Flailing arms, wriggling bodies and lots of tears are enough to discourage any parent from giving a child a much-needed haircut. Flailing arms, wriggling bodies and lots of tears are enough to discourage any parent from giving a child a much-needed haircut. So when it comes to taming tangles and snipping split ends, Bay Area moms and dads increasingly turn to kids-only hair salons to do the job for them. She now drives Kyle 40 miles round trip every six weeks to Shear Adventures in Danville, where most clients are 1 to 8 years old.
Speed is also essential.
The attention span of young clients ends at about the seven-minute mark, Montano says. Patience, a sense of fun and boundless affection for kids give them the stamina to overcome the constant challenges presented by clients as young as 18 months. Gina Armstrong-Smith, a former corporate strategist at The Gap, opened the salon in September with the philosophy that keeping children distracted would make the experience less intimidating and more fun. She also wanted to make parents comfortable by offering them their own seating area with magazines. A nearby play area stocked with books, puzzles and dolls keeps younger siblings occupied during the appointment.