The sound of hair dryers and conversations filled the Kings Club Barber Shop for the first time in months.
“It was scary not knowing,” said Gilbert Figueroa, a barber at Kings Club Barber Shop in Cathedral City. “We didn’t know anything, they just let us know yesterday that we were open. We were caught by surprise and didn’t have all of our barbers because we didn’t know. But the outcome of the morning was nice, people were missing us.”
The grand reopening included new safety precautions.
“We require everyone that’s going to be in here waiting to wear a mask, we keep them separated and only allow a certain amount of people. The clients are pretty cool about waiting in their car but we already explained to them,” said Figueroa.
Those clients getting a fresh cut didn’t seem to mind the new safety protocol.
“It definitely makes it feel safe, they’re cleaning around, sanitizing the area,” said Aldo Perez a Kings Club barber.
“Around noon after the governor announced it, the first call i made was to my barber,” said Bill Cunningham, a client at the barber shop.
While the industry is allowed to reopen in the state, not all shops were able to as they sort through the hefty list of regulations.
“We’re overwhelmed because we have a lot do once we’ve seen the list,” said Tami Draper, owner of Sensation Hair Salon in Palm Desert. “We keep everything clean and sterilized but we are having to remove all common areas, no seating other than the chair we’re using.”
But Draper says the salon is looking forward to welcoming clients later on this week.
“Yes our year-round clients are very, very happy that we are going to be open. There’s nothing worse than wanting to be able to work and then you cant. So I think we’re all very happy that the governor is allowing us to go back to work,” said Draper.
