Nail Salons, Tattoo Parlors And Spas Can Now Reopen In LA County

By Emily Henderson and Gina Pollack

Published Jun 18, 2020 6:00 PM

One pair of hands uses a green emery board to file the nails on the hands of a second person.

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Nail salons, massage and tattoo parlors, and businesses that specialize in other personal care services like waxing, electrolysis, and piercing can reopen as soon as tomorrow (Friday, June 19) in L.A., Orange and Riverside counties.

The state of California has issued safety guidelines for reopening nail salons and other personal care businesses, which were released on June 12.

Personal care, according to the state guidelines, includes anything that involves touching the customer's face. Precautions include extra cleaning, physical distancing and temperature taking.

L.A. County's modified orders also include nail salons. Their guidelines suggest plastic partitions between workers and clients with cutouts for hands and feet, among other things.

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Personal care, according to the state guidelines, includes anything that involves touching the customer's face

Lisa Fu is the Executive Director of the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative. She says reopening safely is a priority for salon owners — but they need the backing of officials to enforce those guidelines:

"We really want to make sure that [nail salon technicians] are protected, safe and healthy and so they really need on-going trainings and technical assistance to make sure the guidelines are not only enforced now as they reopen, but that they continue to be enforced."

Fu said when they surveyed California nail salon owners in April and May, the collaborative found that nearly 75% of them were worried about paying their bills; 70% of salon owners said they will need extra money to modify salons to meet the reopening guidelines.

According to a 2018 report by the UCLA Labor Center, with the collaborative, almost 80% of nail salon workers are foreign born and considered low wage workers.

Here are some of the guidelines from the state of California on personal services:

Face coverings for employees should be washed or discarded after each shift.
Provide temperature and/or symptom screenings for all employees at the beginning of their shift and any vendors, contractors, or other workers entering the establishment. Make sure the temperature/symptom screener avoids close contact with workers to the extent possible.
Since porous surfaces such as chair seats cannot be easily disinfected, consider covering with a plastic or disposable liner and cleaning or disposing of the liner after each customer.

The amended L.A. County order gives the greenlight to the following businesses, starting June 19:

Cardrooms, satellite wagering facilities and racetracks with no spectators
Personal care services including: esthetician, skin care and cosmetology services; electrology; nail salons; body art professionals, tattoo parlors, microblading and permanent make-up; and piercing shops; and massage therapy
Bars, wineries, breweries and tasting rooms

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