A downtown salon is about to be the first in Ottawa to offer clients gender neutral prices on hair cuts.

Hair Junkie on Laurier Avenue West is getting set to roll out a new pricing scheme in September that it hopes will catch on.

"We have been asked over and over how come I get charged so much for so little hair or how come my husband get's charged so little for so much hair," said Fady Assaad, the owner of Hair Junkie. "I think it's time."

Come September 1st, the cost of a cut will be based on how long a person's hair is and how long it takes to cut. Right now Assaad said men with short hair pay about $10.00 less for a cut than women with the same hair length.

"It starts with drycleaning, and hair, there is an inequality, an imbalance in charging and we wanted to be the first to do this, " he said.

Under the new pricing model, men and women with hair at or above their ears will pay $31 and up, about $10 less than women paid for the same cut before the change.

"I've paid anywhere from $40 to $80 dollars for a hair cut," said Lucy Ellis, who has short hair. "A few times I have tried to go to a Barber Shop but they've turned me away,"

Like many woman, Ellis usually pays more for a hair cut simply because of her gender. This new plan, she says, will mean cheaper cuts.

"It's really nice to see somewhere that is charging the same price for short hair to short hair, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, and that is serving everyone equally," she said.



It is believed Hair Junkie is the first salon in Ottawa to offer gender neutral pricing. Several salons in Toronto, at least one in Halifax already offer such services.