As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world, it has affected the daily lives of millions. Even scheduling a haircut isn’t as simple as it used to be, and both customers and barbershops have been forced to adopt safety guidelines.
The Ritz Hair Studio in Bloomington was closed for 10 weeks and reopened in May. But the local barbershop no longer accepts walk-in appointments to maintain social distancing within the building. Instead, all customers must check-in online.
“We were actually shut down at our biggest time of the year which was graduation and spring break time,” Andrew David, a barber at The Ritz Hair Studio, said. “And that kind of sets us ready for the summer months as everything comes through.”
Hairstylist Andrew David has been working at The Ritz Hair Studio for nearly three years.
Before the pandemic, barbershops were already required to maintain strict sanitization guidelines mandated by the state. But now, hairstylists must clean furniture in addition to equipment between each appointment.
“We do sanitize,” David said. “We disinfect every cape, we wipe down our chairs, the door handles, to the pen that people use. We’re pretty, pretty anal about everything.”
On the glass door that leads into the business, onlookers can see a sign that enforces a mask requirement to enter. And just inside, a table is set up with yet another sign sitting adjacent to sanitation wipes and hand sanitizer.
Customers have had to adapt to wearing a mask while their hair is cut. But the adjustment was one that barbers had to manage as well.
“Wearing the mask, I’m sure, has affected how he’s able to cut hair,” IU senior Jake Haussman said. “Other than that though, it really hasn’t been any different than everything else changing.”
IU senior Jake Haussman said The Ritz Hair Studio is his go-to barbershop in Bloomington.
If hairstylists aren’t paying attention, they may just snip away a piece of facial attire right from their clients’ faces.
“We have cut a few masks off of people,” David said. “Very common, very easy, but everyone is willing to help and hold their mask if we need to. But, just keeping it on, at this point now it’s not bad because we’ve been doing it for the past several months, and we’re pretty good with that.”
At times this year, cities and towns across the state of Indiana haven’t been as accommodating to sanitation guidelines as the shops in Bloomington. Haussman, who looks to get his haircut every two weeks, noticed differences between The Ritz Hair Studio and the barbershops away from campus.
“I don’t have to wear a mask if I go back home and get a haircut,” Haussman said. “But like, coming here, wearing a mask has been a strange process for me.”
It is still unclear when the simplicities of daily life will return to the slightest bit of normalcy. On Oct. 14, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb extended the state’s mandatory mask mandate for at least another month.
Not everyone may agree with the precautions, but individuals in the state will continue to adapt to the ongoing regulations.
“I’m kind of used to it now,” Haussman said. “It’s definitely been a learning curve, but I know there’s been some frustration for a lot of other students with all the changes. But it’s a learning curve, and there’s not really much you can do about it.”
