“We sent out a discount on skin, nail and body
services for the month [of June], but we got a
really light response. Safety is the new luxury,
and that’s what we’re marketing right now.”
— JANA WESTERBEKE, Co-Owner
be a smart decision: the state of Arizona announced on
Tuesday, May 5 that salons and spas could reopen Friday,
May 8—giving Gadabout just three days’ notice before reopening
could begin.
Gadabout’s plan involved a three-phase reopening process.
The initial reopening, phase one, was on May 11. The
second phase, during which more staff members were
brought back, began on May 25. The third (and final)
phase was set to begin in early June, according to Jasper,
but had been pushed back to June 29 (as of the time of
the interview) due to recent spikes in COVID-19 cases in
the state. The first phase was preceded by a soft opening
on May 8, which Jasper says was critical to the success of
Gadabout’s reopening. “We did that with less than a
quarter of our staff,” notes Jasper. Participating team
members were able to invite their personal favorite clients
in for the soft reopening; doing so ensured the highest
comfort level possible. “We felt it was very important to
have guests in the spa and have staff get re-accustomed
to seeing people.”
Prior to the soft reopening, Gadabout held “dress rehearsals”
with its staff. Each salon’s general manager held
a Zoom call with each returning employee in which they
offered a virtual walkthrough and discussed changes to
spa’s policies and protocols. Then, employees were invited
into the salon for an in-person walkthrough; in addition to
reviewing the changes again, employees were able to
practice services employing the newest protocols on
their coworkers. Gadabout’s employees also completed
Barbicide’s free online certification course, available at
barbicide.com/certification/, prior to returning to work.
Gadabout has also made a number of changes to its
facilities, says Westerbeke: “We’ve taken all the cushions
from our spa rooms. It’s made our environments very
sterile, [but] that’s what is safe. We’re using folding chairs,
which is something we’ve never done.” Since Gadabout is
primarily a salon, its locations do not feature saunas,
steam rooms, relaxation areas or showers—areas that
many spas have been forced to close. However, it has
stopped serving spa water, coffee and tea to guests.
Lastly, Gadabout marketed the reopening primarily by
focusing on the changes it made with regard to sanitation
and safety. “We just kept our staff and our guests really informed
about our policies and procedures and how the
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