Throughout the pandemic, access to personal care services has seen its ups and downs. From the early days of the lockdown to today, comfort making an appointment at a salon, spa, or similar business has continued to evolve.
To understand the current sentiment towards in-person services, CivicScience asked more than 3,500 U.S. adults about their comfort returning to these appointments.
As the data show, 60% of respondents are comfortable getting a haircut now, or anticipate being comfortable doing so in the next 2 to 3 weeks. Amongst a variety of personal care services, including waxing, manicures, and facials, haircuts have garnered the strongest comfort.
At the bottom of the list are facials, with just 36% of U.S. adults indicating they are currently comfortable with booking an appointment for this type of service. Waxing and manicures are relatively tied, with 52% and 50%, respectively, expressing comfort in returning to these services.
Breaking comfort levels down by gender reveals a pattern consistent with ongoing CivicScience reporting: women are generally more hesitant and cautious than men about the pandemic.
When it comes to haircuts, 56% of women are ready to get their hair cut (or will be in the next 2-3 weeks), while 64% of men say the same.
When it comes to facials and massages, there is, once again, a sizable gap between women’s and men’s comfort levels. Thirty-three percent of women are ready to return to these types of appointments, while 42% of men say the same.
Given the fact that the data did not show men using waxing or nail services at a very high rate, we’ve taken a look at comfort level for these services just amongst women.
While 50% of women are ready to return to waxing, 47% are ready for a manicure or pedicure.
Almost three-quarters of people big on pampering themselves with a trip to the salon or spa are comfortable getting hair cuts and colorings in three weeks or less. People who typically splurge on designer products show greater hesitancy to return to the barber for four months or more.
While women generally fall below the general population in comfort with activities during the pandemic, there is one instance where this is not the case. Among women who splurge on themselves from time to time, those that typically do so with a shopping spree are one percentage point higher than the gen pop for comfort getting a haircut or color now. Men who choose to splurge on clothing fall below the gen pop in comfort getting a haircut or color now.
When it comes to personal care, U.S. adults are the most comfortable with haircuts, an arguably gender-neutral service. And with men making up the strongest number of those comfortable returning to haircuts and facials ASAP, there’s a good chance that men’s personal grooming could be making a pandemic comeback.
