A female barbershop owner has defended her right to refuse service to women after fielding a discrimination complaint from a woman who was told the business only cut men's hair.

The dispute raises the question of whether private enterprise is entitled to refuse clientele based on gender, echoing a case that prompted criticism from a civil libertarian and a change of one barber's policy in Brisbane last month.

But in this instance, it is the business owner who has spoken out.

Entrepreneur Joy Arnott said she felt upset, outraged and personally attacked after fielding the complaint.

Her barbershop, based in Darwin's central business district, provides a service to men only, describing itself as being inspired by "nostalgia for a place where men could be men".

Ms Arnott told ABC Radio Darwin's Adam Steer she couldn't delve into the complaint because of privacy reasons, so it was unclear if the woman had requested a buzzcut-type service akin to those men receive for between $20 and $50.

But she said her business had found success in providing a "safe and nurturing environment for men", and that protections for gender-discriminating businesses should be enshrined in law.

"I think [men are] entitled to have a space that's designed for them, and that women don't have the right to just come in and take up space everywhere because they're women," she said.

"This is not parliament, this is not a board of directors — this a barbershop where I offer specific services."

The complaint is under investigation by the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission and the Commissioner was unable to comment on it.

Barber agrees discrimination exists

Ms Arnott conceded discrimination was entrenched in the hairdressing arena, where women generally paid more for haircuts than men.

She said that was unfair but it was ultimately beyond her control.

"I also think where the discrimination comes in here is because women are socialised to pay a lot more for their haircuts than men are.

"I do think that to provide a really good service, it is quite an expensive thing."

Asked why women should pay more for the same buzzcuts offered to her male clients, she said: "Now we're getting down to the brass tacks of the matter."

On the ABC Radio Darwin text line, listeners debated the acceptability of businesses providing a service to one gender only.

"As a female, I don't have any issues with a barbershop having male-only clients. It's a barber and offers services for men." — Toni

"Yes, let's have separate premises for haircuts ... women and men generally have different expectations and there are so many different skills required in meeting them. What's wrong with specialising?" — Anonymous

"We all love Darwin because it's non-racist, non-ageist, non-sexist and non-judgmental. I'm bald but wish I had hair to push your rights!" — Pete

Male-only clientele part of business model

Ms Arnott's barbershop was not always just for men.

Rather, as the trained hairdresser got more experience as a barber and noticed a male skew in her clientele, she began to consider refining her business model.

"Then when I started to employ barbers rather than just hairdressers, I thought, 'No, it's time to just keep this as a really pro-man space'.

"I've chosen to do that specifically so I can build up the clientele; build up the kind of clients that we want.

"If we started cutting women's hair at the price that we cut men's, we wouldn't have any time to cut men's hair."

She said the complaint had prompted her business to look into applying for an exemption to complaints based on gender discrimination, citing a gym franchise that was awarded a similar exemption.

In the meantime, she stressed she was sorry for any offence caused to her would-be customer.

"If we've offended the complainant we'll just see how we can make that up to her."