Regis Corporation is working with infectious disease specialists at the University of Minnesota to assure the health and safety of their customers and stylists is at the forefront of their salon reopening plans. Regis initiated a rigorous review of each step in the customer journey from the time the consumer leaves their car through the entire salon service up until the moment the customer leaves the salon.

Infectious disease specialists, Drs. Mahsa Abassi and Dr. Joshua Rhein, from the University of Minnesota Medical School, reviewed the company’s mapping of the customer journey along with new safety training videos on how services are performed with the view of how to best protect customers and stylists. They provided recommendations on the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and additional safety measures that have been communicated throughout the company’s entire salon system to help educate and prepare the company’s franchise partners and stylists for operating salons in a safe manner in a COVID-19 environment.

Franchised and company-owned salons have incorporated these recommendations, along with any state specific guidelines, into the relaunch of salons and continuing operations. Regis salons at a fast pace and currently has approximately 3,000 salons open across their fleet. They expect that the majority of its salons will be safely reopened in the summer as state mandates are lifted.

“Safety and sanitization have always been a primary focus in our industry," says Eric Bakken, Executive Vice President, President - Franchise of Regis Corporation. "Hair salons and hair stylists are licensed and highly regulated by State governing agencies. COVID-19 has reinforced that customer and stylist safety is not just important, it is paramount. The recommendations made by Drs. Abassi and Rhein helped us create a safer salon environment for both our customers and stylists. We expect to continue to further instill a safety culture throughout our entire organization and our safety and sanitization protocols have allowed us to open our salons in a manner that is focused on the safety of our customers and stylists."

“The health and safety of our customers and stylists is our highest priority," says Hugh Sawyer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "In a manner consistent with our company values, we proactively invested a significant amount of capital in the training and PPE required to safely reopen our salons, including masks and protective eyewear for use across our entire portfolio of salons.We look forward to the continued reopening of our franchise and company-owned salons this summer with a sustained commitment to the safety of our customers and stylists. I am proud of our stylist community, our association with the University of Minnesota and the professionalism of our franchise partners as we move forward to institutionalize a safety culture at Regis."