Salons face 'overwhelming' wait lists, PPE costs as Toronto enters Step 2 of reopening

With thousands of dollars spent on gallons of hand sanitizer, two-and-a-half metre high plastic barriers between chairs, disposable masks for artists and clients, and three air filters as an extra precaution against COVID-19, Tye Tremblay is finally reopening his tattoo studio. 

The owner and artist at Odalisque Studio in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood says he decided to go above and beyond Ontario's public health measures to give his clients peace of mind. They usually spend seven or eight hours in his chair at a time.

"All my clients are almost like extended family," Tremblay said. "So anything that I can do to keep them safe as possible, I figure it's worth doing." 

The province is entering Step 2 of its reopening Wednesday, meaning personal care services like salons can open to 25 per cent capacity if masks are worn at all times. In the Toronto area, these businesses have been closed and in most cases without an income since last November. 

Salons now face the challenges of buying expensive personal protective equipment, filling vacancies due to staff who've moved on to other jobs and managing long wait lists.

Reopening is surreal, said Tremblay. 

"It's really exciting, but I'm kind of nervous at the same time," he said. "It could just be a matter of weeks or months that we see another closure. And that's going to be crazy hard on businesses."

He personally has taken on $40,000 in debt to keep his studio space, pay his bills and prepare for reopening. Tremblay said he didn't qualify for the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy program because he'd signed a new lease in 2020, and Ontario's $1,000 grant for personal protective equipment only covered a fraction of that expense.

Ryan Mallough, with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said members are going to great lengths to make their customers feel safe. 

"There's a lot of businesses looking to go that extra mile, but a lot of that personal protective equipment is still very expensive and really difficult to come by," Mallough said. 

Salons work through backlog

Before the pandemic, Tremblay said his wait list was about a year. Now, clients scheduled to get tattoos this past spring are going to have to wait at least another 10 months for a spot. 

"It's a good problem to have, but it's a bit of a nightmare," Tremblay said. "These poor people, I hope they're patient." 

Amani Hair Studio's Michele Bonnick said on Tuesday that she's overwhelmed with more than 200 people and counting desperate to get their hair done.

"I've got this long waiting list and there's emails at the same time and the phone's ringing off the hook," said Bonnick, who owns and operates the small salon near Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue.

"It's just been overwhelming." 

She said her predominately Afro-Canadian clientele is "going crazy" for extensions and keratin treatments that make their hair more manageable. Over the course of the pandemic they've let their hair go natural, or are wearing wigs or bandanas to cover up roots and grey hair. 

"The clients have been very creative," Bonnick said. 

She's now looking for ways to make up for the financial hit from the lockdowns and will be open more days of the week to manage fewer clients in the salon at a time. 

A bittersweet reopening 

Gordon Oliver, co-owner of Regga Hair and Beauty Supplies at Church Street and Dundas Street East, is also adapting by opening for appointments only and when stylists are available. One of his main braiders got another job and will only come in a few days a week.

Filling those hours is tough, Oliver said. 

"Even before the pandemic, it was still very difficult to get trained staff in our particular market segment anyway, so it's gotten a bit worse," he said.

While he's not exactly excited to reopen, he said he's eager and wants to do it slowly.

"I don't get blown away by everybody rushing in. I don't like that," Oliver said. "That's why we maintain the size of our operation to be a family operation so that it has a personality." 

There was a silver lining to the lockdowns, Oliver said. He's worked seven days a week with his partner Ricky at Regga Hair for the better part of 23 years. The pandemic gave them a chance to spend time at home and get to know their neighbours.

"Getting to see the kids on the street and having a coffee on the porch in the evening, we'd chat across the street," Oliver said.

"That was the exciting part of the whole exercise."