Families travel up to an hour and a half to Portishead barber's sensory room for children
Bosscut Barbers says demand shows how much families need a calmer haircut
Last updated 19th Oct 2026
A barber shop in Portishead says families are travelling up to an hour and a half to use its sensory room for children with additional needs.
Bosscut Barbers has a quiet room away from its main shop floor, with toys, a TV and equipment designed to cut down on noise and stimulation.
It has been enhanced with a £2,880 grant from the Portishead Economic Development Fund, a North Somerset Council fund supporting business growth and high street improvements.
Families travelling from Minehead and Berkeley
Salon manager Jess Salmon said word of the room has spread well beyond Portishead.
She said: "Since it's grown and word's got around, we've had people come from Berkeley, from Gloucestershire, from Minehead, so they've travelled up to an hour and a half to come and use the sensory room and that just shows how much of a need there is for something like this for those children."
Barber Tom Oliver said the room has led to more bookings and more calls asking for it specifically.
He said: "It's away from all the noise and all the people talking and just all the equipment going on."
Parents' experiences elsewhere
Jess said some parents have told the salon about difficult haircuts for their children.
She said: "We have had stories from some parents where they have literally had barbers and themselves having to pin their child down to get through a haircut and that is just horrific."
She said: "So yeah, we would never do that. And with this space, we haven't had to."
Jess said children who are very scared can visit the room with a parent to get used to the space and meet the barbers, without having a haircut that day.
She said many families now come every three to four weeks, compared with eight to 12 weeks before.
What parents say
Steve, a parent, said finding a barber for his child had been difficult.
He said: "really struggled to find somewhere for him to get a haircut as we just couldn't predict what the barbers were going to be like, if it's going to be too noisy, if he's going to get spooked by something and he's now able to go to a nice calm place he knows and he actually enjoys going to the barbers."
Darren, another parent whose son uses the room, said it gives children more choice.
He said: "It gives children their own opportunities to be able to approach haircuts in a way that works for them at their own pace and with people who understand why that matters."
Leighton, who has a child with additional and sensory needs, said the room offers reassurance to families.
He said: "It's such a reassurance to the parents and I've personally seen the positive impact that it can have for the children too."
Funding and hopes for other barbers
Caroline Brittain, co-owner of Bosscut Barbers, said: "Every child deserves to feel comfortable and welcome when visiting the barber or salon, and this funding will help us further enhance our sensory room and specialist equipment."
Jess said she hopes other barbers and salons will follow suit.
She said: "I really hope that it does become something that a lot more barbers do so they don't have to travel an hour and a half to come and see us and they might have someone in their local area that can provide that for them."