The Sensual Salon

I'm a barbershop guy, straight up. No unisex salon for me. Unless I'm in a pinch.

It's about both the cut and the atmosphere. Let's compare.

The barbershop is a man's world. (Even when there are women barbers, it's a man's world.) Great haircuts done quick and with minimal chit-chat in a musty old room that smells mostly like hair. A TV blaring with a ball game on.

My usual barber is a crusty old guy. A whiz with the clippers. He doesn't need much guidance - "trim me up, just short enough that it still lays down" - and away he goes. 5 minutes with the clippers. A straight razor to the back of my neck. And I'm out for $8 with a perfect almost-military cut.

The strip mall generic unisex "cuttery" is a different world entirely. It's an assault on all the senses - which makes it a "sensual" experience. Visually it's a treat with pretty young girls scurrying around a room that makes some attempt at style. Aurally, with a top 40 radio station playing pleasant pop. Smells everywhere of "product" and rinses. Touch - playing with my hair.

How is the haircut at the salon? Glad you asked. It's awful. They all ask me the same question - "What size clipper guard do you normally use" - that tells me they have no idea how to cut my hair. A barber never asks me that question, because they don't use "clipper guards". They know how to use clippers straight up.

So which did I go to tonight?

Well, I needed a haircut for an important meeting. But I couldn't go until 6:00 pm.

That meant my barber was closed. So the perfect cut was out. Poor planning on my part.

That left the salon. I got a sexy receptionist in capri pants. A pretty little blonde stylist who played with my hair nicely before asking me the guard question. Wonderful smells of some fruity shampoo or other. A lingering scissor cut with pleasant conversation. My favorite songs on the radio. Lot's of inadvertent contact from pretty cutter girl. Very nice.

And a so-so haircut.

But it's worth it once and a while for the sensual experience.