Muslim Woman Requests a Salon Without Men for Her Haircut, Then the Owner Sees What Happens to Her Google Reviews: 'It's Like, It's Really Frustrating'
Kelly Sullivan said that her business was impacted on Google
Nov. 14 2026, Published 2:39 p.m. ET
A Texas salon owner says her business received several one-star Google reviews after a disagreement over a Muslim client's request to have her hair appointment in a completely male-free environment.
Kelly Sullivan, who owns a Texas hair salon and posts on TikTok as @halohairkelly, discussed the situation in a video. She said the client wears a hijab and wanted to remove it during her appointment without any men being present.
According to Sullivan, the salon tried to arrange a suitable time but could not guarantee the level of privacy the client expected. The disagreement was followed by several negative reviews, which Sullivan believes affected her business's online rating.
The salon owner later shared an update saying Google had removed the reviews and restored the business's rating to 4.6 stars.
How The Salon Tried To Accommodate The Client's Request
Kelly Sullivan recalled the Muslim client who asked for an appointment when no men would be present
Sullivan said the client had previously visited the salon about a year earlier, when the business had a private room at the back. However, following renovations, that space was no longer available.
When the woman returned, she asked whether she could book an appointment at a time when no men would be present so she could remove her hijab.
Sullivan said the salon offered her a Tuesday appointment because the male stylist was not scheduled to work with clients that day. The woman booked several services, including hair color, a Brazilian blowout and a haircut.
However, the appointment took longer than anticipated. Sullivan explained that the stylist and client communicated through translated messages, and the woman eventually left before her haircut was completed. They arranged for her to return the following day.
Wednesday Appointment Leads To A Disagreement
Kelly Sullivan told the client that she cannot guarantee that no men would enter the salon
The salon arranged another appointment for Wednesday, but the circumstances were not exactly what the client had expected.
Sullivan said the male stylist was not attending to a client at the time, although he was still inside the building. The woman became upset because she believed the arrangement meant there would be no men anywhere in the salon.
Sullivan explained that the business could provide additional privacy by arranging an after-hours appointment and locking the doors. However, she could not promise that men would never enter the premises during normal business hours.
Despite the disagreement, the client reportedly complimented her stylist's work before leaving.
"I love the way you do my hair," the woman told the stylist, according to Sullivan. She also indicated that she might visit another salon in the future.
One-Star Google Reviews Leave Salon Owner Frustrated
Kelly Sullivan apologized after the salon received a one-star review
Sullivan said the situation took another turn approximately 20 minutes after the client left, when the salon received a lengthy one-star Google review.
The reviewer allegedly criticized Sullivan's attitude and described the salon's services as too expensive. Sullivan said she responded by apologizing and explaining the business's policies.
She subsequently noticed two additional one-star reviews from separate accounts. One reportedly complained about the salon's cleanliness and smell, while another criticized its pricing and punctuality.
Sullivan said the reviews brought the salon's Google rating down to 4.5 stars.
"It's vindictive. It's like, it's really frustrating," she said in her TikTok video, expressing concern about the effect on her employees and business.
"It seems like these people are really going to hit us and like now we're down to like a 4.5," she added.
The salon owner questioned Google's review process, particularly whether people should be required to demonstrate that they had actually received services before being allowed to post feedback.
Google Removes Reviews And Restores Salon's Rating
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Kelly Sullivan confirmed that Google has removed the recent reviews
Sullivan said she reported the reviews to Google after noticing the sudden increase in negative feedback.
In an update to the video's description, she said the company had removed the recent reviews and restored the salon's rating to 4.6 stars.
However, there is no independently established evidence that the two additional reviewers were connected to the original client. Their identities and any possible relationship between the accounts and the disagreement have not been confirmed.
The incident, as described by Sullivan, highlights the difficulty of balancing a client's request for religious privacy with the practical limitations of operating a shared salon space.
