Getting a Great Haircut in Singapore is NOT easy, too many pretend barbers and salons with "Think They Are Stylists" better described as "Apprentices" rather than Professional Hair cutters.
After years of searching I have finally tried and tested and am convinced that ONE Professional Barbershop exists in Singapore.
I had to walk many streets and lane ways to uncover this fantastic Trestle Shearing Shop.
Finding the professional barber is like finding authentic Char Kway Te-ow.
Tools of their trade today bring about sanitized combs, brushes and scissors, straight bladed with large circular finger holes.
Time has changed they no longer use the folding cut throat razor, which used to give the smoothest shave of all. They now use disposable razors, or a razor blade fixed in a handle. They say it is due to possibility of aids being spread by nicks if the same blade was used.
Powder puff and bowls filled with cheap refreshing talcum powder for dusting before using the razor on the back of the neck are now part of the haircut experience.
The Manual Hair Clipper ( called maseen, mishnn, or masheen --i.e. machine) of various sizes of teeth has now been replaced by the Wahl Clipper Corporation Electric Clipper. This machine has a shabby school boy's long hair mop cut to perfect short back and sides and covering the ceramic tiled floor in no longer than FOUR minutes.
A hair dryer and some shops have rotating hair brushes which pick off loose hair ( if not careful it can take off your scalp as well) .
Most girls in India, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam don't go in much for manicures and pedicures they prefer to do it themselves. More than ever before the younger Females of India Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam enjoy having their thick long black hair cut off at a traditional barbershop telling their friends and online social media how excited they felt as the Indian, Filipino or Vietnamese male barber took her hair in his hand and her legs started shaking and making her want to get up and leave the place but her friend who was next in the chair held her hand and forced her to sit tight. By then the barber had loosened up her braided hair, combed and started cutting off the trestels.
"Within FIFTEEN minutes all my long hair was gone and he took to my head with his Wahl Clipper Corporation Electric Clipper to give me a tapered sexy look. I was left with a very short sexy cropped cut,which suited me brilliantly since I had straight hair"she said.
"I felt very low for first few days and was ashamed of going to school due to the changed look. I pretended to be sick for two days ,but then finally went to school was the shocked at the kind of response I got,everybody was going gaga over my new hair style. I felt extremely happy and have decided along with eight of my girlfriends to keep our hair short permanently visiting the same barber every few months becoming a city girl and have started wearing western clothes in line with my hairstyle". " To put it simply it has changed my life and brought the best out of me".
As for the Singaporean female she is still
a Singaporean women, some say " useless" because they she is so "obedient" and "significantly" more "materialistic" than her Indian, Thai, Filipino and Vietnamese counterparts. "Social status is parallel to money, and getting her haircut at a flashy salon by a "Think They Are Stylists" better described as "Apprentices" rather than Professional Haircutters is like a validation from other people. It makes her feel good because others will approve of her even though the haircut does not suit her face and is far from perfect.
"It is not a must to have the perfect hairstyle but if you happen to chance upon one, it's ok lah" is the excuse I hear from Singaporean Females?
If you get a choice, you can certainly place yourself in a better look and environment, obviously even though it may mean tarnishing your "materialistic facade" by visiting a traditional barber shop lah.
Also lah Shampoos, Conditioner's and Soaps are used in all barber shops. Hair Dye and Bleach which no trendy female in her right mind would submit too are in some barber shops.
It is SAD that Singaporean females have NOT yet grasped that "Men are wired to go for looks," a woman's physical attractiveness is a visual cue and features such as " trendy natural looking short hairs tykes,"soft skin, full-looking lips and colorful cheeks" are not just attractive, but also associated with youth, which indicates a woman's level of high esteem and self confidence. The trendy haircut is why men tend to go for younger women in India, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam let alone around the globe.
Almost mandatory and without question materialistic ally irrelevant to social stigma is the barber shop furniture-- Laminate (sunmica formica etc) tables and drawers and a low long table set next to the wall serving as a row waiting chair, wooden stools, again with a laminate surface and mirrors along two facing walls set at a slight angle to the vertical so that you can see the back of your head giving the illusion of space adds to the feeling of haircut time and an excite mental experience.
At Singapore's most professional traditional barber shops monochrome TV or at least CD player running at half blast and complementing the sound of the sharp scissors and electric clippers crunching and humming through trestels of ugly old fashioned long hair surrounded by a mix of fresh high-octane ideas of old school barber shop.
Truly and without question a must do experience and life long lesson for every child, teenager or young professional Male and Female is this unique disciplined atmosphere fully loaded with matching décor and traditional barbershop prices; perfect for the person looking for a great trendy cut but unwilling to take a risk at a glossy high end chain or shopping center salon with "Think They Are Stylists" better described as "Apprentices" rather than Professional Haircutters.
Large, comfortable Barber chairs placed in an open floor plan; polished floor tiles and perfectly engineered lighting ensure the services requested are executed to your 100% satisfaction.
Traditional Barbershops take pride in making sure that the barbershop is a great place for customers and employees alike. The atmosphere is always relaxed and upbeat to ensure happiness and great experiences.
In Singapore a Must visit Barbershop is:
New Star Hair Dressing Saloon
164 Serangoon Road
Norris Road,
Singapore
