Napa, Sonoma counties reopen nail salons, gyms; Marin shops to follow

Following the state’s lead from a week ago, the Wine Country opened more windows of opportunity for people to go out in public at gyms, theaters and salons Friday.

The exception is Marin County, which plans to follow suit with reopenings of these types of businesses — characterized as stage 2g — on June 29. (Editor’s note: On June 26, Marin County reversed its plan to allow reopening of several sectors.)

Napa and Sonoma counties gave approval to a slate of businesses that range from personal care operations such as aestheticians, massage therapists, nail salons and tattoo parlors to movie houses and fitness studios.

Many were shut down for more than three months after the COVID-19 spread led to state and local shelter-in-place orders.

Tony Giovannoni, who owns Healthquest Fitness Center in Napa, responded with a partial opening of the swimming pool by reservation in 30-minute increments. Later, the gym was opened but with restrictions on how many people could use the facility at one time. The locker room remains closed. One shower, one bathroom and two dressing rooms are available at poolside.

The repainted, deep-cleaned full gym on California Boulevard will open Monday.

The nod from the county was welcomed by Giovannoni and his members, who have been eagerly awaiting the re-opening.

“The emails, phones and messages have been nonstop for the last few days,” he told the Business Journal.

Still, the ability to answer calls and provide some sense of business normalcy represented a long-awaited change for the fitness center owner who closed his gym three months ago, along with many.

“It’s been a long road — very trying to say the least,” he said. “At least for now, we have some sort of direction.”

The announcement comes on the heels of the state’s directive to allow these businesses to reopen last week. However, as of Thursday, another directive provides further restriction on the public. Masks are mandatory inside at all times, and outside when it’s impossible to practice social distancing throughout the state.

“It’s a tough pill for our customers to swallow,” Orangetheory Fitness owner Colleen O’Ferrall-Jones said about requiring masks in her 1,600-square-foot fitness studio on California Boulevard in Napa.

Members will find spaced out equipment, plenty of hand-sanitizing stations, limited class sizes and perhaps a breath of fresh air. O’Ferrall-Jones replaced her HVAC system with a ultraviolet light ventilation upgrade to kill pathogens.

“My philosophy has been to, of course, abide by the highest government guidance,” she said. “They’ve been really good sports. No one has been defiant.”

Upon entry, guests will stand outside to await being called in for a temperature check.

Fitness classes are scheduled with a 30-minute interval between them to allow for cleaning. Every shift will have five employees on the job. The fitness studio has a limited capacity of 13 members inside at a time.

Many high-touch-type businesses have thought long and hard about the strategy to open since more time has gone by since the starting gate of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-stage process has been released.

One type of business the governor seemed especially sensitive to allowing for reopening was nail salons, which he cites as being responsible for an early outbreak in some places.

Either way, at least one salon in Napa welcomed the better-late-than-never concession.

“Yeah, people were really needing manicures and pedicures,” Diamond Nails & Spa manager Jade Prinh said. “We’re so happy to be back.”

The salon on California Boulevard is operating by appointment only, with just a handful of people allowed inside at the same time. Twenty appointments were made for its re-opening on Friday, about a third short of an average day. Prinh has already taken appointments into mid next week.

North Bay counties have kept their eyes on case numbers to determine when to reopen different businesses.

Marin County has last allowed the reopenings of real estate, cleaning services and limited retail as of June 12 (in what the local jurisdiction has deemed stage 2f).

Next up: “Social bubbles,” defined as gatherings with fewer than 12 people, will be allowed as of Monday.