Covid vaccine has made a difference, showed day one of the reopening of salons and gyms in Calcutta.

Despite the gloomy weather and rains, most gyms and salons were busy on Thursday.

People, most of whom had at least taken one Covid-19 jab, shrugged off the hesitancy that was there a year ago and visited their favourite places after two months.

One of them was Soumya Basu, 29, a New Alipore resident who dropped in for a haircut at the Eye Catchers salon at South City Mall.

"I have taken both the shots. Covid is not going to disappear overnight. There is no point in living in perpetual fear," said Basu, a central government employee.

Inside the store, Muskan Ali, the manager, kept answering a phone every now and then. The callers sought appointments.

"The response has been very good. Several people who wanted a slot today had to be booked tomorrow or day after because of the 50 per cent cap on visitors," said Ali.

Trisha Chatterjee, a beautician at the salon, said sitting at home for two months was "terrible". "We had been getting a partial salary. But the anxiety of an uncertain future was very much there," said Chatterjee, who lives in Howrah's Shibpur with her parents. Her father is a retired state government employee. Along with his pension, Trisha's income is crucial for the family.

When salons reopened after two months in the middle of May 2020, many patrons hesitated to visit their favourite outlets. The unavoidable physical contact with stylists made people think twice before visiting salons and parlours.

But the availability of vaccines seems to have changed that perception. "Premium salons are maintaining all the Covid-19 norms. Their staff are vaccinated. So am I," Bhaswati De, a Dhakuria resident, told Metro outside AN John in Park Street. She got her hair smoothened inside.

Moumita Panda, the manager of the store, said they started getting flooded with calls and online bookings since the announcement of the relaxations on Monday. Till 4pm, the salon had catered to 25 customers.

Salons have to operate between 11am and 6pm.

Julie Chung, the business head of the Eye Catchers chain, which has six outlets in Calcutta, said the last two months had been very taxing. "We tried our best to help our staff to tide over the crisis. But since this is a service industry, their income is dependent on tip and commissions. That had stopped completely," said Chung.

Day One at gyms was also reasonably busy, albeit not as much as it was at salons and parlours. The gym owners were bleeding because of the prolonged shutdown and several gyms in the city have shut down for good.

But for those who reopened on Thursday, the number of visitors was a ray of hope.

"In the morning slot, there were around 15 people at the gym in Dum Dum. I had not expected so many people," said Rupam Sinha, the owner of the Physiomax chain, with gyms in Salt Lake and Dum Dum.

Monday's notification has allotted two slots for gyms - 6am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm.

Sinha's assessment was that a gym session was a stressbuster for many. "They don't need a drink to have a sound sleep. An hour of solid workout is enough for that. The mental toll that the pandemic has taken on people has prompted many to bank on workout sessions more than ever," he said.

Kronos, a gym on Sarat Bose Road, had five young men working out around 4.40pm on Thursday under the watchful eyes of Chinmoy Roy, a former strength and conditioning coach of the BCCI and the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

Roy said the cash crunch created by the pandemic had dwindled the membership at several gyms, including his.

"People are better off because of the vaccine but financially, their condition has worsened. Members are demanding that their membership fee for May and June is adjusted because the gyms were shut. Despite our empty coffers because of rent and other fixed costs, we are having to give them what they want," said Roy.

Addlife gym on Camac Street was also busy throughout the day. "We have been constantly getting calls since Monday from members," said Minu Budhia, the director of the Addlife.