Sudbury hair salon owner promises privacy, accommodation for all

Hair for thought: it's not easy or pleasant for everyone to get a haircut.

A new salon owner in Greater Sudbury is trying to address that.

Sabrina Byrnes, owner of Alchemy on Lorne, said she works with a wide variety of people for whom absolute privacy is needed.

"[Like] someone whose religion doesn't allow them to undrape around male guests," she said, "or if we have a cancer patient [wearing a wig] that needs her natural hair cut and doesn't want to have that awkward moment in the salon ... we can book accordingly and separate the space."

Byrnes' salon is designed to be split up: two hairdressing chairs are separated from another three chairs by a sliding door.

Thatmeans if need be, two men can sit on one side of the salon, chatting and having barbering services done, while on the other side, a Muslim woman might be having her hair done in private or someone else might bein a very different head space altogether.

For example, Byrnes said she will shut off the lights or turn off the music for people living with sensory issues.

She also thinks about grieving clients.

"We have had people who've had to go to funerals," said Byrnes."So we would just ... keep them separate, in more of a small, private space so that there can be some reverence there."

Byrnes said that past experiences as a hairdresser made her stop and think about salon accessibility.

"There was one place I worked at where we were trying to accommodate a Muslim guest," she said. "I ended up doing her hair in the stock room ... and then it was a big deal to try to get her to the sink."

In another instance, Byrnes said she had a grieving mother in her chair in the middle of a crowdedsalon.

"[Her] son had been killed by a drunk driver. There were, like, ten chairs at that salon, so you're surrounded by people... you feel like you're on display."

Byrnes said no one who comes to her salon will ever have to feel that way.

"It's a $300 door," she said."It's not a big deal. But it's a big deal to them."