” said Maeve Rochford, owner of Sugar & Scribe bakery and restaurant at 7660 Fay Ave. “People are wearing their masks, people are distancing and understanding we have a limited staff. We’re very blessed.”
Rochford said Sugar & Scribe went “all in” on safety measures, checking off even the optional guidelines. “My employees are like family; their safety is paramount.”
Rochford said she hopes customers will continue to follow the posted regulations. “If you agree with the rules or you don’t agree, just go with the flow. Let’s just get on board. It takes much less energy to just follow the rules than to fight against them.”
Discussions are underway at the city of San Diego to close La Jolla’s Wall Street for outdoor dining as part of plans for reopening restaurants as coronavirus-related restrictions ease.
Nine-Ten, at 910 Prospect St., opened its doors for dinner service May 29 and hopes to resume breakfast, lunch and brunch soon.
Bistro du Marché at 7437 Girard Ave. will open for dine-in Friday, June 5, owner Sylvie Diot said.
La Jolla resident Susan Bruin said she and her husband haven’t tried dine-in services yet but will soon. “We would go out. I think they’re taking the right precautions.”
Any Longoria said she’s been going back to local restaurants “just about every day. I like to eat out; I want to be sure these places stay open, and it makes me happy to contribute.”
She’s returning to her hair salon, too. “I have my appointment on Tuesday. I feel safe,” Longoria said.
Others aren’t as eager, however.
“I won’t be going in the immediate future,” La Jollan Gail Kehrli said. “It’s mostly because the ones we would go to, they don’t have a patio yet. It isn’t like we’re starved to go out; I like to cook.”
Lila Byrd said she and her family also are holding off. “We would wait awhile to make sure it’s completely safe.”
On its first open Saturday since a 10-week shutdown began because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Westfield UTC mall was bustling with signs of life May 30.
As restaurants and other businesses reopen services, La Jolla Town Council President Ann Kerr Bache encouraged owners to contact La Jolla Link, a free online site (lajollalink.com) the Town Council developed to keep La Jollans informed about business services and hours.
“As soon as we know one is open [again], we update,” Bache said. “It’s an easy lookup; we’re trying to help as much as we can.”
Bache said she’s patronizing local businesses as they reopen.
“My family has made it a mission to go to as many as are open,” she said. “We all want to support the local restaurants. We all have to pitch in and help each other.” ◆
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