COVID-19 Forces Texas Salon to Close for Second Time

Eric Vaughn, owner of REV Salon in Houston, experienced every salon owner's biggest nightmare when he was forced to shut down his salon for a second time during the Coronavirus pandemic. 

The salon had just reopened for business in early May after being closed for about two months due to COVID-19. "Business was amazing," Vaughn says. "The energy in the salon was incredible—clients were excited to be doing something normal and we were excited to be making money again.”

Despite being back in business, the new day-to-day at REV was anything but normal. Like most public establishments, stylists and clients were required to wear masks at all times. Plus, Vaughn eliminated the waiting area, temporarily banned food and drink, and required all clients to wait in their car upon arrival to eliminate overcrowding at any time. 

After nearly two months of operating under these new guidelines, Vaughn made the decision to shut down REV Salon for a second time after one of his stylists tested positive for COVID-19. "As soon as we found out that they had tested positive, we decided to close the salon to ensure that all stylists were able to be tested as well," Vaughn says. "Since we had all been potentially exposed to the virus, I felt it was irresponsible to remain open and service clients when there was such a large unknown.” 

Luckily, Vaughn was able to determine when the risk of exposure was most prominent and notified all clients who had been in the salon during that time. "I thankfully tested negative, and four of my stylists have tested negative as well, so we will be reopening the salon this week," he says.

When asked which steps he's taking to ensure clients that salon is safe once again, Vaughn tells us that he's upped his cleaning measures significantly—even more so than the last time around. "Prior to COVID-19, we had a regular cleaning crew come in once a week to do a deep clean of the salon. I liked starting off the week with a fresh, clean space," he says. Taking it a step further, Vaughn contacted Germ Busters, a microbial protection company based in Houston. "They come in with a spray solution, and they spray down the entire salon. That spray kills any living organisms on surfaces and protects the space for 90 days, preventing bacteria from growing on surfaces for that amount of time," Vaughn says. 

Although COVID-19 numbers are on the rise in some parts of Texas, Vaughn is taking drastic measures to ensure his salon remains safe throughout the pandemic and urges other salon owners to do the same.