A Trim and a Shave

One of the great things about a new country is experiencing something that back home would be routine. Such as grocery shopping, seeing a movie or eating out. Today I went to a barbershop.

My hair had been getting decently long and I had let my beard grow unkempt, as I am prone to do. My friends and coworkers had all warned me about Korean barbers. Sara wanted a trim and they cut eight inches off. Ben got a haircut, and explicitly said he wanted to keep his sideburns and they shaved them up to his temple. But I was prepared to deal with any mistakes. Hair grows back and all pictures are digital, so I can manipulate them to my heart's content.

I asked my boss, Jenny, to write a note I could deliver to the barber telling him I wanted a trim and a shave. Don't take more than 3 cm off, and please, for the love of God, let me keep my sideburns. I think I have had sideburns since the 9th grade and I have no idea what my face would look like with out them. She drove me to a barber that her father-in-law frequents, which is four blocks from my apartment.

I entered the building and wandered around, trying to recognize the characters for "Barbershop." It was tucked away behind a half-dozen dry-cleaners in the south-east corner of the first floor. I walked in and found a husband and wife, flashed them my handmade sign and shared a laugh as they sat me in the chair.

I was the only customer in the small, corner store. I filled one of the two available chairs. It looked like it could've been from Valley City, ND in the 1950's. There were doilies hanging on the wall, Korean cross-stitch and trinkets that their grandchildren had given them.. Collections of seashells they collected on trips to the coast were stacked in corner shelves around the room.

The haircut proved uneventful, which is a great adjective for a haircut. The chair was set up pretty high and there wasn't a foot pedal to raise or lower me and it didn't swivel around. In front of me was the sink, a big, wide sink that belonged in the back room of an upscale hardware store, one where they used porcelain instead of plastic. On top of the sink was a made-to-fit cushion, which was where I rested my legs when I reclined and prepared for the shave. They also provided a mattress underneath my body to help me be comfortable.

At this point the woman took over. This couple performed a well rehearsed duet, both spinning around each other, knowing where they had to be, which towels to warm, which elixirs to set out. She covered my entire face in a medium consistency gel, and topped that with a warm towel. I could hear her mixing the cream in a metal cup; the wooden handle of the brush banging against the tin. It wasn't a labored or rushed process. The preparation was just as important as the job.

She used a thick steel blade and shaved every part of my face: my nose, forehead, neck and ears, besides the parts that actually needed it. It was such a calming, careful situation that I fell asleep more than once. It was a strange sensation of waking back up, almost startled, but being aware of some distant my brain catching my body before it could jerk out of place and send the blade into my jugular.

When she was done, she covered my face in thin slices of cucumber, and I sat for about 10 minutes, drifting back asleep. When she pulled them off, my face felt wonderful. She sat me up and handed my head back to her husband.. like a grocer handing eggs to a customer.

He proceeded to stick my head under a cold tap and washed my hair and face with the vigor one scrubs freshly dug potatoes. He tipped my head back and started to dry my hair and his wife surprised me by jamming Q-Tips in my ears. There were no more than a handful of words shared between them the entire time I was there, but they knew exactly what was next.

I spent about an hour and twenty minutes in that barbershop. When I finished they handed me a Korean yoghurt, which is kind of like a thick juice, and had me sit down while I looked in the mirror. They seemed very proud, too. The entire process cost KRW 12,000 which is right about $10. It was one of the most enjoyable things I have done in recent memory. It was such a great feeling to be that taken care of.

So, if anyone is planning on visiting me, start growing your beard now. It will be worth the wait.