Rantz: Jay Inslee got a coronavirus haircut during stay-at-home order

Governor Jay Inslee got a coronavirus haircut during the stay-at-home order he instituted through May 4. But he didn’t go to a barbershop. He actually didn’t even leave his home.

Over the last several days, I’ve received an unusual number of questions about Inslee receiving a haircut when we’re not supposed to leave the home. What’s more, barbershops and salons have been deemed “non-essential” and ordered closed.

Yet Inslee appears to have received a professional haircut. So what gives? Is he violating his own order?

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Coronavirus haircut violation? Nope.

You’re right to have noticed Inslee’s hair hasn’t been growing as disheveled as we’ve all personally experienced. The Governor’s office confirms his wife actually cut his hair this past weekend.

“Mrs. Trudi Inslee has given him a trim at home, only. She tells me she did it on Sunday on their porch,” a spokesperson for Inslee’s office confirmed to the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.

Using a pair of barbershop-quality scissors, Mrs. Inslee gave her husband a trim while listening to “Easter Parade” by Bing Crosby, which is admittedly and begrudgingly adorable. His office tells me Mrs. Inslee provides “occasional hair cuts for him.”

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A reminder on barbers and salons

As Inslee gets a trim, my hair is becoming unmanageable because barbershops are closed. And I definitely don’t trust anyone — or myself — for a coronavirus haircut.

Under Inslee’s order, these businesses are deemed non-essential, which came as a bit of a surprise to some barbershops and stylists since they’re generally a very cleanly business.

“I didn’t actually anticipate [a closure] at all, considering in order to obtain a license in Washington state, you have to go over sanitation and the spread of disease, that’s actually one of the biggest parts of doing hair,” barber Collin Anthony told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “They actually care about that in school more, almost more, than if you could actually do hair.”

Collin owns Valiant Barber and Supply in Lower Queen Anne, the barbershop I’m loyal to (shout out to Tyler, my barber). But without being able to operate, they’re suffering like many other local businesses.

“In our shop, it’s a booth rental, so all the people that work there are independent contractors,” Anthony said.

That means if they’re not cutting hair, they’re not making money. If they’re not making money, they can’t pay rent, which then trickles down to Anthony, who pays rent on the building and the space.

Staying positive

In Newcastle, Standing on Top Barber owner Mike Daniels is feeling the pressure of being ordered closed, but is doing what he can to stay positive.

“I think it’s kind of sobering because never in the history, in my lifetime, have I’ve heard of such things like this,” Daniels told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “So putting our culture of barbershop industry in this kind of position is unique to everyone, and it’s a shock to anyone’s system.”

Jason Rantz Show producer Payton Berens is a loyal customer to Standing on Top Barber. And before you ask, yes, this show unit has the best-cut hair in the industry.

“I try to eliminate the fears by pivoting into what can I gain out of this situation?” Daniels noted. “So, for me and my family, we start doing things around the house. We painted a hallway in a loft yesterday, and you know, talked about yard projects and watching movies. And I’m just trying to get an interest factor versus looking at things you cannot control.”

Listen to the Jason Rantz Show weekday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (or HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow @JasonRantz on Twitter.

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