Central Coast nail salons reopen indoors

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) It's a rush back to the nail salon. For some, it's like they never left. "It's been 6 months. Way too long for me," said customer, Jonna Villalobos.

It's round two of nail salons reopening indoors on the Central Coast and the new safety precautions are hard to miss. Customers can expect a temperature check, plastic dividers installed at every chair and cleaning happening around the clock.

"We're always cleaning anyways. That's our job. Always. We ask our clients to wash their hands or use sanitizer before the service," said Diane Lee, owner of Magic Nails.

Magic Nails in Monterey opened for outdoor service a few weeks ago, but for some salons that wasn't an option.

Lam Dan, a nail technician at Serenity Nails in Del Rey Oaks, said their sidewalk space didn't allow for outdoor operations. That meant the salon had to stay closed for even longer. "These are hard times. We needed to open to afford rent," said Dan.  

California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy allows counties with more than an 8% positivity rate to reopen indoor nail services. This includes San Benito and Monterey counties. Santa Cruz County opened nail salons two weeks ago.

"I'm so happy. I'm so happy for all the salon owners to can open back to normal indoors," said Dan.

Customers said they feel safe to come back in. "They're always so clean in here anyway. I have no problems coming back," said Villalobos.