by Nick Kolyohin
JERUSALEM, April 29 (Xinhua) -- After more than a month without a professional place to go for haircuts and nail polish, Israeli people are embracing the newly reopened beauty salons.
On Sunday, the Israeli government eased the restrictions on economy by allowing most of the street shops to open again, though with significant precaution measures.
Hairdressers, cosmeticians, manicurists, pedicurists, and esthetic clinics are among the most desirable places for people to visit.
The beauty salons are now much busier than before the COVID-19 crisis.
Market manager of My Look beauty salon at the city of Ma'ale Adumim, next to Jerusalem, said that he is still worried despite the current high demand for haircuts and beauty treatments.
"Our clients like us were sitting at home without work, so I am not sure if they would have money to spend on beauty treatments. Beauty care is less important than food," explained Boris Pechurihin.
Nevertheless, since Sunday, as many other hairdressers and beauty salons, My Look has seen a significant increase in clients.
"The number of customers has tripled," Pechurihin said, but he is still not sure whether the current situation will last.
"We need to see what would happen in the coming months because beauty treatments are usually desired only ones in a few weeks or months," Pechurihin said.
Pechurihin and his wife immigrated to Israel from Russia and started their business of beauty salon.
In the beginning, it was a tiny place with just one worker. But gradually, it became bigger and bigger as they moved into a shopping center.
They have four workers who are temporarily getting unemployment benefits from the state, due to the coronavirus crisis.
Pechurihin said that during the closure he still need to pay the rent which has been a great pressure.
"Because of our loans and expenses, we thought to declare bankruptcy if the lockdown on our business would continue for another month, yet still, I don't know if we would survive, we are on thin ice," told Boris.
Tel Aviv, a central seaside city of Israel, is full of hair and beauty salons, alongside bars and cafes on its main streets.
One of the popular hairdressing salons in the city is Snir and Meir barbershop, named after two brothers that own the place, which serves only males.
"It is great to reopen. It is my passion," said Snir Aharon, the co-founder of Snir and Meir barbershop.
Since the reopening, Aharon and his hairdressers have been working hard from morning until midnight, hoping to earn back all the money they lost during the closure.
One of the first clients of Snir and Meir barbershop was 12-year-old Jonathan Spronz who was excited about finally having the opportunity to have a professional haircut.
Spronz, accompanied by his mother Rachel Spronz, said, "my mother cut my hair during the time barbershops were closed, but it wasn't so good."
"During the lockdown, I bought a simple haircut machine. It took me an hour and a half to cut his hair. It was the first time for me to try to do such thing," said Rachel.
Dr. Monica Elman is the owner of three aesthetic clinics under her name in the cities of Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Rishon Lezion.
"My clinics are educational centers for workshops and courses for doctors and nurses. Since the coronavirus crisis begun, my clinics have been locked down for seven weeks, " Elman told Xinhua.
During the period of seven weeks, Elman received many e-mails and calls from clients, encouraging her to reopen as soon as the restriction is removed.
Before the outbreak of the COVID-19, Elman employed 42 workers. At present, her clinics has reopened but with a new requirement of social distance, face masks, gloves, and hand washing.
Elman hopes to bring back to work all her employees in about a week. Enditem
