You know that feeling on Christmas morning when you open the gift you've been praying months for. That's the same feeling when you finally get to book your first hair appointment since the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down.

Salons may be getting ready to open back up in New York, but it won't be back to business as normal. Most salons will get rid of the waiting room, magazines and makeup counters.

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The following are changes being put in place at Christine's Hair salon in Marcy, New York.

Customers wait in their cars until it's time for their appointment
Temperature taken before entering the salon
Masks will be worn by stylists and customers
Stylist wear gloves and change between clients
Clients wear clean capes or smocks
Social distancing between work stations
Remove magazines and non essential items
No makeup counter
Check out and pay in your chair Avoid using cash if possible, but cash will be accepted
Santizer work stations between clients

"These were guidelines many other states have implemented and we plan to follow as well," said Shelly Privett. "We're waiting to get an official word from Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente on all the rules & regulations. For now, we're moving forward with recommendations from Modern Salon and Salon Today.

Some salons across the country have stopped using hair dryers, fearing the spread of COVID-19. "There is concern blow dryers may circulate pathogens or enable them to spread more quickly," Dr. Lechauncy D. Woodard, a professor at the University of Houston College of Medicine, told Today.

However, there is no concrete evidence on the potential of spreading germs, since the research has been limited. Safety recommendations from Salon & Spa Professionals of New York State have nothing about not using hair dryers but the official mandates will have to come from local officials.

A visit to the salon may look a little different, but at least we actually get to visit the hair salon. And for most of us, it's a trip long overdue.



READ MORE: See how some companies are changing their businesses to combat COVID-19

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