Salon bouncing back as Nashville loosens COVID-19 restrictions

NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — With prom season and weddings resuming this year, salons are busy once again after the pandemic. And one salon owner says the COVID-19 guidelines made them a stronger business.

Oxana Salon in Nashville was open for only two years when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. When the health guidelines in Davidson County came down, the salon was ready.

Staff and clients wear masks and partitions separate blow-dry stations. The staff even adjusted work hours to accommodate clients who want to remain socially distant.

"They have serious underlining conditions; so I’ll come at 5:30 in the morning or 6 a.m., and make sure they are served and taken care," said owner Oxana Meade.

Unlike last year, the salon has been very busy as people get ready for dates, weddings and proms that were once canceled because of the pandemic.

On Tuesday, the Metro Public Health Department announced another rollback in Nashville's COVID-19 restrictions. Beginning May 14, all capacity limitations will be lifted and can be determined by private businesses. The only mandate to remain in effect will be the requirement to wear a face mask while indoors.

And even though Nashville is stepping closer to what some call normal, Meade when the time comes to drop the masks or partitions, it will be a decision where everyone's voices in the salon are heard.

"We’re going to send a text message and email to all our clients to kind of get the feeling and the level of comfort when we are going back to normal."

Meade says she always wanted to style hair, especially in Nashville. She says last year was hard but everyone is getting through it.

"Here we are a year later. It’s been becoming second nature at this point. Nobody has been fussing about it, everybody is kind of following the rules."

The salon did have to temporarily close its doors but Meade says thankfully they survived.

"We felt very actually confident when we came back because the salon is already set up to be pretty far from one chair to another," said Meade.

The salon is doing so well that Oxana is expanding to a second location in Brentwood.