Dear Phans,
(A Phan is someone who is a “fan” of any Phia Concept Salon or stylist, in case you didn’t know!)
We’ve fielded lots of questions since salons reopened in Ohio, many about our safety practices and our at-home color kits. But the winner, the most frequently asked question, is some version of “When can I get a blowout?”
BLOWOUTS
Getting a haircut or a new highlight can undoubtedly give you that confidence boost we all love, and there’s something specific about a blowout that makes you want to belt a tune.
And as much as you love your blowouts, we love them too! In addition to getting that POW feeling from seeing our artwork “framed” so-to-speak, we also want those delicious Insta shots (like our beautiful client Betsy, above, or Melanie, below).
But while we’re anxiously awaiting those beautiful finishes, we also want to be great community members and do everything we can to keep the community spread down. So around 11 am every day, I (Leize, founder and CEO of Phia Concepts) am on this site watching the numbers in the City of Columbus and in Franklin County. (I particularly like to watch the “Linear Trend Line for the last 14 days” which we’re thrilled has had a pretty significant negative slope since July 20!) While that slope looks encouraging to us, our partners are business owners and hair artists, not epidemiologists, so we’re leaving that work to the appropriate professionals.
SAFETY WITH LUXURY- HOW WE ARE MAKING THESE DECISIONS
What does that have to do with your blow out? Well, we’re leaning on the experts to let us know when it is time. Before we share our guidelines, though, please keep in mind that this pandemic thing is something we’re figuring out as we go. Just like other salons, retailers, even medical professionals, we’re craving answers no one can give us. What is the impact of heat on COVID? Can it withstand the high temperatures of a blow dryer? Does airflow increase the likelihood of spread? If so, how much? How much of the virus is even still present to be blown around once a shampoo is complete? Are we being too cautious? Not cautious enough?
Until we know the answers to these questions (or something else shifts), we’ve decided to use the Ohio Public Health Advisory System as a guideline for blowouts in the salon as well as several other practices like accepting cash and product returns. As we understand it, these levels are updated on Thursdays, so who knows, maybe by the time you receive this message, Franklin County will be down to a Level 2!
Here is the system map, and description of each level followed by our (color-coded) anticipated practices regarding blowouts at each Health Advisory Level:
Franklin County as of July 30, 2020 – August 27, 2020 was at a Level 3 (Red). At this level, the directive is to “limit activities as much as possible” As such, we are using alternate drying and styling methods. You still may see a handheld dryer in specific situations, but we will only use these briefly in limited situations, such as when we need to dry a section of hair to view a color result, or we need to complete the drying process from the lamp dryer before we can do a thermal finish. Since this prevents us from doing the final detailing that normally makes your cut perfect, you are welcome to a complimentary 15 minute follow up visit within 7 days where we can detail your cut.
THE FUTURE OF BLOWOUTS ACCORDING TO LEVELS
Once Franklin County moves to a Level 2 (Orange), we are being asked to “exercise a high degree of caution” At that point, we hope to add “utility” blowout services to our offerings. These are blowouts required by the stylist to perfect a color or cut service. Once we resume these utility blowouts, we will no longer offer a complimentary detail visit.
And when we’re finally at a Level 1 (Yellow), we will be delighted to add cosmetic blowouts back into the mix. These may look different in some way, they may be assistant-only, they may come with a small additional charge, or they may start under the lamp dryer, but we’ll find a way to make it happen.
And let’s hope Franklin county never gets to a Level 4, (Purple) or even to the indicator (*) that Allen county has (as of sending of this message, July 30, 2020). The star indicates being on the “watch list” to be moved to a level 4.
While we have drafted standards created for that level, they are so “locked down” and unpleasant that we hope we never have to think about them again. No one wants to feel like they are about to undergo outpatient surgery when coming in for a haircut!
Of course, this is our first time doing any of this, again, we request patience and remind you that all of this is subject to change with new information, We hope that, at a minimum, this gives you an idea of where our heads are on this topic
As always, we welcome your feedback and thoughts at guestservices@phiaconcepts.com.
Sincerely,
P.S. As always, we have mad appreciation for anyone who reads our communications through to the end! In appreciation for making your way through this message, please show or mention this message to enjoy a complimentary thermal finish OR 30% off a product of your choice OR half off a salt product of your choice between now and September 15.