How do you find a place to get a haircut when you are in a new place – ask for recommendations, choose by proximity? I just randomly chose a place while walking through a part of town I had never been in before. Maybe not the most informed way to do things, but I needed it cut and I kept reminding myself that no matter how bad it turned out it will grow back.
I had actually tried to go the route of looking at online reviews and picking a place near where we were staying. As I walked up, a very young guy (he appeared to be in his teens) was sitting on the steps outside, talking on his phone. He noticed me, paused his conversation, and asked if I was there for a haircut. I told him I was. Best I could tell he was trying to let me know that the barbershop was closed that day.
I remembered passing by another place a few days earlier when Hobbes and I were exploring. I decided to walk back there. Once I got where I was going, I confirmed they were open and went in. The place was reasonably large, clean, and felt new. In addition to haircuts, they have a small retail area where they sell fashionable jeans and shirts.
There were no signs indicating prices of services, but how expensive could it be? In the States, I have paid anywhere from $15 to $40.
The barber was very nice and we talked as much as we could considering the language barrier. In the States, my haircuts take 30 minutes. It doesn’t matter where I go or what services I request. Here it took an hour. In addition to the actual cut, you get a wash, facial scrub, and a shoulder massage with an electric device that fits over the barber’s hand. Those last two items caught me off guard.
Once everything was complete. He asked if I was happy with the cut and I genuinely was. We went to the register so I could pay. I asked him how much I owed him and he said something so quickly I didn’t understand it. That’s not uncommon, since my Spanish number skills are weak. I asked him to repeat it, which he did, but it still wasn’t making sense to me. Finally, I asked him to write it down. 140 pesos. $7 US.
Verdict: A guy’s haircut is much less expensive here.
Addendum: I spoke to our local Mexican friends and shared my experience. They said it sounds like I went to a full-service barber. At a regular barbershop, a guy’s cut is around 80 pesos ($4).