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So you’ve arrived on Phuket for a lengthy holiday, or perhaps you’ve moved here to live, and it’s actually your first visit to Thailand. Before you came you’ve got everything you needed to get, and done everything you needed to do, including have your regular hair cut. But now you’re a couple of months into stay and you’ve been looking back at old photos on your phone and you notice your hair is looking a bit long and scraggly, it’s definitely time for a haircut! But then you realize you no longer have you much trusted hairdresser whom you’ve visited exclusively for who knows how many years because he or she does your hair just right.
It doesn’t matter if you’re here to stay or travelling, you still want to look your best, but now you’re in a foreign country where you’ve never had a haircut before, you totally forgot that Tracy or Graham, or whoever your old hairdresser was wouldn’t be here to take care of your locks, you might even be getting a little bit nervous. You start thinking that wherever you go to get a haircut they might not understand you, and if they do understand you they may well get it wrong! Yes the thought may be a little bit scary, but actually if you’re a man, getting your hair cut in Phuket is usually a simple and very pleasant experience.
Much like back home, there are countless unisex saloons to be found in Phuket, especially in the tourist areas and shopping complexes. But unlike back home you will also find a large number of good old fashioned barbers. And what’s more, these barbers don’t simply cut your hair, most will give you a relaxing head, neck and shoulder massage, wet shave with a cut throat razor, nose hair and eyebrow trim and shave your ears, all for around 100 Baht.
Now some barbers will have a sign in English outside, but some may not, so what do you look for? The first thing is an old fashioned barber’s pole outside, but most female saloons also have these, so the main thing is to look for is one or two barbers, inside the shop cutting hair. Another thing to look out for is the barber’s chairs which are also very different from those in unisex hair salons, they’re re made to lean backwards for shaving, and they’re also usually heavier and bulkier than the average hair salon chair.
So now you’ve found your barber, the next challenge is explaining what you want, but don’t worry, with a bit of patience, sign language and maybe even a photo from your phone, you have a good chance of getting what you want, and as many Thai barbers have been cutting hair for generations and take great pride in their work, you can rest assured he’ll do a top job.
The most important thing to remember when getting your haircut in Phuket is to relax and enjoy the experience!
