At 50% capacity, beauty salons grapple with COVID’s economic toll

AMMAN — The hair and beauty sector has not been spared from the pandemic’s crisis, as physical distancing measures and curfews have taken a toll on appointments and revenues.

Under defence orders, salons are only allowed to work at 50 per cent capacity.

“Most women book their appointments after work, so our busiest time is from 3-7pm, but we cannot serve everyone as we have to work at a 50 per cent capacity,” said Noor Barqawi, an owner of a salon in Abdoun.

“The problem is that most of our services already follow physical distancing rules. For example, I have four manicure and pedicure chairs, all of which are two or more metres apart. Nevertheless, I can still only occupy two chairs at a time,” Barqawi said.

The salon owner said her “heart breaks” every time she has to turn down an appointment, as she loses customers who have to look for other options.

“I have customers who have been loyal to the salon for years, but if they need something urgently done for an occasion or so at a certain time and I have to turn them down, they will have to look for a place, which is available,” she added.

Sally Manasrah, a manager at a salon in Umm Al Sumaq, said that since curfews and defence orders have limited social gatherings, business have been “seriously hit”.

“Ladies usually get their hair and makeup done for occasions, but since an occasion usually needs a gathering, and gatherings have been limited, it is natural for our appointments to decline,” she added.

Manasrah said that while birthdays, dinners and graduation ceremonies brought in lots of customers, the salon’s biggest profits have been from weddings.

“However, now that many weddings have been postponed or reduced in number, we have a fewer number of customers,” she added.