Barbershop lgbtq friendly
If you’re trying to liven up your look and are craving some beauty products that are a bit more unique than what you’ll find at CVS, or a salon that supplies cutting edge hairstyles, consider visiting some of these specialty shops and salons around town. From wigs to waxing, these salons, boutiques, and brands are everything you didn’t even know you needed (and are Gay friendly, as well).
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photo via facebook
Scissor Sisters Salon & Spa
6535 N Lamar Blvd
Scissor Sisters takes pride in being the queerest salon in Austin, specializing in vivids, balayage, gender-affirming, and transformational cuts. At their salon, you'll find a welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds, ensuring an empowering experience tailored uniquely to you. Not only are they among the top salons in Austin, but they also offer spa treatments, including waxing, lash tints and lifts, and brow tints and lamination. You can see all of services Scissor Sisters' has to offer as well as book your appointment here.
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photo via instagram
Coco Coquette
2109 E Cesar Chavez
Whether you're dropping by the sh
In January, Ayesha opened the coffee shop and barbershop, properly called Stokelys Café & Social Dwelling, named after the staunch Trinidadian-American Dark Panther activist Stokely Carmicheal, after she decided to combine her passion for cutting hair and her need to create a protected space for LGBT folks.
Ayesha’s journey to opening this magical hodgepodge place was unconventional. Before owning Stokelys, she helmed Ninth Chapter Barbershop, operated by an all-black queer female staff. In a field notoriously oppressed by men, a place like Ninth Chapter, which opened in 2013, was a rarity.
Before Ninth Chapter, Ayesha experienced some of the pitfalls that I’ve experienced as a queer person going to barbershops. “I worked in an all-male barbershop in the city,” she says. “A fantastic group of guys, but I still ran into the same issues, fancy homophobia and my gay clients creature marginalized. When I decided to go, I started at a single shop with a available chair, and then it just grew from there.”
Unfortunately, Ayesha was forced to temporarily close Ninth Chapter Barbershop after a freak accident that left the space destroyed. But Ayesha still saw the need for a place appreciate Stokely’s
This story was republished with permission from The Buckeye Flame
Getting the right haircut doesn’t just mean finding a style that suits you; it also means finding a barbershop where you can feel easy and have a sense of belonging.
At LGBTQ+-owned Barbercult and LGBTQ+-friendly Black Kitten Barbershop — both in Cleveland, Ohio — getting a haircut also means being a part of an environment that is heated and inclusive to every patron who sits in those swiveling chairs.
The Buckeye Flame reached out to Barbercult’s owner Ariana Perez, and Inky Cat’s co-owner Patrick Corrigan, to grasp how these two shops create “vibes” that convey a feeling that everyone is welcome from the moment they walk through the door to that inevitable gram-worthy pic with their fresh new fade.
What does identifying as an LGBTQ+-friendly shop signify to you?
Perez: An Queer barbershop is identified to me as a safe place where a barber can work and a client can be served. As an LGBTQ+ barber, it’s important to find an environment and people you feel comfortable operational with.
Corrigan: Identifying a Diverse friendly shop really stems from the culture they exhibit. In most cases
Seeking to address fears inside salons, queer barbers build their own spaces
As a licensed barber, Addison Mees considers an appointment for a haircut as an act of self look after. The owner of HEADCRAFT studio in Chandler, Mees opened the space in November as a haven of inclusivity that encourages clients to “Come as you are. Leave with great hair.”
He designed the studio with that energy by intention, offering a safe space for everyone, and primarily focused on the LGBTQ+ community. A space where gender and sexual identities—and hairstyles that express individuality—aren’t judged or assumed, but rather embraced.
He’s also attempting to generate an inclusive and affirming space for those who may be neurodivergent, introverted, and those who navigate and manage a mental illness. The name of the studio itself is actually a nod to the intersection of hair, identity and mental health, Mees said.
More than anything, Mees' shop is a departure from tradition – of the run-of-the-mill businesses catering to cisgendered people or those not within the LGBTQ+ community. Businesses that can be social minefields for people who live a queer experience..
“There’s a lot of t