barbers hair salons opening toronto

This is when barber shops and hair salons are opening in Toronto

When barbers and hair salons start opening in Toronto we'll all be breathing a sigh of relief. We've had to contend with shaggy 'dos and bad at-home haircuts for far too long, and the return of personal care services will bring some civility back to our neglected bods.

We found out this week that Toronto will be striding into Step 1 of Ontario's Roadmap to Reopen this Friday on June 11, three days earlier than the projected date of June 14. While barbers and personal care services aren't included in the upcoming step, they're on track to return soon.

Nite Owl Barber Shop proprietor Brian Hurson describes the attitude of his staff towards reopening as "stoic."

"I've had an 'I'll believe it when I see it' attitude when it comes to re-opening. So I've managed to avoid the rollercoaster of emotions of anticipating and then having hopes dashed," Hurson tells blogTO.

"I've been a barber for a couple decades, I grew up in a different country, and Canada is a great country. We're not perfect here, but the supports are there. And we will be OK."

However, if your bangs are in your eyes and you're tired of them coming out crooked when you trim them yourself, some barbers are offering outdoor haircuts in Toronto.

"I have lovely customers and they were all very excited the moment they found out about my kind of VIP services and outdoor haircuts/highlight/colours and I felt great to be there and assist them with that," says Benham Takloo, a self-described "hair surgeon" who has been giving outdoor cuts.

"Now with the city opening soon and vaccines rollouts rapidly increasing it's pretty exciting," he says. "I have a great clientele that I love and feel loyal to, and now there will be more room for more opportunities, and to expand the business and provide a wider range of hair and beauty services."

Step 1 allows outdoor gatherings up to 10 people, outdoor dining, outdoor fitness classes, non-essential retail and camping.

Entering Step 1 was based on 60 per cent of Ontario adults receiving their first dose of the vaccine and public health indicators like ICU occupancy, case rates, new admissions and hospitalizations.

Step 1 will last for at least 21 days. If by then 70 per cent of Ontario adults have their first dose and 20 per cent have their second, and public health indicators are trending positively, we'll move to Step 2 on July 2.

Step 2 will allow for the expansion of outdoor activities and resuming limited indoor activities with restrictions in place, including getting a fresh cut at the barber.

Along with personal care services, Step 2 allows outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people, indoor gatherings of up to 5 people, outdoor cinemas and performing arts and amusement parks.

Lead photo by

Hector Vasquez


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