An ungendered hair service
After careful consideration, we have made a commitment to gender-affirming, safer-space for LGBTQ+ clients. Hair services reflect the length of time and technical difficulty of the haircut and hair style, and won’t be ruled by the gender you identify with.
Joe Orlowski, Founder Stanley & Co Hair says:
“Our team base the pricing on the time it takes to cut and style hair. I think basing haircuts on gender is obsolete and should be dropped.”
Beyond the products we use in our everyday hair care regimen, we want to encourage a gender-inclusive salon. In Australia we are typically more open to adapting to a gender-neutral approach, but few salons have made a significant stand as far as pricing.
We are seeing more men (he/him) trying new things with their hair and women (she/her) are trending toward environmentally friendly and natural ingredient based products, that has increased the demand for healthy, natural looking hair.
Why should short haircuts cost less than long haircuts?
It takes the same amount of time to finish a haircut and style whether you have short, medium or long hair. It can take 15 minutes to cut long hair and 45 minutes to style and blowdry the hair. Whereas it takes a good 40-45 minutes to cut a short to medium style and 15 minutes to style and blow dry. All scenarios lead to 60 minutes. Unless you head into a barber to get a haircut then that’s different.
The same styling equipment is used on all genders at Stanley & Co Hair in Chippendale. Our 60 minute appointments is the amount of time it takes to make sure you leave the salon with the perfect hairstyle. Obviously you’ll need a longer appointment to get your hair coloured and for various treatments.
“I’ve always believed that the hair dressing industry should eliminate gender from their pricing. It’s extremely important because hair and gender are fluid.”
The adoption of gender-neutral pricing brings positive change
Stanley & Co Hair salon in Chippendale, Sydney has made sure we remain inclusive and safe for all clientele. This means that pricing is based on time and we are paid adequately. Timing is based on the technical efforts of the hair cut and not on the length of the hair.
The team is committed to helping individuals feel comfortable in the salon, while ensuring they receive a brilliant haircut.
The impact of gender-neutral pricing
“Gender-neutral pricing is important because equality is important. Why should the price for a traditional male haircut be any different for a female haircut? I think it's mainly because the beauty industry has historically been marketed towards females as luxury. For men, the barber-shop concept was a simple space at a much lower cost.”
At Stanley & Co Hair, we’ve created gender-neutral prices based on the time the haircut and styling takes and it is not about what gender you identify with. We've focused on creating a look that suits you that can be created in 60 minutes, regardless of hair length, texture or gender to ensure equal pricing and equal service.
Gender-Neutral Pricing is uber Important for the Industry
Ninety-three percent of our LGBTQ+ community clients have been misgendered in social situations. Misgendering individuals can contribute to gender dysphoria, giving them the feeling of discomfort or distress who feel mismatched between their biological body and their identity.
Removing gendered pricing helps reduce these feelings of discomfort or distress within individuals. Giving a customer a gender-affirming salon experience can be life-changing for that person.
Is Gender-Neutral Pricing A Smart Business Move?
Absolutely.
Basing our service menu off of time and technique is more convenient for customers because it means they don’t have to come in and see us before booking an appointment. Plus it has widened our client base.
We have opened our doors to be more inclusive of everyone based on the time it takes to do a haircut and hair style or colour.
“We have implemented a time-based price structure for all of our haircuts a few years ago and it’s been working really well because now our clients get quality time and it's less stressful for everyone.”
Is 60 minutes too long for your hair service?
Our team at Stanley & Co Hair have identified that cuts and styling for all types of hair. 60 minutes is the amount of time it takes to achieve fantastic hair. Our service is designed to provide you with quality one-on-one service.
This is for anyone who wants to look and feel good about themselves. We create an atmosphere that is all about you, to spend time in the salon with us, have real conversations about your well-being. Because we really want you to look and feel amazing about yourself!
Are there any hair styles that don’t qualify?
Our pricing is designed to allow for a diverse array of styles to be achieved. Only when you come in for more than one service, the time increases, for example, hair colour and cut.
By increasing loyalty we have been super transparent about our pricing. Letting our customers know if they have shorter hair, the price is still the same as if they decide to grow it out —both factoring in time spent in the chair over gender.