Health and Safety Measures

Health & Safety Measures

Essence Salon puts your health and safety above all else before, during and after your hair service. The bullets below list, without limitation, what we do to protect you from infectious diseases and documents our current procedures to minimize the risk of contracting COVID-19.

• We comply with current Santa Clara County regulations and guidelines
• We follow the guidance of the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (CalOSHA)
• We follow all the rules of the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology
• We employ a ventilation system that brings filtered fresh air from outside into the salon and exhausts the interior salon air to the outside. There is no recirculation of interior air to avoid potential contamination. The system brings in a volume of fresh air equivalent to the entire volume of air in the salon every 3 minutes
• Wearing a 3-layer, disposable face mask or an N-95 mask at all times while in the salon is recommended even if you are vaccinated
• Wearing a face mask is optional but recommended for our Stylists. They will wear one at their Guest's request
• Our team is led by a Guest Experience Manager (GEM) who is responsible for making sure that all of our Health & Safety procedures are rigorously followed during their shift
• The GEM self-diagnoses before coming to work. If (s)he is not experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, has not tested positive or come in contact with anyone testing positive or experiencing symptoms in the last 14 days, the GEM comes to work. Otherwise, (s)he stays home and contacts a health care professional and calls management for backup. Once at work, the GEM starts the shift, executing to a task list. The GEM sanitizes and disinfects those areas that are not sanitized and disinfected after every service, prepares for arrival of additional team members and washes capes, smocks and towels after every use
• Each employee is greeted by the GEM who asks if they have experienced symptoms of COVID-19, tested positive or have been in contact with anyone who has in the last 14 days. If the answer to all questions is no, the employee is allowed to stay. If an answer to any of the questions is “yes”, the GEM sends the employee home and instructs them to go get tested. If the test result comes back positive, the employee will notify management or the GEM on duty who will call management. Management will cause the whole salon to be sanitized and disinfected before any more Guests are allowed to enter. The employee that tested positive will be allowed to return to work no less than five days after the first symptoms appeared or a positive test was obtained, their symptoms are improving and their temperature has been normal with no fever-reducing medications for at least 24 hours. This same procedure will be followed whenever we are notified of a positive test result by any Guest
• As a Guest, do not to come to the salon if you have experienced symptoms of COVID-19, tested positive or been exposed to someone who has in the last 14 days
• As a Guest, you are encouraged to go to the restroom and wash your hands with soap. Handwashing should be performed for 20 seconds or more. Alternatively, you may use hand sanitizer at the front desk. After handwashing/sanitization, the GEM will seat the Guest in a styling station when the Stylist is ready to start the service
• The Stylist will greet the Guest and perform the service(s)
• Afterwards, the Stylist will return the Guest to the GEM and then immediately wash their hands and sanitize/disinfect any stations that were used to perform the service(s)
• The GEM will prebook the Guest’s next appointment to ensure the Guest gets the time they want for their next service
• The GEM will checkout the Guest using our no-touch payment system and the Guest’s credit or debit card. We will Email a receipt at the Guest’s request
• After the Guest leaves, the GEM will then sanitize and disinfect any surfaces that the Guest may have touched since leaving the styling station including the bathroom, front desk and front doorknob