A hair salon in Madison is working to make sure all of their clients feel welcome and comfortable when they step foot into the salon.
For many people, getting their hair done is a relaxing and exciting experience.
But for people who are non-binary or transgender, like William Shepard, getting their hair done can be something they dread.
“I got tired of going to salons and them just not getting it 'right,'" he said.
Shepard said he spent countless dollars at various salons when he was transitioning.Â
Chelsey Sandlin, owner of "Area 52 Hair Lab" in Madison, said getting the "right haircut" shouldn't be another thing they have to worry about.
“They’re spending thousands and thousands of dollars to look on the outside how they feel on the inside, so they can be accepted by everyone else," she said.
So, she offers "on the house" haircuts to people who are non-binary or transgender.
“Chelsey’s a godsend," said Shepard.
He's been a client of Sandlin for just more than a year. Shepard said having this type of service in North Alabama is incredible.
“If you had told me, God, eight years ago, that there would be a salon that offered free haircuts for trans people trying to figure themselves out, I wouldn’t have believed you," he said.
Shepard remembers when his previous stylist gave him a haircut that helped him see himself clearly.
“I looked in the mirror, and for what felt like the first time, I saw me," he recalled. "I saw someone. I saw me.â€
Sandlin said it brings tears to her eyes whenever she gets to witness that experience with her clients.
“They finally look in the mirror and see exactly what they see on the inside and know that everybody else is going to see that for once," she said.
