What steps does your hairstylist take to accommodate larger bodies?
Common obstacles to a comfortable experience begin predictably with chairs, capes, and shampoo stations. With a complex procedure on the schedule (like balayage), one can be sitting in the salon for a good 4-5 hours, so your comfort needs to be a priority. (We get beauty is pain, but...)
- Talk to your hairstylist about your comfort. The thing about size-accessibility is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. So having this conversation with your stylist helps you and helps future patrons. I like to begin with something relatively easy to change, like the cape that won't go all the way around.
- If you don't have confidence that accommodations will be made, consider bringing your own.
- Plus-sized styling capes are inexpensive and can be purchased online from multiple resellers. The styling capes we like can be found here
- If you expect to be sitting under a lamp or waiting in foils and the styling chair is uncomfortable--wait it out in your own camp chair. I keep one in my trunk, just in case.
- Speak with the salon's owner. Often they are entirely unaware of size-accessibility issues. Ask if they will provide you a plus-sized chair. We've found that most owners are willing to at least consider swapping the standard styling chair for an accessible chair at one of their stations. Our favorite is the Yume Salon Styling Chair which is 22" wide and 24" deep. That extra depth can make all the difference.
Armed with information, these conversations can be really constructive. The last salon I visited is planning to stock capes in my size and will be adding a chair with no arms to the waiting area.
Friendly change comes bit by bit, and we all have a role in making it happen. Please tell us what your hairstylist does to accommodate you, or share your ideas below for what Friendly amenities you'd like to see in your salon.
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