Saudi Haircut and Shave

This is my first post on this site. A short story I wrote after getting my first haircut and shave in Saudi Arabia.

All barbers in Saudi are men, as are almost all workers. These workers are not Arabs, but foreigners.  Mostly Indian and Filipinos but some other nationalities to fill the equal employment code no doubt.   

These men do not hold certificates from beauty academies or a license of any kind.  They appear to learn by doing, which can be a bit unnerving when he first puts a straight razor to your throat, but I am getting ahead of myself.  Let me start from the outside.   

A Saudi barbershop looks like any other Saudi building.  A tan strip of run down little shops next to a petrol station with a heavy sliding gate that indicates if the shop is open or not,  which is needed since they do not keep hours but open when they feel like it.  Trash is piled up near the door unless the wind has blown it away.  The door itself might fall off the hinges when you try to open it but most of the time it decides to stay on and just give an ear splitting scratch as you enter.  The barbershop itself is a small, high dingy room with two chairs for those being served and a few filthy sofas for waiting guests.  There might be a strong odor in the room or not, mostly depending on the temperature outside.  A small, old television located in the corner fills the room with Bollywood programs.   

As you sit for your turn you cannot help but notice that there are no disinfecting sprays or liquids.  The towels used to shield you from your own hair are stained and were perhaps washed, once.  A haircut is like a haircut anywhere. Straightforward with scissors, water, and a brush.  All of which bring previous victims hair along to mingle with yours.  When the gentleman is finished you realize that it was all so easy and fluid, that you might as well get a shave.  You will need one since a beard is mandatory in the Kingdom.  He leans you back, wraps you in the condemned towel, and then proceeds to disinfect the razor.  This is accomplished by lighting it on fire with what appears to be perfume.  It is the only sterilization performed, and yet it is done with such show that you cannot help appreciate it.   After this he puts a new razor blade into the razor and proceeds to go to work.  Some people fall asleep, some watch in the mirror, while I personally choose to drift through my own thoughts.   After you have paid the barber a modest sum and walk out the door a few things cross your mind.  Is that the best haircut and shave I've ever had?  What exactly does a certificate prove?  Has anybody ever gotten sick, ill, or even had a rash from a barber here since they are so dirty and don't clean the instruments?  These are questions you will have to answer for yourself.  They are yes, obviously nothing, and not to my knowledge.

Reviews

[WanderAsia]

Simply loved it. I love how the experience is an honest one. As a traveler the thought process of experiencing something new is a strange one. First you doubt it, then you go with it and then finally you understand and possibly even prefer it. To be honest I have had a haircut in a foreign country where communication was basic to say the least. I love how you have combined the experience with your true and honest thought process.

[Pax]

This feels like a journal on your stay here in Saudi. I was really intrigue by the title, so I came and read along. I was drawn to the story becauase, it is real and not fiction.. It is your observation.

"Mostly Indian and Filipinos but some other nationalities to fill the equal employment code no doubt."

Well, I could not agree more... But here in Jubail, it is quite a mix really. You could see Bangladesh, Nepal, and few korean aside from many filipinos and Indians.

My first hair-cut here is not really well done, or it is just me... I am hard to please when it comes to my hair cut.

I believed that you have observe the true nature of work here. Certificate brings everything, yet experience does done the work properly. So perhaps this barbers doesn't have much technique and experience on hair cutting and styling.

A friend of mind told me he did redo his haircut after the Indian guy didn't do much justice on his hair, so he went to another barbershop to where a filipino is a barber there. Maybe it is just his preference that our own countrymen works cuts his hair better than others.

"You will need one since a beard is mandatory in the Kingdom." - I am not sure that is madatory, perhaps only for muslims.

Hygiene is much a question in some places here, but not all. there is still so much room for improvement.
very nice piece, welcome to wc.