The drama of getting my hair cut...

Getting your hair cut (especially if you're a woman) can be a stressful experience. For a white woman in Asia, it only becomes more difficult. I have experienced all three of the following scenarios.

There are 3 main options for getting a hair cut in this country:

(1) Go to an expensive Western trained stylist.
Advantages:
-You know the stylist was actually trained by someone.
-English is spoken.
-You (usually) get a great hair cut.
Disadvantages:
-You will pay ridiculous amounts of money.
-You have to travel into the city (more money and time).
-You will pay ridiculous amounts of money.

(2) Go to a local place
Advantages:
-No travel is involved. There are at least 8-10 places within a 5 minute walk.
-It is cheap! (maybe $2-5)
Disadvantages:
-You know the person (almost definitely) was not professionally trained.
-You are probably the first white person whose hair the stylist has ever cut. The texture of a white person's hair is very different, so this can present a challenge.
-The stylist doesn’t speak English (which makes it difficult to explain how you want your hair cut).
-They might feather your hair (This has actually happened to me in the past).
-A crowd (of employees and random onlookers) will often form around you as people strain to get a look at the white person's hair.

(3) The option I went for today – Go into the city, but go to a middle of the road place!
Advantages:
-Not too expensive
-There is a possibility that your stylist might have cut a white person’s hair before.
-You stylist probably has some sort of training.
Disadvantages:
-You have to travel into the city.
-They usually don’t speak English, BUT they want to learn English. The result = they take 2 hours to cut your hair b/c they’re asking you to translate everything!

These options can be incredibly stressful, but one thing that helps A LOT is the Asian practice of massages with your hair cut. Obviously you can’t get your hair cut without a head and shoulder massage….I’ll admit it does add a lot of joy to the experience…