Timely for my recent post about tipping: plastered all over today’s Metro is the big news that actor Ashton Kutcher didn’t leave a tip for a £8 haircut he had in Bridgwater, Somerset. Funnily enough, I also had a haircut yesterday: it was £10 and I left a £2 tip. I really don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the manly banter, the frequent references to my grey and thinning hair or the strong smell of BO in the barbers. Or perhaps it was just the fact they told me I looked great afterwards. Anyway, I really think I’m a £10 haircut kind of guy. Recently I’ve been going to a salon owned by a friend, who charges £35 a pop. Don’t get me wrong, I love the process: beer, nuts, designer magazines, organic shampoo, cool music… and having my hair cut by a woman (it’s worth every penny). It’s probably been years since a woman has cut my hair, and it’s a completely different experience from a guy cutting it: sensual and relaxing. In my barbers, run by a friendly bunch of Iranian guys, it’s bish bosh, in and out in ten minutes. The salon feels more like an experience and indulgence, taking some forty-five minutes. Naturally, they also told me I looked great afterwards, but a week later it’s back to looking an unkempt mess, and there really is only so much you can do with my hair. £10 does the job nicely.

Previously on Barnflakes
Hair today, gone tomorrow