Fresno's tattoo artists, massage parlors to reopen after 6 months
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The doors at Ink Galleria in east central Fresno are open once again.
Inside, tattoo artist and muralist Omar 'Super' Huerta is preparing for his first client.
"They want to get in here ASAP. They are excited about the news," he said.
This moment has been a long time coming for him and his loyal customers.
"This morning my phone was just blowing up and last night as well," he said.
On Monday, health officials announced Fresno County was moving into the 'red tier', allowing his tattoo parlor and so many other personal care businesses to reopen with modifications.
Customer satisfaction and safety are Super's top priorities.
Capacity has been reduced and social distancing measures have been implemented throughout his shop.
"As soon as they are coming in, if they are not wearing a mask, I am going to provide a mask for them. I am going to have them wash their hands and/ or use hand sanitizer," he said.
At River Park, Hand and Stone Message and Facial Spa is servicing customers for the first time in six months.
"It means everything to finally be open," said owner LeeAnn Prideaux.
Prideaux said this couldn't have come at a more critical time.
Financially she was set back nearly a year.
She was losing hope and on the verge of losing her business.
"We are just a few short weeks away from having to close our doors for good."
Plexiglass partitions now separate employees from customers.
30-minute buffers are set between each visit.
They've also hired a sanitation specialist to clean every room after every use.
"They totally strip the room down. They take all the linens and then they wipe down the entire surface," said Prideaux.
Now that Prideaux and Super are open they want to stay that way.
They're urging the public to do their part so they don't suffer more hardships.
"Let's not get too excited, let's still remember that we need to come back home to our families. Let's still practice social distancing," Super said.
