Back in the salon again as hairdressers reopen to spread the feel-good factor

Hair salons are back in business but Stephanie Smith finds her first post-lockdown appointment experience stirs some surprising emotions.
The first weekend back in business for hair salons and British Hairdresser of the Year Robert Eaton cuts Stephanie Smith's hair.The first weekend back in business for hair salons and British Hairdresser of the Year Robert Eaton cuts Stephanie Smith's hair.
The first weekend back in business for hair salons and British Hairdresser of the Year Robert Eaton cuts Stephanie Smith's hair.

It’s 4pm on a Sunday afternoon and I am staring at myself in a mirror. Specifically, at my Worzel Gummidge hair. Which is why I am here, at the Russell Eaton salon in Leeds, so that Robert Eaton, British Hairdresser of the Year, can de-Worzel me.

My hair has been untouched by human hand (except my own) since before Christmas. I am blessed indeed, but it feels strange, other-worldly, illicit even. As I said, it’s Sunday. I have read the safety guidelines and I am armed with my own magazines and water (actually, they do have water and plastic cups).

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Inside the Boar Lane salon, the reception area is unusually quiet and still. A screen shields the desk. But I like the gauzy black paper gown I am given to put on. Very Japanese minimalist. The cutting room looks the same, but different. The chairs are at least two metres apart and the staff are wearing visors. The chatter is softer than before, yet reassuringly familiar.

Colour specialist Stacey is getting used to the visor.Colour specialist Stacey is getting used to the visor.
Colour specialist Stacey is getting used to the visor.

Here it feels safe, far safer than I thought it would, and far, far safer than outside, in Leeds city centre, where shoppers are happy to cross paths within a hair’s breadth (it’s the first time I've been into Leeds since lockdown).

I settle into my chair, look around... and then it hits me. I gulp, unexpectedly moved to tears for a moment by the other customers, in particular a young woman across the salon, head in cascades of shiny foil, face lit with relieved happiness as the visored colourist weaves through slices of hair with a thin comb-tail and brushes on the colouring paste. The skill, the intricacy involved. I watch as if it is the first time I have seen such a thing and I realise that there is an atmosphere of reverence within the salon. The clients, all women, look blissfully content. One looks as if she never wants to leave.

Robert appears and stands behind me. We chat, he examines my hair, places his hands on my shoulders. This is the closest I have come to another human being outside my home since lockdown began. It feels comforting, calming. Hairdressing is about so much more than hair. I knew that before, but I think I understand it now.

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It's colour specialist Stacey's first day back. Staff shifts are staggered over a longer working week to accommodate as many clients as possible in safety. Her customers have been telling her they worry about a second wave but they are glad to be back in to see her. “They feel they are lucky,” she says. Customers have been bringing in masks and asking her if they should wear them, but she is happy to leave it to their choice. On furlough, she has been home schooling and this has been a popular topic of conversation, rather than holidays. Over-indulgence in food and alcohol, too.

Stacey, Stephanie and Robert, as the new look comes along.Stacey, Stephanie and Robert, as the new look comes along.
Stacey, Stephanie and Robert, as the new look comes along.

When my time under the heater is done, Josh carefully removes the foils, then washes my hair and conditions it with a head massage. It’s as before, but this time it feels especially reassuring, even life-affirming - I am still here, we are still here, everything will work out.

Robert cuts my hair and we talk about the new normal. There are 40 per cent fewer seats for clients. They have not put prices up although he understands why other hairdressers feel they have to. But customers have financial concerns, too, he says. Many want manageable hair that grows out well, probably so they don’t have to come in as often. Balayage is popular so grown-out roots can look okay for longer, which is fortunate.

He dries my hair and styles it, showing me how easy it will be now. The little round mirror appears so I can see the back. We’re done and I genuinely, gratefully, marvel at my hair. I think the cut is perfect for me. I feel better, lighter, in shade and spirit. I leave renewed. I am ready for anything.

Stephanie Smith Instagram @yorkshirestyleQ

The finished look. The Russell Eaton salon in Leeds has a special area set aside for selfie-taking. With a flattering ultra-violet light.The finished look. The Russell Eaton salon in Leeds has a special area set aside for selfie-taking. With a flattering ultra-violet light.
The finished look. The Russell Eaton salon in Leeds has a special area set aside for selfie-taking. With a flattering ultra-violet light.
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