Job Discussion Forums

[gerard]

How much is a haircut in PRC. And is a haircut a "haircut" Do these barber poles mean what they mean elsewhere?(wink wink) I was out with Chinese teacher today and she didnt answer me. I dont want to go for a cut and find out it cost 2000RMB. Anybody ahd a trim here??? Maybe I should shave my head-good for a while...

[yaco]

Wash,cut and blow should cost 15 to 20RMB.

[yvechina]

My friend and I went to get a cut and a colour...it took 5 hours!!! We actually ordered lunch in! They colour the hair strand by strand. We ended up blowdrying our own hair as curls seemed to confuse everybody and used our own brushes as the ones they had were full of other peoples hair. The cut was OK but the colour was a bit dodgey as the greys are already evident after only one week. It cost 80rmb each.

[earth_dog]

Yvechina,
You might want to check out department stores near you. Some of them carry Loreal hair dye (Feria). If you're in a larger centre you may even find a color that suits. I've had stuff sent from home.

[Seth]

full service (which you will get because you're a foreigner) is wash, shoulder massage, and a haircut, around 20 kuai. First, though, make sure it's an actual salon and not a brothel. The closer you get to the train station or to hotels the more likely it is to be a brothel. I made the mistake of walking into one once, it took some quick footwork to dodge one particularly beefy prostitute and escape. If they have red/purple lights and have a little peep hole on the door for the women to look through, it's a brothel. Sometimes they'll even ambush you and try to pull you in. I'm not sure about the striped pole, I think that's mostly a Thailand thing.

Once your hair is washed and you're sitting in the seat, they'll show you a book of girlish Asian men with the most rediculous haircuts you've ever seen. Just keep saying 'no' and try to say the best you can 'just make it shorter.' Then the owner will come out and try to chat you up and offer you beer, cigarettes, etc. Maybe even take some pictures of him cutting your hair while the other staff giggle and chatter away. There will also be an ever changing crowd of people outside watching. I wouldn't shave your head, but I would get a rather close cut.
That is the full Chinese haircut experience. My last haircut took about 5 hours of cutting, chatting, beer drinking, etc. Take out a whole afternoon. At first I thought it was fun to get a haircut, because of all the weirdness, now it's just a pain in the neck.

[ChinaLady]

hummm, not sure if you are a guy or a female person. but, I being female went to the best place in town? and got a great cut, tea and the neck massage for 300y. then discovered the places on the university campus. trim for 5y. take in a photo. my thoughts, I've had bad haircuts in Canada, USA, Spain, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and now China. it grows out. haircuts, what a small deal. and the shampoo girls and the massages are great. where else can you get all this service for "service" for about 20 yuan? love this country!!

[David Bowles]

For the real experience, of course, you should probably go to one of the old men on the street with clippers. They're unlikely to try to make you look like you're in a Korean boy band, although beware the standard-issue 'square-head' cut.

[arioch36]

China Lady..300 yuan for a hair cut? but then I'm a guy. Was that full service, fingers head, etc?
My first haircut was in the local very small town in Henan...2 yuan, hair wash only. At the school it was 4 or 5 yuan. Last school, 5 yuan, great hair cuts, hair wash only. All took about 30 minutes. Now I wait until I go to Beijing or SHanghai for haircuts....why???...the head massagemassage.
Yes, there are those "wink-wink" massage places. The place i go to in beijing is cheap...10 yuan for the hair cut, 10 yuan for head /shoulder massage To me, the average price should be more like 35 yuan). The shoulder massage is so-so...the head massage is great. Most of the time these girls (or boys) are well-trained for their massages, having gone to a school for it. The first time I had the girl give me another head massage. I had to insist on paying for it. An hour and a half for 30 yuan. But I still don't know if I like them sticking their finger nails into my eardrums.
These are real massages in Beijing or Shanghai, not so good or common in Zhenghzou Henan.

The best, though are the foot-massages. You should definitely check it out.

Oh yeah, the hair cut is usually okay.
OYOY, the worse place to go is a department store, where they will charge you an arm and a leg

[earth_dog]

Sorry Chris, I didn't mean to go to a department store and have your hair done. My post was in response to someone who was concerned about the quality of the hair dye used in the salon she went to. My suggestion was that she buy her own hair product and do it herself.

[taiwan boy]

The cheapest places are about 4-5 yuan. In the big cities you might find yourself paying 10 yuan. Of course you can go to the places that charge a small fortune, but I doubt the haircut is any better.

I like to go for a hair wash and massage (xi tou) about once a week. 10 yuan in the town where I live or 15 yuan in Xiamen. One hour with a shampoo and head massage followed by a shoulder, arm and back massage. A luxury I could never afford back home. The massage skills of the girls varies. Some of them don't have much idea what they are doing, others are very good.

It is not difficult to distinguish the genuine hairdressers from those that offer additional services. The ones that offer additional services often have red lights inside (rather than bright white lights), there are a lot of girls sitting around doing nothing, the girls will often shout out "hello, massage-ee" as you walk past or whistle, and there is a distinct lack of haircutting going on.

[MW]

Wash and cut is 10 - 20 rmb. Most "barber shops" also offer blow but that may not be what you think, or maybe that is what you were asking.

Yes they also have hot air hair dryers. But upstairs you pay anywhere from 50 rmb to 500 rmb. Sorry if this sounds crude but the original question asked.

[Roger]

If you see ten or more hair dresser shops in any given street of less than 200 meters, then your female escort will ignore your question about their purpose and walk purposefully on.
There is not enough legitimate business for two salons in such a short street, no matter whether the entire neighbourhood wants their hair to be dyed pink, blue or green.
And, go inside of one of them at your peril!

[Seth]

I stayed at a hotel near the train station in Xi'an once and there had to be 50 brothels nearby, no joke. Street after street of brothels. Brothel, brothel, CD shop, brothel, brothel, brothel, dumpling shop, brothel, netbar, brothel. I asked my Xi'anese friend about them, he said 'Oh, Xi'an men never go to those places.' Well, someone has to keep all that business up, and I'm sure it's not the foreigners! Ask most Xi'anese and they'll say that they don't exist. Then they'll say something like 'Oh, in Western countries, there are so many prostitutes that they wear name badges.' Hmph!

[whitjohn]

I get great haircuts in Kunming with wash for 5 yuan

[smalls]

In Southern Guangxi, a man or woman, if she so desires, can find a cheap and simple cut for 3 yuan. This does not include the shampoo, massage, or any of the other fancy stuff. I got a cut, a shave (even shaved my forehead - didn't think you had to), and a complimentary ear cleaning with a long metal pick. Looked fine to me, but then again, I rarely see the back of my head, and maybe am just to simple to appreciate a good hair cut. It seems as though, a lot of Chinese prefer to go to the busier shops, means they are better, even if they usually are not, at least from my experiences.
But, you can't beat three, unless it was a beautiful woman performing the duties, and not an old man. But, old men do have the experience.