The tattoo parlors are among the big Apple companies to go live again on Monday under Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan, and the coronavirus is already a coveted design.
“I had a group of nurses and doctors, who were in town to help me, sending me an email asking about a [COVID-related] group tattoo, ” said Paul Paz, deputy director of Bang Bang Tattoo shops in Lower Manhattan, on Sunday.
Another client also sent an email asking for a tattoo of “COVID, the virus, the actual virus image,” he said.
In addition to the tattoo parlors, the nail and tan salons and spas in the Big Apple can start again in Phase 3, and people can also officially start playing some outdoor sports.
Paz said her business is trying to figure out how to work through a backlog of appointments that were canceled due to closure.
“We still have two and a half months of appointments to reschedule. They put a deposit, they have priority, ” he said. “Once they are contacted, we will begin to accept new clients.”
NYC Tan, near Willowbrook Park on Staten Island, said its clients are also set to knock down its doors, with at least six appointments already scheduled for Monday.
“We have face shields, we have masks, we have temperature guns,” owner John Carandola told The Post. “The front door remains closed and we will take temperatures at the entrance.”
Mark Harada, the owner of the New York Hardcore Tattoo at SoHo in Manhattan, said he was busy trying to reorganize his small, long, narrow place on Stanton Street to ensure adequate social distancing.
He said the artist who works on Monday already has three appointments.
“The biggest change is not having to go without an appointment,” Harada said. “We will really have one person working with a client at the same time. Friends are not allowed.
But other stores expected a slower return to business, as usual.
“A lot of people are not in the city. People are afraid ” of contracting the virus, Kim Dong, manager of Aria Body Piercing in East Village, told The Post.
Harada acknowledged that he is “cautiously optimistic” about the reopening.
“We could be a vector for the disease, so we must be very careful. We do not want to be closed again, ” said the owner of the store, referring to the closure of the entire city that took effect in March amid the pandemic.
“I am skeptical about how safe we could be, as I am skeptical about the reopening of restaurants and bars.”
Food in indoor restaurants would generally be allowed according to state Phase 3 guidelines, but Governor Andrew Cuomo rejected it for New York City amid fears of rising virus numbers in other states and the lack of it. of social distancing in the Big Apple outside of places like bars.
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