#Unlock1.0: Chennai salons to put safety before beauty

For salons, which are getting back to business in Unlock 1.0, the makeover starts with them as a slew of measures and processes are put in place to ensure safety of customers and employees. Vikram Mohan, COO and co-founder of Spalon Indian Pvt Ltd, Manoj Samuel, director of Vurve Salon, S Deepak Praveen, COO of Green Trends, and Sri Prashanthi Venugopal, proprietor of Bblunt-Chennai, hold forth on how their businesses have responded to the demands of these times…

Sanitisation is being done multiple times a day, says Vikram Mohan.“There is a pre-booking, entry process and exit procedure. There is a customer declaration form that asks about their health history. We confirm appointments based on that. Clients need to wear masks and their temperature check is done,” he elaborates.
Deepak says all salons are following a similar process of sanitisation. “We use one-time disposables, which will ensure safety. And, of course, contactless services, where the service provider wears gloves, face sheets and masks all the time,” he says. Manoj adds, “Appointments are a must. We are cordoning off the waiting area.” Prashanthi says that she has split their team into two groups to ensure safety of the stylists.

So, have the footfalls been encouraging? Manoj says, “Day one was overwhelming, but then, it slowly started plateauing. People want to check out the scene and then come. We need to build customer confidence.” Deepak says, “It’s been up and down. There are some concerns among customers. Also, with the work-from-home situation, there is nowhere to go now.” Vikram adds, “Luxury services are not a priority, essential services are.”
Manoj says, “The prices have gone up by `150-200. I think this is only fair as prices of everything have gone up.” Vikram says they are charging customers an additional `200, towards the cost of sanitisation and disposables. “Apart from giving customers masks and gloves, the salon is sanitised every two hours. It is a small price you pay for your safety,” he explains. Prashanthi says though they’ve not increased rates, they have put a pause on discounts.


With a lot more disposables being used now, are they doing anything to reduce the carbon footprint? Manoj says it’s too early to source biodegradable stuff. “If we have to pick between causing less pollution and not getting infected, we would choose the latter. But yes, I do agree there is an increase in the use of plastics,” says Vikram.