At barber shop
As a kid, getting my hair cut by our village barber was a painful experience. It took a lot of time and one was forced to sit holding one's head still in certain positions. If one moved, the barber used to give a knock on the head with his knuckle and would change one's head position by a quick jab with his open palm similar to changing manual gear in a car. The barber used to click the scissors incessantly to emanate a chirping chatter in between cutting the hair the way Mumbai bus conductor asks passengers to buy tickets by pressing and releasing the spring loaded ticket punching stapler like handset. The worst aspect of the barber shop experience of yesteryears was the use of machines to get the final close finish around the periphery. This contraption used to pull out hair rather than cut it.
Over a period of time, barber shops have become "solution" providers with good ambience. There are a lot of creams to be applied on hair and face and some also provide a improptu massage. Barber shops across the country provide film magazines besides newspapers to keep the waiting clientele engaged. The film magazine "Screen" is a favourite among barber shop owners. I have not found this magazine in any other waiting room. Barber shops also sport TVs and there is a penchant for song and sequences from modern films which is a torture to the eardrums.
I have noticed that time taken for cutting hair has come down drastically though the tools of trade have remained the same over decades. One could argue that it could be because of my sparse receding hair line compared to the thick mane I used to sport as a youngster. Then the barber has to spend as much time searching for the hair to be cut as the time spent on effort to get into shape the thick unruly mane of my youth. Moreover, these days barbers take the same amount of time to service the youngsters and semi oldies like me.
The process refinement which has reduced the service time has taken away the chirping of scissors which was a quintessential characteristic of this art form. Now it is all minimum movements in an ergonomic manner for achieving maximum efficiency. The transparent chunky blocks of alum which were used as anti septic by rubbing them against the skin in the past were amusing to watch and have given way to watered down Dettol and Savlon solutions. Some positive developments are the clean sheets used to cover the clients and use of razers fitted with disposable blades in place of knives to prevent transmission of infections. These days, the machines used on the periphery to get the military appearance are smooth and cut the hair rather than pluck it.
Another interesting thing about the modern barber shops is that they tend to carry large volume packs of shampoos, shave creams and face creams of unknown pedigree. There must be a dedicated channel of distribution of cosmetics catering only to barber shops. I have not come across these barber shop brands anywhere in the open market. If such products are made available to the public, Colgate Palmolive, Unilever and P&G would run for cover !
Some barber shops are ckeeky. They tend to keep empty boxes of Revlon and Garnier products on display shelves but use the local stuff on the unsuspecting clients. If anybody questions this practice, the stock reply is that application of such products would be at a premium service fee which does not figure in the tariff list !
Over a period of time, barber shops have become "solution" providers with good ambience. There are a lot of creams to be applied on hair and face and some also provide a improptu massage. Barber shops across the country provide film magazines besides newspapers to keep the waiting clientele engaged. The film magazine "Screen" is a favourite among barber shop owners. I have not found this magazine in any other waiting room. Barber shops also sport TVs and there is a penchant for song and sequences from modern films which is a torture to the eardrums.
I have noticed that time taken for cutting hair has come down drastically though the tools of trade have remained the same over decades. One could argue that it could be because of my sparse receding hair line compared to the thick mane I used to sport as a youngster. Then the barber has to spend as much time searching for the hair to be cut as the time spent on effort to get into shape the thick unruly mane of my youth. Moreover, these days barbers take the same amount of time to service the youngsters and semi oldies like me.
The process refinement which has reduced the service time has taken away the chirping of scissors which was a quintessential characteristic of this art form. Now it is all minimum movements in an ergonomic manner for achieving maximum efficiency. The transparent chunky blocks of alum which were used as anti septic by rubbing them against the skin in the past were amusing to watch and have given way to watered down Dettol and Savlon solutions. Some positive developments are the clean sheets used to cover the clients and use of razers fitted with disposable blades in place of knives to prevent transmission of infections. These days, the machines used on the periphery to get the military appearance are smooth and cut the hair rather than pluck it.
Another interesting thing about the modern barber shops is that they tend to carry large volume packs of shampoos, shave creams and face creams of unknown pedigree. There must be a dedicated channel of distribution of cosmetics catering only to barber shops. I have not come across these barber shop brands anywhere in the open market. If such products are made available to the public, Colgate Palmolive, Unilever and P&G would run for cover !
Some barber shops are ckeeky. They tend to keep empty boxes of Revlon and Garnier products on display shelves but use the local stuff on the unsuspecting clients. If anybody questions this practice, the stock reply is that application of such products would be at a premium service fee which does not figure in the tariff list !
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