Sedona Realtor Tod Christensen was lucky enough to get his hair cut on April 3, the day before the state’s barber shops, salons and spas were required to shut due to coronavirus precautions put in place by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. But as the closures teetered on five weeks, Christensen realized he was due for another cut.
“If I had to go another week or so I was contemplating cutting my own hair,” he laughed.
So it was no surprise the relief he felt when the Sedona Barber Shop, which he has been a loyal customer of for 15 years, was finally allowed to reopen, along with all others in Arizona on Friday, May 8.
Christensen said that the biggest difference between his pre-closure haircut at the shop and the one he received there Tuesday, May 12, was that the barbers all wore masks, as mandated by the new cosmetology businesses’ reopening guidelines.
Plastic curtains had been placed between chairs to space out customers — with only three allowed in at a time. Other than that, it seemed business as usual at Sedona Barber Shop.
“Ben [Costello] was telling us the same old jokes and talking about sports,” Christensen said of the long-time owner.
Costello said he finds it difficult to cut hair wearing gloves but “if somebody asks me to wear gloves and brings them in, I would.”
Customers have the option to wear masks if they want, but aren’t required.
Just a half-mile down State Route 89A, Red Rock Barbershop’s atmosphere is much different with third-generation master barber Elizabeth Petta.
Customers can no longer just walk in and get their hair cut; they have to make an appointment over the phone in advance and promise to wear a mask the entire time. Like her customers, Petta wears a mask, with the addition of a face shield and gloves.
She schedules clients on a one-on-one basis, and extra time is slated in for each so that Petta can have ample time to properly clean and sterilize after each customer.
“In order to have social tracking, the governor said be limited in appointments so you can at least track who’s coming in,” she said. She logs customers contact information to provide the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in case she or a client tests positive.
Petta is extra careful because she is considered high risk due to having only one kidney. In 2017 she donated the other to her brother.
Another reason Petta is being extra cautious is the fact that she used to work at the front desk of a medical office.
“You learn all the protocols,” Petta said, noting that wiping down phones and taking every precaution to make sure you are not spreading or contracting a disease has become second nature to her, even though she worked there over 30 years ago.
One of Petta’s first clients on May 8 was Barry Maketansky, community enterprise director of Verde Valley Sanctuary, who also has one kidney after donating his other to a long-time friend in November.
“I wouldn’t have been there without that protection,” Maketansky said of Petta’s requirements. “I wouldn’t be comfortable with less than [that].”
Maketansky also received a letter from his San Antonio hospital telling him he was in a high risk category. The list of medications that he should never take after donating his kidney, “from ibuprofen on up,” included anti-viral medication that is now used to treat COVID- 19 patients, he said.
However, Maketansky said he opts not to live in fear, and with protection, is still venturing out now that some restrictions have lifted, including to the Twice Nice thrift shop he reopened on Monday, May 11.
“I don’t obsess; I don’t worry, but I am responsible,” he said. “There’s no shortage of information on what we have to do to keep each other safe, to protect our community and our households.”
Getting his hair cut was especially important to Maketansky, who was asked to appear on video for a clip the Sedona International Film Festival was putting together.
“I looked like a giant Q-tip and I couldn’t take it another minute. I was about to shave my head myself,” he laughed. “I’m 67 years old now and it’s important for me to still try and look good, and Elizabeth has made me look good for a decade.”
Despite the differences, both Sedona Barber Shop and Red Rock Barber Shop have seen no shortage of appointments since opening. The same can’t be said for all salons or spas in the area, however.
NAMTI Spa had a soft reopening on May 8, with a handful of customers trickling in over the weekend for manicures, pedicures, facials or waxing services only, as massage and bodywork services were not allowed to start back up until Wednesday, May 13.
While the smiling receptionist and complimentary hand sanitizer were ready for customers on Monday, not a single one came through the doors.
“I think we all realize it’s not going to be as busy as it was,” director and founder Jeff McGrath said. “We probably would have done 30 to 40 facial services over the last few days and probably 25 nail services over the last few days, and instead we got about a half-dozen facial services and about a dozen nail services.”
McGrath said that while the reduced number of customers and nearly six weeks of shutdown before that has led to some financial hardships for the 20-year-old business, the downtime wasn’t a complete loss. During the off-time, McGrath and his team were able to focus on painting, minor building repairs, landscaping and implementing new sanitation standards.
“We’ve spaced out some of our seating — thinned it out a bit, you know — tried to make it like, if you were to come in with your friend then you guys can hang [in one spot], you’re six feet away from the other party, et cetera, trying to spread it out.”
Cosmetology board recommendations on sanitation have also been posted around the walls and for the most part, the aestheticians and nail technicians were already used to wearing masks and gloves, McGrath said.
“We’ve had a lot of anxious phone calls about ‘hey, when can I get back in? I’m really needing that massage with my massage therapist or my facial with my aesthetician’ type of thing, which is nice to hear, you know,” McGrath said. “It’s encouraging to see obviously customer support, local support, and we’re getting prepared to service and deliver like we always do.”
