Mental health charity opens own barbershop

The Lions Barber Collective, the barber and hair industry's mental health charity, has opened its first non-profit barbershop.

Location in London's Wet Paint on Carnaby Street, the shop offers haircuts and beard shape ups. The client journey begins with a scalp detox treatment, shampoo and conditioning massage and finishes with high end hair products and War Paint Anti-Shine. All barbers are fully trained in mental health awareness and listening skills.

The cost of each service is completely non-profit, meaning that after the barber themselves has been paid the rest of money will be donated to Lions Barber Collective to enable free BarberTalk training for hair professionals, campaigns for mental health awareness and sustainability of the charity. 

The space within the store at 29 Carnaby Street has been gifted to Lions Barber Collective by War Paint Founder Danny Gray, meaning that there are no overheads for the charity at all. Barbering equipment and furniture has been gifted by Aston & Fincher whilst salon software is provided by Timely at no cost.

The Lions Barber Collective was founded in 2015 after Tom Chapman lost a close friend to suicide in 2014. The charity's award-winning, lifesaving training, BarberTalk and Hair&BeautyTalk, empowers professionals to recognise the signs someone may be struggling with their mental health and signpost them to the correct professional resources.

Commenting on the launch of their non-profit barbershop, Tom Chapman, Founder of Lions Barber Collective says: 

“This is only the start, I hope to have Lions Barbers all over the country that can provide a safe space for those who need it, while connecting with all the local services available so we can bridge that gap in a place that holds no taboo or stigma for people to visit. I always wanted to draw funds through value instead of guilt and create a sustainable model for the charity and this is a huge step towards that. Through paying for a haircut at this store you will be aiding us to train more hair professionals so we can have a bigger impact reaching more people in chairs far and wide. The nations mental health has been hugely affected by the pandemic and the hair salons and barbershops are a place we have longed to be, I truly believe that if we support the hair industry, they can support the nation!”