Hair By Chrissy, The Woman Behind The Infamous Habit Salon, Is Under Fire

Words by Romana Hai

Hair By Chrissy, The Woman Behind The Infamous Influencer Hair Salon, Habit Salon, Is Under Attack
Hair By Chrissy, The Woman Behind The Infamous Influencer Hair Salon, Habit Salon, Is Under Attack

A hair salon, mainly popular amongst influencers, is facing backlash after several reports have emerged that the hair salon’s employees and clients do not wear masks.

According to the company Facebook page, Habit Salon is a hair-styling studio run by owner Chrissy Rasmussen, offering haircuts, hair extensions, color and other things since 1997. Rasmussen often works with mega influencer clients at her original Arizona salon and now at her newly opened location in Los Angeles, California.  

In recent weeks, however, a growing number of social media users have been calling out the salon over the lack of mask wearing requirements for hairstylists and customers as it can be seen in a series of videos shared by the salon.

Videos taken in Habit Salon clearly show hairstylists working without wearing masks

Better known as Hairby_Chrissy on TikTok, Rasmussen often shares clients’ before-and-after videos to more than 1.5 million followers. 

Many of these videos clearly show hairdressers, clients, and others throughout the salon without masks.

Need some visual evidence for reference? Check out this video shared on October 3 from Rasmussen’s account featuring two stylists working with freelance videographer Trevor Caron.

Caron also shared his own video on TikTok, which shows at least 15 people in the salon at the same time that were not wearing any masks.

@trevorxcaron

Work flow 🤪🎥 @hairby_chrissy @mackenzieziegler #fyp #GhostMode #FootlongShuffle

♬ original sound – Trevor Caron

Unfortunately, this did not just start on October 3. Countless videos like this have been shared through the Hairby_Chrissy account throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

This particular video hits differently as it was posted right when COVID-19 peaked in California, again showing hairstylists, clients and visitors all mask free.

As these videos continued to get posted, countless TikTok users have responded to the negligence with satirical clips showing them wear masks incorrectly and pretending to get their hair styled at Habit Salon.

Others have been a bit more proactive and have gone ahead and reported the business for violating California’s mask mandate.

According to California’s COVID-19 website, masks are “required statewide.” To elaborate further, those in the state of California “must cover” their noses and mouths when outside their place of residence.

Why? According to the site,” wearing a mask or cloth face covering can slow the spread of COVID-19 by limiting the release of the virus into the air.”

The brouhaha on TikTok over the salon’s lackadaisical attitude is now also spilling over to Twitter.

But it doesn’t stop there. In fact, if you go over to the company’s Yelp page, recent reviews clearly criticize the location for not enforcing mask rules.

However, it is unclear whether or not the reviewers actually visited the physical location and if the salon has serviced them. The reviews are coming from across the country, despite the fact that Habit Salon is located in Arizona and California. It is important to note that many have been known to fly in from out of state just to be serviced by Rasmussen. For example, mega influencer Emily Ann Gemma has always publicized her trips to see Rasmussen. Gemma currently resides in the state of Oklahoma.

But due to a stream of negative reviews over the company’s Yelp page, Yelp has turned on an “Unusual Activity Alert” pop-up, notifying users of the predicament.

The Infamous Influencer Hair Salon Is Under Attack
Source: Yelp

Habit Salon has taken a seemingly childish approach to acknowledge the backlash on TikTok

While Habit Salon and Rasmussen have not taken the time to address the backlash directly, they have acknowledged the backlash, just not in the manner that most would have hoped or.

For example, a user on Twitter pointed out the comments liked by the Hairby_Chrissy TikTok account, one of them being “I love your mask,” amongst others.

But it didn’t stop there. The Hairby_Chrissy TikTok account then went ahead and posted a video featuring client photos but with the audio being the true highlight. An animated voice can be heard saying, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” 

While numerous videos posted this week continue to show people without masks in the Los Angeles salon, at least one video includes a hairstylist wearing a mask, albeit below her nose. 

The Hairby_Chrissy TikTok and Instagram account both have disabled the comments sections.

The risks that come with not wearing masks

Since restaurants, stores, and various other establishments in which the public can gather, have all found ways to protect its patrons in recent months, there is no reason why a hair salon could not do the same.

According to Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, anyone in “close contact in confined spaces for prolonged periods of time” should be wearing a mask. With prolonged periods being defined as anything more than 15 minutes.

And with potential clients traveling in to be serviced by Habit Salon, the risk of COVID-19 is sure to be greater. “If you travel by car, you’re in control of your environment,” Schaffner said. “But if you’re going by air, train, or other mode of public transportation, that increases the risk.”

But then there are the types of people that Habit Salon tends to service. The salon services people with major influencing power. And with TikTokers like Dixie D’Amelio and YouTuber Rosanna Pansino being featured without a mask, it could send the wrong message to the public.

So, what will be the repercussions of not abiding by California’s mask mandate for Habit Salon? Only time will tell.

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