# Things are opening up. What personal service are you comfortable to try to get? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [May 19, 2020, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087 "2020-05-19T06:08:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/101 "2020-06-14T20:19:05Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > You joke, but I genuinely don’t. Even if it’s just a figure of speech rather than like those idiot protesters, I don’t get why it’s such a priority for so many people, like it’s something they’ve been itching to do but couldn’t while in quarantine. > > I’m not saying it’s wrong to want a haircut, and, if it’s safe enough in your neck of the woods, go ahead. But I don’t get the emphasis people put on it. Actually, I do not joke. I get mine cut twice a year, and the only reason I do it that often is because my wife insists. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > I don’t get this. Are some people’s beards just hard for them to do their own trimming at home? I’ve had a beard for 27 years, and have done my own beard-trimming the whole time; no barber or hair stylist has ever touched it. Comb, scissors, mirror - nothing to it, at least in my case. > > ETA: If it makes any difference, I have a full beard and mustache; I shave my neck, but that’s all. Can’t get it symmetrical. Besides, the reason I have a beard is because after 21 years in the Navy, I don’t want to waste more time shaving (and trimming it is worse). So I have the barber trim it twice a year, when she cuts my hair. Only thing I do in between is trim the moustache a few times to keep it out of my coffee. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/102 "2020-06-15T00:54:45Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > In another week, nail places can re-open in California. Seems safer than a bar, to me, and bars got the nod earlier. Wait… bars can open in Cali? When did this happen? Do you have a link I could check out? ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/103 "2020-06-15T01:43:30Z")
Sorry to tell you this, but the Bay Area is still restricting reopenings tighter than other areas. > **[California Reopening Gyms, Bars and Movie Theaters – But Not So Fast, Bay Area...](https://www.kqed.org/news/11823854/california-reopening-bars-gyms-movie-theaters-friday-but-not-so-fast-bay-area)** > > Residents of Solano, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco and more: check your county's reopening schedule here. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/104 "2020-06-15T04:24:14Z")
I got my hair cut today. They aren’t doing shampoos, although they did wet my hair with a spray bottle and blew it dry, and I had to wear a mask except when they were cutting around my ears. I got my last haircut just before the shutdown, although I certainly hadn’t anticipated beauty and barber shops being included at the time. The beautician I had that day must have, however, because she nearly gave me a crew cut, something I initially wasn’t very happy about but now I’m grateful, because it didn’t get TOO unruly. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/105 "2020-06-15T11:30:25Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I am going to bravely take a walk with my stepdaughter through her neighborhood this weekend. Masked. I haven’t seen her since March. What a world. We visited my daughter (a nurse) and her fiancé (an MD) yesterday. It was the perfect situation. They used to live 2 hours away, but they bought a house and moved only an hours drive away. Last week they both were tested (negative) and they took a weeks vacation time to settle into the new house. Our visit accentuated safety; we stayed 6 feet apart and dined outdoors in their new yard. It was so cool seeing them that I didn’t really miss the hugs that would have normally happened. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/106 "2020-06-15T12:19:36Z")
I had a massage last week. Haircut this week. I think people weigh the risks. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/107 "2020-06-15T12:37:08Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Can’t get it symmetrical. Yeah, that would be key. There’s no way to make an asymmetrical beard look good. > [@](#): > > Besides, the reason I have a beard is because after 21 years in the Navy, I don’t want to waste more time shaving I’m with you there. I don’t miss shaving one bit. Shaving my neck takes maybe 30 seconds, so I barely notice it in my morning routine. > [@](#): > > (and trimming it is worse). There’s where it’s different for me. Even when I wanted my beard to look neat enough to be officeworthy every weekday, I still only needed to trim it once every 4-5 days, and that only takes me maybe 4-5 minutes, which is less time than shaving used to take me every single day. > [@](#): > > So I have the barber trim it twice a year, when she cuts my hair. Now this is the confusing part. If your beard only needs trimming twice a year, how was it taking you more time than shaving would? OTOH, if it only needs trimming twice a year when done by your barber, it makes total sense to let your barber do it for you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/108 "2020-06-15T12:39:43Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > I had a massage last week. Haircut this week. I think people weigh the risks. Are you getting a tattoo next week? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/109 "2020-06-16T06:54:33Z")
Today I had the most contact with people I’ve had in over 3 months. We are finally starting the sale of my mother’s house (she died in February). When I arrived at the house, my brother and his wife were inside. I haven’t seen them since mid-March. I told them I would not come in. When the realtor arrived, I asked if she had a mask and she had to go back to her car to get it. Really, you meet with people without a mask? She and my brother walked through the house and made plans. After my brother and his wife left, she sat with me outside (both wearing masks) to go over things. Next up was an electrician to replace the thermostat for the heating system. I met him outside. I had on my mask. He didn’t even have a mask. Someone who spends his entire day working in people’s homes. I wasn’t planning to go inside with him anyway but damn. After he left, I had to go in to turn out the lights, wore my mask and held my breath until I could get back outside. And before someone asks, I can’t complain to his boss, he IS the boss. These experiences have not made me any more comfortable about engaging with people at all. These are people who spend their days with strangers and they didn’t seem very concerned about safety, theirs or mine. I realize this is different than going to a business that is following rules but, unfortunately, these are the kind of interactions I’m going to have to have to get this house sold. But at least now I’m aware that people really aren’t taking this seriously and I’m going to have to make sure anyone I hire is going to follow safety procedures. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/110 "2020-06-16T11:19:28Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Are you getting a tattoo next week? 😃 As a matter of fact…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/111 "2020-06-16T14:30:45Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > If your beard only needs trimming twice a year, how was it taking you more time than shaving would? I didn’t say it _needs_ trimming twice a year – I said it _gets_ trimmed twice a year. And again, if I tried trimming it, symmetry would be a problem. How often it needs trimming depends on whom you ask. I’m sure my wife thinks it needs trimming much more often than that, whereas I would be qute happy doing it only once a year. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/112 "2020-06-16T14:41:26Z")
What the heck? Tried editing the above, but hitting "Save’ half a dozen times didn’t do anything. Here’s the attempted edit: And again, if I tried trimming it, there’s the problem of symmetry. So it would be snip a bit on the right … snip a bit on the left … oops, too much … snip a bit more on the right to make it even … oops, too much again… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/113 "2020-06-17T12:41:43Z")
Anyway, if you’re good with having it trimmed only once or twice a year, I agree that it makes sense to let your barber do it. (If your wife would like it trimmed more often, I’ll leave that between you and her. :D) While I was still showing up at an office every weekday, I was trimming mine every 3-5 days, which was way too often to have my hairstylist do it. I’m trimming it maybe once a week now, and only then because it looks really raggedy if I don’t. So I trim the outliers, and leave it at that. That seems to suffice. :)) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/114 "2020-06-17T18:16:56Z")
Ohio has been doing it’s roll out since May 1st. I still won’t get my haircut (my wife and I attack my head every few weeks,) I am still not comfortable with getting my teeth cleaned and I may just wait until October when it will have been a year since my last cleaning. I pucker at the thought of my gaping maw catching little virus particles for half an hour :eek:. I’m pretty fastidious about keeping my chiclets brushed and flossed and I eat a ketogenic diet so I feel confident my oral health is pretty good right now. I just don’t feel it’s worth the risk to go to a restaurant at this time even though I would love to gather with family and friends at our old haunts. My family’s huge Independence day party is, at this point, postponed until labor day and may be cancelled if things are still pretty rough with cases. The only thing I’ve done that I didn’t/couldn’t do during the lockdown is follow up on some medical testing…two tests down and two more to go. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/115 "2020-06-17T18:19:00Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > As a matter of fact…🙂 That’s one thing I would actually feel safe doing since here in Ohio tattoo shops are regulated pretty strictly by the Ohio Department of Health and they already took incredible safety measures _before_ Covid. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/116 "2020-06-17T18:32:03Z")
My girlfriend wants to fly over and visit me in Texas this weekend. I’m still mentally paralyzed on whether this is a good idea or not. I’d enjoy her company, of course, but don’t want either of us to get infected. She wants me to make a decision tonight or tomorrow as to whether she should buy the plane tickets. I am at work now and have been mentally weighing the pros and cons over and over again. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/117 "2020-06-17T21:25:43Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > My girlfriend wants to fly over and visit me in Texas this weekend. I’m still mentally paralyzed on whether this is a good idea or not. I’d enjoy her company, of course, but don’t want either of us to get infected. She wants me to make a decision tonight or tomorrow as to whether she should buy the plane tickets. I am at work now and have been mentally weighing the pros and cons over and over again. You didn’t ask for an opinion, but I would not get on a plane right now to or from Texas (she will have to go back, after all). And I’m already IN Texas. We’ve just had a huge spike in cases. Update on me: I had put off my annual mammogram, which was due in March. I’m at the end of five years post-lumpectomy, so five years is a milestone. Went to have it yesterday. Bad news: I have to have a biopsy next week on the non-cancer side. I’m not going to put that off but rats. I’ve been taking Arimidex faithfully for the whole five years (minus one month) so I have reason to feel optimistic. The radiologist said there had been a slight change in an area of calcification since my mammogram last year. I’m glad he’s being cautious. But rats. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/118 "2020-06-18T15:05:41Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Update on me: I had put off my annual mammogram, which was due in March. I’m at the end of five years post-lumpectomy, so five years is a milestone. Went to have it yesterday. Bad news: I have to have a biopsy next week on the non-cancer side. I’m not going to put that off but rats. I’ve been taking Arimidex faithfully for the whole five years (minus one month) so I have reason to feel optimistic. The radiologist said there had been a slight change in an area of calcification since my mammogram last year. I’m glad he’s being cautious. But rats. Sorry to hear about that, ThelmaLou - even if the biopsy comes back negative re cancer (knock on wood), it’s still no fun to have to get the biopsy. And spending the next several days worrying about the outcome is not exactly fun either. Sending good vibes in your general direction. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/119 "2020-06-18T15:13:50Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Sorry to hear about that, ThelmaLou - even if the biopsy comes back negative re cancer (knock on wood), it’s still no fun to have to get the biopsy. And spending the next several days worrying about the outcome is not exactly fun either. > > Sending good vibes in your general direction. Thank you so much. 🙂 I appreciate the good wishes. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/120 "2020-06-18T18:39:25Z")
Please keep us in the loop. I’m sorry–additional testing bites even if one wants it on the basis of exams. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087.md?page=7)