'We're all trying to navigate this:' Milwaukee salons adapting to 'Safer at Home' changes



MILWAUKEE -- Some were confused about what Wednesday's Wisconsin Supreme Couty ruling meant for salons. Thursday, some salon owners spent their day trying to sort it all out.

Raul Varela



Raul Varela is used to different styles being thrown at him, but the salon owner says this one has been extremely frustrating.

"No one knows what's going on," said Varela. "The health department, I called the city, I called the non-emergency phone number."

After the state "Safer at Home" order was struck down, the Milwaukee business owner thought Thursday he might reopen his doors -- only to discover he couldn't.

"We're bouncing back and forth in the meantime, playing with our health, our economy, with our families," Varela said.

Fiesta Salon and Spa



At Fiesta Salon and Spa on the city's south side, Varela is preparing with a sanitizing station, limiting customers in the salon and strict mask and glove rules for employees. Measures, he says, are very important, knowing how devastating the virus can be.

"It's a priority. They have to use it at all times for safety purposes," he said. "I know one person which is a close customer that already passed.

"This is not a joke, this is serious."

Fiesta Salon and Spa



It's the serious nature that has Kate Kent proceeding with caution.

"I just don't feel like our industry is ready to be face-to-face, in close contact with other human beings just yet," Kent said.

Kate Kent



Kent owns Nice Hair, a salon in Milwaukee's Walker's Point neighborhood.

She's been regularly updating customers on social media and figuring out a plan that will work for her business.

"I'm going to assume that everyone is infected and we're going to treat everyone as such," she said.

Going to great lengths, so they can be a cut above the rest.

"We're all trying to navigate this."

According to Milwaukee's new order, salons will have to maintain social distancing, screen customers before entering and everyone is asked to wear a mask.