The Evolution of the Thai (Udon) Barber Shop

Thai Society and culture, Living in Thailand.
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parrot
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The Evolution of the Thai (Udon) Barber Shop

Post by parrot » September 22, 2022, 2:40 pm

Back in the day just before UD Town, there were stalls of barbers along the road where KFC and Tesco are today. They were as cheap as they got in Udon back then......I want to say 25 Baht......but the places were dusty, dirty, open air, and if the guy in front of you had lice, well, you never knew. I opted for the high priced places like Remember Barber near Karin Hotel.......his place had air cond, and the owner, Mr Kitti (previously worked as the foreign liaison at Bangkok Bank on Prajak Rd) insisted the barbers keep their conversations low. Not perfect, but for 40 or 50 Baht, it was a better option. There was no consistency between his barbers, so one might give you a decent cut, another not so. I cut my ties when my barber started cutting my hair and had the shakes and another barber used scissors that were past due for a good sharpening.
In the past few years, there's been a variety of younger people opening up snazzier barber shops, better chairs, full range of rechargeable clippers, high quality shears, and all air conditioned. I've tried several.....no longer concerned about the quality of the cut, more concerned about the opportunity to zen out for 15 minutes or so. Today I tried out Rolling Stones......a newer shop directly across from Makkaeng School. 120 Baht for the cut.....quality chairs, cutting equipment, clean, parking available, a barber without the shakes. Maybe I can reckon the price as fair having spent 13 months in the US over covid.....and paying $13-17 for a clip........before the expected tip.
The evolution of the barber shop here is another reason my rose-colored glasses get a good workout in a developing country. Onward!
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stattointhailand
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Re: The Evolution of the Thai (Udon) Barber Shop

Post by stattointhailand » September 22, 2022, 4:41 pm

Many moons ago I used the barbers shop that was opposite Tawendeng. Cant remember if it was 3 or 4 chairs but always got a good cut/nose & ear hair dealt with/ mini massage (neck & shoulders) and after shave added to the areas they had used the cut throat razor and all for B30 and tip.Must be 10 + years since they got knocked down for the road development .... not found a better barber since

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Bandung_Dero
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Re: The Evolution of the Thai (Udon) Barber Shop

Post by Bandung_Dero » September 22, 2022, 4:42 pm

Yes, back in the early 2000s when we had a shopping stay over, every month, the Karen Hotel was our accomodation of choice and the Barber shop near the entry got my business.

Mrs Dero has been cutting my hair since, at least she has been very consistent, as they say:-
"There is only 5 days between a good and bad haircut!"
Sent from my 1977 Apple II using 2 Heinz bake bean cans and piano wire!

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