There’s a new salon open in downtown Kent that is dedicated to not only making its customers look good, but also feel good about, even when spending money on themselves.
The Humanity Salon, located in a two-story 3,600-square-foot building on Second Avenue, takes a new approach to the traditional business model with plans to donate an estimated 20 percent of profits to local charities. including Katherine House and the Kent Food Bank.
“Usually a salon is a very vain industry,” said co-owner John Bensen. “We wanted to bring a redemptive quality to the beauty industry.”
“We want people to get involved in their community, to give back,” he added.
Bensen, who with his wife Charissa founded Humanity Salon, said he started thinking of the idea after a friend’s suicide a few years ago. Bensen said he was successful in private industry, but something was missing. When his friend took his own life, Bensen took a look at himself.
“Through his death it really made me look in the mirror at myself,” he said. “I wasn’t being fulfilled.”
The death made him realize he wanted to spend his time giving back and helping others.
“Our time here on Earth is short-lived and I wanted to do something with greater purpose,” he said.
Partnering with Charissa, herself a hair stylist, the two created Humanity Salon, a non-profit organization that has partnered with six charities under the slogan “Giving hope to the hopeless. Giving purpose to the comfortable.”
Bensen said an upscale hair salon was a way to reach clients with their message about giving.
But Bensen insists customers won’t get a hard sell when they come in. Initially, each new client is given a short hand out explaining the gaol of the organization. After that, it’s upstairs to the chairs where hair is cut. Upon leaving, the client chooses which of the six charities they’d like their money to go to.
With indie-rock playing through the speakers and a young, hip staff, Humanity Salon is reaching for a younger, professional crowd more commonly associated with Seattle. But Bensen was raised in Kent and though he never expected to move back to the area, once he did, he said he realized he wanted to impact his own community.
“There’s a lot of need around here,” he said.
As a non-profit, Humanity Salon can collect money and redistribute it to the other organizations.
Bensen said each stylist is trained to answer questions about the organizations the salon supports and he said they are even working for a smaller-than-usual commission because it allows the organization to donate more money.
Stylist Kelsey Campbell said she came on board with Humanity Salon because she is passionate about their mission.
“I’d rather get paid less and feel like I’m doing something,” she said.
And because they are a non-profit, even Bensen’s salary is out of his hands, despite the fact that he founded the business.
“I have a board that decides how much I make,” he said.
But in Bensen’s long-range vision, the Kent salon is just the first piece. Bensen said he hopes the salon can become a gathering spot for the community to find out what is happening in their city, and he hopes to expand the salon into surrounding cities as well, each with a charitable focus on their own back yard.
“We want each salon to be a staple within the community,” he said.
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