Cult

Cult is a hair salon in central northeast Portland, Oregon, built around renting chairs to independent stylists rather than running a staffed team. The room has eight chairs, natural light, plants and original art, and it is arranged to be comfortable to work in and to photograph well. Parking is available at the salon.

Stylists can take a classic rental, which is a weekly chair of their own for those with their own clients, or use on-demand booking to reserve time by the half day or full day. A half-day chair is $65, either the 9:00am to 2:45pm morning block or the 3:15pm to 9:00pm afternoon block, and a full day is $100 on the same chair. A stylist with the morning block can add the afternoon for $35. On-demand booking runs on a membership of $29 a month that can be cancelled at any time. The membership price stays fixed while a member stays active, and rejoining after cancelling costs whatever the price is at that point.

Chair time can also be prepaid as chair credits. Packs of 4, 7, 14 and 20 days cost less per day as they grow, and the larger packs add a bonus credit amount to the stylist's bank. Credits never expire, but they are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash. Cancelling 24 hours or more before a block returns the full amount as credits, while cancelling inside 24 hours returns half. Chair time can be booked up to 120 days ahead. Refunds in true emergencies are at the owner's discretion and based on the amount actually paid.

Clients book with each stylist through that stylist's own booking system, and the Cult app is used only to book chair time. Access is by door code, available from 7am to 11pm on days a chair is booked. Payments are handled by Stripe, and the salon does not store full card numbers. Prospective members attend a 30-minute meet and greet tour on Mondays between 10am and 4pm before applying. Stylists must hold an Oregon cosmetology license, liability insurance and an Oregon independent contractor registration.

Set up as a chair rental space where independent stylists run their own books, with a room designed for working and for photographing.

Bright and calm, with natural light, plants and original art.