T-R FILE PHOTO - Shawn Hovel, right, and his mother Bonnie Gaskill, pose in front of 19 Salon & Spa in Marshalltown.

Salon owner Shawn Hovel said they’ve been “busier than ever” since reopening on May 14.

“Our first 2 weeks (back) were like record weeks for the salon and we’ve been open since 1970,” he said.

Hovel owns 19 Salon and Spa in Marshalltown, which offers services in hair, nails, massage therapy, waxing, and more. When asked if any services have been less busy than others, Hovel said that all the services in the salon had seen a huge increase.

Hovel believes this increase was originally in part due to customers wanting to return to these services after the months without them. He also said that he’s been getting more customers, which he attributed to his salon’s good ratings as well as smaller salons in town going out of business because of COVID-19.

In Estherville, Iowa, salon co-owner Kara Hatland has also seen new clientele, and said they have been “swamped.”

Hatland, who owns Envy Salon, said that people from Minnesota came in to get haircuts in May. Envy Salon reopened on May 18, prior to when Minnesota salons were allowed to reopen, and the northern Iowa city is close to the border.

The website for 19 Salon and Spa is: https://www.bestprosintown.com/ia/marshalltown/19-salon-and-spa-/