California gives green light to tattoo parlors, nail salons and massage studios to resume indoor operations

Santa Rosa tattoo artist Brandon Bartholomew’s blue 1947 Plymouth Coupe once again sits outside True Till Death Tattoo & Piercing where he works on Santa Rosa Avenue.

On Thursday afternoon, he was back drawing artwork on customers, after state public health officials this week finally lifted restrictions that had for months blocked tattoo shops, nail salons, massage studios and certain types of personal care services businesses from operating indoors.

Since mid-March at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Bartholomew, who also has a 1953 Ford, has been living on savings and his wife’s modest income.

"I’m just glad I didn’t have to sell any of my cars. In the last eight months, we’ve worked only three weeks,” he said, referring to a period in late June when local health officials briefly lifted emergency pandemic restrictions before state officials reinstated them in July.

This group of the personal care sector now joins hair salons and barbershops that were allowed In late August to resume serving customers inside.

With the go-ahead to restart indoor operations, operators are required to take many public health and safety precautions, including limiting the number of customers inside at once, among other rules.

Dr. Sundari Mase, the county’s health officer, urged personal care businesses to heed all of the public health measures to keep employees and customers safe.

“Be sure to mask up, keep socially distant as much as possible, and wash your hands frequently,” Mase said.

Personal care services operators were idled a second time starting July 13, after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered sweeping closures of indoor dining and drinking at restaurants, wine tasting rooms and brewpubs plus church services inside. Also, movie theaters, museums, gyms, barbershops and hair salons and, family entertainment centers were temporarily shut.

The reinstatement of broad shutdowns came less than two months after much of the county and state had begun to reopen. However, in many parts of California, including Sonoma County, COVID-19 transmission intensified over the summer, prompting closures and the second round of restrictions on businesses and public venues.

In late August, the state introduced a more comprehensive pandemic response with public health officials unveiling a four-stage community reopening plan for the 58 counties. This county remains stuck in the bottom reopening tier because it still has coronavirus spread that’s deemed to be widespread. Each of the other eight Bay Area counties have been advancing under the state’s reopening rules.

Bartholomew said the state and county’s timeline for allowing businesses to reopen often doesn’t make sense to him and sometimes seems arbitrary.

Eli Nylund, a fitness director at a local health club, agreed. Under state rules, gyms still are not allowed to let people exercise indoors in counties like Sonoma, which is still in the most restrictive stage of the state’s reopening regimen.

“I feel like it’s unfair and it doesn’t make sense,” Nylund said. “Retail shopping stores are open; malls are open.”

Nylund said gyms should be allowed to operate indoors at limited capacity, and during a health crisis like this going to a fitness center should be promoted not discouraged.

“Usually if you’re sick you don’t go to the gym,” he said.

At the True Till Death tattoo parlor, Bartholomew spoke proudly about the steps he’s taken to ensure customer safety and sanitation. That includes social distancing, wearing masks, taking temperatures of everyone who walks in, and allowing only one customer per tattoo artist in the shop. As an added precaution, he keeps an anti-microbial air purifier running.

Although Bartholomew was thankful to be working inside again with limitations, he expressed bitterness because it took so long to get clearance. Tattoo shops are required to maintain a high standard of cleanliness and customer safety, including constantly sterilizing equipment, he said.

“I think we’re cleaner than most hospitals,” Bartholomew said. “I feel like we’ve been discriminated against, for sure. There’s nobody in Sacramento lobbying for tattoo shops.”

Jessica Murphy, a Santa Rosa Massage therapist, welcomed the state’s move to allow her to resume indoor massage services. Murphy, who also teaches at the National Holistic Institute on Farmers Lane, said that while outdoor massages were permitted, the weather was less than ideal.

“Between the heat and air quality, I decided to put my private practice on pause and focus on my teaching,” Murphy said.

Murphy, who specializes in deep tissue integrated massage therapy, said she missed her clients and her work.

“I love leaving people better than they were when I met them,” the masseuse said.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.