# 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:** 7
**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, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/121 "2020-06-18T20:59:08Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Please keep us in the loop. I’m sorry–additional testing bites even if one wants it on the basis of exams. Thx. I know you get it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/122 "2020-06-18T21:07:03Z")
Keeping my fingers crossed, **ThelmaLou**! ---
**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, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/123 "2020-06-18T22:21:35Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Keeping my fingers crossed, **ThelmaLou**! Thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/124 "2020-06-22T17:36:52Z")
> [@](#): > > I’d like to go to the gym, I’d like to get my hair cut, I’d like to go to a gig and see live bands again, and I’d like to meet my friends in the pub. But I don’t _need_ to do any of those things, I can survive without. THANK YOU. signed, Everyone who’s at risk Me, I look like a warewolf in a windtunnel. But my stylist has a lot of over-70 customers. If I did get a haircut, I’d lie awake, wondering if I might have passed on a virus… ETA: Prayers with fingers crossed, ThelmaLou. Let’s hope it’s just a cautionary biopsy. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/127 "2020-06-26T15:50:51Z")
I hadn’t had a haircut since February, and while **SCAdian** remains a handsome fellow with more length, I do not. It’s just way too thin But there’s no way in hell I’m setting foot in a barber shop any time soon. My wife (“You look like a zero-fucks-given professor who got tenure in the 70s”) ordered clippers and sheared me yesterday. I’m sure it’s not perfect, but it’s better than it was before. The beard I handle on my own. Mostly by ignoring it and allowing it to become enormous. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/128 "2020-07-01T23:04:57Z")
I’d feel comfortable with many services. However, masking may be appropriate when social distancing is impractical. With masks, haircuts and dentistry would not concern me. Because many gym goers are relatively fit or younger than me, I would be okay with ample cleaning supplies available. My area has been responsible and does not have many cases. Schools and sitting indoors in bars and restaurants are not yet functional here. I’d be okay with these, but not in an unplanned way. (Continued testing, tracking, taking names for contact tracing and contingency planning). ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/129 "2020-07-14T21:17:20Z")
I’d argue with you on the gym: if you’re exercising, you’re breathing more heavily - and if you’re contagious, those droplets can go a lot farther. If you’re wearing a mask, it’s harder to breathe - so I suspect compliance will not be all that good. > **[Here's Why COVID-19 Can Spread So Easily at Gyms and Fitness Classes](https://www.healthline.com/health-news/heres-why-covid-19-can-spread-so-easily-at-gyms-and-fitness-classes#Heres-how-COVID-19-can-spread-at-the-gym)** > > People are antsy to get back to their normal exercise routines, but many are left wondering how risky going to a gym is right now. Early evidence shows COVID-19 can spread readily in confined spaces where people are rigorously working out. > **[I Miss the Gym Like Hell, but I'm Not Going Back Anytime Soon](https://www.vice.com/en/article/bv88dw/missing-going-to-gym-coronavirus)** > > In a choice between working out in a heavy-breathing crowd where everyone’s mask is dangling from one ear and working out at home: Good equipment is not worth people’s lives. We’re basically skipping all “personal services” with the exception of necessary medical stuff. My hair was overdue for a cut before this all started; I will go even longer. My husband’s hair is getting rather crazed-professor-ish. Our housemate has offered to trim it but he hasn’t taken her up on it - yet. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/130 "2020-07-14T22:17:11Z")
I wouldn’t expect others to have the same comfort levels I do. Gyms have lots of surfaces and heavy breathers, so are higher risk than some spaces. My region is limiting gyms to 50 people and enforcing social distancing, which folks in my region generally take seriously. Cleaning standards will be improved. For that reason, we have relatively few COVID deaths and active cases. They may climb locally after things open up, but did not after restaurants were allowed to offer table patio service and haircuts (with masking) were permitted. I think it is good to be cautious, and too much caution has its problems too (but beats recklessness). ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/131 "2020-07-15T14:19:49Z")
I got a desperately needed pedicure on Monday. Due to my weight and knee issues it’s very difficult for me to keep my toenails properly trimmed, so on the advice of a friend I had gone to a nail salon last December. I was due for another one just as the salons were shut down, so I was glad to be able to get it done. The salon was definitely set up to ensure social distancing and all the employees wee masked. I had to wash my hands when I got there, and the woman who did my feet wore gloves. Now I need to find a place I can get a haircut. ---
**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:** [July 15, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/132 "2020-07-15T18:45:00Z")
I’m thinking about getting clippers and giving myself a 1/4" buzz cut. ---
**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:** [July 16, 2020, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/133 "2020-07-16T12:11:41Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I’m thinking about getting clippers and giving myself a 1/4" buzz cut Worst case scenario, it’ll grow back. I got fed up with my hair/beard a few months back, so I started playing with my clippers. I had no idea what I was doing, so I ended up giving up and shaving all my hair to the skin, basically a do-over. Then it grew back. So, last weekend I watched hours of YouTube videos about cutting your own hair. I could probably get my cosmetology license now. I gave myself a proper fade, impressing the hell out of everyone. I will never again have someone else cut my hair. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2020, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/134 "2020-07-16T14:15:19Z")
I think I’ll be an extreme outlier in this thread. From a _personal risk assessment_ perspective I don’t fear getting the virus. Do I want to get it? Of course not, but I’m not afraid of it either. If that were the only consideration, I’d be pretty much ready to go back to normal. However, I’m not a sociopath and recognize that there are people that have very valid fear of contracting this virus (including from me). As such, I still haven’t gotten a haircut, eaten in a restaurant, or resumed my normal physical activities. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2020, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/135 "2020-07-18T00:03:42Z")
Well, I finally got my hair cut on Monday, just over four months since my previous haircut. But I did it the way I may have mentioned earlier in the thread: I bribed the woman who cuts our hair to come over and cut the hair of all three of us, sitting out on our back deck. Feels good to have my normal hair back. **ThelmaLou** - how’d things go with the biopsy? ---
**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:** [July 18, 2020, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/136 "2020-07-18T01:35:43Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > If you’re wearing a mask, it’s harder to breathe I haven’t noticed any trouble breathing with a mask. At cardiac rehab we get blood oxygen checked twice each session – once before starting and then again while exercising. Today it was 98% resting, and was up to 100% twenty minutes into the exercise programme. And I’m sure most people at the gym are in better condition than I am. ---
**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:** [July 18, 2020, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/137 "2020-07-18T01:41:00Z")
Normally I would have gotten my hair cut and my beard trimmed during the week after Easter. I suppose I should swing by the base tomorrow to see if the barber shop is open yet. ---
**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:** [July 18, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/138 "2020-07-18T02:36:24Z")
On the other hand, it’s less than two months until my next haircut is due (right after Labour Day), so I might as well just wait until then… ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2020, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/139 "2020-07-19T01:40:16Z")
Here gyms opened yesterday. They limit it to 50 people for hour sessions, and clean between sessions. Most folks wear masks. You have to wipe equipment down before and after use. I was surprised at how much availability there still was - expected it to be very busy. Not yet. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/140 "2020-07-22T03:18:07Z")
My in-laws proudly announced that they had gone for haircuts today. I gather masks were worn but they aren’t 100% effective. And this is a pair of 80+ people, not in the best of health, in **southern Florida**. They don’t drive so they had to take the community bus. My father-in-law has so many comorbidities, we can’t decide whether he’ll keel over if he inhales a single partial virus particle - or shrug it off with nary a sniffle because hell, nothing ELSE has managed to kill him yet. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/141 "2020-07-23T03:01:10Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > My in-laws proudly announced that they had gone for haircuts today. I gather masks were worn but they aren’t 100% effective. Actually…they can be. There’s a case of two hairdressers in Missouri who were symptomatic but still working. Between the two of them, they saw 140 clients and 7 co-workers. Nobody acquired the disease from them. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087/142 "2020-07-23T14:57:02Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Me, I look like a warewolf in a windtunnel. But my stylist has a lot of over-70 customers. If I did get a haircut, I’d lie awake, wondering if I might have passed on a virus… Well, I did it. I got tested, heard I was negative (within 24 hours!) and put myself in solitary confinement til I could get a haircut. My hospital-workin’ wife had said the real danger is 15 minutes or more in an enclosed space, and lo and behold the salon owner said she was limiting cuts to twelve minutes “so no scalp massages, and minimal chit-chat.” She trimmed off my bushy beard, too. Said she was doing a lot of that. My masks don’t slip around as much now, and according to my wife, I now look less hetero. (I’m taking that as a compliment!) … BTW, I took one look inside my gym and my immediate thought was “Petri dish!” I get the same vibe at my favorite bar, the problem is clueless customers. MLB opening day, and I can’t watch it at the ol’ watering hole … 😱 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-are-opening-up-what-personal-service-are-you-comfortable-to-try-to-get/854087.md?page=8)