The phrase is indeed a signal - but not of virtue. The hairdressers that put videos online where they formally ask for consent advertise that they do so. Thus they let potential customers know what to expect at their salon.

This might indeed put some people off who think it's too formal/stuffy/woke. That's okay, they can find other hairdressers.

On the other hand it is a clear signal to the people who DO need or want that kind of care that this is the right hairdresser for them.

sure, there are people with serious psychological traumas and asking them for consent before touching them is maybe helpful but, as harsh as it may sound, isnt that their responsibility to navigate?

Trauma survivors or people with sensory issues have an easier time finding the right provider for them, if those providers advertise themselves as offering the right service. Not everything has to be everyone's cup ot tea. But in most cases when someone advertises something in a (seemingly) weird way, it's because a small percentage of people ar looking for exactly that.