Private LGBTQ+ Salon Studio Opens in Service of Queer Community

The queer and trans community in Oakland is beyond blessed to have a number of queer-owned or queer-affirming salon and barbering options at our disposal. Establishments like United Grooming on Grand Avenue offer unique grooming experiences for customers of every background. Then there is Slick and Dapper, a trans-owned, inclusive barber shop. Yet despite our options, the need for a different kind of offering can still exist. 

Some queer and trans folks may feel apprehensive about visiting traditional, public-facing salons. Others may require a space with less sensory input to relax during the personal process of hair styling. Taking all of this and more into mind, Nepenthes (they/them) (known as @ericdoeshair on Instagram) recently unveiled their own salon studio in Oakland, CA, aiming to provide private salon experiences for the queer community.

Located in Uptown in Oakland, Nepenthes’ salon studio was born after decades of experience in the salon industry. “I like to hold space for everyone in the community,” says Nepenthes. “I do a lot of gender affirming services for folks that are marginalized, in transitions of employment, unhoused youth or individuals who are coming out.”

For Nepenthes, creating a salon experience where customers could feel freer to show up authentically was essential. Having worked in Oakland since 2006, they experienced restrictions and micromanagement in various salons, including those owned by queer individuals. Such limitations led Nepenthes to aspire to create a space devoid of these constraints, saying, “I couldn’t come in dressed however I wanted to. There were layers and layers of things that I have felt over the years, and I wanted no part of it. So I wanted to open my own little salon where once you were inside of it, you could be and do and say whatever you want, without any limits.”

Learn more about Nepenthes’ salon services on their website and on Instagram.