CEDAR PARK, Texas — The latest round of Texas businesses allowed to resume with limited capacity on May 8 include pools, barbershops, hair, nail, and tanning salons.

Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order comes with additional guidelines for reopening. Some local business owners are grateful to be able to turn the lights on.

While it may feel like summer outside, some say tanning indoors brings some sunshine into their day. That was the case for Cindi Robison, who said she was recently laid off due to COVID-19 and is waiting to get back to work. She visited Tan It All salon in Cedar Park, she said, to get ready for the summer season.

Tanning beds are ready for customers at Tan It All in Cedar Park (Reena Diamante/Spectrum News)

“Especially during this time you do need something where you can relax and just take that sigh and let everything else just go. For me, tanning and music relaxes me,” Robison said. 

Tan It All was booked with appointments Friday, the day tanning salons were allowed to reopen under the governor’s latest executive order. Customer Victoria McKinney, who has been visiting the salon for the past eight years, called the service her “outlet” and wanted the opportunity to see her friend, the store manager.

“I had a loss. I really struggle with being alone. She really helps me through it. To isolate myself is very stressful for me, because I need to be out and I need to be out of my house,” McKinney said.

Despite the rapid reopening business, Tan It All’s owners told Spectrum News they missed out on the busiest season of the year, resulting in a 75 percent loss of revenue. Owners Nash and Taz Abbas said they have five different locations across the greater Austin area.

Photo of Tan It All in Cedar Park (Reena Diamante/Spectrum News)

“February to June are when most salons are operational and busy.  After that, it slows down. So, it's been devastating both to our business and to all of our staff here. Almost 20 staff members, we had to let go,” owner Nash Abbas said.

Now, it is all about catching up, while implementing the state’s safety standards. Some of the Texas Department of State Health Services minimum recommended health protocols for tanning salons include, and are not limited to:

• Screening employees before coming into the tanning salon
• Providing resources and a work environment that promote personal hygiene, such as tissues, hand soap, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and disposable towels
• Adjusting appointments to limit the amount of people in the salon
• Having walk-in clients wait either in their own cars or outside with at least six feet separation
• Bringing clients into the building when the licensee is ready for them, to eliminate anyone needing to spend any time in the lobby or waiting area
• Encouraging contactless payment
• Taking measures to ensure that clients do not interact with each other in the salon
• Wearing face masks or fabric face coverings while inside the salon

Tanning equipment is ready for customers at Tan It All in Cedar Park (Reena Diamante/Spectrum News)

Nash Abbas said tanning salons are expected to be highly sanitized and cleaned between each service anyway. He said the staff was already able to control the equipment from the front desk. In addition, their customers are checking in from their cars and most payments are taken care of because it is membership-based.

“There is no physical contact with anyone, so it’s much easier for us to socially distance and keep everyone safe,” Nash Abbas said.

The owners said they also plan to bring their employees back online. Taz Abbas said they used the time off to take to consider the new recommendations, figure out how to maintain physical distancing in the stores, and purchase cleaning products, gloves, and masks.

“Staff got the three weeks off, so they could make sure they didn’t have symptoms. We redid our training to including a little more extensive cleaning, more than what we usually do,” she said.

State leaders also have health protocols for tanning salon customers to follow, which include wearing masks, washing or disinfecting hands before entering a business and after the payment process, and self-screening for symptoms. Some customers said they are more mindful now amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“This was kind of a wakeup call to where people are going to make sure that they’re diligent,” Robison said.