A haphazard chronicle of my inevitable misadventures during a year in Vietnam and points east.

p.s. I'll be pitifully grateful if you send me email during my exile: TravelerKaty@hotmail.com

October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 February 2006 March 2006 May 2006

 
In a sanity preserving move, I got a haircut yesterday. Because I'm such a big spender, I opted to upgrade from the Cut/Blowdry ($3.75) to the Shampoo/Cut/Blowdry ($6), which proved to be an inspired upgrade. "Shampoo" doesn't even begin to describe the process that followed.

I began in the barber chair, sitting upright with no sink in sight. The shampoo girl squeezed a big glob of shampoo and a bit of water on my dry head, and started working it through with her fingernails, adding water and shampoo as needed. Felt terrific, and no drips!

The next phase was a full scalp and neck massage, 3-product conditioning process and 4 rinses in varying water temperatures, all conducted while I lay on a padded table in a cool, dim room with my eyes closed and shoes off. My neck was supported by another rolled up towel, and my head rested on an extension of the padded table -- no neck-killing porcelain sink business going on here. Twenty minutes of blissful relaxation later I was back in the chair where the shampoo girl massaged my shoulders, arms and hands.

For the actual haircut, I was asked to choose a photo from old American hairstyling magazines. I opted to attempt the very cute 'do possessed by Shawn Batten, star of the now defunct soap Sunset Strip, circa Spring 2000.

I pointed, the master haircutter nodded and said "cool, yes?" and we were underway as the MH dramatically whipped a pair of scissors out of his scissors and comb shoulder holster. After 15 minutes of Bugs Bunny-style fast-motion and seemingly haphazard snipping, three quarters of my hair was on the floor and the two-man blowdrying event began. A shampoo girl would hold the huge blowdryer in the air pointing at the ceiling, and the master haircutter would work the round brush and guide the barrel of the dryer into place. A few more minutes of random clipping, a bit of gel and teasing, and Voila!

I now look exactly as much like Shawn Batten circa Spring 2000 as I did before we started (read: not one little bit), but my hair now bears a striking resemblance to Dorothy Hamill's circa 1976 Olympics. Totally worth it, though. It's actually kind of a shame it's so short -- I'd love to go back every week to get shampooed and another inch off.

© 2002 Katy Warren


posted by Katy at 7:08 PM