Barber Wars

I needed to get a haircut soon because I wanted to look dashing while traveling around Singapore next week. Actually it's just becoming too messy to deal with so I planned to go for a close trim. And then I remembered a particular flyer I was given in Prangin Mall. It was promoting a particular hair saloon's recent relocation and is offering a haircut + wash + blowdry for RM19, 45% less than their usual RM36. I was intrigued and so kept the flyer.

My usual hairdresser charges me RM8 for a simple haircut, and it has been RM8 for years. RM19 is much more expensive but I decided to give it a shot because of the hair wash. Now, anyone who has had their hair washed at a good hair saloon will say it's a relaxing experience. The massaging and kneading of the scalp can send the stress away. I haven't had a good scalp massage since 1.8 years ago (I keep track), so I was raring for more.

So I drove over to Prangin Mall and went looking for this saloon. Along the way, I saw another saloon's banner proclaiming almost the same offers, except it's RM25 instead of RM19. Later on after my haircut I also saw another saloon offering the same services for RM18. There seems to be stiff competition around and they keep undercutting each other. This might explain the following warning on the flyer: "Beware! Copy-cat follow our promotion".

But if my RM19 haircut is any indication, I won't be going to the others. I was disappointed in both the washing and the haircut. But I can't say which disappointed me more. The hair wash was barely a wash - I could have done better myself. Instead of giving me a 10 minute, or even a 5 minute scrubbing, the guy just washed my hair at the rinsing area. He was done with the hair wash within 4 minutes.

The haircut was also a let-down. I wanted something funky and I did tell the bloke to recommend something but he went ahead and gave me back my old hairstyle. It is slightly better than my usual RM8 haircut, but it was not as ground-breaking as I had hoped. Perhaps I was expecting way too much, but I expect to at least get my money's worth on the hair wash (which I didn't).

I will dye my hair later tonight. I've tried it out on a few strands of hair last night, and it came out a very dark, chocolatey brown instead of the gold ash blonde it is supposed to be. But I can't have everything now, can I?