Making the cut

When Melvin asked me what I wanted to do in Shenzhen, the first thing I told him was:

"Melvin, I need to have a hair cut."

It's very hard to find people who speak English in this part of China, so we enlisted the help of Jeff in our quest for a good haircut. Jeff is very fluent in Mandarin, and he would be the key in explaining what kind of cut i'd like.

After going around a couple of neighborhood areas in search for a hole-in-the-wall barbershop, we ended up in this salon just a few blocks away from his flat. It was reminiscent of a sleepy-town salon. The girls were either watching TV or reading magazines. There was just one customer but more than 10 chairs. Everybody looked bored out of their wits. You get the picture.

Then when the 3 of us walked in, the place started to teem with life.

Being used to the usual Headway haircut, I must admit that the Shenzhen salon process was a bit off-kilter for my taste. Here's how it goes:

1. They shampoo your hair. BUT, unlike in Manila where they let you lie down with your head on a sink, here, they shampoo you while you're sitting down. They use a mineral water bottle with a small hole on the cap to control the water they splish-splash on to your hair. Starting at the top of your head, they work their way down using very small and calculated strokes. The attendants are very careful not to let any excess water or shampoo fall on your ears, eyes, or clothes. A massage was also part of the shampoo process, which felt a bit odd instead of relaxing. After 15 minutes or so, you're off to the rinsing area.
2. The massage. After the shampoo and rinse, they proceed to give you a body and arm massage. It made me want to ask: "Are we in a hair salon or a massage parlor? What's with all this massaging going on?" If I were a big massage fan, it would be cool, But I hate being touched, so this was torture.
3. The haircut. Unlike Melvin, who got this funky looking guy to chop off his locks, I got this burly looking girl -- and that made me nervous. But once she started snipping away, I felt very comfortable since she looked like she knew what she was doing. So I sat back, relaxed and watched my unkempt hair start to fall to the ground.

After 20 minutes, the haircut was done. It was perfect! It looked like Mang Domeng or Mang Pano (God rest his soul) did it himself! It was amazing. But the girl in her wanted to do more, so she did a bit of blowdrying, and a bit of styling magic, and I looked like a hip teener once again.

I told Melvin that I was so happy with my haircut, I'm planning to write UNESCO and make that salon a World Heritage Site. Or maybe I can write someone and transform it into a shrine.

In case I won't be able to go to Manila for my haircut, i'm happy to know that someone just as good is just 40 minutes away.