The subject of this article is a long way from what I usually write about. It has very little (actually, nothing) to do with health care unless you consider getting a haircut a medical procedure. Last time I checked, though, cutting your hair was not painful, was not fatal, nor did it require general anesthesia. It’s a simple procedure done millions of times every day, and overwhelmingly, men are more often participants in the procedure.
In my lifetime, the mechanics of a haircut really haven’t changed, but the place you get one has. You still sit in a chair that raises, lowers, and swivels and are covered with a drape snugly attached to your neck by a tape. Your hair clippings then fall to the floor rather than down your back where if they did they itch for a week. An electric razor then trims your neck, and with a comb and scissors the barber trims the hair on the sides and top of your head. That’s the standard routine.
In some barber shops that’s it! That’s all you get! You’re done. Loose hair is brushed off your face, neck, and shoulders, the drape and neck tape are removed, and you get out of the chair, pay your bill, and go home. It cost only $10, maybe twelve dollars.
In other barber shops, however, the hair cut was just the first phase. You now move on to the second phase of the visit which was shaving your neck, sideburns, and the area above your ears. The tape around your neck was loosened and the drape rearranged to expose all of your neck. The barber then put warm shaving cream on the back of your neck, on your sideburns, and above your ears. Using a very sharp straight razor, he carefully shaved the areas mentioned, then wiped them dry with a warm towel. Then he removed the drape, and brushed, or blew away, loose hair. If you were lucky, he next massaged your shoulders for a minute or two, which would immediately put me to sleep. That was it! You’re done. For all of this, I paid $15 to $20, and never batted an eye.
That was my routine until about 3 years ago when the cost got out of control. All my life I went to a male-dominated business called a barber shop. My first haircut ever was done by our next door neighbor who was a barber. He gave me a haircut while I sat on a stool in our garage. As a kid, I went to his shop, memorable for the utterly gross spittoon that sat on the floor not far from the barber chair. He always had a chaw of tobacco he was working on and used the spittoon often.
Back then, most barber shops didn’t make appointments. You walked in, took a seat, and waited your turn. The only women in the shop those days were mothers who brought in their 12 year old son, Johnny, to get a haircut. Over the years, the cost of my haircuts rose steadily. It went from $5.00 as a kid, to $10 as a young adult, to $20-$25 at middle age, and then all of a sudden, the price rose to $30. Inflation had hit the barber just like everyone and everything else. I knew he had to raise his fee just to be able to keep up with the the cost of living, but I couldn’t justify $30 for a procedure that in my case takes about two minutes.
Thirty dollars was “critical mass” for me. My hair is 90% gone and all the barber does now is trim the sides and cut the top very short. Being close to completely bald, a haircut takes two minutes. $30 for 2 minutes? I couldn’t justify it. So I changed to a 21st century hair salon. For 75 years, I rejected having my hair cut by a woman! Years ago I tried Sport Clips, but my sexist nature made me turn back to the old barber shop where I felt more comfortable and ignored the $30 fee.
Then 3 years ago, I decided to try the chain haircut businesses, again. I went to Great Clips and have gone there since. They have a phone app which saves a lot of time. It tells me which locations have a wait time and how long it is. When you’re ready for a haircut, you check in online and your spot in line is saved. You head to the shop, see your name on the wait list on the monitor, and wait your turn.
I have yet to encounter a male hair stylist at Great Clips. They’re all women, and they aren’t barbers; they are hair stylists. Barbers are trained to shave with a straight razor and are able to do other services. They are licensed as such to perform these services. Stylists are not. At Great Clips they merely cut your hair. No neck shave! No massage! No hot towel!
At Great Clips I rarely wait longer than 10 minutes. They keep a record of the razors they use on you so the next time you’re in, the stylist knows how I want my hair cut. For example, for me they trim the sides with a “1” and the top with a “0”. There are no frills, no extra’s, no fluff. My haircuts take 2 minutes, literally. I look bald when I’m done. But I have spent only $16 (the senior rate) and not $30. But in exchange for saving $14, I’ve relinquished the enjoyment of the shave, hot towel, and massage; enjoyable? Yes, but are they worth an additional $14. NO.
Well, the homey, masculine environment (spittoon and all) of the old barber shop is gone and
has been replaced by an assembly-line shop with woman stylists who aren’t barbers. I save $14 each time I go, but I sure miss a neck and shoulder massage and a hot towel.
Progress changes everything, and the barber shop is one example. Female stylists don’t talk football, golf, or baseball, but they get the job done without tarrying. I no longer have to wait an hour. The woman’s touch has found its way into the routine, and really is a desirable improvement. I get a quick haircut and don’t spend an arm and a leg to get it.
I’ve advanced into the 21st century of hair care, and like it, but really miss the hot towel and massage.
Bill Gilkison MD
