Fort Worth tattooers, nail techs and others ‘going over the top’ to work around COVID
As Texas reopens many of its businesses, those that involve close contact with people are taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Barbershops, hair and nail salons, and tanning beds reopened on May 8. On May 18, tattoo and piercing studios, massage parlors and waxing services were also able to open their doors.
Gov. Greg Abbott recommended protocols for those businesses, including:
- Scheduled appointments when possible.
- Customers should not bring kids.
- Workers should properly wash hands or change gloves between each service.
- Workstations should be sanitized properly between customers.
- Reusable towels should be put in laundry baskets after use to be cleaned with chlorine bleach, and laundry baskets should be sanitized between uses as well.
- Workers should be screened and not allowed to work if they are sick.
- Social distancing of 6 feet should be enforced between customers and employees.
- Masks should be worn by customers and employees.
The Centers for Disease Control also released a 60-page document detailing how non-essential businesses should reopen safely.
Here’s how some of those up-close-and-personal businesses are handling coronavirus.
Nail salons
Tho Su, who manages U Nails and Spa in Fort Worth, showed the Star-Telegram over FaceTime how he is keeping his employees and customers safe.
Su sprayed disinfectant on the hands and phones of customers who walked into the salon and led each of them to a nail station several seats away from another customer getting her nails done. Plastic separated the customers from the nail technician except for their hands, and everyone in the salon was required to wear a mask.
The salon opened back up on May 8 and has been busy, Su said. They’ve been trying to take things slowly and sanitize thoroughly. Chairs, door handles, the restroom and other surfaces are cleaned after each use.
The salon is still allowing walk-ins, but Su has had to turn some people away if the salon was too crowded. Su said some people do not seem to understand why they’re being turned away, and people calling for appointments sometime hang up on him if he tells them the salon cannot do a specific time.
“We don’t have a big salon or a lot of staff to be able to accommodate a lot of demand right now,” Su said. “Hopefully customers understand.”
Six employees are working part-time at the salon, which is open for fewer hours than normal. Several employees chose not to come back to work yet out of fear of catching coronavirus.
“For us, it’s not about making money right now. We’re trying to take (reopening) slowly,” he said. “And make sure everything is safe.”
U Nails and Spa at 1664 S University Drive has been in business for 17 years and Su has been the manager for five years.
Tattoo parlors
TNT Tattoo Company in Haltom City has been busy with appointment requests, owner Kristal Tarron said.
The parlor opened on Monday, and all services are by appointment only. Employees are required to wear masks, everyone stays 6 feet apart and no guests are allowed in the shop. Everything is cleaned regularly with medical-grade cleaner.
“We’re going over the top,” Tarron said. “We’re cleaning the toilet seat with our medical-grade cleaner every time someone uses it. We are taking no chances.”
In anticipation of opening, the shop was deep cleaned and “not a speck of dust” was in the place, Tarron said. She allowed people to make appointments for the 18th and 19th ahead of time because she “had her money riding on” Abbott opening tattoo shops.
Many in the tattoo industry were upset about hair salons being reopened before tattoo shops. Tarron said some people have an ignorance about the industry and do not realize how clean and safe tattoo shops are compared to 20 years ago.
“We want to ensure the safety of not only ourselves, but everybody who comes in here to get a tattoo,” she said. “We won’t be dropping our precautions until it’s 100 percent OK to do so.”
TNT Tattoo Company is located at 5230 Denton Hwy #20 in Haltom City.
Massage therapy and spa services
At Rice Massage Therapy in Fort Worth, owner Ashley Rice said sanitation was always an important aspect of her practice, but she increased the frequency once she reopened on Tuesday. She wiped down doorknobs more often, did laundry with hot water and wore a face mask, which were optional for customers.
“I wipe down literally everything between clients,” she said.
Rice booked a full day Tuesday and half day Wednesday. She’s happy to be back at work since she was not able to get a small business loan or file for unemployment since she is self-employed. She relied on her savings while she was out of work.
“I’ve been seeing articles online about therapists who are concerned and don’t want the reopening, and I definitely understand where they’re coming from,” she said. “But our economy needs to get back up. Not everyone has the luxury of being closed and I’m definitely one of those people.”
Rice Massage Therapy is located inside a gym at 615 Commerce St.
The largest spa in Fort Worth, Perfect Touch Day Spa, is taking a conservative approach to reopening, said owner Jeff Robinson.
The spa at 2525 Weisenberger St. will not reopen until June 1, after the approximately 36 employees have completed in-house classes on coronavirus safety practices, Robinson said.
Some of those practices, such as sanitation after every customer and taking temperatures, seem like common sense, but Robinson wants to make sure the spa is safe for employees and customers.
“Honestly I’d rather lose my business than someone lose their life,” he said.
Currently, the spa is offering retail or gift certificates but is not open for services such as facials, massages, waxing and tanning. The spa is still gathering supplies, such as face masks, thermometers and antibacterial solutions. Customers must wear masks when possible and adhere to social distancing. Even laundry will be handled differently to adhere to new guidelines.
Some employees, such as a nail technician who is in her late 60s, are not able to return to the spa yet.
“We want to be in business and help the economy, but none of that is more important than people’s health,” Robinson said. “That may not be the opinion of everybody, but that’s the opinion of this business owner.”
The spa built a new facility two years ago that will help keep the space safe. The nail room has a specific ventilation system, all treatments are done in individual rooms, and the surfaces and walls are made of an easily-sanitized material.
“It’s impossible to open without taking on some risk. We want to mitigate that risk as much as possible,” Robinson said.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
