Thanks to COVID, Barbers Have Gone Mobile—and They May Stay That Way

When stay-at-home orders first hit American cities in March, barbers and salon workers panicked. Unlike many other professionals, they were not considered “essential workers,” and the very nature of their work—at close quarters indoors for prolonged periods—made it unclear when it would ever be safe to work again. Then came the deluge of articles and YouTube videos instructing people on how to dye or cut their own hair at home. For many, a little quarantine scruff became a badge of honor, ending whatever urgency was left to visit the salon. As the weeks stretched into months, many of the country’s beauty professionals contended with an uncomfortable reality: They may not be going back to work at all this year. With state unemployment systems glitchy—and now deadlocked in a Washington stalemate—for many, not working simply wasn’t an option.

That was the case for Jay (not his real name), a barber and shop owner based in Los Angeles who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity for this article. “My income has been affected tremendously,” he says. Seeing the writing on the wall, Jay wasted no time: Almost as soon as his shop was shut down, he texted his entire client book and explained his new system. He’d pull up to your house, bringing his own barber chair and tools, and offer you your typical service—with a $30 “convenience fee” added on top to cover his travel.

Initially, Jay’s pandemic client base included his core clientele—guys he’s known and trusted for years. “I worry about catching COVID, so I make sure I’m going into a place where I can feel safe,” he explains. But eventually, friends of his clients started noticing the fresh cuts and asking questions. Through a strict referral process, Jay expanded his bookings and is now seeing 21 clients per week. “I’m sustaining the same lifestyle as before,” he says. “I’m not making more than I used to, but I’m not making less, either.”

Los Angeles is currently in what seems like a coronavirus free-fall, with inaccurate reporting and a premature reopening plan contributing to an overall rise in cases. That means that, just weeks after salons opened their doors to clients again, the Governor ordered them closed. Then, a caveat: Salons were allowed to take customers, so long as they could be outside. This new rule hasn’t changed Jay’s strategy at all, despite the fact that he’s still paying the rent on his shop. “There’s no reason for brick and mortar anymore,” he says. “I think in the next two years, you’re going to see more mobile barber services in trailers and airstreams. We can identify a location, pull up, and cut on the spot.”

According to Will Newton, the founder of the app Shortcut, Jay is very much onto something. Shortcut’s initial premise when it launched in 2016 was simple: Get guys to book at-home haircuts. Newton says he never could have anticipated that his biggest windfall would come during a global pandemic, but the app has experienced explosive growth in recent months. The environment was so promising that it prompted Newton to open up the app’s technology to license to salon owners, who can continue to manage their books (and control commissions from their stylists) by setting up at-home appointments during what would typically be regular business hours. Many stylists, Newton says, have realized that using the app gives them an autonomy they’ve never had before: They can take their clients, import them into the app, build their clientele, and manage their calendar.

Any service provider looking to sign up with Shortcut must go through the app’s “special COVID training,” which covers everything from PPE to proper sanitation. “Every day when a stylist gets an order, they get a prompt from us—check your temperature, make sure if you’re experiencing these symptoms to not go outside,” Newton says. Both the professional and the client are “required” to wear a mask during the appointment (though it is unclear how, exactly, the app could police such behavior). However, Newton adds, data from Shortcut’s user base shows that most appointments are taking place outdoors, either on patios or backyards. Shortcut takes 20 percent of every transaction, about 10 to 20 percent lower than the average commission taken by a salon from their stylists.

At-home cuts come at a premium. In New York City, Newton says the average haircut could cost you around $42, while the average haircut on his app goes for $55. Similarly, to visit Jay at his shop for a cut, you’d be charged $40; but to get him at your house, it’s $70 (without tip). “We’re out here taking risks, trying to get paid, and trying to make sure you look good, so please take care of your barber,” Jay says. “I’ve made house calls where people start to haggle with me, and it’s like, pay me my value.”

But with the at-home haircut becoming a growing opportunity—and, perhaps, a permanent one at that—the biggest question still remains: Is it actually safe?

It’s a difficult question to answer, because it’s not even clear how dangerous a traditional slon setup is. Last month, a report published by the CDC found that “vigilant mask wearing” could have prevented nearly 140 people from contracting the coronavirus at a Missouri hair salon where two stylists tested positive for the virus. “In this case, both the workers and the customers were wearing masks, which prevent someone from spreading viral particles to others, especially in an enclosed indoors space, close together, for a long period of time,” explains Ofole Mgbako, MD, an internal medicine doctor and infectious-disease fellow who was not involved with the study.

If the study made it seem like going to get your haircut is low-risk, though, it’s not quite that simple. “Hair salons are considered low risk in communities where the pandemic is more controlled because they can control the number of people gathering in an indoor space at one time,” says Dr. Mgbako. In places where the virus is widespread, like much of the United States currently, it's much more dangerous. 

The same calculation applies to an at-home cut. Essentially, the “safety” of the scenario depends on where you live: If you’re in a place where coronavirus is high or on the rise, then it’s not a good idea. But in places with low transmission, it’s more understandable—so long as you’re able to trust that the person entering your home is taking all the necessary precautions and being honest about their symptoms and overall level of potential exposure.

If you’re thinking about booking a cut, whether that’s through an app or a word-of-mouth appointment, using outdoor space for your cut is optimal. If that’s not an option, ensure as much ventilation as possible. “Recent studies have shown coronavirus may be transmitted by aerosols, meaning it hangs in the air for hours, so it’s important to have the windows open to ensure good ventilation,” Dr. Mgbako says. He also recommends asking screening questions: Are you experiencing symptoms like fever, chills, body aches, loss of smell or taste, sore throat, or shortness of breath? Have you had COVID-19? Have you been tested for the virus or antibodies? Have you been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 or symptoms in the last two weeks?

However, Dr. Mgbako encourages us to look at the rise of at-home cuts less as yet another opportunity for capitalism—and more as one of its worst failures. “The pandemic is out of control in this country due to a lack of national strategy. This past week, there was a day when one American was dying every minute from COVID-19,” he says. “In Missouri, those two salon workers kept on working despite feeling ill. While it’s important for people who feel sick to get tested and isolate themselves, people are also struggling economically. People shouldn’t have to choose between their lives and their livelihood.”

GQ grooming columnist Phillip Picardi says the long hair, mustaches, and beards of coronavirus quarantine are the start of a bold new era of men's grooming.

Originally Appeared on GQ