THE men's grooming industry is thriving in the Kingdom as a number of upscale men's salons have opened here lately. Moreover, expatriates seem to have overcome the social stigma associated with working as a barber, as is apparent from the fact that most of this city's 2,300 barbershops are run by expatriates. Naeem Chaudry, a Pakistani national who has been working as a barber for 23 years at a shop in Al-Safa District, considers his line of work ‘safe' in a foreign land, as long as one has a good sponsorship. Most saloons, apart from offering high-end grooming services for men, such as, hair and moustache coloring, eyebrow trimming, manicure and pedicure, facial, scrubbing, oiling and bleaching, also branch out as men's boutiques. Most barbershops have fixed prices for their services. “Sometimes it depends on how much time it takes for a haircut,” said Chaudry. The price of a trim or a shave can range between SR5 and SR15, while for haircuts, SR10 to SR50 is the regular price. Haircuts for children are priced between SR5 to SR10. Mia Rafiq, a Bangladeshi barber, said: “Sometimes I do not even have enough space in my shop for all my customers. I do not have any fixed rates. I observe my customers, and my charges vary. I make good money.” However, for Ibrahim Fatha, a Turkish barber on Al-Salama Street, fixed rates at his shop are the rule, even if that means fewer customers. “I use my creativity in styling, so I charge accordingly,” he said, adding that his minimum charges range between SR15 to SR60. Fatha is a trained massage professional. Media reports say that many barbershops do not adhere to the municipal health regulations. Many barbers are not even aware of the importance of cleanliness and hygiene and are in need of education on the risks of AIDS, Hepatitis B and other infectious diseases. “All municipality officials know that we use safe equipment as they (officials) question us when we are given a license for the equipment,” Fatha said. Asked if he has had any bad customer experience, Fatha says: “Most of the customers like to disturb us for no reason. They like to irritate us by repeatedly asking us about the tools we use, etc.” “But the worst part is,” he said, “when we ask them to pay, they refuse saying that they either did not like the haircut, or argue with us, or sometimes, they just leave the shop as if they had never entered it!” Fatha said many factors can determine the business of a barbershop. “Apart from the hygiene, attractively designed interiors and exteriors of the shop, reasonable prices, a proper catalogue of hair styles and other services, can work in the interest of the shop,” he said. Fatha said that due to the massive restrictions and fines imposed on barbers for unhygienic practices, most barbers strictly use disposable blades. “We assure the clients by opening the new pack of blades before them,” he said. Mujeeb, a barber from the South Indian state of Kerala who currently manages a shop at Al-Arba'een Street, said that one does not need any professional training to do well as a barber. “I did not attend any related course but I am experienced. It is more about creativity, where sometimes we blend the old styles with the new ones to get a different look,” he said. Like others, Mujeeb said he has also had his share of troublesome customers. “Being new to a country, it is not easy to earn a living here. Some of our customers, especially the Arabs, treat us very badly,” he said. “Every person makes blunders and these can be overcome by simple decisions. For example, when a customer asks for a certain style and we think it would not suit him, we should simply say, ‘It cannot be done, or it will not suit you.'”
