Prelude to the Best Sommelier of Canada Contest | SaltWireNot everyone in their life was supportive of Tori Yeoman’s decision to open a spa catering to the 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities and other marginalized groups.
“Black people are very often not able to go to hair salons because stylists aren’t trained or skilled in textured hair,” they said. “And men and trans people are often denied services because of having a scrotum. With waxing services, people will say no, I’m not trained or I’m uncomfortable servicing trans people or men.”
“My employees are trained in inclusion, so they’ve gone through inclusion/diversity education, conferences and things like that. Along with that, I’ve trained my employees in consent-based care and trauma-informed care, how to be more inclusive of individuals with disabilities. Those things were really important to me because of my work in mental health.
The most popular service is nails, specifically a type of gel nails called apres nails, which is a bit of a specialty item and not commonly offered in Nova Scotia. And four of the eight people on staff do at least some waxing.