Speaking of Bad Haircuts? Have you had ... - Thorn Tree travel forum

Speaking of Bad Haircuts? Have you had a Lao Shave?

Replies: 16 - Last Post: 15-Dec-2007 11:34 Last Post By: SoloHobo

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Posted
15-Feb-2006 14:10
by: ticotim

Posts: 7,599
Registered: 15/01/03

Speaking of Bad Haircuts? Have you had a Lao Shave?

I got a kick out of the English woman posting that she recieved a Bad haircut while in Vietnam. I would have to think that a VN person cutting a Western womans hair could be quite a challenge, as most the hair in Asia is completely different, and the growth patterns on a westerner, and hair type, very odd compared to Asians...so live and learn..Personally, it makes a funny story I think...your friends would see you back home be like, "What is that?"...hahaha

But, in order to restore a tourist faith in the professional standards on the Vietnamese culture and Hair Cutting proffession, I would hate to see thousands of westerners running around the globe complaining about the bad hairdoo they got in SE ASIA...

So, I was in the south of Laos in mid-January, and on a rented moto, exploring the regions of the southeast part of the country. Next to my guesthouse in Attapue, was a really nifty barber shop, with really cute girls cutting hair, and giving shaves. I was on my way somewhere at the time, and figured I would stop in the next day for a shave..

But the next day I pulled up in the barber shop on my moto, and a old man was there cutting hair...darn...where are those cute girls?

So the next day I was in Salavan, and there was even a better place, with a bike/moto wash connected to the barber shop, boy, these Laos folks are sure enterprising, a bike wash while you get a shave...PERFECT!

3 cute girls were there, and I was ready...So, I lay back in the chair, and close my eyes, and feel the lovely soft caress of the girls hands on my 3 day stubble. She starts to giggle, and I open my eyes, and all 3 girls are looking at me like, they had a look on their face like-"Where do we start on this face " (Project).

They were not used to the heavy and thick hair a westerner has, and so they deffered to the older, wiser, more mature, know all, mother...now mother enters the picture...(Lucky me)

Well, no hot towel, just cream lathered on my face, and she starts on my beard, with a open blade, the old fasioned kind....I almost felt like I was at the dentist, hands clenching the arms of the chair, while I feel each stoke over my rough face....ouch!

Two razor blades later, and 30 minutes, I was done, I open my eyes, and half the village was watching the Falang get a shave, even the bike wash guys, some people from next door, and who knows who else, everyone was going OOOO, AAAA, UUUUU, EEEEE..and I looked at my face in the mirror, and it was nick FREE...Nice job..painful, but nice...

The bike was all washed and dried, and we had cookies and tea, and joked, and I paid the 8000 Kip for the shave, (50 cents), and 10,000 kip for the bike wash, (80 cents), and tipped the mother 5000 kip for the time, and off I went...

Do you hear me complaining...I could have been sliced up like a diced tomato...

Get a Guidebook, and Get Lost!

View PICS of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Costa Rica, Hamptons NY.... click on TicoTim...

Posted
15-Feb-2006 14:58
by: Cocodrilo

Posts: 11,223
Registered: 17/07/02

1

Although I have hair of similar texture and thickness of Japanese hair, they have always managed to damage my hair w/their perming liquids. A haircut/perm is well over $100 here, BTW. I decided to let my hair grow out(REALLY grow out, down to my waist) and when I need the occasioanl trim, I pop into my hubby's dad's barber shop!

I saw a lot of falang men getting haircuts & shaves while in Phnom Penh. They must be doing a good job over there!

Cambo by Moto

Posted
15-Feb-2006 15:04
by: Pisces_Chris

Posts: 44
Registered: 25/01/06

2

hi there,

Thats a wicked story, lol, really made me laugh, i can only imagine. I was in Scott Market in Rangoon last May and eating natural food rather than microwave rubbish my hair had grown at a rapid rate to what i can only desribe as "microphone" like, and i ALWAYS have what they call a "crop Cut" basically very very short, almost shaven. So in i went and there was this middle aged women and she motions me to sit down so i did, she gave me a hair cut, perfect, Eye brow cut (?!?!? a bit confused?!/?!?!), and her daughter gave me a shave but left big tufts of my beard which mother very kindly smartened up. Next was my neck shave. At this stage i had my shirt off so it wasn't prickly with hair and people was watching this big 6.3 250ilbs westerner full of British tattoo's from every vantage point! So i was now clean on top, no beard, no neck hair and was feeling a million dolalrs with a head massgae. next thing "BRRRRRR" comes the clippers going for my chest hair, Blimey girl behave yourself, so she gave her daughter some money to go for iced tea and some cakes and came back and all that for $1.50/£1/ K1500, of course i gave her 3000K and told her to behavetake it and be quiet because it was a real fun part of the day and it something i will never forgot and it warranted this! Keep the stories coming!!!

Happy Travels and good Hair cuts

Chris

Posted
15-Feb-2006 16:27
by: DeliciousDave

Posts: 2
Registered: 13/01/06

3

I got a haircut in Khon Kaen, Thailand last January, and picked one of the nicer looking places on the main road. I went in, (I was 21 at the time), and was quickly approached by a ladyboy who was pretty dead set on cutting my hair. I thought, "what the hell?", and let him cut it. Big mistake!
I wanted it short on top, and shorter on the sides. He did a pretty shitty job on the sides, and i was getting kinda nervous. Then when it was all done, instead of using a brush to clean the hair clippings off my ears, neck, shoulders, etc...he began to blow on me! haha, it was so uncomfortable, and the other girls and customers started laughing and I was going along with it, looking at them with an expression like "why me??". So finally i get out, and i go home and my father says "oh man, they butchered you!" and i ask him how, and he tells me to look in the mirror. Thats when i notice what he did! Instead of making it the same length in the back, he left a big curly section of hair near the base of my neck! it was like some asian mullet or something, i was horrified, but my dad cut it off.

Before I go back next time, I will be sure to get a haircut before I leave!

Posted
15-Feb-2006 17:14
by: Pisces_Chris

Posts: 44
Registered: 25/01/06

4

lol, ohh thats funny,

you see the funny side now tho?

Happy Travels

Chris

Posted
15-Feb-2006 17:38
by: Trent_at_LP

Posts: 306
Registered: 04/04/05

5

Funny story ticotim...I'll post this in the Laos section of our Postcards site in the next couple of weeks.

Posted
15-Feb-2006 20:29
by: Jacque_S

Posts: 42
Registered: 02/07/04

6

Uh, guys...they give bad haircuts and shaves because they aint haircutting places. tico, you sure you weren't subconsciously trolling for poon?

Posted
15-Feb-2006 20:49
by: Thach

Posts: 44
Registered: 06/04/04

7

As with Australia, I've had haircuts good and bad in VN. My favourite place is in Hue, just near the Belgian bar. Whilst I regard myself as fairly well inculturated, I do draw the line at allowing hairdressers to poke inside my ear with a pointy red stick. But I'm fascinated with the care and equipment withg which it'd done; often looks like a dentist about to drill.

Posted
15-Feb-2006 21:25
by: kym_h

Posts: 441
Registered: 13/09/04

8

"Speaking of Bad Haircuts? Have you had a Lao Shave?"

...that's nothing like a Brazilian, I guess?

"When life becomes too placid, it's time to go in search of faraway trouble."

Posted
15-Feb-2006 21:26
by: kym_h

Posts: 441
Registered: 13/09/04

9

"Speaking of Bad Haircuts? Have you had a Lao Shave?"

...that's nothing like a Brazilian, I guess?

"When life becomes too placid, it's time to go in search of faraway trouble."

Posted
16-Feb-2006 00:54
by: ZeroG

Posts: 108
Registered: 05/02/03

10

I've had decent haircuts in Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia even with my thick curly hair. Communication is key here ...

I've also had decent shaves in India, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco etc, but I would never let an Asian shave me ... they're just cant be familiar with thick beards so have no clue what to do no real sharp razors ...

Posted
16-Feb-2006 02:15
by: westwood

Posts: 9,365
Registered: 21/10/02

11

No-ones mentioned the "nose pluck".

"The trouble with being in the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat."

Posted
16-Feb-2006 02:28
by: Cocodrilo

Posts: 11,223
Registered: 17/07/02

12

OUCH!(above)
In Japan, they say your nose hair will grow longer if the air is dirty. Too many people aroud here let their nose hair grow, long enough to braid it practically!

Cambo by Moto

Posted
16-Feb-2006 04:31
by: celestine

Posts: 1,361
Registered: 05/06/02

13

Nice story Tim....

when bil & I went to a Cang Rai hairdressers.... he was impresed that they clipped and cleaned nose and ears too....but hey really dont know what to do with fine red curls.

We werebemused when it was me who was invited upstairs for massage and not him????

I'm the big redhead....with a sketchbook

Posted
16-Feb-2006 05:25
by: shagpod

Posts: 93
Registered: 13/11/02

14

If you get a number 4 every time it's hard to bollox that up.

The Run Down on Hair:

I saw this on Discovery. Aparently the classic asian hair is very round which makes it conducive to hanging straight. African hair on the other hand is flatter which is condicive to curling. Europeans tend to fall somewhere between these types.

(This was a Shagpod World Service)

In Sanity We Trust

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