1. Make Employee Safety Your #1 Priority

First things first, make your employees feel safe and comfortable in the salon. IGK Cofounder, Franck Izquierdo says, “for us it’s not about money, it’s about safety right now. We want people to feel relaxed.” Below, you can see the steps IGK has taken to ensure employee safety was prioritized.  

✔️White jumpsuits and clear glasses were purchased for all employees to wear while at work.

✔️Employees have their temperature taken outside of the salon before entering.

✔️Flexible staff schedules have been instituted and separated into two time frames to maintain better social distancing.

✔️An outside cleaning staff has been hired to regularly and thoroughly clean the salon.

2. Update the Layout of Your Salon 

IGK Miami’s 22-chair salon has been revamped by slimming down the number of stations to around 13 to 14 chairs and removed its waiting area entirely. Glass panels were installed in between each station along with plexi panels added on both sides of the salon’s 8 sinks. “Everybody knows color takes two hours minimum so we need people not to be in the box, but we want separation between clients so people feel more secure and also feel like they are with people,” says Franck.

3. Have Proper Cleaning Supplies On-Hand

Take your cleaning regimen up a notch to ensure everyone’s safety. “We bought gallons of alcohol, wipes, [because] the cleaning is going to be [the] most important,” says Franck. “We’ll have at least four people all day just making sure the salon is clean. A loop all the time of cleaning.”

Disinfect hard surfaces and glass with a top tier spray. We recommend Ecolab Disinfectant Cleaner Spray, which kills coronavirus in five minutes. We suggest UV lights be placed in your HVAC unit to kill germs. 

4. Pre-Book & Prioritize Services

If your salon has a waiting list before you reopen, prioritize clients with a previously cancelled appointment due to the coronavirus. Below are a few more ways IGK Miami’s salon is keeping things running smoothly: 

✔️ The salon will only be taking full color service clients.

✔️ Blow drying at the beginning of the appointment has been eliminated to cut the session down by 30-40%

5. Encourage Online Purchases

To avoid crowding at the front desk, encourage clients to purchase all product online. If your clients want to purchase IGK products, they can find them at IGKhair.com, Ulta Beauty and Sephora. 

Did you know you can make a 30% commission selling IGK products to your clients through our Affiliate Program? Learn more here.